I have not received compensation in any way for the video or this blog post.  I put this up because I could not find any post or video about this model of cabin tent.  Plus I want to provide useful information for those considering buying one.

I purchased two of the Bass Pro Eclipse 6 person cabin tents for a couple of reasons.  One, Camp Down the Rabbit Hole could offer quarters for housing one or two individuals for our alliance of like minds for camping.  Two, to be prepared with temporary quarters in the event our home was damaged in a natural disaster or we had evacuated for any reason.

The tent is constructed with 190T polyester with a 600mm PU coating.  It has a bathtub style floor made with 120gm polyethylene.  There are two triangle mosquito net ventilation panels in the roof.  Four mosquito net windows with zip up privacy shades including the door.  The door has a double zipper and is roomy enough to walk through wearing your load bearing equipment.  There is also a port on the door side for electric power.

The footprint is 9′ x 10′.  The propaganda states that the floor plan is big enough to house to queen size beds and 6 persons.  When I’m in the tent it seems to me that it is more suitable for one or two adults, one maybe two camp chairs, a roll top camp table, some personal gear and a portable heater or air conditioner.  Not much else.  This would depend on how everything was organized.

I made a few modifications to make it more usable.  Two fabric plenums were added for interior or exterior air conditioning or heating.  Vinyl panels were added using Velcro to quickly and easily attach or remove them.  The window coverings allow the privacy panels to be lowered providing a way to see outside and keep the heated or air conditioned air inside.  The triangle roof panels were also covered with the clear vinyl so they would seal up the tent yet allow light to pass though.

The tent is set up using four metal and two fiberglass shock corded poles.  The fiberglass poles are used on the roof to give it strong arch support. While the metal poles support the fiberglass roof poles and sides of the tent at each corner with a plastic elbow.  Each corner elbow is marked with a 140° mark.  This is where the metal poles go.  The other end is too small for them and where the fiberglass poles attach.  The fiberglass poles cross at the top and are tied in at the center.  When putting the poles in place there is a metal pin attached at the corners that goes into the end of the pole.

The rainfly has a quick release buckle at each corner that adjust the tension of the fly.  There is also a pole that attaches to the rainfly over the door to maintain it’s shape and to offer an awning like structure.  The floor outline requires 6 stakes, the rainfly needs 7.  The rainfly must be used for stability.  It has all the attachment points and guy lines.  It takes about 15-20 minutes of uninterrupted time for one person to set the tent up.  Also of note is that the only place there is seam tape is the rainfly.  None of the seams on the tent body are seam taped.  I’ve only experienced mild rain and cannot tell how it performs in a heavy storm.

This video has mostly the same information and footage of the set up.  If you have experience with this tent or have questions post them here.  -13