I have camped with the same tent for the past 10 years. It is still in good enough shape but I am not. I need a new tent. The list of requirements has changed in ten years. Here are the new ones as I am just a few days short of 74
1 I need to be able to stand up ( 6 foot tall is plenty)
2 4 person cuz my wife said she will come with me if tent is big enough (and she can stand)
3 must have a rain fly
4 packs up in a reasonably short package. Like to put it in extended cargo of a 182 without it sticking into the the regular cargo area
5 Not a lot of weight

Look at the family camping offerings from reputable backcountry tent makers...North Face, Big A, Sierra Designs, Marmot, etc.. You should be able to fit your needs for +/-$400 and less than 15 lbs.

Sierra Trading Post is a good place to look...they often get a lot of the "family camping" gear that's made by good companies.

If you buy a tent from Wally World or any of the other big box stores...even (or especially?) the ones catering to the camo crowd, then I just hope your wife is the super-forgiving type. The most useful part of those tents is the box they come in.

Just as a heads up...any tent you can stand up in is going to be much more vulnerable to wind and weather than a lower profile tent. Buy the best tent you can find/afford that suits your needs, as you're asking a LOT more from it than you ever did from your previous, lower-profile tent.

REI sells a Base Camp Four tent, not quite 6 ft, but you’ll be able to stand. It’s not real light, and not all that compact, but it is bomb proof. I’ve been through the arrival of a roll cloud at OSH and the tent never wiggled. When everyone else is whining cause their shit is wet after a all night rain/wind, I’m dry and happy.

It is an impressive tent, and I’ve used some expensive tents.

MTV

mtv wrote:REI sells a Base Camp Four tent, not quite 6 ft, but you’ll be able to stand. It’s not real light, and not all that compact, but it is bomb proof. I’ve been through the arrival of a roll cloud at OSH and the tent never wiggled. When everyone else is whining cause their shit is wet after a all night rain/wind, I’m dry and happy.

It is an impressive tent, and I’ve used some expensive tents.

MTV

It is 60 inch peak height. Will check it out anyway tomorrow at REI

REI Co-op Grand Hut 4 is much taller and the stored dimension is 24x10x10. But as Mike says it will be so big it may just be a big sail in a strong wind.

We have an REI kingdom 6. They also make a kingdom 4, which is the same but not as long. It is 6’3” in the middle, about 21 lbs, and decent quality. It is tall, and needs to be guyed in the wind, but is otherwise solid in weather I’d choose to camp in. One half is mesh from about a foot up all the way over the top. Lots of ventilation, and very fun when the weather is great and you don’t put on the fly, or to get out of the mosquitos. It is going to be much closer to outside temp with or without the fly, so it can be chilly when it’s cold at night. It packs up perhaps 24x18x6. My wife and kids are happy, so I’m happy with it.

Cabelas Alaskan Guide 4 season tent. 4 person version 4’-8” in height. 6 person version 6’-3”. Awesome tent built for most severe conditions.

mtv wrote:REI sells a Base Camp Four tent, not quite 6 ft, but you’ll be able to stand. It’s not real light, and not all that compact, but it is bomb proof. I’ve been through the arrival of a roll cloud at OSH and the tent never wiggled. When everyone else is whining cause their shit is wet after a all night rain/wind, I’m dry and happy.

It is an impressive tent, and I’ve used some expensive tents.

MTV

We’ve got a base camp 6, and I’ll echo MTV’s comments. Tough tent.

We went bigger so the dogs would have room when truck-camping.

The 6 is not a small tent. This is leaned up against a 31” tire.

I have flown to SE Alaska, Arizona Desert, etc. and really love this tent:

Used in: Scout amphibious, tail wheel, skip plane, R44, F150 truck. No backpacking.

Trango 3


I trust Mountain Hardware, definitely impeccable.

https://www.mountainhardwear.com/trango-3-tent-1854061.html?dwvar_1854061_variationColor=675#q=Trango+3&start=0

jcadwell wrote:We have an REI kingdom 6. They also make a kingdom 4, which is the same but not as long. It is 6’3” in the middle, about 21 lbs, and decent quality. It is tall, and needs to be guyed in the wind, but is otherwise solid in weather I’d choose to camp in. One half is mesh from about a foot up all the way over the top. Lots of ventilation, and very fun when the weather is great and you don’t put on the fly, or to get out of the mosquitos. It is going to be much closer to outside temp with or without the fly, so it can be chilly when it’s cold at night. It packs up perhaps 24x18x6. My wife and kids are happy, so I’m happy with it.

