Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). An avid swimmer, surfer, hiker, and camper, she currently lives on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, where she can be found, as much as possible, in water. Whether you’re thinking of hitting the road or staying close to home for your next car-camping adventure, you and your loved ones will need a comfortable place to sleep.
The small tabs/pins protrude from the legs, making it easy to pinch fingers. The 53-inch carrying bag doesn’t have wheels, but the canopy is light enough that carrying it isn’t difficult. The durable steel frame is rust-resistant, and the commercial-grade canopy tent is CPAI-84 fire retardant-certified 500 denier polyester, coated to block about 99 percent of UV rays.
And this tent is easy to set up and pack down, especially considering its size. As with most six-person tents, the Wawona 6’s footprint is sold separately. At $500, this modified dome-style tent isn’t cheap, but it represents substantial value. Many tents with similar profiles—such as the Big Agnes Dog House 6—either cost more or require you buy the tent body and attachable vestibule separately.
The canopies were also carried, loaded, and unloaded into vehicles and a garage to test the design of the bags and the manageability of the weight. The Wawona 6’s side-walls are high and straight, but the structure stays very stable in wind thanks to a final pole that wraps ozark trail instant cabin around the front and sides—and thanks to the absence of any acute angles in the poles. We were skeptical about the vestibule’s ability to handle wind, since it’s big and supported by a single pole, but it stood fast in 30 mph oceanside gusts and 15 mph hilltop winds.
A 5-gallon solar shower comes with it, heating water up to luxurious temperatures using natural light. This 2-room portable shower tent includes a separate changing/utility room, so your clothes stay dry. Mesh panels offer ample ventilation, and a mesh drain in the shower allows quick water evacuation. Like our couples’ tent pick, the Wireless 6 is a dome-shaped tent with a tried and true two-pole design. It has an interior footprint of 87 square feet, which sleeps four adults on single pads, or two adults and two or three children, and can accommodate a crib.