Kelty Grand Mesa 4 review

(tent picture coming soon! There's some uploading issues)

Last year Andrew and I went camping in Virgina. We "inherited" (and used) my parent's old pup tent. Ok, so it had sides and other nice features. At the time I am sure the tent was top of the line or at least the best one my family could afford. I was thankful my parent's gave us a tent...for free.

This year we wanted to be a little more...hip, in debt...? and "invest" in a good, quality tent.

My parent's bought a Kelty for their biking adventures. Because my parent's are crazy (love ya!) and sometimes carry their stuff on their bicycles...sometimes across various states...I knew the brand was worth something.

So that's what we got--a Kelty. Model: Grand Mesa 4. 4 for four persons.

In February, 2011 the tent costs $121. Free shipping.

Interior--

-We took advantage of the roomy (4-person) interior and aired up a queen sized air bed. We still had some room to spare.

-For those of us who slept in an "old school" tent while raining know the whole fear-the-sides thing. Don't let ANYTHING touch the sides or else you're doomed. I noticed on the Grand Mesa when the side meet the floor, it's more rounded. Things kind of "bounce" off instead of jarring into the fabric, creating a leak.

Exterior (including rain fly)--

-What's not to like about the little vestibule. We left our wet shoes inside this area.

-You gotta agree that the tent looks pretty sharp. The designers did a good job with the shape and colors.

-rain fly is designed for maximum effectiveness. We can say this from personal experience.

Over all--

I have never seen a tent so small and light weight before! This is probably so because the Grand Mesa is a part of the hiking/back country line. Kelty probably isn't the perfect tent brand. But it works for us. I really like this tent and really glad we bought it.