Empty Nest Home Exec

*Note – These tents were purchased and reviewed in July 2024 – if you read this post later, there may be newer models available.

Once upon a time we did lots of camping with our kids and also as a couple. I thought that might end when the kids were gone. However, we still enjoy camping with friends. OCCASIONALLY. We have had an REI Basecamp 4 tent for about 20+ years and it has served us well. We spent lots of rainy nights in that tent in Minnesota – and stayed dry.

However, as I’m getting older I am really wanting a camper. Unfortunately, being the occasional campers we are, it seems kind of impractical for us. We would have to pay for storage. It would be another thing to maintain, register, clean and repair. So, although I want one, my practical side rebelled. Finally we had some friends tell us that we just needed to up our tent camping game. Seemed like the answer!

Time to go shopping!

The REI Basecamp we have loved for so many years was starting to show its age – the zipper was failing – and it was starting to show OUR age. We weren’t loving that we couldn’t stand up in it. We decided that a 6 person tent was the right size for us now. And it was time to get something we could stand up in.

We spent time at stores and watching reviews on YouTube. This one was particularly helpful. After looking at lots of choices we narrowed it down to The North Face Wawona 6 and the REI Wonderland 6. This was not a clear cut choice for us and we finally settled on the REI Wonderland. When we took it camping, our friends had gone through the same thing and had settled on the North Face Wawona. So, I took pictures of both and thought I would compare them for you – because maybe you are ready to up your camping game too!!

The TLDR (Too Long Didn’t Read – like how I’m helping you with your Gen Z vocab?)  is that we chose the REI Wonderland because the tent walls are more straight up and down and so it felt more spacious inside even though they have the same footprint. Everything else about the tent is fine – but the Wawona actually does almost everything else better. So….here goes.

Vestibule

• The North Face – Has a built in front porch with great side access doors.
• REI – You can buy a “mud room” to add on to it (which we did). The front access is not nearly as nice as the North Face tent and it attaches with a series of button and loop attachments. This is not nearly as elegant as The North Face. And it’s an additional cost.

Rainfly –

You buy a North Face or REI tent because you want quality, and both of these will keep you dry. You HAVE to put the rain fly on if you want privacy for both tents  – but having it on can make the tent a little stuffy inside. However, The North Face rainfly zips open and can be rolled up to allow airflow through the mesh ceiling. The REI rainfly cannot be rolled open. It does have windows you can zip open on the sides which provide adequate ventilation – but I think North Face wins this one. 

Doors – 

• The North Face – You can see from the photos that the main door on The North Face tent is attached at the top – so you could open it and roll it up. I don’t love bugs coming in, so I would never do this, but it’s not a terrible idea. The main door is 80% mesh, and the back door has the tent pockets in it. At first I thought that was kind of cool – but on second thought I think putting stuff in those pockets would really make the door a pain to use – so why?
• REI – The doors on the REI tent zip all the way around with a small attachment on the side. This also works fine for me – no preference here. The doors are nylon with windows in them. Also no preference on this. Main thing here is that the storage pockets of the tent are located on the sides of the tent – a much better option in my opinion. 

Architecture – 

• North Face – The North Face Wawona has “dome tent” construction – the poles cross over the top. This makes it a little easier to put up, but the walls don’t ascend quite as quickly, so the tent feels quite a bit smaller inside. You really can’t appreciate this from the pictures – but take my word for it. When my friend who had just set up his Wawona came over to check out our tent, he said, “Wow, it’s really spacious!” There really is a difference in feel. I would not have believed they are the same size if I had not measured them myself.
• REI – The Wonderland tent has more of a “covered wagon” construction. The poles hoop up and then there is a cross pole running across the ceiling. I might get better at it, but I had a hard time putting this up by myself. (Not usually an issue – but our friends got a flat tire on the way so my wonderful husband left to go help them while I saved the campsite) It really makes the walls feel more straight up and ultimately this is what sold us on this tent. 

Tent Bag –

• The North Face – The North Face Wawona has a super easy bag – the pull string is on the wide side and opens up really big to put the rolled up tent into – far superior to the REI bag.
• REI – The REI bag is a tube and you stuff the tent in through the end. This is much more difficult than The North Face bag.

I really don’t feel like there is a clear cut winner here – they are both great tents. However, I am happy with our Wonderland. The other thing we did to up our camping game this year was get cots – and this really is a nice upgrade! I slept much better on our most recent campout than I ever have in the past. It also gives you a place to stash your stuff that’s not in the way. So, if you are looking to make camping a little more comfy – maybe try one of these tents and add cots!!