I have the Kingdom 8. The height is fantastic. As said above you must use the guy lines. It is not at all stable in the wind. About a year after I bought mine a pop-up thunder bust flattened it because I hadn’t put out the guys. REI said too bad and they don’t sell replacement poles/parts/flies. Mine is now patched up with seam tape, I built up stronger poles and I always use the guy lines.

I have a Big Agnes Big House 4, my second by that name. The first one was damaged in one of OSH's incredible storms, and because Big Agnes couldn't repair it, they gave me a 50% discount on a new one. The old one had about 2" more headroom, so I can't quite stand straight in the new one, but it's close. While supposedly a 4 person tent, I'm a glamper, so it's a roomy 2 person tent--allowing for a couple of cots, room for the dog, etc. Total weight, about 18 lbs without the vestibule, and perhaps another 3 lbs with it. I like the vestibule, for extra storage, a potty room (yeah, I said I'm a glamper), a place to put things at night, etc.

Big Agnes not only makes quality products. They are superb at customer service.

Cary

Lots of good tent advice above (I second Cary's recommendation of the Big Agnes), so I'll chip in a reminder that a good cot is every bit as important as your tent.

Somebody on here recommended a light, fairly cheap cot a few years ago and I bought 4. Love them. I have them up at my cabin right now so can't look up the name.

Blue mesh over an aluminum frame. Can anybody recall the make?

My REI Base Camp 4 went through one storm that flipped a j-3 just down the row around onto a Cessna.

I was outside watching, and my tent held with just some wiggle. No guys needed.

Meanwhile, friends several rows down woke up with their Big Agnes flat on top of them and everything soaking wet in the ensuing downpour. Which is my only experience with Big Agnes tents. They returned the tent to the store when they got home.

MTV

I'm really happy with my Colombia. I've had it for 10ish years, it's held up great and packs up reasonably small (had no issues backing into my C120). It might not meet your height requirement, but I have no issues changing in it (5'9") with a slight head duck. Here's a photo from this weekend without the rain fly on. If I recall I didn't pay much more than $100 for it.

Kifaru 8 man tipi. Buy the stove and the wife will go with you in the spring and fall as well. Lighter than almost anything else available.

The cot is important.

I have been using an Allegash cot manufactured by Byer of Maine. It is 30" wide, doesn't take up much space when packed, weighs about 8.5# and makes all the difference in the world. It is much easier for me to get up in the morning from the cot vs. being at ground level.

I've had mine for 10 yrs an am extremely pleased with their customer service. A seam started to open up a few years ago and Byer shipped me a no charge replacement that arrived in time for the next camping trip.

They cost about $60 now, which I think is a bargain.

silflexer wrote:Kifaru 8 man tipi. Buy the stove and the wife will go with you in the spring and fall as well. Lighter than almost anything else available.

This. The only tent that's been recommended that actually meets your requirements. I personally have a GoLite Shangri-la 5, which has re-branded as the My Trail Co. Pyramid 4. Titanium Goat also makes an awesome lightweight Tipi, albeit without a floor.

My Shangri-la 5 weighs in at just under 6 lbs. Really great tent.

I highly recommend getting a 4 season tent. Some of the above recommended tents are only 3 season and do not offer the same protection as 4 season. I have been through 50+mph wind and driving rain for hours without any issues.

Heck, I'm still using my old Eureka Timberline Outfitter 6! I've had it for 30 years. I purchased it used from the MWR in Okinawa! The tent has been used on several self guided mountain Elk hunts, been to the Black forest of Germany and even at Oshkosh. The tent has been bulletproof in nearly every season and type of weather. Old school, but it works for me.

I like my Cabelas 10’ x10’ x 8’ in the center. 16 pounds. I’ve used this one for 9 years. Been through more storms than I care to remember. I was right next to the J3 that MTV referred to. This thing has held up fine in 60 mph gust. Doesn’t leak, you have to like pounding in steaks. I did replace the door zipper. I can set it up in 15 minutes. I would but it again!
Cheers Rob