Kelty Rumpus 6 Person Tent

The Kelty Rumpus 6 Person Tent is a dome-style structure with two doors & two vestibules, and a full-coverage fly for complete weather protection in a 3-season use.

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Key features & benefits

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What this is about

Here you have a new tent that Kelty launched for the season 2021. This is a simple dome structure supported by two main poles. The picture below shows how it looks without the fly.

Without the fly, the tent is fully freestanding and self-supportive. Note that the tent is quite tall for a dome tent of this size. The peak height is 75.5 inches (192 cm), and the picture below demonstrates how tall and large this looks in reality.

There are two D-shaped doors on opposite sides. When the full-coverage fly is on, you have two asymmetric vestibules. One is with two parallel zippers on the sides (see the top picture above) so you can roll it up and fix it above the door. On the other side, you have a vestibule with a central zipper shown in the picture below.

The flaps can be rolled to the sides as shown in the picture below. Note that here the fly does not go completely to the ground, so this is not a storage area. It should be understood just as a secondary access point.

This is why the main vestibule is huge and you can keep your camping furniture inside, or use it as a bicycle garage when you are on a bicycle tour. See how this looks:

Below you have the tent’s side view with the fly on so you can understand better the asymmetry I mentioned above. The main vestibule is on left in the picture. I have included it in my list of tents with a full-coverage fly.

Note that the fly is supported by one extra pole, so this makes the tent similar to an extended dome tent. The vestibules must be staked properly to be functional. Therefore, the tent, on the whole, is not freestanding.

Materials

The poles: You have three of them, and this is fiberglass. They describe them as a wrapped construction so this is supposed to be stronger than standard fiberglass poles. This material is not very strong in general, but it is commonly used.

Observe that you have what they describe as the Quick Corners design for pole attachment in the corners. This means that they have added some deep and narrow pockets where you place the end of a pole (see the picture below). This is instead of the usual grommets or the pin-and-ring system.

With such a feature, it is easier for a single person to pitch the tent. They have introduced this a couple of years ago as their original design, you can see it also in their Kelty Discovery 6 Tent and also in Kelty Wireless Tent 6 Person. On the canopy, you have the usual clips. Color-coding in place for an easy setup.

The fabric: The fly, the floor, and the walls are all durable 68D polyester with a moderate 1200 mm waterproof rating. The tent is with fully taped seams so there is no doubt you will have full weather protection.

Note that they have an optional Kelty Rumpus 6 footprint that can be ordered separately. This is good to have if you can afford it, to protect the floor of the tent against roots and rocks.

Ventilation

The tent has lots of mesh for ventilation, and the fly on the back does not go all the way to the ground. So you should have plenty of air coming from this side.

I find the design a bit strange because of the roof vent added on the rear side, you can see it in the pictures above. But there are no vents on the front with such a massive fly that goes to the ground.

Other features

The mentioned double zipper on the main vestibule allows for an awning, you can use your trekking poles for this purpose. This will extend the useful space outside of the tent. There are four mesh pockets in the corners, see the picture above. 

The tent comes with a duffel-style Kelty Shark Mouth storage bag. It is equipped with an adjustable shoulder strap for convenient carrying short distances, see how it looks:

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Who is this Kelty Rumpus 6P Tent for

Size-wise, the tent is officially for 6 people, and for this, you have an inner floored area of 85.7 ft² (8 m²). The vestibule adds 42.9 ft (4 m²), so the total protected area is 128.6 ft² (12 m²). This means that you have 21.4 ft² (2 m²) per person and this is quite good. Note that the Sierra Designs Tabernash 6 Person Tent built in the same style offers more floor space.

Seasons-wise & climate-wise, this is a three-season tent, but with so much mesh on its canopy, it is better suited for a warmer environment. You have seen the canopy, so this is lots of mesh for ventilation and to combat condensation build-up. 

The picture below shows how it looks when the main vestibule is closed. Being such an extended dome, it is reasonably aerodynamic although it is very tall. 

Weight-wise, the tent can be described as moderately light in view of its 18 lb 7 oz (8.37 kg). The packed size is also moderate, you have seen the carry bag above; its dimensions are 26.5 x 9.5 x 8.5 inches (67 x 24 x 22 cm). This is a car camping tent so you would not carry it long distances. 

Please see a bit more in this short video:

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Specifications

• Official capacity: 6 people.
• Packed weight: 18 lb 7 oz (8.37 kg).
• Minimum weight: 17 lb 6 oz (7.87 kg).
• Inner dimensions: 117.5 x 105 in (298 x 267 cm).
• Floored area: 85.7 ft² (8 m²).
• Floored area per person: 14.28 ft² (1.32 m²).
• Vestibule area: 42.9 ft (4 m²).
• Total protected area: 128.6 ft² (12 m²).
• Total protected area per person: 21.4 ft² (2 m²).
• Peak height: 75.5 in (192 cm).
• Packed size: 26.5 x 9.5 x 8.5 in (67 x 24 x 22 cm).

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Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons

The tent scores great in practically all of the rating criteria, so the overall rating is high:

Please check under the category Dome Tents if you need more options for this shape. For more tents within this capacity range, please check under the group Tents for 5/6 people. You might want to check the Marmot Torreya 6 Person Camping Tent that is also a dome tent but it is taller and it offers more space.

Thank you for reading. Let me know if you have questions, there is a comment box below. Have a nice day.