My Review of Mountain Hardwear Casa 6 Tent - '08 Closeout

Originally submitted at REI

Think of the Mountain Hardwear Casa 6 as your home away from home. This spacious base camp tent offers supreme comfort for sleeping, resting or simply chilling out.

Mountain Hardwear Casa 6 Tent - '08 Closeout

At $289 it's a great quality bargain.

By unabashedpraise from Central Midwest on 5/18/2010

 

4out of 5

Gift: No

Pros: It's not super heavy, Waterproof, Windproof, Comfortable, Fly Works Well, Sturdy

Cons: Pole setup is cumbersome

Best Uses: Car Camping, Comfort base camping

Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational

What Is Your Gear Style: Minimalist

I am an ultralight backpacker so this was hard to purchase since it weighs more than my base. But the family and quality was what I was concerned with...that and a budget.

The setup was a little weird compared to most tents I've used but after the first time it's been a breeze- if you use 2 people; one person can but it's a lot easier with 2.

One reason it was purchased was I thought the inside peak height was about 6': I was wrong. However, the tent is pretty tall and it help up very well under sustained winds and 30-40 mph gusts with only 3 guy points (out of 5). We have not used this in warm weather but it stayed decently warm in the windy cold conditions; the low was about 37F. However, it is pretty big so I wouldn't push it in COLD temps.

The vestibule (another requirement) is nice and big but Mt Hardwear missed a great opportunity to have a factory awning option; it currently pivots where the zippers meet.

I did not want to use a queen mattress, thinking it was overkill, for my wife and I but it fit great along with my child's pad and lots of storage left over. A full would fit better but until we have 2 or more kids we should be just fine. As far as "6" sleepers they would be req'd to use personal pads and sleeping bags. You aren't going to fit "6" car campers in here.

The window is pretty small and we had to get up close and personal to check on our napping kiddo. However, for privacy's sake I think it's a good thing.

The only quibble I have is the fact that the main pole section (which is frickin' huge) is one piece. I think they should have made this into 2 separate sections. When you put all the poles together on the ground they spread out so much that they are in danger of being stepped on by anyone in the 60 sq ft area they take up. I'm not kidding, they are huge. This shouldn't be a reason to not buy this tent unless you are setting this large footprint in a compacted area while a large number of people are walking around you and not helping setup.

I have not tested this in the rain but given Mt. Hardwear's history of tent testing I feel very confident: 1200" of rain and swirling wind in a 24 hr period. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=331785255363

You can't have it all but this should be all we will ever need. Even if the family gets to be 4 or more I can just add a smaller tent for more space. Anything much bigger than this is, in my opinion, way too big.

(legalese)