For this Wenzel tent review, I’ve chosen three particular tents – the Ridgeline 3 person, the Blue Ridge 7 person, and the Starlite 1 person tent. There’s enough variety here that one of these tents are bound to be the perfect choice for you. Each one has great features that make it great to camp in, whether you prefer to go alone or with your family.
Let’s take a look at the different specs, features, and pros and cons of each.
#1 Wenzel Ridgeline 3-Person Family Tent
This Wenzel 1887 tent is named Ridgeline, and it is a 3-person tent. It’s freestanding and has a strong structure made up of multi-diameter shock corded fiberglass poles which provide more space and head room inside.
Available in the colors grey and red, weighing 7.4 pounds, and with dimensions of 7 x 7 feet, a family of three comfortably fit inside. The total area of this tent is 49 square feet, and its peak height is 50 inches.
Made of polyester, with a welded polyethylene floor to make sure you stay dry and for more durability. The rainfly has good UV properties and does not stretch over time or sag when wet.
The Wenzel dome tent has a large D-shaped door for easy access and a removable seam sealed rainfly that has a slight awning to protect the door from rain. This way, you can even keep the windows open when it’s raining, but there are storm flaps if needed which also double as privacy flaps.
There are plenty of other great features to this tent, such as an overhead gear loft which is good for keeping small items organized and off of the floor, and for placing a flashlight to illuminate the tent. Speaking of, this tent has something called Lite Reflect system, which is essentially a reflective panel on the inside that enhances the glow from your flashlight’s beam.
Moreover, it is easy to set up this tent and doesn’t take long at all, and there is an integrated E-port so that you can conveniently bring power into your tent.
I really like that this one has a mesh ceiling so that I can stargaze. Obviously, this is only possible in warm conditions because the rain fly needs to be off. The mesh ceiling provides plenty of ventilation which is also why this tent is ideal for spring and summer.
The only thing I don’t really like about this one is that it is short. Just over 4 feet, which is shorter than my own height, and it can make it feel a bit cramped inside.
- Removable full-coverage rainfly
- E-port
- Large D-shaped door
- Gear loft
- Short
#2 Wenzel Blue Ridge 7 Person Tent
Next in this Wenzel tent review, we are going to take a look at the Blue Ridge, which is a 7-person tent. It’s available in a lovely shade of blue and cream, weighs around 18.13 pounds, and the dimensions are 14’ x 9’.
The total area is 117 feet squared, so if seven people were to sleep inside sleeping bags, each person would get 16.7 feet squared to themselves. This can get rather tight, so unless some of the people are children, I’d recommend 6 people at most. Otherwise, there’s absolutely no room for camping gear.
The tent’s floor is made of durable and tough polyethylene with welded seams, but it does not have a bathtub design like Coleman do, and the body of the tent and rainfly are made of polyester.
Since this is a large tent, it’s quite difficult and time consuming to set it up by yourself, so two people are ideal to have one person on either side of the tent. Having said that, this does not mean it’s impossible to assemble alone.
This Wenzel camping tent comes with two different types of stakes and 5 poles. Eight of the stakes are yellow and seem to be made of plastic, and the other eight are metal. They do not seem very heavy duty, and I would only use them in soft ground.
Some of the poles are visibly thicker than the others, this is because they are for the main tent, whereas the others are for the sides of the tent and the rainfly.
In order to set up this tent, place it down on the ground and begin unfolding it so that you can stake the corners. Next, get the thicker poles and begin unfolding its segments until they click into place, then begin sliding the poles through the sleeves of the main section.
Use the thinner poles for the sides and repeat the process.
Once you’ve done that, you can begin lifting the tent and the poles will pop into place as you put the ends of the poles into their pockets. All that’s left is to guy out the tent and put on the rainfly.
Putting on the rainfly can be quite tricky if you are short, like myself, and it does take a bit more work.
You will know which side of the rainfly if the front because there’s a curve that goes over the door. Before you throw the rainfly on top of the tent, first clip the front. Those clips I mentioned make this process so much easier.
Once the rainfly is on, you can finally attach that last pole. There are loops, on either side, on the inside of the rainfly above the door. Simply find them and insert the pole through them, and this makes it jut out slightly for more coverage and protection on the door.
In total, assembly takes around 15 minutes by one person.
The oversized D-shaped door makes access easier; you can even roll up the door and tie it to the side if you’d like to keep it open, and there’s an integrated E-port which is fully closable when not in use.
A mesh ceiling provides lots of air circulation, and this tent even comes with a room divider.
- Room divider
- Spacious
- Mesh ceiling
- E-port
- Easy set up
- Flimsy stakes
#3 Wenzel Starlite 1 Person Tent
The Wenzel tent company have yet another great and affordable option, this one named Starlite. Available in the color red, suitable for one person, at a very affordable price.
In total, this tent provides 21.8 sqaure feet of floor area, weighs 3.1 pounds, has a peak height of 36 inches, and has 1 door and 1 window.
It’s a great choice for campers, whether you’re travelling by car, bike, or walk, since it’s lightweight.
The D-style door has mesh paneling and a rear vent that also has mesh so that air can circulate without insects getting through.
The tent is made out of polyurethane, which has high UV resistance properties and water-resistant coating for more durability and weather protection.
For more longevity and resilience, the floor is 1000-millimeter polyester taffeta, and it is welded, not sewn, so that there’s no way water can leak through.
The stable and sturdy structure is lightweight thanks to the fiberglass frame, and it can hold well in strong winds.
- Lightweight
- Full-coverage rainfly
- Affordable
- Small
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Wenzel tents waterproof?
Wenzel tents are made of polyester and polythene. Polyester resists water, and polythene is almost completely waterproof yet still allows oxygen and other things to pass through.
The floors of Wenzel tents are also welded for even more water resistance.
Which is the best tent brand?
Each person has a different opinion about which tent from which brand is the absolute best. Since everyone’s preferences differ, it’s no easy feat to declare one superior than the rest.
Wenzel, Coleman, and Kelty are all great brands that produce excellent outdoor gear.
What is the best instant tent to buy?
The Coleman 8 Person Instant Family Tent is one of the best instant tents on the market today. There are a few different color options, it’s very spacious, and is a very reliable tent overall.
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