Wenzel Timber Ridge Sport 9-by-7-Foot Four-Person Dome Tent Reviews

• 5 Star tent!

  
  By A155C7YQWJ7N5Y on 2006-11-25
  I ordered this baby for a low low amazon.com price after spying it on a deal site. I just felt like I needed a tent, a good bachelor preparedness tool. When it arrived I immediately pitched it indoors because I am an idiot. It is plenty big and you can set it up in about 2 minutes.
  When I was a little kid and was way into camping, the cheapest tent you could buy cost you 25 bucks, and that was the one I had. This one is 100X better than the tents of yesteryear. Techmology, I loves it.
  If amazon.com was a person, I would ask it to make out with me.
  
  

• Easy to assemble, yet sturdy

  
  By A2OWOGEEWQ9FFP on 2006-09-13
  I've been camping a few times in the past few months. This tent has been of great value:
  
  * easy to assemble/dis-assemble - This tent is remarkably easy to assemble, it took a friend and myself about 15 minutes the first time. And I've had my share of tents that would refuae to stay up even after spending an hour on them. This is the most attractive feature of this tent for me.
  
  * Quite sturdy and weather-proof too - The manufacturer has given nails which can be used to hold the tent down. I've run into rain twice with these tents, and not had a problem either time. There are mesh flaps on the side and at the top which let air in on a clear night, but they can be covered up to keep the rain out.
  
  * It holds three adults and it has ample space for two.
  
  I'd completely agree with one of the other reviewer's remarks about the tiny bag that the tent comes in. It took us more than 20 mins just to squeeze the tent back into that small bag. But you could instead easily use the carton the tent in for holding the tent.
  
  I would certainly recommend this for campers.
  
  

• Great value for a car camping tent

  
  By A12TECTYSRJ3UR on 2007-07-29
  I bought this tent for a camping trip in the Adirondacks. It held up well during a whole day of heavy downpours. There were a few drops of water that somehow seemed to make their way through both the rain tarp and the mesh of the actual tent itself, so that every few minutes, water drops would fall on us. But for the price, I can't complain. The top half of the actual tent itself is mostly made of a mosquito mesh like material. So you definitely need to put the rain tarp over it if you think it might rain. If you want some sun, just take off the tarp, and the sun will shine right through.
  
  This is not a backpacking tent. It is too big and heavy to carry as a back country tent. For those situations you might want to look for a lighter model. But if you are camping close to your car, this is great.
  
  There is no separate ground tarp. The bottom of the tent is designed to be a ground tarp. I wish more tents would do this. The tent is big enough for five people to hang out in it and play cards. Four people can also lie down in it with their sleeping bags, but it's a cozy fit. This is a free standing tent. This means you don't need to use guy wires to keep it standing, though they are provided to give your tent more rigidity.
  
  The bag that the tent came with is absolutely too small. Once you take it out of the bag, there is no way you can get it back in the bag. Trust me. I tried rolling the tent, folding the tent, crumpling the tent, but no matter what, it is impossible to get it back into the tent bag. I ended up using one of those canvas bags you get when you buy folding beach chairs.
  
  Overall, I recommend it for those of you who like to camp close to their car or camper, where size or weight isn't an issue.
  
  

• Mesh square

  
  By A3UAX660CIY00Q on 2006-09-12
  The mesh square is a gear loft, it gives you a place to put a flashlight, your glasses (if you wear such), your wallet, etc. Its a nice feature if floor space is tight.
  
  

• We are pleased with the tent

  
  By A2WANS6EWHQSWQ on 2006-08-26
  Overall, the tent was easy to put up. We are happy with it's appearance and structure. It fit my 4 year old, 7 year old and myself nicely and we could have fit Dad in there too even though it may be a tight squeeze. For the price, it is great for us to have as a backyard tent. Only downfall, it comes nicely packed in a LITTLE pull string bag. After taking down the tent, we tried 3 times to wrap that thing as tightly as we could and STILL couldn't get it back in the bag. I advise that you keep the box it comes in so you can just store the rolled up tent in that if you can't fit it into the bag! A question for anyone who has this tent, there is a square mesh piece with hooks. The only place we could find to put it was inside the tent at the peak of the ceiling where there were 4 loops. WHAT is that for??
  
  
• Bargain
  By AKR3N93ZBBBTT on 2006-10-06
  Great quality for casual tent usage. Couldn't believe it was this cheap for a tent this size.
  
