Please advise: Kelty Tents, 6 person (Solstice 6 vs. Kashmir 6)

[Phil Pucci]

Dear fellow "happy" campers,

I am seeking some advice on selecting a new 3 season
dome tent that has two doors.

I am currently considering the following two tents since
each seems to meet my requirements and they happen
to be available for around $270. My experience with
tents consist of Eureka and Sierra Designs, so I was
hoping for some feedback on Kelty's products.

Please comment on each of the following models or feel
free to recommend any alternatives - even if they are
more expensive.

Thanks in advance,

Phil Pucci

http://www.kelty.com/tents1.cfm?tname=Solstice&hid=22&itid=T6
Kelty Solstice 6 Specifications:
Sleeps: 6
Internal Dimensions: 117" L x 101" W x 67" H
Floor (sq. ft.): 82
Packed Size: 10 in. x 28 in.,
Packed Weight: 15 lbs. 10 oz.,

http://www.kelty.com/tents1.cfm?tname=Kashmir&hid=22&itid=T3
Kashmir 6 Specifications:
Sleeps: 6
Internal Dimensions: 130" L x 108" W x 72" H
Floor (sq. ft.): 79.7
Packed Size: 10 in. x 29 in.
Packed Weight: 18lb. 12oz.

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[Alex Strong]

Dear Phil,

        I'm not sure if your aware of online auction houses such as Ebay.com.  At ebay you can find all sorts of great new and slightly used equipment for cheap cheap.  Here is a link to a very nice factory referb tent made by Kelty that fits your specifications:  Kelty Tent just click on it or go tohttp://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=87075551.
 I hope this helps.  Happy camping

Alex

[Phil Pucci]

Alex,

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

Your suggestion to consider used tents is appreciated.

Unfortunately, the tent you cite on Ebay has but a single door.

pdp
Alex Strong wrote in message <370B138A...@vt.edu>...

[Phil Pucci]

As a follow-up to my own posting, I have learned more
about the differences between these two models.

I am willing to share the little I have learned as
long as you keep in mind that I have not used
either tent in the field. I have, however, setup
each of these tents with the aid of my wife in
a strictly indoor trial. Both tents were factory
new models. Both were factory sealed (never
been opened) and we were on our own on
setting them up (no help from experienced
sales reps, etc.).

Both have two doors and are made of the
same grade of materials and they share
the same color scheme.

Solstice 6 has three poles with a square base
whereas the Kashmir 6 is a four pole tent with
more of a tapered hexagon base.

Solstice 6 was a little more confusing to setup
due to its three pole design but both were
very straight forward except for the top most
pole clips (we could not reach them in order
to secure them to the tent poles).

Kashmir 6 is several inches taller and it
comes with a gear loft.

Only the Solstice 6 has a vestibule option.

The fly on the Solstice 6 requires passing
a single multi-sectioned shock corded pole
across the top of the tent whereas the Kashmir
6 has four short single section poles that are
much easier to install.

The vestibule on the Solstice 6 came with
no instructions and we had "fun" solving
the puzzle. The vestibule zipper was defective
(it opened on its own in the middle without
the aid of the zipper end mechanism) and
the plastic clip on the cord lock for the storage
bag was broken.

I am not impressed by the zipper quality on
either model of the Kelty tents (YKK 8) but
they are warranted for life by Kelty.

Bottom line (without field experience):

Though I would very much prefer having the option
of adding a vestibule, I will probably purchase the
Kashmir 6. I truly benefit from the extra height and
I prefer the extra stability of the four pole design.

I am still hopeful that someone with field experience
with either model will contribute to this thread.

pdp

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Please Note: I cross posted this message to:
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Phil Pucci wrote in message <7eefdr$c...@newsops.execpc.com>...