Wenzel Pinon Sport 7-by 7-Foot Three-Person Dome Tent Reviews
Other products by Wenzel Ratting 3.5 Out of 5.0 Special Offer Total New 13 Total Use 0
Read More From Here Now
Amazon.com Product Description
The Pinon Sport Dome is 49 square feet, sleeping 2-3 people. Lightweight enough for hiking and traveling anywhere you go. 7' x 7' x 50" is a square shape dome providing lots of head space.Nicely lightweight and easy to set up and breakdown, the sporty Wenzel Pinon dome-style tent is a great choice for a weekend car camping outing. It features a generously sized single room that measures 7 by 7 feet--great for storing lots of gear--and a 50-inch maximum height. In addition to the good-sized D-style door (with a mesh window covering half of it), this tent also includes a window on the back for cross-current ventilation. The interior is quite spare, with only a small gear pocket in one corner near the door.
Setting up the tent was easy, for the most part, and we erected the tent (with its two shock-corded fiberglass poles) in under five minutes. The one impediment to an even faster assembly was the heavy-duty nylon corner pockets that secure the poles, which included a polyester-reinforced interior flap that's not seamed at the top of the entry. Thus, we had a tougher time than we should have trying to make correct purchase with the pocket, continually hitting the space between the nylon pocket and the interior poly pocket.
But we could forgive this slight design flaw for such a nicely light and easily backpacked tent. This tent also includes a fly that offers a good coverage area, including a bit of an extended cover over the door and back window. While we didn't have rain during our testing, we did use a sprinkler for an extended period, and were pleased to note that the fly ably handled the water run off, guiding it away from the bottom of the tent. To improve this tent's weather resistance, it's recommended that you use seam sealer to coat all exposed seams, applying only to the underside of the fly and inside the seams of the tent.
Overall, the Wenzel Pinon is a good choice for car campers and for the occasional hiked excursion. While it won't stand up to the worst that Mother Nature can throw your way, it should handle a decent amount of rain. And its ample 49 square foot interior will hold two good-sized adults and a good amount of gear. --Agen G.N. Schmitz
What's in the Box?
Tent, rain fly, metal stakes (with bag), two fiberglass shock-corded poles (with bag), stuff sack, printed instructions; backed by 10-year warranty
Amazon.com Tent Guide
Selecting a Tent
Fortunately, there are all kinds of tents for weekend car campers, Everest expeditions, and everything in-between. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Expect the Worst
In general, it's wise to choose a tent that's designed to withstand the worst possible conditions you think you'll face. For instance, if you're a summer car camper in a region where weather is predictable, an inexpensive family or all purpose tent will likely do the trick--especially if a vehicle is nearby and you can make a mad dash for safety when bad weather swoops in! If you're a backpacker, alpine climber or bike explorer, or if you like to car camp in all seasons, you'll want to take something designed to handle more adversity.
Three- and Four-Season Tents
For summer, early fall and late spring outings, choose a three-season tent. At minimum, a quality three season tent will have lightweight aluminum poles, a reinforced floor, durable stitching, and a quality rain-fly. Some three-season tents offer more open-air netting and are more specifically designed for summer backpacking and other activities. Many premium tents will feature pre-sealed, taped seams and a silicone-impregnated rain-fly for enhanced waterproofness.
For winter camping or alpine travel, go with a four season model. Because they typically feature more durable fabric coatings, as well as more poles, four-season tents are designed to handle heavy snowfall and high winds without collapsing. Of course, four-season tents exact a weight penalty of about 10 to 20 percent in trade for their strength and durability. They also tend to be more expensive.
Domes and Tunnels
Tents are broadly categorized into two types, freestanding, which can stand up on their own, and those that must be staked down in order to stand upright. Freestanding tents often incorporate a dome-shaped design, and most four-season tents are constructed this way because a dome leaves no flat spots on the outer surface where snow can collect. Domes are also inherently stronger than any other design. Meanwhile, many three-season models employ a modified dome configuration called a tunnel. These are still freestanding, but they require fewer poles than a dome, use less fabric, and typically have a rectangular floor-plan that offers less storage space than a dome configuration. Many one and two-person tents are not freestanding, but they make up for it by being more lightweight. Because they use fewer poles, they can also be quicker to set up than a dome.