  
• Easy to set up and a breeze to break down. Some minor usability quibbles.
  By A2K3DB7X56UXLZ on 2007-07-02
  My husband and I are camp novices. We bought this tent for a group campout. It took him less than 15 minutes to set up. We skipped the rainfly, as the weather didn't require it. The tent is very see-through from about halfway up without the rainfly, which is nice for stargazing but bad for privacy when changing. It wasn't a big deal to us, but it's worth knowing.
  
  Our weather was great, so I can't vouch for the tent in rain or cold. We didn't have any moisture issues (condensation inside the tent). As far as actually living in the tent, I had some minor complaints. The door zipper frequently got stuck or was stubborn. I found I had to use my foot to hold the tent down while pulling on it to have it work reliably. It's possible that we could have staked the tent better and avoided this issue though. Also, the D-shaped door is closed by two zippers: one along the bottom of the D and one around the curve to the top. I'm not sure why they did this versus two two-way zippers on the same D-shaped track. It means you always have to reach down to the ground to unzip the door, which is a pain when they could have done a zipper that allowed you to put the meeting point where you need it. When your back is tired from sleeping on the ground, doing a toe-touch to open the tent door is no fun!
  
  The door of the tent has a mesh window that you can unzip from the inside. It's a single panel door, so you pretty much have to completely open the door to put things inside. Some tents I've seen previously included a second door panel made of mesh to allow for an extra layer of bug protection or to use as a passthrough without ever having to fully open the tent. I wouldn't expect that feature from a tent in this price range.
  
  The tent included the usual indoor amenities: a pocket for rings/watches on one side and a mesh shelf to suspend at the top for a flashlight or other small storage. I have no complaints with either of these items. The inside of the tent also had a handy troubleshooting guide sewn to the roof.
  
  As far as interior space, I didn't buy this expecting a large tent, although I did think that something advertised as a "Four-Person" tent would have been a bit larger. Nonetheless, I read the dimensions before I bought, so it didn't really surprise me. I'm only noting this because others might simply see "four-person" and think it's big enough for a family. It isn't. You can't stand up while inside the tent without touching the roof. My husband and I were able to sleep comfortably, but I think a third adult would have made it cramped. Neither of us are particularly tall. I'd equate the inside of the tent to a queen size mattress, once you figure some room for putting each person's weekend bag. Would you really want to put four people on a queen size bed? We also barely had room to stow our gear when we had our sleeping bags spread out. Again, this isn't a problem in my eyes, because the tent isn't supposed to be huge. It's simply worth noting.
  
  We had no problems getting the tent back into the bag. We followed the instructions for how to roll and tie it up, squishing the air out as we went. It took less than 15 minutes to break it down. I was a little disappointed in the quality of the ties provided to tie up the rolled up tent. They're just scraps of tent fabric. You might throw them away if you aren't paying attention. Still, that's a minor quibble, and they're easy enough to replace with sturdier rope or cords.
  
  When packed up, the tent is very lightweight. The box advertises it as a backpacking tent, and I think that's an accurate assessment. If you're a luxury camper, this might not be to your liking given the height and lack of comfort features, but if you're looking for a lightweight and easy tent to set up for sleeping, storage, and not much else, this is a great option.
  
  
  
• Real good deal for 45 bucks
  By AIFCXK3OR50VT on 2006-11-02
  this tent is really comfortable for 3 people at least and its also easy to set up.I would surly suggest someone to buy it and not spend more money on other brands with the same kind of model.
  
  
• Now I can afford to spend $169 on a sleeping pad!
  By AY5BDUWWIP8E2 on 2006-11-16
  I ordered 2 of these, one is still back ordered.
  Set it up last night in just under 12 minutes!
  This is a perfect tent for my 6'8" husband & my 5'9" self (easily accomodating 2 extra long sleeping bags plus gear)!
  On the second attempt I was able to squeeze it into the original stuff-sack, but I don't want to risk not making it fit on a white water trip so I will either purchase or sew (about 15 minutes) a slightly larger stuff-sack
  This tent is comparable to expensive one that I just put into the trash after 2 seasons!
  Thank you Wenzel!!!
  Hrtastn143
  
  
• Good tent for campin'!
  By A11AXPVO0VMRYT on 2007-01-05
  This is the first tent that my husband and I have bought together for camping, since our 8 1/2 yrs of being married. We are hoping to take our two children camping this summer, since both of us had great experiences with camping when we were kids ourselves.
  
