A Kelty Trail Ridge 6 Tent Review [2020 update]

Kelty have proved to us time and time again that they make high quality tents.

Is this tent an exception? Is this one not going to be as good as the rest?

Well I have no idea how it performs yet, but that’s all going to change as I review this product and discover the real quality, all the features and how well it performs in the wild.

I hope you enjoy my Kelty Trail Ridge 6 Tent review.

Pros

Cons

It’s 6 feet tall inside, so anyone shorter than that can walk around freely and comfortably It can be pitched in less than 5 minutes with two people Amazing cross-flow ventilation with the two doors open and rain fly off Keeps you bone dry in a storm and doesn’t blow over in strong winds The stakes are heavy-duty and high quality, much better than low quality stakes other manufacturers provide The drop-down stargazing fly works like a convertible. Leave it open during the day and drop it down at night (unless you want to sleep under the stars of course)

Will require at least 2 people to pitch, otherwise you have to rest one end on something while you set it up If not careful, the sharp-ended poles can rip holes in the sleeves. Luckily it doesn’t mess with the waterproofing abilities if it does happen

Overview

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Product name: Kelty Trail Ridge 6 Tent

Cheapest place to buy: Amazon.com

Color: Ponderosa Pine/Sand

Sleeps: 6

Season: 3

Packed Weight: 15.10 pounds

Center Height: 6 feet

Floor Size: 10 x 8.1 feet

Packed Size: 27 x 8 x 8 inches

Gear Loft Included: Yes

Footprint Included: Yes

Summary

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The Kelty Trail Ridge 6 Tent offers upright walls and a spacious interior for maximum livability.

The two massive D-doors on each side of the tent promote stress-free access every time.

It is dome-shaped, so easy to pitch and withstands the wind extremely well. The continuous pole sleeves and color-coded clips make it happen.

It LIGHTS up at nighttime! This is because it offers night light pockets and a stargazing mesh roof.

A gear loft and footprint is included in the purchase as well.

Key Features

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• Taped seams for best protection against the rain
• Two large D-doors and two vestibules offer easy entry/exit and waterproof storage
• Mesh walls provide panoramic views of your surroundings and awesome cross-flow ventilation
• Interior storage pockets for your valuables

• Night light pocket for added convenience
• Kelty Connect system ensures it won’t blow in strong winds
• Fly vent provides ventilation when the rain fly is on
• The stargazing fly allows you to have the fly half off so you don’t have to completely remove it for stargazing
• The noiseless zipper pulls won’t wake your family up in the middle of the night

Entry/Exit

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The Kelty Trail Ridge 6 Tent nicely provides noiseless zippers. These are awesome for when you need to get up at 3 am for a pit stop – when you don’t want to wake up the rest of the family/friends.

There are two massive D-doors on the front and back of this tent.

Keep them both open during the day so it doesn’t feel like a sauna inside and ensures that everyone can move in and out freely and easily.

Storage

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I’m excited to tell you that YES, Kelty provide a free gear loft in the purchase.

This means we have the gear loft, internal storage pockets and two vestibules for storage.

That’s a total of 3 areas!

The storage pockets are best used for valuables and items you want close by at all times – such as your knife, flashlight and bear spray.

The vestibules hold your equipment so they’re out of the way but still safe and dry when it rains.

The gear loft will hold everything else – clothing, hats, gloves, glasses, shades etc.

Front Entry Vestibule

Ventilation

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Thankfully this tent offers a large amount of ventilation so no condensation gets built up.

First you have the mesh walls, meaning air keeps coming into the tent even with the doors closed, then the fly vents provide extra ventilation when it’s on.

And if it’s too hot to handle during the hot summer days, simply remove the rain fly entirely and open all the doors.

You will have IMMENSE cross-ventilation and a much more comfortable tent to relax in without overheating.

Mesh Walls

Wind-Resistance

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There isn’t much feedback around the internet regarding the wind-resistance for this tent, however, I still managed to find something you will like.

One person said:

“A few hours later it rained again, accompanied with 20-30 mph winds. Even though the sand didn’t allow us to properly stake out the tent it still held up well.”

Another person said:

“Only used once so far but no issues with weather worthiness. Very wind resistant.”

Water-Resistance

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Again, not many reviews around the internet for the Kelty Trail Ridge 6 Tent.

