Guys, I'm SO excited to share with you the latest addition to Colton and I's must-pack list when it's time for camping! It might very well be the most important item anyone planning a camping trip can have! It's the Family (4 to 6 Person) Instant Pop-Up Tent from Ayamaya!
When Colton and I first got married, we went to Walmart to grab a tent. I know a tent might not be at the top of the list of desired items for a newly married couple, but if you know anything about us, it should not be a surprise to hear we had one listed on our registry.
I can't blame any of our wedding guests for not gifting us the tent. It seems a little unconventional and there were kitchen plates, bath towels, and dining room curtains to think about, after all. But shortly after the ceremony was over and we had returned from our honeymoon, Colton rushed to the camping/outdoor aisle in Walmart to surprise me.
Finding a tent there was easy and convenient, and even though we were beaming with excitement (we spent that very night camped in our backyard); the quality of a Walmart tent just wasn't comparable to the tent I'm about to share with you. Our Walmart tent was one layered and small, and hole showed up in the bottom of the tent shortly after purchase.
Before I get into the nitty gritty details about this Ayamaya tent, I want to start off by sharing what I love most about it. I think this factor is also what separates this tent from it's competition.
This tent has pre-assembled poles built right in!
If you don't know what I mean, let me explain. All you have to do to pitch the tent is unzip the bag and throw it. That's it. It's incredible!
I truly believe the makers of this tent are not only geniuses, but also had me in mind when thinking up the design because there's nothing I hate more than pitching the tent when it comes to camping.
I vividly remember a short weekend trip I took with my friend, Ellen, and her family in middle school. It was the middle of the summer and at least 85 degrees when we arrived to the campground. Ellen and I were responsible for pitching our own tent and we were soaked in sweat, frustrated, and grumbling at each other 20 minutes later still attempting to pitch our tent. After we FINALLY got the tent set up, it was a blast of a trip. But I will never forget us standing in sports bras, desperately trying to shove poles through the tent's fabric.
Ayamaya's Family (4 to 6 person) Instant Pop-Up Tent ensures moments like this just don't have to happen! Not only that, but the take-down process is just as easy! All you have to do is fold the tent in half and then in a figure eight shape until the tent is the size of it's circular carrier. There's a strap attached to wrap around the folded tent which holds it in place until you can zip it up. It may sound confusing, but that couldn't be further from the truth! The tent doesn't come with an annoyingly long and confusing instruction manual because the steps are such a breeze. All the instruction you need is located on the outside of the carrier, depicted with images of someone going through the process themselves! (shown below).
Cool Facts
Vestibule Design
I know what you're probably thinking, what the heck is that?
This tent essentially has a foyer or separate room to go through before reaching the area camper(s) would sleep. My immediate thought when laying eyes on this design was that this is high-class camping at its finest!
This vestibule design is the perfect extra space for a multitude of different things:
- Dogs: If you're like us, you love and adore animals. We own two rescue dogs, Bonnie and Stella. While they are the light of our hearts, we don't let them sleep with us because Bonnie is huge and relentlessly wedges herself in between my legs at night. The vestibule provides a perfect remedy to this problem by giving the puppies their own space to sleep! I especially like that the vestibule is at the entrance of the tent as well because I still feel like my doggos are there and ready to protect us all through the night.
- Dirty Boots or Stinky/Sweaty Clothes: Another way you may be similar to Colton and I is in your love for hiking! There's few things that I enjoy more than a day spent outside taking in the sights of nature. This commonly comes at the price of muddy hiking boots and stinky clothes. The vestibule design is a great way to separate the dirt from getting into our bedding and other luggage.
- Extra Luggage: If you're an over-packer like me and have said 'yes' to reasons 1 and 2, drop a comment- we're meant to be friends! I am perpetually filling my backpack to the brim for any occasion. Even if we're hiking a short trail, I pack food we could ration for days. I have a motto that being over prepared will save me one day. The extra section of the tent is definitely my designated storage area for all my "life-saving" supplies when the dogs don't tag along.
Double Layered Design
Another thing that our Walmart tent lacked was a double layer. While most tents come with an outer attachment flap to help keep the sun and weather off you as you camp, these flaps usually only cover the tent about half way to the ground. If you're camping in an area where the terrain prevents stakes from getting a good hold in the earth, the flap is basically worthless.
Our previous experience while tenting in the rain wasn't fun. We woke to dampness in the blankets near the edges of the tent. Because our rain flap did not extend completely, there wasn't much we could've done to prevent this.
Condensation is also virtually ruled out as Ayamaya's double layered design encapsulates the tent in it's entirety. Created with heat-sealed seems, made of 4000MM watperoof PU-Coated oxford groundsheet and 3000MM waterproof PU-Coated polyester fabric roof, this tent is waterproof!
Ayamaya boasts, it's a 4 season tent!
Ventilation
There are multiple "windows" (2 on each side) on this tent to allow for maximum ventilation of the tent's interior, keeping hot, stagnate air from being trapped inside.
Rear-hooded vents are also present to assist in ventilation as well.
Finally, the tent is designed with 2 (layered) front doors. The inner door acts as a screen door, which can remain closed while still allowing airflow. This is a positive addition to the design because it doesn't leave the entry open for bugs to enter into. The outer door is made to roll up and clip at the top of the screen door, keeping an organized appearance.
If you'd rather not roll up the exterior front door, there are a few poles that come with the tent to attach to this door and stick in the ground. This provides a little shade in the entrance of the tent.
E-Port
While I wouldn't consider tent camping a luxury in comparison to some of the campers other people are pulling or driving around, there have been certain upgrades to ease this method of camping over the years.
Ayamaya has included an E-port to enable outside power capabilities. This is especially helpful to me because I am constantly forgetting to charge my portable charger.
We used this E-Port to blow up our air mattress the last time we camped (not pictured). The E-Port made the process a breeze!
Dimensions
Speaking of air mattresses, you'll never believe how big ours was! Usually the air mattress is only used when my brothers-in-law are in town. But we brought it along to truly test how big the interior of this tent was.
Advertised as a 12.5 by 8.5 foot, the interior of this tent easily fit our queen size air mattress! Even though this is a family (4 to 6 person) tent and it's just the two of us for now- I was quite impressed to say the least!
Center height of this tent is marked as 53.5 inches tall.
The tent also supplies a package of metal stakes to stabilize the tent body. I don't even think they're necessarily needed, but they'd help hold the tent in place if camping in a windy area!
Pricing
$149.99 per tent. Tent comes in green and gray (like ours) or orange and burgundy.
Pitching The Tent
Watch the video below to see how to pitch this tent. As you can see, it doesn't always set up perfectly. In my opinion, the minor difficulties Colton had are better than pitching a tent the old fashioned way!
Taking Down Tent
Watch the video below to see how to take the tent down. Remember, the steps are illustrated on the tent's circular carrier. This process is tricky sometimes, too. However, it's the quickest tent we've ever been able to pitch and take down. A one person job, too!
