Stoic

Driftwood 3 Tent: 3-person 3-season

Impressive - like a $300 tent for $75

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

3-person

I NEVER write reviews but this tent called out for it. I've only taken the Driftwood out for one night of camping, but I was super impressed. The materials seem really strong and the zippers seem to be well made. The tent is very intuitive to put together and is surprisingly roomy… Plenty of room for two people. Although it wasn't windy, I suspect that it will do quite well in windy conditions given its shape. I can't imagine a better quality tent for the price. Lots and lots of bells and whistles on the inside. As with any item at the lower end of the price point the question is how long the tent will last. Probably a good idea to use a tarp underneath and gently treat the various components as you put up and break down the tent. Overall I was super impressed and think this is a legit five-star purchase.

Excellent size and quality

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

3 person

Really enjoying it for some car camping and a little bit of backpacking with my husband and our dog

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Downgrade from the 2022 model

Still a great tent, great price, but two downgrades : 1. they do not sell a footprint for the Driftwood 3 2. Thinner material, that has already yielded holes after 2 uses (also due to lack of footprint). Shows less abrasion resistance.

Definitely worth it

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

3 person

Height:

5' 4"

Weight:

165

Originally purchased this for backpacking because of the price point and figured we’d be able to deal with the weight. While I still believe that is the case for shorter backpacking trips, this is definitely a perfect car camping tent. We got the 3-person in order to fit two adults and two medium sized dogs, I really don’t see how 3 adults would fit in this since our two sleeping pads took up most of the space (though I’m sure more compact sleeping pads would make a difference). The mesh was great for seeing the stars and the rain fly was great at keeping warmth in. Extremely easy to set up and easy to take down and repack. Very happy with this purchase and I will be recommending this tent to everyone. The bright red color is also really beautiful against any backdrop.

Great Tent!

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

3 person

Height:

5' 7"

Weight:

150

The size, the colors, the cool logo! These are all things that I highly love about this tent. Perfect for 1 person and gear. Two people and minimal gear also would work. A couple things I’d change. One I ordered this and assumed it would have a footprint or at the least a tarp base. It does not! I will be looking for something to accommodate the problem. I had nothing this past weekend in pretty ideal conditions. Two, the cross pole to hold the rain fly on the poles do NOT have any protection to keep the pole from poking through the rain fly. I took it out straight away and really liked the colors and the size of the tent is pretty spot on. Would have given a solid 5* if the two downfalls weren’t there! Overall pretty solid tent!🏕️

Perfect beginner tent

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

My husband and I just got into backpacking this year and were looking for something that wasn't too heavy and bulky (to replace our hammock setup) but that wouldn't break the bank either. So far we have only used it car camping and the setup was SO easy and the tent was really comfortable and warm. Best tent I have ever owned! My one complaint is that my husband and I's double sleeping pad took up basically the whole floor... I can't possibly imagine fitting a 3rd in here! It's spacious for 2, but we are expecting a child and will probably upgrade to a bigger tent once the baby needs its own space!

Good Deal! Some small flaws

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Overall this is a great little tent and I expect it'll last many nights of camping. The waterproofing is solid and the setup is intuitive. For the price I don't think you can beat this. A few things I really like about the rainfly: first of all it is symmetrical if you rotate it 180°, meaning it's impossible to put it on "backwards". There are no colored tabs to line up or anything. Super helpful especially when getting to your camp site late and setting up in the dark! Also, it is made so that on each door, either side of the fly vestibule can be staked down or be the "open" half. (Or both halves can be open if you like.) Those two features allow a great amount of flexibility, and both are improvements over the design of the Marmot Tungsten. One thing I don't like is the color. I prefer to be a little bit more subtle when camping, and the only rain fly option is BRIGHT orange/cherry. When the sun is out at all this makes the inside of the tent very bright, which is annoying but not a deal breaker. I suppose this fly color may be a plus if you are planning to camp in an active hunt area, or for emergency location purposes. One weird thing that I've never seen in a tent before is that the clips that hold the inner tent body to the poles are very tight and have to be kind of forced/snapped on to the poles. This is a minor nuisance for me but it gives my kids (3 and 5) a little bit of trouble. And the kids always LOVE helping to set up the tent, so any extra difficulty is very frustrating for them. Not sure if the clips will break in and start to attach easier to the poles. I'm not sure if I like the strap on the outside of the tent bag. It certainly makes the thing easier to grab or attach, but I'm not sure if it's worth the extra weight. I suppose if you really want to shed weight you can ditch the tent bag altogether. In general the tent is not ultralight, but for the price (and, from what I can tell, pretty decent durability) you aren't going to get much lighter than this. I wouldn't hesitate to use it for backpacking but I'm not the type to shave ounces at the cost of comfort.

Rain Fly makes this a No-Buy!

Size Bought:

3-person

Height:

5' 10"

I ordered several tents. This Stoic, Marmot Tungsten and Northface Stormbreak 3 - all 3 person tent. I set them up on my living room hardwood floor. I liked this tent a lot - before I placed the rain fly on it. Storage pockets were plenty and well placed, door entry size with all almost all around zippers really great but the minute the fly went up it got super stuffy and the weird intense red glow you get inside with this rain fly was very off-putting. Even though, setup as easy and it seems sturdy, I now do believe reviews that stated that condensation is an issue with this tent. Sending back ASAP.

Love this thing

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Have used it for about a year now. It has kept me warm and dry in sub freezing temps. The double vestibule is really nice. Super easy to set up. Its not the most compact tent in the world but for car camping, or even shorter packing trips, its been amazing for the price.