Wenzel Timber Ridge Sport 9-by-7-Foot Four-Person Dome Tent

by Wenzel

Product Features

• 4-person dome tent ideal for long hikes and extended cycling excursions
• Dutch D-style door for easy entry; weather-resistant polyester fabric
• 2 windows and mesh roof vents help you control ventilation
• Shock-corded fiberglass frame with pole pockets for easy setup
• Base measures 9 by 7 feet; stands 52 inches tall; 10-year warranty

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Keep your load limber during long hikes and extended cycling excursions with the Wenzel Timber Creek Sport dome tent. Large enough to sleep four people at once yet compact enough to fit conveniently on a backpack or saddle bags, the tent is ideal for all types of camping and conditions. The Timber Creek Sport includes such features as a Dutch D-style door for easy entry, along with a shock-corded fiberglass frame with pole pockets that sets up and disassembles quickly. Campers will also appreciate the weather-armor polyester fabric and tough side seams, which are reliably rugged and resist leaks of all kinds. The window and roof vents, meanwhile, do a nice job of ventilating the tent and controlling morning moisture.

Additional details include water-repellent threads, zippers, and webbing; a sonic-sealed floor that's welded (not sewn) to eliminate stitch and needle holes; and a removable fly for wet weather conditions. The Timber Creek Sport carries a 10-year limited warranty.

Specifications:

• Base: 9 by 7 feet
• Center height: 52 inches
• Interior space: 63 square feet
• Sleeps: 4
• Windows 2
• Floor: Welded polyethylene
• Frame: Fiberglass
• Pegs: Steel
• Carrying weight: 8 pounds

Amazon.com Tent Guide
Selecting a Tent
Fortunately, there are all kinds of tents for weekend car campers, Everest expeditions, and everything in-between. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Expect the Worst
In general, it's wise to choose a tent that's designed to withstand the worst possible conditions you think you'll face. For instance, if you're a summer car camper in a region where weather is predictable, an inexpensive family or all-purpose tent will likely do the trick--especially if a vehicle is nearby and you can make a mad dash for safety when bad weather swoops in. If you're a backpacker, alpine climber, or bike explorer, or if you like to car camp in all seasons, you'll want to buy something designed to handle more adversity.

Three- and Four-Season Tents
For summer, early fall, and late spring outings, choose a three-season tent. At minimum, a quality three-season tent will have lightweight aluminum poles, a reinforced floor, durable stitching, and a quality rain fly. Some three-season tents offer more open-air netting and are specifically designed for summer backpacking or other activities. Many premium tents will also feature pre-sealed, taped seams and a silicone-impregnated rain fly for enhanced waterproofing.

For winter camping or alpine travel, go with a four-season model. Because they typically feature more durable fabric coatings, as well as more poles, four-season tents are designed to handle heavy snowfall and high winds without collapsing. Of course, four-season tents exact a weight penalty of about 10 to 20 percent in trade for their strength and durability. They also tend to be more expensive.

Domes and Tunnels
Tents are broadly categorized into two types: freestanding, which can stand up on their own, and tents that must be staked down in order to stand upright. Freestanding tents often incorporate a dome-shaped design, and most four-season tents are constructed this way because a dome leaves no flat spots on the outer surface where snow can collect. Domes are also inherently stronger than any other design. Meanwhile, many three-season models employ a modified dome configuration called a tunnel. These are still freestanding, but they require fewer poles than a dome, use less fabric, and typically have a rectangular floorplan that offers less storage space than a dome configuration. Many one and two-person tents are not freestanding, but they make up for it by being lighter. Because they use fewer poles, they can also be quicker to set up than a dome.

Size Matters
Ask yourself how many people you'd like to fit in your fabric hotel now and in the future. For soloists and minimalists, check out one-person tents. If you're a mega-minimalist, or if you have your eye on doing some big wall climbs, a waterproof-breathable bivy sack is the ticket. Some bivy sacks feature poles and stake points to give you a little more breathing room. Also, if you don't need bug protection and you want to save weight, check out open-air shelters.

Families who plan on car camping in good weather can choose from a wide range of jumbo-sized tents that will accommodate all your little ones with room to spare. A wide range of capacities is available for three- and four-season backpacking and expedition tents. Remember, though, the bigger the tent you buy, the heavier it will be, although it's easy to break up the tent components among several people in your group. It's also helpful to compare the volume and floor-space measurements of models you're considering.

Product Description

Wenzel Timber Creek Sport tent is lightweight and compact for hiking and biking. Dutch "D" style door for easy access, removable fly for weather conditions and shockcorded fiberglass frame with pole pockets for easy set-up and take down. Window and roof vents provide great ventilation and moisture control. At Wenzel we have a tradition of creating rugged, durable, top performing camping gear. We earned the reputation as America's family camping brand after more than a century of providing uncompromising quality and high value to our customers. Customer Care at 1-800-325-4121

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 28 x 5.8 x 5.6 inches ; 8.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000F1YIQ6
• Item model number: 36276
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,983 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy to assemble, yet sturdy, September 12, 2006

By 

Nagender Parimi (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wenzel Timber Ridge Sport 9-by-7-Foot Four-Person Dome Tent (Sports)

I've been camping a few times in the past few months. This tent has been of great value:

* easy to assemble/dis-assemble - This tent is remarkably easy to assemble, it took a friend and myself about 15 minutes the first time. And I've had my share of tents that would refuae to stay up even after spending an hour on them. This is the most attractive feature of this tent for me.

* Quite sturdy and weather-proof too - The manufacturer has given nails which can be used to hold the tent down. I've run into rain twice with these tents, and not had a problem either time. There are mesh flaps on the side and at the top which let air in on a clear night, but they can be covered up to keep the rain out.

