After 5 years of ownership this tent never ceases to amaze me. 2 years ago I purchased a small camper and my 3 children sleep in a tent. I was reluctant to let them use my kodiak tent after they went through 3 tents in the last 2 years but I couldn't afford to spend another 150 on a tent that would rip out the stake loops or break tent poles on a windy day so this season I broke down and started taking the kodiak for them. Labor day weekend proved it well worth it at 10:30 at night the kids came frantically knocking on my camper door because there was water under the tent. So I went out to inspect the damage only to find the tent sitting in 6 inches of water yet still completely dry inside. Other tents at my campground were blown over or sustained water damage a few people lost awnings we happily had no damage all weekend. This tent is built to a quality no light weight tent can compare to. I have never owned a tent that was so reliable I can get back to what vacation is suppose to be about, relaxing.

Jonathan - Wisconsin

We just gave this tent a trial run in our back yard and were quite impressed with how easy it was to set up and take down! (Neither my husband nor I are seasoned campers and tent users. We bought this tent to have our own space on family trips to the sand dunes.)

Some newbie tips I'd like to share:

1) Scotch Guard the white canvas. If you're nit picky like me and you want things to be neat and clean, consider spraying scotch guard on the white canvas to keep it pristine. Our trial run was under a canopy of trees in our back yard. Tree sap made its way onto the white canvas and now it's got mild stains. Nothing terrible, it'll probably wash away over time and if you're a seasoned camper, you probably don't care, but for infrequent neat freak users like me, I wish I would have protected the white canvas.

2) Staking doesn't mean stretching! When we put the stakes down, we did it so that the tent floor was tight. Once we put up the tent, you could see the tent floor was stretched tight across some of the stakes. This made the floor seem warped and put unnecessary strain on the tent. Next time we will just lay the tent out and not pull it tight before hammering down the stakes.

I was skeptical because a lot of tents say they are for "x" number of people, but when you set them up you realize they must be talking about children. This one says 8 people and I believe you could actually fit more than that. IT'S HUGE! Perfect for our family of 5 and 2 large dogs to fit very comfortably. It sets up very easily and the poles are very sturdy. When we aren't truly camping, my 6 year old likes to camp out in the back yard. We live at the mouth of a canyon so we get direct winds a lot; our last tent had several poles snap during a summer storm last year. This one had no issues at all and I forsee it lasting us a very long time. HIGHLY recommend this as it is well worth the price paid.

I got this tent on Tuesday. I set it up right away. It was pretty easy to setup. There's really not much to it. I seasoned the tent and let it dry per the instructions. I left it setup all day Wednesday and we had a huge thunder storm come through. It rained pretty hard and we had some 45MPH winds. The tenet did well. I found one rain drop of water in the far corner where the needle hole was slightly bigger because of the needle going through. I got on my hands and needs and went over every square inch of the tent and found no other water. I did find a spider though.

One thing to note is that with the No-See-Um screen is that it can get less breezy in there. When it was windy out I did notice a big difference between the screen and having the door completely open. It's really a trade-off, no bugs vs less wind.

I think it's a perfect tent and it will suit my needs perfectly. I never slept in tent before so it will be interesting to give it a try this weekend.

First review is five star. We have only had it out for a test run of a couple of days of camping locally before heading west for some time in our national parks. We set it up in the rain, and it took about 15-20 minutes. Now that I have done it once, I would estimate 10 in future. Tip, don't stake it too tight or the upright poles will be a bugger to get locked into the pin on the bottom. That said, once up, it performed like a champ keeping us dry, and then drying out in a reasonable amount of time after the sun came out. Plenty of room for a family of five hanging out on a rainy day. The quality is impressive. From the massive chrome plated stakes to the hefty poles, zippers, vinyl, and canvas, I can't see any issues with its construction. It folded up and into the innovative "bag," which straps around it easily. Tip, fold both sides to the middle and then in half before rolling it tight, and it will be neat and compact to get into the bag. Anyway, wonderful tent with plenty of room and quality construction to last a long time.