Sierra Designs Tabernash 6 Person Tent

The Sierra Designs Tabernash 6 Person Tent is a simple dome-style shelter with a full-coverage fly, fiberglass poles, and a great price tag.

Key features & benefits

What this is about

This Sierra Designs Tabernash 6 Person Tent is the largest in a series of three tents, a very simple dome structure supported by X-crossed poles. The picture below shows how it looks without the fly. Observe that it is with one door and with lots of mesh on the canopy.

When the full-coverage fly is on, the tent looks very different. There is an extra pole that supports its large vestibule with two parallel zippers on the sides. Below you can see how it looks when fully closed, and the top picture above shows it with the vestibule flap rolled above the door.

The manufacturer describes it as fully freestanding but this is not really so. Obviously, the vestibule must be staked to be functional.

Other features

• You have an E-cable port shown below in the picture.
• There are also a couple of wall pockets for smaller items, see the picture.

• You also have a useful gear loft under the canopy, it is shown below.

Materials

The poles: There are 3 of them and this is fiberglass. This is not really durable material but it is frequently used in modern tents, in particular in such budget-friendly shelters. It is a bit surprising for Sierra Designs to use this material.

You have the usual sleeves and clips on the canopy as shown above. But the video below will show the tent with clips only, so just to know this is a smaller tent. The series includes Tabernash 4 and Tabernash 2 tents and they are without sleeves on the canopy. In the corners, you have the usual grommets for poles.

The fabric: The body is a 68D polyester taffeta and a 15D nylon No-See-Um mesh. The fly is the same 68D taffeta with a 1200 mm waterproof rating. The same material is used for the floor. All seams are taped.

The carry bag is particularly nicely designed, but this is quite typical for the Sierra Designs brand, see how it looks:

Ventilation

The canopy is mesh in the upper part so this should work well for air circulation because the fly on the rear side is quite separated from the ground. The mesh on the door goes almost all the way to the floor so you do not really need any floor vent. They have added a fly vent so this is useful when you must keep the vestibule closed.

Please see a bit more in this video:

Who is it for

Regarding the capacity, this tent is officially for 6 people. For this, you have a floored area of 100 ft² (9.3 m²), and this means 16.7 ft² (1.5 m²) per person.

This is not so bad in particular when you add the vestibule which offers an additional 27 ft² (2.5 m²). This gives the total protected area of 127 ft² (11.8 m²). The picture above shows the aerial view without the fly. You realize that placing 6 pads on the floor is indeed possible but not realistic for real camping.

Regarding seasons & climate, this is a decent 3-season tent, very aerodynamic but not very low, the peak height is 72 inches (183 cm). Nevertheless, it should perform well in windy places. With so much mesh on canopy it is not the best option for a cold environment.

Regarding the weight, it weighs 17 lb (7.71 kg), so it is lightweight in view of its total protected space, its full fly, and durable fabric. But this is not a tent for the trail, it is for car camping.

If you need a person of the same capacity for the trail, check my list of best 6 person backpacking tents. Note that their Sierra Designs Fern Canyon 6 Person Tent is much lighter but without vestibule.

Specifications

• Official capacity: 6.
• Minimum weight: 16 lb 10 oz (7.54 kg).
• Packed weight: 17 lb (7.71 kg).
• Dimensions: 120 x 120 in (305 x 305 cm).
• Area: 100 ft² (9.3 m²).
• Area per person: 16.7 ft² (1.5 m²).
• Vestibule area: 27 ft² (2.5 m²).
• Total protected area: 127 ft² (11.8 m²).
• Peak height: 72 in (183 cm).
• Doors: 1
• Vestibules: 1.

Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons

Please see how this tent stands against my rating criteria:

Sierra Designs Tabernash 6 Person Tent

8.7

Area per person

8.0/10

Weight

8.5/10

Packed size

8.2/10

Protection

9.3/10

Ease of use

9.2/10

Features

8.7/10

Pros

• Great price.
• Easy to use.
• Lightweight.
• Full protection.

Cons

• Only one door.
• Fiberglass poles.

For more options in this capacity group check among Tents for 5/6 people. Check this CORE 6 Person Tent with Block Out Technology if you want a dark rest tent. But if you want something larger from the same brand, check this Sierra Designs Aspen Meadow 8 Tent.

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