MSR Habitude 6-Person Camping Tent is a quality tent with aluminum poles, lightweight and very easy to use, with a full-coverage fly for full protection in a 3-season use.
Key features & benefits
- One very tall door.
- One huge vestibule.
- Aluminum poles.
- Full-coverage fly.
- Very light tent.
What this MSR Habitude 6 Tent is about
This Habitude 6 is the larger of the two tents from a series that MSR launched for the season 2020. So this is a double-wall tent with a full-coverage fly. The picture below shows the tent without the fly, so what you see is the inner tent with poles. In this setup, this is a completely freestanding and self-supporting tent so you can rotate it and move around.
But when you add the fly, it must be staked out because of its vestibule. So you have a huge fly that covers the tent and creates a useful storage space that is 122 cm deep. This is why I have added it to my list of tents with a full-coverage fly.
The tent is a dome-style single-room construction but it is surprisingly tall. You have a stand-up height with the inner peak height of 77 inches (195 cm). There is only one door here and one vestibule.
The picture above shows the door and you realize that it is very tall, and the two side poles converge above it and make it vertical, so getting in and out is easy.
Ventilation
There is a lot of mesh on the inner tent and you have it also on the door, see the picture below. They have added a vent on the rear side of the huge fly, and you will need it in view of its size. This in combination with the vestibule that can be kept partly unzipped when necessary will be good enough to fight condensation.
The vestibule can be rolled to the side partly and fixed by a toggle. You can use the sheltered area for cooking, see how it looks in this configuration:
In this video you have a short presentation of this Habitude 4 and 6 person tents series:
Setting the tent up is easy and one person can do this in just a few minutes, please see how this is done:
Who is it for
Space-wise, the declared capacity is 6 people, and for this you have the inner floored area of 83 ft² (7.7 m²). This does not look much, but there is also a vestibule (see the numbers in the specifications below), so the total protected area per person is 17.9 ft² (1.66 m²).
So you have just enough space for such a number of users. I see it also as a perfect camping tent for couples. The picture below shows the dimensions and the floor plan, and it shows what the manufacturer suggests for using the floor with 6 people inside:
Climate-wise & seasons-wise, this is a 3-season tent that offers full protection in any climate. Note that the poles create 7 intersection points, so the structure is very strong and it will stay stable in the case of winds. There is nothing one could object to this design.
Weight-wise, in view of its huge fly and height, the tent is surprisingly light with its 14 lb (6.35 kg). Note also that its packed size of (L x D) 23 x 10 inches (58 x 25 cm) is very good.
So this is a tent that can be transported as you wish, on a bicycle, on a motorbike, in the car. It is light enough even to be carried on the trail.
Materials
The poles, zippers, and stakes
There are 4 aluminum 7000 series color-coded poles 11 mm in the diameter, and aluminum stakes are also included. If you dislike sleeves, no worry, the tent attaches to the poles through clips. The zippers are very reliable smooth-glide YKK stainless steel, you will not find better on the market.
Fabric
The rainfly fabric is a 68D ripstop polyester with 1500 mm polyurethane coating and DWR. The canopy is a 68D taffeta polyester DWR combined with a 40D nylon micro-mesh.
The floor is 68D taffeta polyester with no less than 10000 mm polyurethane coating and DWR finish. So this is all perfectly done but the floor material is not particularly thick. Note that they sell a footprint separately, you can order it here.
Other features include multiple storage pockets for each occupant, close to the floor and on the ceiling, and extra hang loops. The carry bag opens wide so getting the tent in is easy.
Specifications
- Declared capacity: 6 people.
- Minimum weight: 13 lb 6 oz (6.08 kg).
- Packed weight: 14 lb (6.35 kg).
- Dimensions: 120 x 100 in (305 x 254 cm).
- Inner area: 83 ft² (7.7 m²).
- Inner area per person: 13.8 ft² (1.28 m²).
- Vestibule area: 24.5 ft² (2.3 m²).
- Total protected area: 107.5 ft² (10 m²).
- Total protected area per person: 17.9 ft² (1.66 m²).
- Interior peak height: 77 in (195 cm).
- Packed size (L x D): 23 x 10 in (58 x 25 cm).
- Origin: Vietnam.
Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons
So this MSR Habitude 6-Person Camping Tent is really nicely built, it is pleasant and very tall for a dome tent. This is a versatile item, suitable for family camping, canoe trips, for mountain bike rides, and you name it. It is very easy to pitch and reliable with its high-quality materials.
But this all comes at a price. In any case, I can fully recommend it. Please see below how I rate this tent:
MSR Habitude 6-Person Camping Tent
Pros
- Quality materials.
- Full protection.
- Many wall pockets.
- Easy to use.
Cons
- A bit small for 6 people.
- Expensive.
Please check under the category 5-6 Person tents if you need more options in this capacity range. This particular group is with many tents and you will find them in all shapes and styles. You might want to compare with this Sierra Designs Nomad 6 Person Tent which has two vestibules, and the same is with this Nemo Aurora Highrise Tent 6 Person.
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