Anyone got an REI Wonderland X?

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

We currently have a cheap 4-person tent without a gear vestibule because we weren't sure if our cub scout would like camping. Now that we know that they do and have also been camping in the rain in this tent that all gear has to go inside, I'm looking around for a good car camping tent with a big gear vestibule for cub scouts (and our family during private outings) to hang out in even in the rain if necessary.

I have fallen in love with the REI Wonderland X, at least on paper. It's a whole cabin! Does anyone here have it?

I'd be curious to hear how hard it is to find space for, and whether it is as good in wind as some reviews say. It's so tall I find this a little hard to believe. I don't want the space at the cost of poor wind performance.

Edited March 27, 2023 by AwakeEnergyScouter
Made sure to specify that this is cub scouting

[fred8033]

Nice.  Pricey, but nice.  ... I don't have one, but looks nice.

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

The price point is what made me try to find an owner to talk to. If I talk my husband into buying a $1000+ tent that collapses or flies away he will never let me live it down 😬

[Eagle94-A1]

for the rice of e membership, it is over $600, so worth a membership.  How many in your family?  They also make a 6man version that is similar

ttps://www.rei.com/product/202982/rei-co-op-wonderland-6-tent

 

One thing to remember, the more poles and longer they are, the more people it will take to set up the X looks like it will take two to three folks to set up. In my expereince, it is usually just Dad setting up and Mom is herding kids.

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Eagle94-A1

[InquisitiveScouter]

I do not recommend big cabin tents, for the reasons you see above...

We still have one we bought in the basement.  Used it about 5 or 6 times...

Our family preferred using our backpacking-type tents more.  We set up two, and often put Mom with the girls and Dad with the boys.  Even then, it wound up being as @Eagle94-A1 pointed out... I set up the tents while Mom corralled the young ones.  You do not spend a lot of time in the tent for any activities other than changing clothes (where people want some privacy) and sleeping.  The kids want to be outside playing anyway (even in the rain 😜 ).

How many people are you looking to put in tents??

Edited March 27, 2023 by InquisitiveScouter

[Eagle94-A1]

Concur with @InquisitiveScouter. I had a large, 6 man Coleman tent. IT was a P.I.T.A.O.  to set up, especially by myself in the rain. Eventually we also went the two tent route, the hoodlums in one tent, the wife and I in another. That tent was used maybe 10 time in a 5 year period.

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

We're a family of three, and mostly it's just me and my scout on trips so it's not sleeping space that we need. What we really need is a good gear vestibule. What I fell in love with is the GIANT vestibule on this thing! 

Our pack has a for me new culture of giant tents. I had previously thought of anything larger than a 4-person tent too impractical to use, but now I see all these big tents with multiple rooms and wonder if it's not as bad as I thought. @Eagle94-A1 is making me wonder if my first thought is right after all. And I am also a little wary of the setup because the only potential help I expect to have is my scout, who definitely will want to run and play with their friends when we arrive.

But because of all these giant tents, the scouts run around not just in nature, but in each other's tents even in good weather. It's like visiting each other's tents to see what it's like in there is a making friends activity. We have scouts running in and out of our tent even though we have a regular dome tent.

So, I was thinking that we can welcome visitors in the giant vestibule without having to have miscellaneous kids in our tent proper. BUT... I'm an REI member, but even with the 50% discount that ends today it's pricey and I'm unsure if it's worth it. This conversation isn't making me any more sure.

The Basecamp 4 also has a good gear vestibule but is more in line with what I'm used to. You can't host a whole party in the larger vestibule but we could make a smaller hangout spot in it maybe. It would definitely fill the function of shielding shoes and backpacks from rain and any dew, and it's a safer weather bet I think.

Even if you guys don't have the Wonderland X, it was helpful to hear that the setup prohibited you from using other larger tents in practice. Thank you! 🙏

[InquisitiveScouter]

Because a tent is a huge expense, I recommend you think down the road a bit.

What do you intend to use the tent for 5-7 years from now?  If you think you will still me doing a lot of car camping, then the Basecamp might be good.

If you think you'll want to be more mobile (backpacking, etc.), you may want to opt for two lightweight tents.  Basecamp4 is 7.65 kg!!  (BTW, Basecamp4 is not 50% off... only 20% with your member discount... at least that is what I am seeing... so $359.20 without tax.)(but you get a dividend of about $45, )

Is your Scout the type that could sleep in a tent by themselves with no problems?  If yes, consider two of the REI Co-op Half Dome SL 2+ Tent with Footprint

These are 50% off!  (but no dividend??)

