Why exactly has this tent not received the “good” reviews that it should be receiving, but most especially why hasn’t it had many purchases at all? Is it because it isn’t good enough?
I just came across this tent on Amazon.com and it caught my eye, mostly because it doesn’t have many purchases, but it really looks like a great tent!
In my Kelty Yellowstone 4 Tent review, I will discover if this tent is worth purchasing or not even worth looking into.
Not Many Features!
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Functionality
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Waterproof
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Strength
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Worth The Price?
Summary:
Some people have found this tent to work good for them, but there is just too many complaints for a tent of this price. The stakes aren’t the best and rain has been found to leak through the floor, so you will need a tarp or footprint if you don’t want to take that gamble.
 Pros |
 Cons |
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Or Check Out This Better Tent Out
Specifications
Product name: Kelty Yellowstone 4 Tent
Cheapest Place To Buy: Amazon.com
Color: Grey/Green
Size: 4-person
Rating: 3-season
Minimum Weight: 7 lb 10 oz
Packaged Weight: 8 lb 10 oz
Center Height: 4.9 feet
Floor Size: 7.5 x 6.7 feet
Floor Area: 55 Sq. ft
Packed Size: 7 x 23 inches
Footprint Included: No
Gear Loft Included: No
Product Description
This has tent has been described from the manufacturers to have many “high quality” features, while the massive D-shaped door allows for much easier entry and exit – especially when camping with 3 or more people.
It has a freestanding design, which is very economical due to the eco-friendly poles.
The rain fly creates an awning, allowing you to keep the door open even in a downpour.
There are mesh panels on the sides of the walls and roof to maximize ventilation – reducing condensation.
The Awning Over The Door
It has “continuous” pole sleeves at the peak and along along the sides (with clips), meaning it is very easy and quick to setup.
The seams come up and off the ground due to Keltys Arc Edge feature, making sure it stays away from all the ground moisture that gets built up overnight.
Entry and Exit
There is one door only. However, this door is very large as you can clearly see from the pictures above.
Because of the size of it, it makes it easier for two people to walk in and out at the same time without getting in the way.
There was a complaint about the 2-zipper system. Instead of having 1 continuous track, they have gone and made 2 separate tracks entirely.
I’m not 100% sure why they did this, because it leaves a small gap at the bottom of the door – where insects can get in!
Storage
Sadly, this tent doesn’t have a vestibule area.
But it still contains lots of interior storage pockets.
One of them is I-pad compatible, so you can put your electronics in them, while this tent also contains a bunch of other storage pockets as well – AND gear loft loops.
Keep in mind: The gear loft loops are there, but the gear loft is sold separately.
Ventilation
The Ventilation – Mesh Panels On Roof And Walls
This type of ventilation is pretty good in my honest opinion.
Because of the panels on the walls, it gives ventilation at the BOTTOM of the tent, and the panels on the roof offers ventilation at the TOP.
This distributes an even high/low amount of air flow throughout the entire tent to stop condensation buildup.
Weatherproofing
It offers a fully taped construction (stops leaks), along with the raised seams to give it even more protection from the rain.
The floor and seams are described as “tough and durable”, while being VERY waterproof.
The rain fly comes all the way to the ground, which is what I always like to see.
Even when it’s raining you can leave the door open due to the awning, I like that.
What I Like About This Tent
The very large door is nice. Usually when you have a lot of people camping in a tent, thoroughfare can get quite annoying when everyone’s going in and out at once.
You will not have that problem with this tent.
The awning is a nice touch as well.
If you’re like me, you absolutely HATE getting rained on when you open up the tent for the day and all the water just falls down and onto your head.
What I Don’t Like
I’m not really a big fan at the moment, since there’s no vestibule area.
Vestibules are becoming more and more popular, and if Kelty are going to skimp over this feature whenever they feel like it, they are missing out on a great finisher (and possibly buyers, too)
I don’t like how there’s only 1 door. But again, I guess the large D-door makes up for it.
It will just get annoying when somebodies trying to get out for a midnight pit stop.
Who Should Buy This Tent?
Due to it being on the heavier side of tents (8.10 pounds w/rain fly) and because it doesn’t have a vestibule room, it is BEST used for car camping.
However, if you wish to go backpacking with this tent, you will definitely need 2 people – minimum.
This is so you can split the weight up between the 2 of you, AND have spare room to store your gear overnight.
Best Place To Buy?
Amazon.com is my preferred choice to shop for tents, for the fact that they have fast deliveries, free shipping, and even a 30-day return policy.
