Family camping affords us the opportunity to unplug from the diversions of everyday life and connect with the natural world and one another, creating lasting memories in the process. For those of us with a family of little campers, you’re going to need a tent spacious and comfortable enough to house the entire crew. That’s where the Granby 3-Season tent from Kelty comes in. Your home away from home.
On Performance and Design…
Whether you’re a family of four, five or six… there are a few key features you’ll need in a family tent.
First, you’re going to need a tent that offers plenty of elbow room. Towards those ends, the Granby (available in both a 4 and 6 person option) offers plenty of floor space to sleep the whole gang. In fact with a floor area of 58 feet and 82.5 feet respectively, the Granby has the dimensions to help limit sibling squabbles, and a double door design prevents family trampling at chow time. Thanks to steep wall construction there’s enough headroom to stand up – and that was even true for our 6’4” camp patriarch.
Speaking of chow-time, once you arrive at the campsite you’re going to need time to set up your tent and get dinner started before nightfall. Capped pole sleeve construction, three DAC Hybrid poles and ingeniously simple clips make setting up the Granby a simple procedure. With a little practice you’ll be able to pitch your tent before the kids have time to vanish into the woods. That being said, as always, we recommend setting up at home prior to your backwoods excursion just to work out any kinks.
As anyone with little campers knows, durability isn’t just a nice option, it’s an absolute necessity. After all, what good is a family tent that can’t take a little rough love? So Kelty built the Granby with a durable nylon floor and polyester walls that can take the type of beating Mother Nature – and kids – dish out. Both the floor and walls are decked out with heavy-duty waterproof polyurethane coatings, and are tightly woven to resist tearing. But lest this design description starts to sound a little too enclosed, know that the Kelty design team outfitted the Granby with spacious mesh panels for airy comfort and star gazing.
Finally, you didn’t head into the great outdoors to lose your sanity. So next up on the importance list is organization. Towards those ends, the engineers at Kelty loaded the Granby up with an array of pockets both on the interior and exterior of the main body. Books, beanies, headlamps, and glasses all have a place to call home ensuring that the whole gang stays organized and your tent floor stays relatively clear.
Admittedly some of you with kids just read that and thought ‘pffft… as if that’s the only gear we had to worry about…’ Trust me, as a father of three I feel your pain. Which is exactly why you’ll love Granby’s vestibules.
A small back porch storage area and closeable mesh panels add a touch of extra space while the front livable vestibule serves double duty as a storage bin and your own front porch (rocking chairs not included).
Notes from the Campsite…
When picking your family style tent, there are certain trade offs to consider. For example, while the steep vertical walls of a cabin styled tent maximizes livable space, it also makes your weekend quarters more susceptible to high winds. The Granby offers a compromise design that blends positive features of both designs. The modified dome style keeps anxiety levels low during howling winds. And while it lacks some of the space offered by a cabin style tent, the Granby still has enough room for a 6 foot camper to stand up and stretch.
The only qualm our team had arose doing one set up session. After attaching the fly, we went to stake it down and at that point the nylon tore away from the seam. Once we got home, we simply contacted the Kelty customer support to inquire about the warranty process. The Kelty not only responded within a 15 hour period, but actually apologized for the “delayed response”.
They informed us of the Kelty Lifetime Guarantee and the process has proven to be as straightforward as the tent has been reliable. We’ve sent off the rainfly where it will be examined, repaired and then returned to us. When a Lifetime Guarantee is as efficient as your tent… that’s what we call a win-win situation.
Bottom Line…
Pack up, head out, pitch a Kelty Granby and start making memories!
*Gumption Gear Review received a product sample of the item featured in this review from Kelty at no cost, and receives no monetary compensation for this or any related review. The item featured was provided solely in return for our honest views and opinions.