  I got this tent for $24.99, which I think is a great deal! It arrived just the other day, and much to my children's delight, I put it up right away to check it out. It was very easy to put together- probably took me 10 minutes. The only part that I think was confusing was the poles for the tent cover (or "fly", which protects from rain, etc), but after I took a minute to read the directions, LOL, I figured it out quickly. I will say that I think it's harder to zip up the front of the tent if you put the pole in the front of the fly, but it still works.
  
  This tent fit both my husband, myself, and our two children (both of which are under the age of 5). I'm not sure I would recommend this tent for 4 adults if you wanted to be comfortable, but it would work if you needed it to.
  
  The tent has pockets inside to store your glasses or flashlights or whatever, a little storage space at the top of the tent, too. And of course you can open get some great ventilation through the door and window screens for a nice breeze.
  
  As far as taking the tent down, it's very easy. And I'm not sure why the others had such a hard time putting the tent back in the bag? Maybe the company started making larger bags after several complaints, because I could fit the tent, fly, and the poles and stakes back into the bag with no problem. Now, try to put them back into the box they came in, and you're going to find it impossible!!
  
  This is a good tent, and I can't wait to put it to real camping use!
  
  
• Greatest tent I have ever seen.
  By on 2007-03-14
  Before choosing which tent I wanted to buy, I read the reviews on several of in-my-price-range tents. This 'particular' tent had the best reviews of any I had researched on four different web sites. And this 'particiular' tent was the one I purchased. It arived at my house exactly 4 days after I put an order for it through free amazon shipping, and putting it up was very easy. My mother helped me get the tent'on its feet,' and in five minutes, we had that beauty all set up. The inside was roomy, much roomier than I, or my mother had thought. The only downer is that the bag is very small, so you should read the directions first before putting it back in the bag. Overall, it is the greatest tent in the world.
  
  
• Useless in the Rain
  By A1LVSY1TSG5F31 on 2007-06-02
  We bought this tent following its overwhelmingly positive reviews here - such as the one that says "It rained three out of the four days, but the inside of the tent stayed completely dry."
  
  The truth in our case, however, was quite the opposite. We have seen only a little rain during our recent camping, and the "fly" did protect the top half of the tent. But all the wall area that is not covered by it - and it is practically the whole lower part of the tent next to the floor -got immediately wet. We were lucky the rain was weak and hardly lasted an hour.
  
  
  
  
• Nifty Tent
  By A2OKMXEAYJARAM on 2007-02-07
  I bought this tent for a camping trip in North Carolina to replace my friend's 20 pound tent. Four of us slept in it, and although it was a tight squeeze, we all fit (our gear did not, though). The mesh pockets to hold stuff are very handy and the set-up was simple.
  
  I can't vouch for the tent's ability to keep out rain because I haven't put it to the test yet. The only downside to the tent is the small bag it comes in. I am hoping to just buy a new one.
  
  
• Great value, Easy setup
  By A22NH5WNLF9FO8 on 2007-03-08
  I had never owned a tent before, so I based my choice on the product reviews. I can now say thier comments were pretty much right on target. Thank you, I'm delighted with my purchase. I couldnt wait to set it up. After reading the directions, I found this to be a relatively easy process for this first time tent owner. Packing it up went even faster, I didn't seem to encounter any problems fitting the tent into the bag as mentioned by some of the other buyers. For ease in packing, I suggest the following: with the tent on the ground, fold it in half and use the fiberglass poles to flatten and force out the air. Fold it again, repeat and roll tight. It seems roomy enough for three people, four might be pushing it. The price can't beat. We're looking forward to our camping adventures in the comfort of this tent.
  
  
• Great Tent
  By A3865Z3ILIPVNV on 2006-12-26
  I bought this tent for my husband's Christams gift and he thought I paid 4 times what I did. He is very pleased and had no trouble fitting it back into the bag.
  
  
• Survive in Style
  By A3PNOUH57UO1HJ on 2007-02-06
  "Be prepared!" This inexpensive, easy to use, tent is part of our survival kit! (ready.gov has more suggestions!)
  
