Customer Reviews

Kelty Grand Mesa 4-Person Tent (Ruby/Tan)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been extremely pleased with this tent. It is spacious enough for my family of four and is very easy to set up. My ten and seven-year olds can pitch this tent almost completely by themselves. Hooks for the poles is a vast improvement over running poles through slits. The connections for the rainflap are very easy to use. The inside is pretty spacious. The one loop for a lantern is good, but would have liked one or two more. The storage compartments inside are sufficient,and between them and the space created when you close the rain flap we had all our gear out of the elements. Given the size of the tent it is not overly heavy, although I could not fit this in my pack using the bag is comes in. Instead I connected it via some extra straps on my pack and it worked just fine. We have had no issues with any component of this tent and would recommend it to other campers.

I took this tent on a three month road trip across most of North America. It held up in the wind in the Grand Canyon (60mph that night!!), the hail at Yellowstone National Park, the rain in Denali National Park, the 106 degree weather in the Badlands and the freezing cold weather in the deserts of New Mexico. One night a little rain water seeped into the bottom of the tent, granted it was a torrential downpour and we were basically in a puddle...I got some sealant and sealed all of the seams of the tent and we also had to seal the seams on the back ventilation window located on the fly due to dripping. Other than that little bump and the occasional condensation (the tent doesn't breathe spectacularly) the Grand Mesa held it's own and comfortably fit a queen sized air mattress and two adults. The strange thing however is the footprint designed specifically for this tent seems a bit small. I'm sure there is a reason for this but it was a little tricky sometimes deciding to stake it and pull it taut or leave it as is.

I've never put another tent to the test in so many varying weather situations but this tent held its own and was a worthwhile investment.

I've only used this tent a few camping nights and it has yet to see rain. (lucky me), but I can say that it sets up faster than a smaller tent LL Bean tent that I still own and love. This tent is spacious. The vestibule is large. The door zipper hasn't gut caught in the any adjacent storm flap or tent material like has happened on other tents and even rain coats. The zipper is quieter than most. I would have liked to see a few hanging loops at the roof as it only has one, in the center.

I've used this tent now for a fall father-son overnight camping trip as well as a week in Alaska in early September. I really appreciate how quickly and easily the set-up is. Even my 3 yr old son can help perform some of the tasks. Perfect amount of space for a family of 4 as long as the kids are still little. I wouldn't want to put 4 adults in there, though. The tent worked great keeping out the rain in Alaska (and it rained a lot up there). I can't comment on the air flow and comfort in warm climates, though.

I do not recommend this tent for camping anyplace where you might encounter blowing sand or dust. Unlike many dome tents, the mesh windows in this tent are NOT equipped with zip-up panels - so there is no way to "batten down the hatches" and keep the dust out during a blow. Kelty probably decided to go this route to keep weight down, and to cut manufacturing costs enabling them to keep the tent priced low.

Stowed, the tent is light and compact. It is a joy to set up and take down - very quick and easy, and it feels spacious and airy even when the rain-fly is in place. I also like the large entry port - I don't have to crawl to get in or out like I do with some dome tents. It'll keep you dry and keep the bugs out, but the lack of a way to seal the mesh windows render it of limited use for someone like me who likes to camp in the desert sometimes.

I wanted a tent that a) would stay dry b) was easy to put up c) wasn't really expensive d) could fit a full blowup bed. I have used this for a weekend camping on Cape Cod. There were drenching downpours in the evening, so much that there were puddles at the campsite of about 2 inches! I had pitched the tent on a bit higher level(not much really as the sites are small) and the tent was 100% dry for the whole weekend(it rained both nights!). My daughter is 5 and could put the tent up by herself(except that she can't reach the top connectors)..I taught her in 5 min at home prior to going! The fly is extremely easy too. Again my daughter will fasten the clips in each corner while I stake out the other sections! It really does only take about 5-8 min to get the tent up! The rain does get in the tent when you open the vestibule to get in(like all other tents like this) but you can sit at the edge of the tent and quickly close it so that it doesn't get much wetter while you take off the wet shoes/clothes! I did use a ground tarp underneath to save the floor of the tent which I'm sure helped with the rain! As expected, the stakes are not great(thus 4.5 stars). I bent one easily and the ground wasn't that hard! The only other thing to watch out for is the wind. This tent has a long wide side. If there are gust of 20MPG or >, the tent will take off if not staked down well..or you could make sure the front is facing into the wind and staked well! I did not have any issues, as we were at a campsite with trees. In the backyard my daughter was in the tent without it staked and a gust did pick up the tent and start to roll with her in it! The instructions warn of this.
All in all a great buy!
Cheers!

I live in Aspen/Snowmass and go camping a lot. For two people... it's AWESOME! For 3 people it's great... even with gear. You can forget about 4 people... but isn't that why you buy a 4 person tent... to sleep 3 comfortable:-)?

Anyway... super easy assembly. I recommend putting a tarp underneath the tent to keep it in good condition and keep it dry.

Holds up in wind... rain... etc. The rain fly is great and gives you that extra space you need.

No complaints... great buy, super easy to set up, holds up in the weather.

For around $150... it's the best buy around.

Oh... this is not a winter tent... 3 seasons only.

Add me to the 5 star list. First run was for backpacking weekend, we love it. 4 inner pockets, top loop for flashlight/small lantern. Easily to set up & easy to pack up!

No insects came in, no rain problems, no condensation inside, no complaints here.

Tent kept me completely dry during a thunderstorm in central Oregon. Very quick and easy to set up. Tent stakes bent with barely any force though and need to be replaced.

Bought this tent for 1-2 person camping (I like lots of room). Really easy to put up and take down - only a few mins. I bought some better quality pegs, but otherwise this is a well made tent.