Kelty Palisade 4 Tent : Add Some Comfort to Your Campground

I'm a novice camper. I'm also a princess camper; if I have to sleep outside I want every comfort available, starting with Kelty's Palisade 4 tent.

Part of Kelty's Basecamp line, the three-season Palisade 4 is the perfect tent for campers who need room. I'm almost 6' tall so getting in and out of a tent can be a hassle, unless that tent is the Palisade 4. It's a spacious dome tent with a large opening and plenty of head space. During a rainy fall camping trip I really appreciated being able to step into my tent rather than crawl into it. I just kicked off my boots, unzipped the "door," and stepped in - no contortions to gain entry! I also loved being able to change clothes in my tent while standing!

The tent sleeps four, but I use it as a two-person luxury sleeping pod. Without those two extra people there's more room for my thick and supportive Kelty Air Mattress and my cute boyfriend and his sleeping pads. There's also plenty of room for two packs, an extra sleeping bag, and if I wanted to, I could have a few people from the next campsite over for a card game! (Click here to see the tent assembled at our campsite!)

Once the cover is on the tent, it forms a vestibule area in the front where we left our soggy hiking boots and hung up our jackets at night. It's a great design because the vestibule provides extra weather (and bug) protection and privacy. It's also a great place to sit and sulk on a camp stool when it's pouring rain and my princess energy has overtaken my adventurous spirit. Lucky for me there are cup holders in the vestibule so I could drink hot tea while watching my boyfriend prepare us a fancy meal in the pouring rain!

The Palisade 4 Tent was pretty easy to set up. There are only three poles. Two slide through the tent's sleeves, crisscrossing to provide the main structure of the tent. The other pole forms a ring (pictured left, click to expand photo) that sits near the top of the tent and helps expand the walls.

The cover took a bit more figuring out to get positioned correctly. It helped that the hooks and straps were color coded. Because it was raining, we also used the enclosed stakes and stakeout cords to pull the walls of the cover away from the tent. The tent floor has sealed seams and the cover provided excellent water protection. It rained for two solid days, and we stayed completely dry at night. (Thanks also to the Palisade 4 Footprint.)

As we assembled the Palisade 4 Tent I noticed how much of it was mesh, which is great for hot weather and for keeping out mosquitoes. It's very airy. The tent also has zippered windows and privacy flaps that can be secured to the tent. There's also a place to hang a lantern and a mesh "gear loft" for stashing essentials.

I think this is a perfect tent for families and car campers who want quality and a comfortable place to call home when they're in the woods, or at the beach, or at the lake, or ...

Kelty's Palisade 4 Tent comes in a large nylon duffel bag, so it's easy to keep all of the pieces together for storage and during transport. After my trip I wiped off the dirt and debris from the tent and cover with a damp cloth and left them to dry on the clothesline. Now I'm good to go for my next outing! (This tent is also available in a larger model, the Palisade 6.)

Bottom Line: This is a fabulous tent for beginners and experienced campers. It's roomy, easy to assemble, and keeps water and bugs at bay. I can't think of anything else I'd add to it.--E.D. (Oct '10)

BUY ONLINE:$399, free shipping at Altrec. Currently $359.96 at Backcountry (12/1/2010)

Manufacturer's Site: www.kelty.com

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