Wenzel Kodiak Family Cabin Dome Tent
CUSTOMER REVIEW
REAR BUILT-IN STORAGE CUBBIES:
The back wall of the tent has no windows but it does have two extended duffel size (2'wx2'dx8-14"h[graduated]) storage compartments and inside of those compartments are screen windows with internal zippers and external eave coverage. The screen windows are approx. 1" off the ground so this is definitely not the side of the tent you want facing uphill if you even suspect a light rain may occur. Other reviewers had difficulty understanding why there were screen windows in these cubbies, even speculating they cause a safety concern for theft or flawed attempts at cross ventilation. As a parent of young children, I'm going to address this with what was automatically obvious for us as our kids climbed inside and immediately zipped themselves up inside those storage cubbies. The windows are there for SAFETY...if a young child or animal is stuck in there without a vent, they would cook quickly inside - not to mention your deodorant or other goodies you may have stored in your bag inside of the cubby.
TENT FLOOR:
The base of the tent is the standard tarp-type material used in most tents and the seams where it is sewn to the sides of the tent are at ground level; this is NOT a "bathtub" style tent floor which has the floor go a few inches up the inside of the tent to allow it to keep water out if it accumulates as in a heavy downpour of rain. In other words, double check the forecast and if there is a chance of anything more than mist - you need a different tent or to add another tarp under this tent and clip it up the sides on the outside to help keep water flow out.
WINDOWS:
The side windows are triangles with the top tip pointed out at an approx. 35' angle from the tent, allowing moisture to run off the tent rather than in the window. Zipper closure is two zippers meeting at internal top point; this does add an additional secure line to ground on each side of the tent to keep it at that angle. The entire roof of this tent is a vent, made of screen material with the exception of a center solid support that runs both across the width and length of the tent [+]. There are roof eave triangle vents on either side above the side triangle windows. The front window with the # design gives the screen material support to prevent it from sagging as well as helping to minimize damage if you have a run in the fabric that tears open (it is not strictly for aesthetics as some others have concluded); it has 2 internal zippers down either side and the zippers stop at such a point that there is an additional 6" of window screen that is covered by the material and does not allow air flow due to this [design flaw]. *NOTE: vents do not have zippers/are not manually able to be closed and must rely on the tent fly for coverage; windows can be zippered to close
SETUP:
My husband set this up by himself in 40 minutes following directions to a T with 3 kids running circles around him. I had expected from reviews that he would need my assistance but this simply was not the case.
DESIGN: The light color material used on the majority of the tent reflects light and reduces heating passively through this. I like that the tent has only a single door and our children who will be sleeping in the portion of the tent without the door will need to wake us up to get out of the tent at night; this reassures me to my family's safety; if you have grown children or only adults camping, consider this. Each of the two rooms is equivalent in size and fits a queen size bed with walking room around one side as well as an area large enough to stand to get dressed and store bags or a cooler at foot or head of the bed. The sides of the tent are pretty close to perpendicular with the ground so you are less likely to accidentally brush against it and break the moisture seal at night, letting in condensation from dew.
IMPROVEMENTS: I wish there were ties to string up our lantern or flashlight pockets inside, it is large enough to need a light at night and that would've been convenient. The top edge of the tent sags inward above the window and door due to lack of support...a simple support lengthwise across the tent would easily fix this issue.
Wenzel Kodiak Family Cabin Dome Tent
CUSTOMER REVIEW
REAR BUILT-IN STORAGE CUBBIES:
The back wall of the tent has no windows but it does have two extended duffel size (2'wx2'dx8-14"h[graduated]) storage compartments and inside of those compartments are screen windows with internal zippers and external eave coverage. The screen windows are approx. 1" off the ground so this is definitely not the side of the tent you want facing uphill if you even suspect a light rain may occur. Other reviewers had difficulty understanding why there were screen windows in these cubbies, even speculating they cause a safety concern for theft or flawed attempts at cross ventilation. As a parent of young children, I'm going to address this with what was automatically obvious for us as our kids climbed inside and immediately zipped themselves up inside those storage cubbies. The windows are there for SAFETY...if a young child or animal is stuck in there without a vent, they would cook quickly inside - not to mention your deodorant or other goodies you may have stored in your bag inside of the cubby.
TENT FLOOR:
The base of the tent is the standard tarp-type material used in most tents and the seams where it is sewn to the sides of the tent are at ground level; this is NOT a "bathtub" style tent floor which has the floor go a few inches up the inside of the tent to allow it to keep water out if it accumulates as in a heavy downpour of rain. In other words, double check the forecast and if there is a chance of anything more than mist - you need a different tent or to add another tarp under this tent and clip it up the sides on the outside to help keep water flow out.
WINDOWS:
The side windows are triangles with the top tip pointed out at an approx. 35' angle from the tent, allowing moisture to run off the tent rather than in the window. Zipper closure is two zippers meeting at internal top point; this does add an additional secure line to ground on each side of the tent to keep it at that angle. The entire roof of this tent is a vent, made of screen material with the exception of a center solid support that runs both across the width and length of the tent [+]. There are roof eave triangle vents on either side above the side triangle windows. The front window with the # design gives the screen material support to prevent it from sagging as well as helping to minimize damage if you have a run in the fabric that tears open (it is not strictly for aesthetics as some others have concluded); it has 2 internal zippers down either side and the zippers stop at such a point that there is an additional 6" of window screen that is covered by the material and does not allow air flow due to this [design flaw]. *NOTE: vents do not have zippers/are not manually able to be closed and must rely on the tent fly for coverage; windows can be zippered to close
SETUP:
My husband set this up by himself in 40 minutes following directions to a T with 3 kids running circles around him. I had expected from reviews that he would need my assistance but this simply was not the case.
DESIGN: The light color material used on the majority of the tent reflects light and reduces heating passively through this. I like that the tent has only a single door and our children who will be sleeping in the portion of the tent without the door will need to wake us up to get out of the tent at night; this reassures me to my family's safety; if you have grown children or only adults camping, consider this. Each of the two rooms is equivalent in size and fits a queen size bed with walking room around one side as well as an area large enough to stand to get dressed and store bags or a cooler at foot or head of the bed. The sides of the tent are pretty close to perpendicular with the ground so you are less likely to accidentally brush against it and break the moisture seal at night, letting in condensation from dew.
IMPROVEMENTS: I wish there were ties to string up our lantern or flashlight pockets inside, it is large enough to need a light at night and that would've been convenient. The top edge of the tent sags inward above the window and door due to lack of support...a simple support lengthwise across the tent would easily fix this issue.
Wenzel Kodiak Family Cabin Dome Tent
