Mountainsmith Conifer 5+ Review

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Featuring bathtub construction and taped floor seams for waterproof durability, the Mountainsmith’s Conifer 5 Person Tent has 83 square feet of floor space, plus over six feet of interior headroom. Among three-season tents, the Conifer 5 Person tent is a stand out for emphasizing livability and usable space. This is a tent that is built to last. To learn more, read the Mountainsmith Conifer 5+ Review below.

Our Rating:

Pros

Weatherproof with bathtub floor construction and taped floor seams
Versatile and spacious
Tent fly ventilation windows
Five plus person layout with two doors and two vestibule layout
Free standing tent with mesh wall panels
Detachable ceiling loft pocket and interior mesh storage pockets
Attachment that clip to the pole makes the tent lightweight with good breathability
Reflective guy lines with an adjustable tension lock cord

Cons

Without the rain fly, it does not have a lot of privacy
Color coding system is ambiguous

Featuring tons of headroom and a spacious vestibule, the Mountainsmith Conifer 5+ is an expanded dome style tent with lots of you can tie down to fight off any strong winds. This tent does require a little more time for set up although it does come with a color coding system to help make it less confusing.

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Key Features

Includes a five-person plus layout with two doors and two vestibules
Three season, free standing tent with tent fly ventilation windows for good breathability
Bathtub floor construction and taped floor seams for weatherproofing
Mesh wall panels
Interior mesh storage pockets plus detachable ceiling loft pocket
Reflective guylines with adjustable tension lock cord

Detailed Review

Ease of Use - 3.5/5

The Mountainsmith Conifer does require a little more time to set up, but you are getting a much more stable and spacious tent than its quick pitch competitors. The color-coding system helps to guide set up indicating where each pole should go but is not very helpful in orienting the tent.

Since both sides of the tent have corner tabs that are marked yellow, it can be difficult to differentiate which is the front door and which is the back. Try and follow the color-coding of the pole with the hooks, but this can be difficult in the wind or if it is already dark when you are setting up your tent. Once you have done it a few times, it is a breeze to set up.

There are a couple of departures from the color-coding with directions mentioning a color they don’t use and requiring yellow poles to go through a blue top loop to keep the structure upright and to hang a lantern from. Taking down the tent is super easy, and it comes with a huge stuff sack that can easily hold the tent and poles.

Comfort - 4.5/5

You can have several sleeping configurations inside of the Conifer with its somewhat elongated hexagon shape. It comes equipped with five sidewall pockets with four of them found close to the ground for easy access to your personal items.

It comes with a mesh gear loft that gives you a lot of area for storage to help organize your campsite. The gear loft lets you hang a lantern from it while keeping small items from protruding through the slit by the lantern.

The Conifer comes with two vestibules. The larger vestibule allows you to place two full-size camp chairs comfortably, so you can sit and relax while it rains.

The smaller of the vestibules does not come with any windows, but it can hold a few bags or other types of gear to keep them out of the rain.

You will appreciate how weather ready the Conifer is with a tent body that has double wall construction and a 2000 mm rated PU rainfly to keep you dry from storms.

The 5000 mm floor also helps to prevent water from creeping in under the tent, and the natural design of the tent’s dome shape and the included aluminum poles stand up well to the wind, no matter which way it is coming from.

Build Quality/Durability - 4.5/5

This is a built to last tent that uses durable and high-quality materials and construction.

Using standard denier fabric that includes a weatherproof polyurethane (PU) coating on the rain fly, the tent has a floor made with denier fabric that also includes a substantial PU coating of 5000 mm which helps to resist standing water that gathers underneath the tent.

You can also purchase an optional 75D 2000 mm footprint to make the floor even more durable, and the included aluminum J-stakes should withstand quite a bit without bending when you to try to drive them into a resistant ground area.

Wet Weather Usage - 4.5/5

The Conifer 5+ is also a fairly versatile tent that gives you great protection in inclement weather. The guy out points and the weatherproof, vented rainfly provide great coverage, so you and your gear stay dry while you wait out the storm.

Hot Weather Usage - 3/5

If you have a warm and sunny day, you can take off the rainfly to uncover the mesh tent body to circulate some air, but remember that without the rainfly, you won’t have too much shade or privacy if you are in a busy campground.

Cold Weather Usage - 4.5/5

The Conifer 5+ is also a fairly versatile tent that gives you great protection in cold weather. This is a good tent to have in a high wind. Once you have the guy lines staked, you won’t have any idea how strong the winds are and you won’t have to deal with any shaking or flapping.

Weight and Packed Size - 2.5/5

Due to the size of the tent, it is no surprise that the tent will be a little on the heavy side coming in at 14 pounds 10 ounces. It has a packed size of 8 x 26 inches. It may be a bit cumbersome to take a campsite, so make sure your strongest member of the family is responsible for carrying it.

Overall Score:

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How Does It Compare To Others?

Forfar 5 Persons 3 Seasons 2 Rooms Tent

With a dome roof and a two room design, the Forfar offers a 5-person family tent that can be used in all the season except in winter. It is both windproof and waterproof, and with its fiberglass frame, it is perfect for camping in places like the side of a mountain because of its easy setup.