* It holds three adults and it has ample space for two.

I'd completely agree with one of the other reviewer's remarks about the tiny bag that the tent comes in. It took us more than 20 mins just to squeeze the tent back into that small bag. But you could instead easily use the carton the tent in for holding the tent.

I would certainly recommend this for campers.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great value for a car camping tent, July 29, 2007

By 

windriver12 (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wenzel Timber Ridge Sport 9-by-7-Foot Four-Person Dome Tent (Sports)

I bought this tent for a camping trip in the Adirondacks. It held up well during a whole day of heavy downpours. There were a few drops of water that somehow seemed to make their way through both the rain tarp and the mesh of the actual tent itself, so that every few minutes, water drops would fall on us. But for the price, I can't complain. The top half of the actual tent itself is mostly made of a mosquito mesh like material. So you definitely need to put the rain tarp over it if you think it might rain. If you want some sun, just take off the tarp, and the sun will shine right through.

This is not a backpacking tent. It is too big and heavy to carry as a back country tent. For those situations you might want to look for a lighter model. But if you are camping close to your car, this is great.

There is no separate ground tarp. The bottom of the tent is designed to be a ground tarp. I wish more tents would do this. The tent is big enough for five people to hang out in it and play cards. Four people can also lie down in it with their sleeping bags, but it's a cozy fit. This is a free standing tent. This means you don't need to use guy wires to keep it standing, though they are provided to give your tent more rigidity.

The bag that the tent came with is absolutely too small. Once you take it out of the bag, there is no way you can get it back in the bag. Trust me. I tried rolling the tent, folding the tent, crumpling the tent, but no matter what, it is impossible to get it back into the tent bag. I ended up using one of those canvas bags you get when you buy folding beach chairs.

Overall, I recommend it for those of you who like to camp close to their car or camper, where size or weight isn't an issue.

=============================

Edit on June 24, 2009:

My above review was from July 2007. I have now had this tent for two more years and have taken it on a couple more camping trips. It has held together well under the rain and is still going strong, and surprising does not have the plasticy smell that some tents have.

However, my caution would be that I have in total only spend six nights in this tent. So I can't attest to it's durability for more frequent campers. But for once a year campers like me, this is a great cheap tent.

One thing to note is that this is not a fall or winter tent. Due to all the mesh in the top half of the tent, it will not hold any heat.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy to set up and a breeze to break down. Some minor usability quibbles., July 2, 2007

By 

JC Chupack (Gurnee, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wenzel Timber Ridge Sport 9-by-7-Foot Four-Person Dome Tent (Sports)

My husband and I are camp novices. We bought this tent for a group campout. It took him less than 15 minutes to set up. We skipped the rainfly, as the weather didn't require it. The tent is very see-through from about halfway up without the rainfly, which is nice for stargazing but bad for privacy when changing. It wasn't a big deal to us, but it's worth knowing.

Our weather was great, so I can't vouch for the tent in rain or cold. We didn't have any moisture issues (condensation inside the tent). As far as actually living in the tent, I had some minor complaints. The door zipper frequently got stuck or was stubborn. I found I had to use my foot to hold the tent down while pulling on it to have it work reliably. It's possible that we could have staked the tent better and avoided this issue though. Also, the D-shaped door is closed by two zippers: one along the bottom of the D and one around the curve to the top. I'm not sure why they did this versus two two-way zippers on the same D-shaped track. It means you always have to reach down to the ground to unzip the door, which is a pain when they could have done a zipper that allowed you to put the meeting point where you need it. When your back is tired from sleeping on the ground, doing a toe-touch to open the tent door is no fun!

The door of the tent has a mesh window that you can unzip from the inside. It's a single panel door, so you pretty much have to completely open the door to put things inside. Some tents I've seen previously included a second door panel made of mesh to allow for an extra layer of bug protection or to use as a passthrough without ever having to fully open the tent. I wouldn't expect that feature from a tent in this price range.

The tent included the usual indoor amenities: a pocket for rings/watches on one side and a mesh shelf to suspend at the top for a flashlight or other small storage. I have no complaints with either of these items. The inside of the tent also had a handy troubleshooting guide sewn to the roof.

As far as interior space, I didn't buy this expecting a large tent, although I did think that something advertised as a "Four-Person" tent would have been a bit larger. Nonetheless, I read the dimensions before I bought, so it didn't really surprise me. I'm only noting this because others might simply see "four-person" and think it's big enough for a family. It isn't. You can't stand up while inside the tent without touching the roof. My husband and I were able to sleep comfortably, but I think a third adult would have made it cramped. Neither of us are particularly tall. I'd equate the inside of the tent to a queen size mattress, once you figure some room for putting each person's weekend bag. Would you really want to put four people on a queen size bed? We also barely had room to stow our gear when we had our sleeping bags spread out. Again, this isn't a problem in my eyes, because the tent isn't supposed to be huge. It's simply worth noting.

We had no problems getting the tent back into the bag. We followed the instructions for how to roll and tie it up, squishing the air out as we went. It took less than 15 minutes to break it down. I was a little disappointed in the quality of the ties provided to tie up the rolled up tent. They're just scraps of tent fabric. You might throw them away if you aren't paying attention. Still, that's a minor quibble, and they're easy enough to replace with sturdier rope or cords.

When packed up, the tent is very lightweight. The box advertises it as a backpacking tent, and I think that's an accurate assessment. If you're a luxury camper, this might not be to your liking given the height and lack of comfort features, but if you're looking for a lightweight and easy tent to set up for sleeping, storage, and not much else, this is a great option.