Tahoe Gear Olympia 10-Person 3-Season Family Camping Tent is a unique extended dome single room structure with 3 windows and fiberglass poles, and a great price tag.
Key benefits & features
- Extended dome tent.
- Single door.
- 1 Room.
- 3 Windows.
- E-cable port.
- Fiberglass poles.
- Floor vents.
- Great price.
Where to buy
- This tent is available on Amazon, they operate globally so please follow the link and check the price and shipping conditions for your location.
- You can find it also at Walmart.
Overview of features
Here you have an extended dome tent of a particular type where the central part is asymmetric as you will see from the floor plan below. The two extensions are on the side, and this all creates one room with one door only. The structure is shown in the picture below with the tent without the fly.
The fly is minimal and it covers the ceiling only, this is enough because the rest of the tent is the same material as the fly. Note that such a structure is not freestanding so it is necessary to stake the tent properly. The tent is very tall with its 84 inches (213 cm) peak height.
There are two nicely designed windows on the sides, you can see one above, plus one on the door. All these windows are double layer type, so you have mesh plus zippered panels for protection and privacy.
Ventilation
There is plenty of mesh as you realize from the picture below, but they have added also two floor vents on the narrow sides. One is visible in the picture above, and also in the picture below, and as you realize it is necessary to stake it out.
Who is it for
Size-wise, the tent is with 10-person declared capacity. They do not give the area but the dimensions are given in the floor plan below. As you realize, it looks similar to a pentagon, but it is a bit more complicated.
So my rough estimate (because not all necessary numbers are given) is that the area is only 120 ft² (11.2 m²). This is far too small for the mentioned capacity. This is a tent for 4-5 people or so, say parents with two kids.
Weight-wise, the tent is moderately lightweight with its 23 lb (10.4 kg) and you will see this also in the comparison table below. The packed size 30 x 9 x 9 inches (76 x 23 x 23 cm) is such that you need a car for transportation.
Seasons-wise & climate-wise, I see it best suited for summer camping and at places without much wind or rain. This is because it is so tall, and the fly is a partial-coverage type. There are enough stakes to secure the tent, but this is not for harsh weather.
It is well-ventilated with so much mesh on the roof and its floor vents and mesh windows, but you would not want to use it in a cooler environment. Check this list if you need something for cold weather.
Materials
The poles & stakes
There are 5 shock-corded poles and they are fiberglass. Two are used for the central dome which is asymmetric, you will realize this when you set the tent up. Two poles are for its side extensions, and one short pole supports a small brim above the door. You have sleeves and clips, plus pin-and-ring system to attach the frame to the tent.
There are 19 stakes included in the package, so use them together with the 6 guylines to secure the tent in the wind.
The fabric
The tent body fabric is a durable 70D/190T polyester with a 1200 mm waterproof rating, and the same material is used in the fly.
The floor is a 120 g polyethylene, so this is a fully waterproof material. Note that this is a catenary cut. Please see more in this video:
Specifications
- Declared capacity: 10 people.
- Weight: 23 lb (10.4 kg).
- Dimensions: 18 x 10.5 ft (549 x 320 cm).
- Floor area: 120 ft² (11.2 m²).
- Peak height: 84 in (213 cm).
- Packed size: 30 x 9 x 9 in (76 x 23 x 23 cm).
Tahoe Gear Olympia 10-Person Tent vs Competitors
It is a good idea to see how this tent stands when compared with competitors. So in the table below I give Wenzel Great Basin 10 and Mountain Trials Grand Pass 10, both with the same declared capacity and built in the same style.
As you see, Olympia offers far less space, though it is much taller. But it has one room only. All three tents are very affordable. Please follow the links to read more.
Weight, lb (kg)
Floor size, sq ft (sq m)
Peak height, in (cm)
Doors
Rooms
Windows
Freestanding
Price
Tahoe Gear
Olympia 10
23 (10.4)
120 (11.2)
84 (213)
1
1
3
no
$
Mountain Trails
Grand Pass 10
21.1 (9.57)
170 (15.8)
76 (192)
2
2
5
no
$
Wenzel Great
Basin 10
28.2 (12.8)
159 (14.8)
78 (198)
1
3
3
no
$
Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons
So this Tahoe Gear Olympia 10-Person 3-Season Tent is 3-season by the name only and it is best to ignore this. Use it for summer camping and for very mild weather conditions. The same holds for its declared capacity which makes no much sense.
If you do not want to spend much and need a tent for occasional use, this is an option to consider. It is tall and pleasant, but bear in mind that this is a single room and single door construction.
Tahoe Gear Olympia 10 Person Tent
Pros
- Great price.
- Unique design.
- Good ventilation.
Cons
- Not for heavy rains or strong winds.
- No storage elements.
- No back windows.
You might want to compare this tent with this Wenzel Pinyon 10 Person Modified Dome Tent built in a similar style, and also this EchoSmile Camping Tent 10 Person built as an extended dome. If you would rather have something with instant setup, check this OT QOMOTOP Tent 10 Person that is becoming very popular recently.
Note that I am not paid by the brand and this is not a sponsored text. Please use the comment box below in the case of questions or comments. Have a nice day.
Leave a Reply