With Amazon, you can get a full refund if you decide you don’t want the product anymore (a good choice if it wasn’t up to your expectations), while you can get a repair if you find any defects on the product as well.
Do I Recommend Kelty Yellowstone 4 Tent?
Since you can get better tents in this price range, but mostly because you’re going to need a footprint, or a tarp at the very least if you want to stay dry in the rain, I’m not liking the odds so far.
It has ONE door only, and it doesn’t even contain a vestibule room.
I’ll make it simple and to the point.
The Kelty Yellowstone 4 Tent has way too many negative reviews and it doesn’t even get the basics of a tent right either, so I have to give this question an easy no.
Not recommended.
Alternative Tent
The Kelty Grand Mesa 4 Tent weighs a little less and costs a little bit more. However, most of the buyers have nothing but nice things to say about it – and I know why, because it DOESN’T leak, it has good stakes, and it has a vestibule room so every camper has somewhere to put their equipment!
Another great alternative is the Slumberjack 4 Person Trail Tent – which is much heavier than both tents mentioned, but it is also in the same price range as the Kelty Yellowstone, and performs a lot better in the rain as well.
My Final Opinion
There are so many flaws that this tent has, while it doesn’t even provide that many features to begin with.
Even though it has an awning, there is no vestibule, only 1 door, AND no stargazing opportunities either since your view is very limited.
Since there are much better options within the same price range, I would have to give this tent a thumbs down.
The verdict? Not recommended!
Check Out The Kelty Grand Mesa 4 Tent Instead
Not Many Features!
-
Functionality
-
Waterproof
-
Strength
-
Worth The Price?
Summary:
Some people have found this tent to work good for them, but there is just too many complaints for a tent of this price. The stakes aren’t the best and rain has been found to leak through the floor, so you will need a tarp or footprint if you don’t want to take that gamble.
Nice review. Me and my girlfriend love camping but is more often just the two of us so this tent will be perfectly sized. We do however do a lot of camping in the rainy season so the waterproofing mite be a issue. We are currently using a 4-man canvas test which is great. It is high enough to stand in and is very robust. It’s major downfall is it is very heavy and takes a lot of space in the car. That’s why we are looking at getting something along the lines of this kind of tent.
If you go car camping often, weight doesn’t have to be an issue.
However, if the tent is taking up too much space, then I agree, it might be time to upgrade to something better. IF you do decide to get this one, make sure you purchase the footprint, or even a tarp will work just fine.
This seems like a cool tent but it is on the pricier side for what it offers. The other one you mention is decent but it is heavier. Is there any other one that may be a little lighter and offer more stargazing opportunities? Would the price be ridiculous or decently understandable? Thank you for the awesome review!
Absolutely, Adriana. However, there’s not really much to choose from in the lower price bracket if you’re trying to go ultralight – not for a 4 person tent anyway.
There is one that’s much pricier but offers exactly what you’re looking for – the Copper Spur UL4 tent.
If you want stargazing opportunities but in the lower price range and still lightweight, you have to drop down a size or two. I highly recommend the Grand Mesa 2 tent!
Hey Brandon. What a good review. We have bought this tent before. I wish I had read your review before buying it. The first day we used it, it was raining. You can just imagine the disappointment. When buying our next tent I will definitely check out your reviews. Some amazon reviews can be misleading.
Hey Azaro!
Thanks for the comment. You are right, there are so many misleading Amazon reviews on the internet. I know what it’s like to receive a bad tent after somebody praises the hell out of it, which is why I provide honest opinions on all of my reviews.
Cheers,
Brandon
I’m glad I read your review, this tent look FINE to me, but after reading your pros and cons, I realized that unless I was prepared with ground cover I could risk problems if it rained, plus… the 2 zipper system. I never though about that little tiny gap 2 zippers would leave. That’s all that’s needed for the mosquitoes to get in! Thanks for the great review.
Hi Wenda. The 2-zipper system is just a waste of time and doesn’t offer any decent functionality in my honest opinion. All it does is allows bugs to get in! Kelty have really let me down with this tent, but luckily this is only one of the few that they have created badly.
What made it even worse was that water can make its way into the tent from the ground!
Most of their tents are usually really good, so I’ll still be getting their tents, I just have to do more research now.
Very good review as always Brandon. I thought it looked really nice and I too liked the awning on it. But you sound like you know what you are talking about so I’m with you on this one. Forget getting leaked on. Thanks for the information.
Thanks for the kind words, Ronnie. I’ve had enough bad experiences with getting rain water inside my tent. I am NOT having anymore of those episodes!