Exped Carina IV
Light Four-Person Tent
Brand: Exped
Model: Carina IV
Why we like it: It’s light and sturdy for a four-person shelter.
Weatherproofing: The 40-denier nylon fly proved impenetrable during a wild overnight thunderstorm with 55-mph winds in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains. “The ranger warned us and other campers nearby that we should consider leaving,” our tester says. “We were the only ones that stayed and our bags weren’t even damp in the morning.” Watch your step: The 6-inch- high bathtub floor (70-denier nylon) makes this tent as waterproof as an ark, but it also creates a tripping hazard in the doorway.
Livability: There’s plenty of head-room (51 inches), even for a 6’2” tester. Four campers can sit around and play cards with ease, but the 79-inch width is a slight squeeze for four regular sleeping pads. Fortunately, the corner interior mesh pockets (each roughly one-square-foot in size) make room by minimizing floor clutter. Ding: Loading the twin, 10.8-square-foot vestibules with a group’s worth of gear walls you in.
Ventilation: Condensation was a non-issue thanks to the mesh panels on the canopy walls. Testers praised the partially retractable rainfly, which allows stargazing and enhances airflow.
Setup: Don’t forget to guy it out: “Without the guylines’ tension, the mesh panels in the wall sag onto your face,” observed one family of testers after a particularly windy night near Canada’s Bay of Fundy.