Nevertheless, I DID find some useful things:

• “I got caught in a crazy storm with 3 inches of rain in an hour. This tent kept me perfectly dry! Not an ounce of rain in the tent. Meanwhile my camping partners were left soaked in their discount tent. “
• “Had two rainy nights, kept us dry both times. The vestibule in the front and rear kept our gear dry too.”
• “The rain fly covers the entire tent all the way to the ground so you don’t get any leakage around the bottom of the tent. I have camped in two heavy storms and not a drop of water.”

I think it’s safe to say that this tent really does keep you bone dry in a torrential downpour.

What I Like About The Kelty Trail Ridge 6

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I’m a big fan of the upright walls. These are great for when everyone’s stuck in the tent during a storm.

The two vestibules will come in handy if you don’t want to store your equipment inside the tent too.

However, the two things that stuck out to me the most was actually the free gear loft and footprint.

These days manufacturers make you purchase them separately. It’s rare to see them including ONE in the purchase, let alone BOTH of them!

What This Tent Is Best Used For

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To my surprise, it can actually work for both backpackers and car campers.

How?

Well it’s fairly lightweight, so if you decide to use it for backpacking you can split the weight up between everyone. You will need to have a large group though (at least 4-6 people).

However, it is still best used for:

• Public campsites
• Wilderness camping
• Family events
• Festivals
• Backyard camping
• Beach camping

What’s In The Box?

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• Tent body
• Stargazing fly
• 2 aluminum poles + 1 ridge pole (increases height to create vertical walls)
• Clip and fly attachment
• Stakes (heavy-duty and copper-plated)
• Gear loft
• Footprint
• Cube storage bag

Price & Availability

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This tent is readily available from the popular online store Amazon.com.

You receive a 30-day return policy with all products purchased from them.

It covers your purchase for the first 30 days, meaning all repairs will be done free of charge and all your money back if you decide you don’t want it anymore.

You will also get extremely fast shipping and free deliveries for all orders to the US over $40.

You can check the current price and availability here.

Do I Recommend It?

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That’s an easy yes.

I have reviewed enough dome tents to know that this one is much higher quality than others.

Yeah, it may be more expensive, but with most outdoor products you really do get what you pay for.

So I’m glad Kelty have followed through with their claims as promised – as per usual.

This is by FAR the best 6-person dome tent I’ve reviewed so far and I have no doubts it will work for you exactly as promised on the official product page.

Well done Kelty, another flawless tent that I want to get in the future.

HIGHLY recommended for serious campers wanting keeping safe in the outdoors!

Common Questions

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There have been a few questions asked about the Kelty Trail Ridge tent.

Can this tent be set up by one person?  The answer is unanimously yes but with the caveat that it is a little tricky.   It is far easier for a tall person to set up the tent by themselves.

Are the poles aluminum or fiberglass?  The poles included with the tent are are aluminum.

What is the square footage of the tent?  This Kelty tent in total is 9ft 7in by 10ft 6in. The square “living” area in the middle is 8ft. 2in. by 10 ft. 6in.

Alternative Tents

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If you’re after an extremely simple 6-person tent that can be pitched in 60 seconds (yes, literally), then you need to check out the CORE 6 Instant Cabin Tent. It is much cheaper, can be pitched by one person and provides just as much ventilation. The only downside; it’s lower quality than the Kelty Trail Ridge.

I’m all for features, and the Coleman Steel Creek 6 Person Tent provides a bunch I really enjoy. It has a screened-off porch (with floor!), reflective guylines and spacious interior. It’s well worth the money too.

My Final Opinion

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I enjoyed reviewing this product.

I had no idea what it was like before I started this review, but now I have a good idea about the quality and the performance of it.

And now you do too 🙂

I wouldn’t worry too much about the cons.

Even though it requires two people to pitch you’ll probably be camping with at least one other person anyway. It’s not like you’ll be taking it on a solo camping trip.

You can also avoid ripping the sleeves with the poles. You just have to be careful when pitching it.

Don’t always be in a hurry!

Take your time setting it up and taking it down, clean it after every trip and never put it in storage when wet.

Do that and it will serve you well my friend.

The Kelty Trail Ridge 6 Tent performs better than I expected it to, it has WAY more pros than cons and works exactly as advertised.

This is a great tent and well worth the money!

Go Here for Your Own Kelty Trail Ridge 6 Tent >>>

Still have questions? Comment below if you need help!

Thanks for reading 🙂