Size Matters
Ask yourself how many people you'd like to fit in your fabric hotel now and in the future. For soloists and minimalists, check out one-person tents. If you're a mega-minimalist, or if you have your eye on doing some big wall climbs, a waterproof-breathable bivy sack is the ticket. Some bivy sacks feature poles and stake points to give you a little more breathing room. Also, if you don't need bug protection and you want to save weight, check out open-air shelters.
Families who plan on car camping in good weather can choose from a wide range of jumbo-sized tents that will accommodate all your little ones with room to spare. A wide range of capacities is also available for three- and four-season backpacking and expedition tents. Remember, though, the bigger the tent you buy, the heavier it will be, although it's easy to break up the tent components among several people in your group. It's also helpful to compare the volume and floor-space measurements of models you're considering.
Technical Details
- Square-shaped, dome-style tent for two to three sleepers; measures 7 by 7 feet- Lightweight enough for hiking and traveling
- D-style door, back window, full rain fly
- Shock-corded fiberglass poles; lightweight steel stakes for stability and strength
- Nylon floors have taped floor seams; tent is backed by 10-year warranty
See more technical details
By Luke Logan (Hesston, KS USA)
This tent worked pretty well on a few rainy motorcycle trips. Packs up small enough to roll inside of my foam bed mat. Easy to set up. Did not leak during moderate rainstorms after coating entire tent with water-proofing spray. Would not recommend for more than 2 peaople, unless you're really comfortable sleeping right up against them. Would buy again for this use and price.
By J. Flood (New Jersey)
Remeber how much you're paying for this and I think you'll be fine. It's a lightweight 3 person tent wellsuited for light camping needs. Great for backyard or cub scout type camping, maybe not what you want for a week in the woods. Happy with mine even though one of the poles just split. I'll patch it and keep it till it drops and then probably buy another one. If you want a better tent, you should probably spend more money.
By Michelle L. Lwson (USA)
Used it for hiking and camping in the woods, it worked great, quick set up and very lite so it was easy to carry.
By Kurt Morrow (Americus GA)
I bought this tent in preparation for backpacking with a friend. We are on a really tight budget and we want to travel rather light. When we saw this tent, especially for the low price, we got it. We figured it wouldn't be the best quality tent but we are both versatile and can make do with little.
But this tent far exceeded our expectations of low quality.
Both of us have camped in tents often, of different types and qualities. We set it up in a living room and were amazed at how badly the tent was made.
First the poles. These are extremely flimsy fiberglass poles. While we were setting it up one of the poles splintered 3 inches or so down the pole (it was already starting to splinter when I opened the tent). The cord on one of the poles (the rain fly pole over the doors) snapped. In a few other places the cord was already starting to fray.
We put up the main tent with no other problems. All the materials look like they are about to fall apart. We could see pin-prick holes of light through the main tent material. By this time we knew that this would not meet our minimal needs. With the splintering poles, the cord falling apart, the unbelievably flimsy and cheap materials, we recognized it as the piece of junk it is. We didn't set up the rainfly (we were trying to keep everything in as good order so we could return it, which amazon did perfectly on) so we can't comment on that.
If you plan on camping and need a shelter and only have [...] it would be a better idea to buy some tarps or something. Personally we decided to buy a more expensive tent (the ALPS zephyr 3 which we found on sale for [...]).
By G. Yang (Boston, MA)
the rain fly is too small to cover enough place of the tent. the tent itself is not water proof. if any part of body or sleeping bag touch the wall of the tent, the water will get in. the night I did camping had a light rain. In the morning, I found my sleeping bag was wet!
Cannot complain too much based on its price. It would be a good deal if the rain fly were larger.
Images Product
Read more Wenzel Pinon Sport 7-by 7-Foot Three-Person Dome Tent
