Kelty Wi-fi 6 Evaluation | CleverHiker

Backside Line

The Kelty Wi-fi 6 is a feature-packed, six-person tent with a spacious inside and powerful construct, all at a surprisingly low value. With tents at this value level changing into more and more uncommon, the Wi-fi 6 stands out as one among our high budget-friendly tenting tents. To totally check each facet of this tent, we packed up the household and launched into a six-week, eight-state street journey.

We’re genuinely impressed by the standard and usefulness of this tent. Its excessive peak peak will delight taller campers, and the twin vestibule design provides 14 sq. ft to an already spacious inside. It additionally holds up nicely towards the weather, together with driving rain and excessive winds, and is straightforward to arrange because of its color-coded tab system.

Nonetheless, the Wi-fi 6 does have its drawbacks. Air flow is proscribed, resulting in stuffiness and potential condensation points. Regardless of its high-quality development, there are considerations concerning the longevity of the poles, and at over 22 kilos, it’s fairly heavy.

Consolation

The Wi-fi 6 boasts a spacious inside with 70 sq. ft and a 76-inch peak peak, providing greater than sufficient room for a household of 4. Tall campers will admire the beneficiant headroom, eliminating the necessity to crouch whereas standing. The lengthy forehead pole enhances stability, holding the inside tent taut and the partitions almost vertical to maximise house. Whereas the tent can theoretically sleep six individuals, gear storage is proscribed inside.

Nonetheless, the twin vestibule design provides 14 sq. ft of additional house for storing gear exterior the principle space. Total, the Wi-fi 6 is well-suited for households and offers a cushty and purposeful residing house. We should always word that this tent doesn’t ventilate nicely and that may have an effect on the local weather inside. It could possibly get stuffy, particularly throughout hotter days and humid nights. You’ll be able to assist mitigate this by opening and rolling again the vestibule doorways however then your gear is perhaps uncovered to the weather.

Sturdiness

The largest disadvantage of this mannequin is the poles. They’re constituted of fiberglass somewhat than extra sturdy aluminum. Whereas fiberglass generally is a good materials for tent poles, we’d favor them to be a bit thicker for added power.

After our twelfth night time utilizing the tent, we skilled a shock wire break in one among them whereas taking it down. We have been in a position to restore it and proceed utilizing the tent with out additional points, however it’s one thing to bear in mind. We don’t imagine the poles are of poor high quality, however it’s necessary to deal with them with care. Keep away from pulling on them as this will stress the shock wire; as an alternative, push them gently out and in of the pole sleeves to make sure longevity.

The material supplies used within the development of the Wi-fi 6 are surprisingly good for the worth. Kelty has totally taped the entire seams for added safety, and the mesh feels sturdier than another tents we’ve examined. The stakes appear sturdy, although we bent a number of in Colorado’s rocky soil. Total, the Kelty Wi-fi 6 affords mid-tier high quality, however for the worth, it’s laborious to beat.

Climate Resistance

Total, the Wi-fi 6 scores nicely within the climate resistance class. We examined this tent in some intense Colorado thunderstorms, and it held its personal towards average winds and torrential downpours. It’s necessary to notice that the Wi-fi 6 doesn’t embody a footprint, so we examined the tent each because it arrived and with a floor tarp. With no footprint, we did expertise some leakage by the underside of the tent, which wasn’t shocking. We all the time suggest utilizing a footprint or floor tarp to guard essentially the most susceptible a part of the setup. When examined with a floor tarp, we encountered no leakage regardless of comparable rain circumstances.

On sizzling days, when you possibly can sleep with out the rainfly, the Wi-fi 6 is nice, because of ample mesh that permits heat air to flee. Nonetheless, with the rainfly totally deployed, air flow is proscribed, which may result in sizzling and stuffy sleeping circumstances. The tent’s form and wall angles shed rain nicely, and when totally guyed out, the Wi-fi 6 handles mild to average winds successfully. Like every tent of this dimension, it struggles in high-wind eventualities, so should you’re anticipating sturdy gusts, it’s finest to pitch the Wi-fi 6 close to a windbreak.

Ease of Setup

We discovered the Kelty Wi-fi 6 to be remarkably simple and intuitive to pitch. At the same time as a solo camper, you possibly can arrange this tent in beneath 10 minutes, and it’s even faster with a associate. Not like many tents that use grommets for pole attachments, the Wi-fi 6 options small pole sleeves on the corners, which simplifies the setup course of.

Kelty additionally contains color-coded tabs for one nook of the tent and rainfly, eliminating the guesswork of orientation. The tent’s design ensures that the whole lot matches collectively properly. Though the tent is on the taller aspect, which could make it a bit difficult for shorter campers to succeed in the middle clip as soon as the poles are up, total, the setup is easy and hassle-free. The considerate design makes the Kelty Wi-fi 6 one of many simpler tents to pitch in its class.

Options

On the subject of the options of the Kelty Wi-fi 6, we really feel it leaves a bit of to be desired. Beginning with the nice: we love the fast nook sleeves and color-coded webbing that make pitching the tent simple and intuitive. The twin massive vestibules are additionally a plus, providing additional house for gear storage when the rainfly is deployed. It might appear minor, however we actually admire the carrying case. Packing up camp is all the time a problem, and it’s worse when your gear doesn’t simply match again into its stuff sack. The Kelty Wi-fi 6 makes this course of a bit much less irritating. The case has a zipper working the size of the bag, so you possibly can merely roll up the tent, place it inside, and zip it closed. The case is spacious sufficient to comfortably match the tent and all its elements, eliminating the battle of packing.

Now for the not-so-good: the Wi-fi 6 solely has 4 small pockets, which look like they could stretch or tear over time. For a tent designed for six individuals, we’d prefer to see extra storage choices. Moreover, the tent suffers from poor air flow. With out sufficient airflow, moisture can construct up inside, resulting in condensation and a humid night time’s sleep, even with out rain. Extra air flow flaps on the rainfly would considerably enhance airflow and assist with the condensation subject.

Ought to You Purchase the Kelty Wi-fi 6?

The Kelty Wi-fi 6 is a wonderful price range purchase, very best for these with value constraints or these searching for their first family-friendly tent. Its spacious inside is nice for taller campers, and the additional vestibule room is ideal for storing further gear on prolonged journeys or for organising a base camp.

At roughly 17 kilos, it’s not suited to backpacking, and should you anticipate heavy use, you would possibly think about a extra premium choice. Nonetheless, for informal tenting and household adventures, the Wi-fi 6 affords spectacular worth and performance.

What Different Tenting Tents Ought to You Take into account?

REI Skyward 4 Evaluation: The Skyward 4 is smaller than the Wi-fi 6 however is made with high quality supplies, affords glorious livable house, and includes a tall peak peak to keep away from crouching whereas standing.

NEMO Aurora Highrise 4 Evaluation: For a bit of more cash, you would possibly need to try the Highrise 4. Whereas it’s technically a four-person tent and pricier, it affords the same inside livable house with higher-quality supplies. If you happen to plan on spending extra nights beneath the celebrities, the NEMO Highrise is perhaps a better option. 

The North Face Wawona 6 Evaluation: The Wawona 6 is on the alternative finish of the price range spectrum and affords the same quantity of inner house. The distinction is that the Wawona 6 is filled with a few of our favourite options and features a large vestibule that’s nearly as massive as a few of the tents we examined.