  
• great value!
  By A3UHTI23S23VIB on 2007-05-07
  I got this tent after reading the previous reviews. For the price, I figured I couldn't go wrong. Well, we took it out on an early spring trip in the mountains and ran into some rough weather. It held up to some incredible wind gusts (they blew the tent almost flat to the ground, but it snapped right back up!). About 3:00 a.m. it started snowing! It worked like a champ.
  
  Overall, very easy setup, nice layout. Can't go wrong for the price.
  
  
• When it rains, it pours.
  By A3B5C3L8J4T1MP on 2008-07-19
  We bought this for our first camping trip to Sequoia.
  
  The tent was easy to setup. Took 30 mins the first time and 15 afterwards. It was cold and rainy the entire two days we were there. Two major problems. Even with the raincover on , you can still expect a lots of outside cold/hot air to get in. So good sleeping bags are a must. secondly, water seeps into the tent from the bottom. We had a tarp under, but still some water crept in.
  
  Since the tent is one of the most important thing that you can buy for a camping trip. I would suggest that you spend more and get as good a tent as you can. Also, this is supposed to be a 4 person tent, but you always wanna get bigger than you want. To sleep this is okay for maybe 3 people. Get a taller bigger tent and you wont regret it.
  
  
• Summer tent
  By A18YUABF5UAXYR on 2007-01-09
  I purchased the Wenzel Timber Creek Sprot 9x7' Four-Person Tent for my nephew and he loved it! He immediately asked his Mom is he could invite his friends over and wanted to put up the tent in the living room! It was large and comfortable enough for about four kids with sleeping bags. Fun for summer camping events.
  
  
• Must have tent
  By A39A4ZSC3PCSMX on 2007-05-07
  I used this tent on my last backpacking trip. I new that it was going to rain while I was there but nothing like what I had experienced. I hiked 8 miles to get to my camping spot and I then set up my tent. It took about 20 minutes and I had never set up the tent before. The tent withstood 12 hours of HEAVY downpours and wind gusts up to 50mph. That is without the tent stakes even being put in. Since my camping spot was slightly smaller than 9-7 feet. Just to give you an idea of the severity of the storm, when I got home I had found out that a tornado had hit and destroyed homes just 20 Miles away. The downside to this tent is that in a strong storm the humidity will get so bad inside your tent that it will actually start to drip water even though there is no leak in the tent. This tent is an unbelievable buy considering its price.
  
  
• Heck of a tent for the price!
  By A9XUKRRLHWJYM on 2008-04-30
  Although I have camped all my life this tent was the first one I purchased by myself. When it arrived I pitched it immediately. It took me about 15 minutes, which is about double what it took the second time. One trick- stake down the bottom of the tent before trying to bend up the poles if you are pitching it by yourself. Trust me this will make life a lot easier.
  I took the tent out last weekend. Got out to the site late and had to pitch it in the dark. No problem at all. Saturday night it rained, and rained, and rained. We stayed bone dry except for the water we brought in with us. This tent RULES. Oh, and I haven't had any trouble fitting it back in the bag.
  
  
• NOT GOOD
  By AA09YGYHMY7PB on 2008-05-19
  This tent is horrible.
  The water is falling from the top when it's raining.
  That is all I can say.
  
  
• not quite what I hoped for
  By A1P9XBXTPTX2Q7 on 2008-08-11
  The tent was easy to set up, but unfortunately our camping trip was doomed by bad weather, and the tent simply did not hold up to a normal rainfall. Even with the rain fly on, the tent eventually leaked so badly that we had to pack up and leave only 45 minutes after getting there. We were so disappointed! The troubleshooting guide in the tent wasn't much help, as the remedy for leaking seams is to apply seam sealer, "which can be found at any sporting goods store." That hint didn't help us much out in the woods! I am willing to put some seam sealer on the tent and try again, but I am disappointed with my first tent purchase. I hope our next trip will go a lot better!
  
  Here's a suggestion for the tent company: if the seams leak, or are likely to, wouldn't it be nice to include a tube of seam sealer with the tent so this kind of thing doesn't happen to others?
  
  
• Wenzel tent kept out the thunderstorms
  By A36F6HTBZ55ZPX on 2008-08-15
  I am a novice camper(used hotels for past 50 years) and got this tent for a star party at Spruce Knob, WV. The instructions for setting up were very brief, but I managed to get it together in a reasonable time. More pictures would help. One night we had strong thunderstorms continually from midnight til 4 am. The tent blew back and forth, the lightning flashed, the intense rain peppered the fly and occasionally I felt some spray on my face. However, the floor after all of this was mostly dry and the tent was still standing. I was impressed for a $40 tent with free shipping. At 9x7 feet, it was a nice size for my 6ft2in height and my stuff.
  