$328.98 for two of them without tax! So, fina cost will be about the same.  2.14kg each

https://www.rei.com/product/185632/rei-co-op-half-dome-sl-2-tent-with-footprint?sku=185632001

Get the green ones to be less obtrusive in the woods.

Then, your Scout could actually have another Cub sleep in the tent with them.  That'd be super-cool for them, and they won't get your gear dirty!!

Vestibules are minimal, so good for boots and a couple of items, but there is plenty of room inside for 1 + gear.

options, options, options

P.S.  The basecamp has no footprint.  the half-domes come with a footprint.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by InquisitiveScouter

[MattR]

Big tents are like big boats. The two best days are the day you bought it and the day you sold it.

You might want to consider when you'll be needing the larger tent. In the summer a dining fly and a smaller tent makes a lot more sense. When the weather is not so good you'll only be camping for a weekend, so I'd suggest practicing good stuff management and getting cozy in a smaller tent. And a 6 man tent is not that small.

 

 

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

I was originally wanting to get a backpacking tent, but once I saw the big-tent culture in our pack I thought perhaps it's best to stick with heavy bulky size comfort now and buy a backpacking tent later, if things work out as I hope (that my scout will want to go backpacking with me in the back country when they're older).

Yeah, the Basecamp 4 is a good 2-3 kg heavier than one would like even at the heavy end. I just didn't see any backpacking tents with good gear vestibules at REI when I was in so I gave up on the one tent to rule them all strategy, but perhaps that was premature. I found some additional tents on their website that might do quite well, like the Big Agnes Copper Spur. Just not quite sure the vestibule is big enough.

Sharing a tent with another cub scout would probably be super popular, but the way I interpret "Separate tenting arrangements must be provided for male and female adults as well as for male and female youth." is that if cub scouts sleep separate from their parents, they must sleep in a tent with only other scouts of the same gender. I guess I would need to figure out how to explain why gender matters in this way only in scouting without making their fellow scouts seem dodgy.

When I was a kid, we did alpine backpacking with a four-person (for 3) tunnel tent with two gear vestibules that fit our three frame packs plus hiking boots in the vestibules, and that worked well in keeping wet gear out of the tent interior for warmth. As long as I can get three packs and shoes in the vestibule I'm happy. Not a fan of having to dash out into the cold rain in my hitherto dry PJs to get my day clothes though, so I don't want to leave my pack unreachable from the inside of the tent. If it rains for a week you have nowhere to hang anything to dry and you only have so much body heat to dry with.

[HashTagScouts]

This is the newest model of what I use when camping and convenient to go from car to campsite: 

Skydome™ 6-Person Camping Tent with Screen Room, Rock Grey | Coleman

I like having the vestibule for early morning reading before everyone else stirs, and the headroom is my most favorite feature. I prefer to put my pants on without being on my back at my age :). Still rock my backpacking tent at times though, especially as I'm not a "primary adult" these days and camp one night many times.

 

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

That looks pretty luxurious! 

I saw a review complaining about water leaking in during rain and the vestibule being unusable in rain - has that been your experience also?

Even if so, it's so big on the inside that might be ok.

[KublaiKen]

Remember that when your Scout finishes Cubs you will be camping separate from them (because of the risk you present, according to the G2SS), so as pointed out, do you need it in a couple of years? I have a huge dogtrot that I still get out once in a while, but I tend to nestle in my two-man (i.e., one-man plus my stuff) on most camping trips with Scouts BSA.

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

Oh yeah 🤦🏼‍♀️ I was thinking about both family trips and scout trips, but forgot that we can't share a tent at scouting events after a few years.

In that case it definitely doesn't make sense to buy a big tent because the hordes of squirrelly cub scouts visiting use case expires pretty soon.

Edited March 27, 2023 by AwakeEnergyScouter
Fixed typo

[HashTagScouts]

56 minutes ago, AwakeEnergyScouter said:

That looks pretty luxurious! 

I saw a review complaining about water leaking in during rain and the vestibule being unusable in rain - has that been your experience also?

Even if so, it's so big on the inside that might be ok.

I've used it once in the rain and another time in some light snow, and I didn't experience much of an issue beyond the usual when entering/exiting. I generally give my tents a spritz of waterproofing before I use them for the first time and each spring (heat bakes the waterproofing right out, and I figure these things have been in hot cargo containers or trucks before they end up in my possession).