It is a little on the heavy side, but that it to be expected for a five room tent. Weighing in at 19.45 pounds and measuring 133” x 110” x 82”, the Forfar is high enough for most people to be able to stand up straight inside.

Made of polyester, the exterior of the tent has a coat of polyurethane and features several windows throughout its zip-up design. With its large interior space, the Forfar is the perfect choice for a family that is out camping providing a reasonable layout with plenty of space. This is also a well-built tent with sturdy construction featuring a unique dome tent that uses high strength glass fiber rods and galvanized nails.

The Forfar also features a comfortable ventilation system that also includes a sun protection experience. You will also find dual vent in the roof, side walls, and door with four good-sized sealable mesh panels that offer great air circulation inside the tent. It is also constructed with a waterproof design that is double layered featuring a polyester fabric that is a waterproof material on both the inside and outside.

In comparison to the Moutainsmith Conifer, it has many similar features including good ventilation, but the Forfar offers better ventilation with sun protection while the Conifer is lighter and easier to carry to your campsite.

NTK Cherokee GT 5 to 6 Person Family Camping Dome Tent

This tent waterproof tent has great ventilation that lets you enjoy fresh air while you stay dry during a storm. The NTK Cherokee measures ten by ten feet with a middle height of 1.75 meters and weighs approximately 16.15 pounds. This is a simple to set up tent that includes glass fiber poles.

The Cherokee GT series works well in heat, heavy showers, and high winds. This tent features Cherokee’s ventilation enhancement, water protection, and high-quality glass fiber poles. It also includes prime white glass fiber with high frequency seamed flooring, double gold chromed metal hardware, a fire retardant heat seamed fly, construction with special threads, and heavy elastics.

This is a spacious 6 person tent with a single door that is easy to assemble. Using Nano-Flex technology that features interconnected fiberglass poles with high-performance metal and elastic parts with a pin and ring system that make set up a breeze. With the six-foot ceiling height, this is an easy tent to move around in, plus it features large mesh roof vents for great ventilation.

The included rainfly features full coverage with a double layer polyester that is laminated with polyurethane and UV protection. The inner tent includes full-size mosquito mesh that gives you awesome views and plenty ventilation. Spacious interior pockets allow for storage of personal items while you gear can safely be stored away in the gear loft.

Bugs will also stay away with an ultra-thin polyester mesh that keeps away small insects and mosquitoes. The inner material is made of breathable polyester to give you the best ventilation and comfort. The floor is made of an anti-fungus, heavy duty seamless polyethylene that includes an inner silver coated layer that will keep you protected and dry featuring a special construction featuring an element barrier bathtub-style construction.

In comparison to the Cherokee GT series, the Conifer is a little lighter, but they both feature mesh that keeps out the mosquitoes. The Cherokee GT includes laminated polyurethane and UV protection that is more durable and helps to protect you from the sun. The Conifer is the better buy if you will be out in inclement weather and strong winds with its staked guy lines.

Wenzel Pine Ridge Tent – 5 Person

If you are interested in a camping experience that is more like staying in an outdoor suite, the very versatile Pine Ridge 5-person tent turns a simple camping trip into a luxurious experience. Using the revolutionary new Lite Reflect system, campers will enjoy the even glow of light that you will get when you place a flashlight in the gear loft aimed toward the built-in reflective panel. The removable divider curtain allows you to make two separate sleeping areas for privacy.

This four to five person tent is great for smaller families with its two room family dome layout. The Weather Armor polyester construction includes a polyurethane coating, two mesh doors and three mesh window with a mesh roof for a cross breeze. The shock-corded fiberglass poles that feature a fast feet system allows for easy setup and the hanging divider curtain can give you some much-needed privacy.

Experienced campers will have no problem setting up this tent alone, but others may require two people to erect the tent. Complete water seepage is prevented with the welded, not stitched, corners that will keep you and your family dry in case of any rough weather conditions.

The Wenzel Pine Ridge 5 Person Tent allows you to be prepared for any type of weather with its strong frame and weather resistant polyester taffeta wall that is coated with polyurethane. There is ample room with the 10 X 8 square foot base, plus the polyurethane coated rainfly, welded polythene floor, and zipped doors keep you totally dry from any rain. It also comes equipped with a bag with handles that you can carry easily to your camping site.

In comparison, the Wenzel Pine Ridge Tent has a more luxurious camping experience for those that like a few more extras with their tent. The Conifer offers more of a basic camping experience for those that just want to get out and enjoy the outdoors, but also appreciate a secure place to get out from inclement weather.

Should you buy?

When you are considering a three-season tent that is big enough for 5 people, the Mountainsmith Conifer 5+ tent has ample interior space and lots of headroom. As you saw from the Mountainsmith Conifer 5+ Tent Review above, it has the waterproof durability you want for your campsite, plus it is built to last with its aluminum alloy poles. The Conifer 5 Person tent is a good value with plenty of features that will make your next camping trip enjoyable and dry.