I was a little worried about buying this tent due to all the reviews saying the poles were breaking. Well my poles were fine! I purchased the groundcloth, and highly recommend getting it, since the breezeway area does not come with a floor. Tent set up was a breeze. The instructions are on a permanent tag inside the tent bag. My boyfriend and I set up the 6 man tent in 15-20 minutes, but we weren't hurrying. The tent is color coded, which makes it easier and lets you know which side of the groundcloth faces up. Remember to pull the tent to the pole ends and bend GENTLY as opposed to bending the poles to the tent, we treated the poles gently and had no problems. We had the tent up for 4 nights and it rained hard one evening. The front room got soaked, but that was my fault, I didn't realize the front door had another solid door to zip. The space under my sleeping bag pad got a little damp, but the main tent area was generally dry.
This tent was a PERFECT size for 2 adults and two large (75lb) dogs and their dog beds. We were constantly pleasantly surprised with the features in this tent- flap ties, windows, and general layout of the tent. Someone definately put some thought into the design. The rear door was great for getting the dogs out for a morning potty break, and there is a door between the front "breezeway" and the main tent area, perfect for separating the pups during snack time. This tent got great air circulation, and one of our dogs preferred to be in the tent as opposed to hanging out with the rest of the crew around the campfire.
Breaking down the tent was easy, and everything fit back in the bag well. The groundcloth fits in with the bag with the rest of the tent supplies. No poles were damaged in anyway during set up and take down.
For the price, I hope this tent lasts a decade, but we'll see...
Our family of four (two adults, and children now 2 and 4) have used this tent heavily over the last few years. The sleeping compartment is the perfect size for a queen or king air mattress, and the vestibule is a great addition when the mosquitos are out, or for anyone that wants to sleep "half outside". It is very well constructed with lots of great "attention to detail" elements, like color coded tabs, that make setup, tear-down, and usage a pleasure. It is a great value for the money, and I highly recommend this tent.
After using this tent for two weeks in the Swiss Alps I can report the following: 1. The awning in the front allows water to drip towards the inside of the screen room. This means to keep the inside dry you have to do a full zip up of the front door even in light rain. I tried many adjustments to no avail. This is bad because even under drizzle you must seal yourself in the tent closing all doors, thus not enjoying a nice view. 2. The main fly pole fits too tight. After a short (one day) while I noticed the stitching begins to loosen. 3. After breaking down the tent I noticed that the poles were deformed and began to loosen from their metal connectors. In my opinion the poles are not engineered for the stresses of the tent. 4. After numerous adjustments and weather conditions I could not get the fly to fit properly (tailoring problem?) 6. I would never recommend this tent for 6 people as it would be quite cramped if you were caught in the rain for a few days . 7. Many loose threads suggesting quality control issues.
Unfortunately, I will be returning this tent. I am a great fan of LL Bean and I hope to see improvements in the future.
Just bought this tent and used it for the first time. Color coding made set up simple. It took my wife and I 15 minutes. Plenty of places to hang and store stuff inside. Zippers worked great. No snagging. You don't realize how importrant this is until the middle of the night, when you have to get up and out, and then you spend what seems like an eternity getting a zipper unjammed from a piece of nylon Great ventilation through the tent. We got the 4 man tent and we had plenty of room for 2 cots and gear in the tent area. Two chairs and a small table in the screen "porch". I would and will recommend this tent to anyone. By the way...the stake "hammer and puller" is the cutest little thing I've ever seen. (not very effective, but cute)
