When we hear of the Therm-a-Rest brand, we usually think of sleeping bags and mattresses. We have checked out a few of those over the years... for an idea, take a look at our reviews of the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Camping Mattress, the Antares Sleeping bag and the NeoAir Xlite mattress, or, the always popular Therm-a-Rest Vela Double Down blanket. Point is, we've reviewed plenty Therm-a-Rest bags and matts—but this is our first tent. We have reviewed several tents from Therm-a-rest sister brand MSR, but not yet from Therm-a-Rest. This is our first and here we go!
We'll include some photos that will highlight the tent’s most notable features. For reference, the tent was used in a tree planting camp nestled between the Purcells and Rockies in the East Kootenays (for 2! months!, and was also taken to a music festival).
Here's an overview video from the good people at Therm-a-Rest.
For warmer nights with no risk of rainfall, the half tent fabric/half mesh design allows for optimal air circulation and star gazing; all the while providing adequate privacy in more populated areas.
Color-coded grommet system for the footprint and tent attachment system.
See the color-coded, clip in buckle system for the rainfly. Attach loose, tighten to ensure stability.
Quite possibly my favorite features shown below. The dividers on the interior which allow for separating the tent into two different compartments (people, gear, sleeping quarters), and the built in boot room as seen at the entrance to the tent (keeps gear dry and inside of tent clean).
Easy to manage and reliable clip and utility loop system for tent/rainfly set up.
Here’s what the interior looks like without the divider set up. Being able to stand tall and walk around the tent is a game changer.
See the generous assortment of mesh/zipper pockets found inside and outside the tent for easy organization.
Rainfly Fabric 68D Polyester RipStop 1500mm PU
Canopy Fabric 68D Polyester Rip Stop
Mesh Type Polyester No-See-Um Mesh
Floor Fabric 150D Polyester Oxford 10,000mm PU Coating
The Therm-a-Rest Tranquility 6-person tent has proven to live up to its notoriety for being the optimal luxury camping shelter. While the 100% freestanding tent was primarily envisioned to maximize convenience and livability, its generous size, strength and durability allowed me to live out of it comfortably for 2+ months. As a treeplanter, I’ve found the most important and effective way of enduring the arduous conditions of both the job and living situation is to have a solid and reliable camping set up. While living out of the Tranquility 6, I quickly began to appreciate the tent as the closest I’d get to a house in the woods. Although I used to advocate for lightweight, compact and minimalist camping set ups, this tent definitely expanded my horizons and convinced me otherwise.
While I’d imagine the tent provides ample room for a family and gear, using it as a one-man allowed me to take advantage of its nearly outrageous size to maximize comfort and organization. With dividers on the interior (which I used to separate my ‘bedroom’ from ‘living room’), a generous assortment of mesh pockets both inside and out, utility loops for hanging clothing, what seemed to be 6’5" of headroom, and a built-in boot room, the tent allowed me to organize my gear and sleeping quarters in the most optimal manner. Despite being too heavy to bring on any long hikes, I think it's safe to say that the Tranquility 6 serves as the perfect basecamp.
I look forward to it being my home-away-from-home next tree planting season as well.
PROS:
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CONS:
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Price: $780 CAN
Color: Mercury/silver pine/honey
Capacity: 6
Minimum Weight: 7.85kg /17lbs 5oz
Packed Weight: 8.28kg /18lbs 4oz
Floor Area: 6 sq m / 66sq ft
Vestibule Area: 3sq m / 32sq ft
Number of poles: 3
Interior Peak Height: 193cm / 76in
Packed Size: 28 x 38 x 127cm /11 x 15 x 24in
Number of Doors: 2
Did we miss something? Are we totally out to lunch? Let us know what you think. People like/dislike gear for different reasons so chime in below and we'll get a well-rounded evaluation. You'll need to login or register before you can comment but it only takes a few seconds, then you're good to go.
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