“That’s a huge tent!” was the most often heard comment while testing the Kelty Hula House 4. It’s true, the Hula 4 is a beast, and while it might not be a minimalist’s dream, it sure does the trick when it comes to extended-stay car camping or base camping adventures. I tested the Hula House 4 in the desert outside of Moab, and it held up to everything that Mother Nature and three campers with plenty of gear could throw at it.
The first test was ease of setup; surely a tent this big would befuddle any camper and lead to “pitching anguish.” I purposely left the Kelty unopened in the box it arrived in to ensure a time consuming setup. A large zippered bag contains all the pieces: main body, fly, stakes, and the three collapsable DAC poles to pitch this freestanding mini-house. Despite going into the setup cold as ice, the tent went up quickly. Just fifteen minutes after opening it up, the Hula House was ready for entry. Two poles snapped together with little effort and slipped into sleeves in the tent’s main body. The third pole forms into a circle; at first I had some difficulty in piecing it together, but the included directions quickly cleared things up. The circular pole snaps into place on clips and gives form to the roof of the tent. In just a few more minutes the fly slid into place and I staked it out… much easier than that old canvas tent your parents used to use for family excursions.
My camping buddies and I were blown away by the amount of space inside: 64 square feet, to be exact. We decided that you could easily get five people into it if you had to. Everyone set up their sleeping pads and bags and tossed in their stuff. Even with the baggage of three gear junkies strewn on the floor, space remained plentiful. I ducked into the tent to change before hiking and began my usual custom of wriggling around on my pad to get my pants on. I realized quickly that the Hula House had plenty of room to stand up and change clothes like a normal person; the ceiling in this bad boy is 6 feet high! My buddies joked that it was the size of a small hotel room, and inside you really did get a feeling of comfort I don’t normally associate with tent camping.
The Kelty was serving as our base camp in the desert, and as anyone knows, March can be unpredictable when it comes to weather. Wet sleeping bags and gear from a leaky tent can ruin a trip faster than forgetting the beer. Throughout the days in camp we experienced light rains, downpours and even some snow. The ArcEdge floor design and tapered seems kept the tent bone dry. When we peeled up the fly, water sprayed everywhere, but much to our delight the vestibule area was moisture free. The wet hiking wasn’t the most fun, but the conditions were ideal to give the Hula House a real test; it passed with ease.
I only have two gripes with the Hula House 4: storage space and vestibule design. There are 4 mesh storage pockets, one in each corner of the tent. With four campers every person gets their own pocket, but we all know that’s not enough. I would have liked to see larger side pockets or perhaps a gear loft for the ceiling; alas, you must purchase these as accessories to pimp the tent out a bit. As for the vestibule, the performance is fine. Zippers and velcro combine to make a tight seal to keep out wind, rain and debris. However, it’s an all or nothing deal: the vesty is either open or shut, no in between. There should be side straps to allow for a half open setting. With a little rope and rigging, you can overcome this slight flaw.
With a weight of 11lbs 15oz the Kelty Hula House might not be coming on your next backpacking trip, but there is no reason not to have this tent at the ready for car camping ventures. Usually my camping partners and I bring our own tents, meaning three or four are pitched in the site. With the Hula House 4 you can fit all the campers, their gear, and still have room to set up a game of cards in the middle of the floor. The Kelty held up admirably against wind, rain and snow and was easy to pitch. If you’re looking to upgrade your old school bohemoth, or just want to have more space on you next trip, the Kelty Hula House 4 is a winner. Just don’t forget your room key!
For more info, visit Kelty online or purchase the Hula House 4 below: