"I bought this tent as a compromise tent that would be big enough to car-camp with my family, and light enough to backpack with a group.
The quality is pretty good, with the exception of leaks at each of the four corners where the stake-out loops are attached to the tent. I have applied seam sealant to the outside and inside of all the seams in this area, still it leaks. I am guessing at this point that the loops are wicking water into the tent, so the next thing to try is to coat these with urethane waterproofing.
Otherwise, a pretty good tent, good ventilation in humid climates, fairly stable in winds up to about 30--40 mph, and fairly easy to set up.
It's really a bit heavy to pack, but of course it will hold 4 people. The vestibule is too small for a 4-person tent, and I'm considering getting a tarp to use as an extra vestibule/cooking space for rainy weather. Also, for packing, with one or two people it is too heavy (well duh ;) and for that purpose I'm searching for a smaller and lighter tent, however I will keep the Teton 4 for basecamp use or packing with a larger group. At least if I can get it to stop leaking at the corners."
"I selected this tent specifically for warm weather camping in Northern Florida and Western North Carolina. I got the Teton 4 Footprint with the tent, to safeguard the flooring material.
This tent is ridiculously easy and quick to set up. When I got it, I took it out in our backyard in complete darkness and had it up in less than 7 minutes. The fly is easy to put on, and I personally felt like the vestibule was of an adequate size. I do not personally like the light aluminum stakes delivered by Kelty, especially for affixing the vestibule. I got 9" steel ones. If I was backpacking I would probably get MSR Groundhog stakes.
This tent has a nice combination of privacy and ventilation. The mesh is high enough that if you want to change clothes inside you won't have an audience. Also, there's plenty of room to sleep in any direction, and room for gear if there's only two of you. It is very roomy for two people, OK for three and would work for 4 if two were kids.
My only concern is that the fly does not extend to the ground in the short sides of the tent. While this aids ventilation, I have to wonder what would happen if you had a combination of rain and a stiff wind: would drops come up and into the tent? I can't say, because if I knew it was going to be rainy and windy, I would not go camping!!
All in all, I like the ratio of room and setup ease to a great price. It's probably not the best choice if you live in a chilly area, but if you expect to encounter warm and humid nights, it would make you a "happy camper"!"
"Obviously this is a heavier tent and holds 3 people with room to spare for gear. It is not meant to be a one person tent, so for comments about weight it is like comparing apples to oranges. What we did was divided the tent into 3 parts (poles, vestibule, and tent) and each of our group of 3 took 1 section. Weigh that out and you have under 2 lbs per person. In other words, if done right, the tent is extremely light. We have camped in many situations, the worst were 8 days of snow, wind and cold in Wyoming and 6 days of 40-50 mph winds and snow in Utah. The tent held up amazingly well. No leaks, we did hit the snow off of the tent twice a day. No leaks to speak of. If the vestibule touched the tent body there was mild condensation, which was easily resolved. Thumbs up if you are going go with a group of three I would highly recommend this tent. It is also quite inexpensive and much bigger than the typical 3-4 man tent that you buy from the a la mode tents."