  
• Nice, small tent
  By A2WO2E77X7YFAS on 2007-05-14
  Easy set-up and take down. Small profile, but big enough for 2 adults and 2 small children. The use of larger air mattresses diminishes both vertical and usable horizontal space. If you have four adults, or want to bring packs or other luggage into the tent, you want to think about the space issue more carefully. The zippers were easy to use, and there was good natural ventilation through screens at the top (the rain cover provides privacy while allowing good airflow into the tent. All the necessary equipment came with the tent (except a hammer) including a waterproof bottom which comes up a few inches on the sides to protect against surface water drainage from rain, but we put a tarp down under it just to be safe even though the tent didn't seem to need it.
  
  
• Excellent basic camping tent
  By A1B1J6JAJXEMAB on 2007-05-30
  After spending more hours than I like to think about searching for a tent, I finally settled on this one. It had the best of all reviews and was a large enough size to sleep me and a friend or two on camping trips. I was very pleased with what I received.
  
  The first time I took it out was for a four day camping trip on Lake Erie. It rained three out of the four days, but the inside of the tent stayed completely dry. With the windows closed it was stifled, but if you opened them enough to let wind in there was a great cross breeze. Set up was simple and taking it apart was even easier (although as other people have commented, the tent bag is a tad small - not the end of the world). The tent very comfortably holds 2 and sleeps 3, though this is not a stand up and walk around tent - it's maybe 5 feet tall at the center.
  
  My one suggestion: If you choose to put a tarp under the tent as extra protection from rocks and/or rain, be sure that the entire tarp is under the tent - do NOT permit any to stick out on the sides. I did that and it allowed the tarp to catch water which neither soaked into the ground nor evaporated - it just sat there. Left long enough it will seep through the floor a bit. But if you make sure the tarp is smaller than the tent, you should have no problem.
  
  I would definitely recommend this tent to casual campers. It's probably a bit heavy to take backpacking, but stuck in the back of the car or truck and popped up on site it's excellent.
  
  
• Great but not perfect
  By AH9XDGBQ0CB49 on 2007-07-04
  I'm writing this for my mom My mom bought this for me for a camping trip but before this we tested it and put it in the ground in our backyard. Then we left and when we got back it was gone. We found it Down the street in our neighbors yard. So if your going to camp in florida at least were its sandy make sure its down good. when we actually did go camping it was comfortable to sleep in And when it rained realy hard it stayed dry ecxept for a small leak in the space where the bottom of the tent connects to the top. Over all it was easy to asemble and disassemble so it was a very good tent. Oh and Also there was a rip where i had pulled the pole through and a rip in the bottom stake holder which was mostly my fault.
  
  
• GREAT tent for $25
  By A2959OYCZX0D4Y on 2008-03-30
  I've had this tent for just over a year now. It's been used about 20x.
  It has amazing quality thru-out. Nothing has torn-up with it at all. The floor is still completely sealed and there are no signs of anything wearing. Amazon had it on clearance back in March of 2007 for right at $25.
  My only regret is that I didn't buy 2 or 3 of them @ that price...
  
  GREAT PRODUCT... GREAT QUALITY...
  
  
  
• Excellent Transaction!
  By A1NR9H207YHAPQ on 2008-06-20
  Super quick shipping, excellent product. Another stellar Amazon steal.
  
  This tent met and exceeded every expectation. I'm so glad I did not spend more on a tent. It's perfect size for an inflatable queen mattress with room to spare at the foot and on the door side. We kept all our bags and gear at the foot of the bed, and used the space by the door to move around. Set up is super easy. The bag was easily large enough to repack the tent and poles. I would recommend this tent to anyone!
  
  
• Good all-around tent
  By A1L0PNMZ0L3JYP on 2008-07-10
  It is a good tent at a great price. That being said. It is pretty much a two man tent. Three will be very tight. Tried it last weekend for the first time and we had a hugh rain storm. The bottom sides below the rain fly will get wet and soak through if you have anything touching the sides. We had to use tarps to make sure it didn't continue to soak through.
  
  

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