REI’s Wonderland tent is one of our favorite shelters for frontcountry camping because it feels spacious, luxurious, and it’s super user-friendly. We love that it has giant doors and windows all around for airflow. It also has a near-perfect balance of openness for views and privacy for campground settings. The Wonderland isn’t cheap, but because it’s made with solid materials that will last, we think it’s an awesome value. We like the Wonderland so much that we put it on our list of the Best Camping Tents on the market.
The Wonderland is replacing one of our longtime favorite frontcountry camping tents, the REI Kingdom.
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The Skyward is an exceptional value considering the good quality of its poles and materials. Closely competing tents are often $50-$100 more expensive. You could spend less on a low-quality tent, but tents made with cheap materials may only last for one summer since they’re prone to breaking. In our experience, it’s much better to spend a little more on a longer-lasting tent, like the Skyward, that will be reliable for years to come.
Every component of the Wonderland tent is sturdy, well-constructed, and built to last
The Wonderland feels super spacious with a peak height over 6’3”
Spacious
The 4P Wonderland has a 75-inch peak height, so it’s tall enough to stand up comfortably even if you’re 6’ 3”. Generous floor dimensions give you plenty of room for a queen-size camping mattress, and you’ll still have room for gear on all sides. The walls of this tent are near vertical as well for maximum usable space all the way to the edges with no need to stoop. We found the Wonderland 4 to be a good size for 2 or 3 adults or a small family with kids, but a 6-person version is also available for those who need more space.
The Wonderland has several poles and there are a few steps to setting it up, but it’s pretty quick and easy
Easy setup
The process of setting up the Wonderland tent is simple and straightforward thanks to color-coding on the poles and pole seats. The triangular hubs on the center poles take a little getting used to since they’re different from what you might see on a traditional dome tent, but they’re very easy to work with. Setting up the Wonderland is a little more complicated than a rectangular tent like the REI Skyward, but we can still pitch this tent in about ten minutes. Follow the instructions that are sewn into the bag to get acquainted with the structure and the process will become intuitive.
The Wonderland has plenty of ventilation options with and without the fly on
Excellent ventilation
Good airflow is really important to keep things fresh, dry, and comfortable inside your tent no matter the conditions. The Wonderland has a wide-open mesh ceiling and large vents on all sides for excellent breathability. And we love that we can still open the triangular side windows with the rainfly on due to the scalloped cut. Even if you have all the doors and windows zipped during a storm, there are mesh ports up high to keep air circulating. Because of these features, the Wonderland is a highly adaptable tent and can be adjusted to suit various situations based on location and weather.
The Wonderland has two huge doors that make it super livable for multiple people. You’ll never have to wait your turn in the entryway, and you can reach gear from either end. We also love the ability to unzip the doors for views both ways when we’re in beautiful campsites.
Stash pockets keep the door flaps securely out of the way
Door stuff pockets
The Wonderland has strategically-placed mesh pockets to stuff the door flaps when the doors are unzipped. These stash pockets keep the door fabric tidy and securely tucked out of the way. We find them quicker and more convenient to use than typical toggles and loops.
Storage pockets
The Wonderland has large mesh storage pockets all around inside to make it easy to keep track of small items. We love that the pockets are both high and low for reachability from the doors and the head of the bed. It’s especially handy to be able to keep headlamps, phones, earplugs, and other essentials within arm’s reach at night.
The Wonderland is an expensive tent, but it’s worth it if you prioritize comfort or go camping a lot
Expensive
The Wonderland is a good value if you’ll use it a lot, but it’s a bit more expensive than some other closely competing tents. You can get slightly less spacious camping tents made with similar high-quality materials (REI Skyward, NEMO Aurora Highrise, etc.) for over a hundred dollars less. That considered, we find the Wonderland Tent to be a bit more inviting than other tents due to the barn-style shape. So, if you don’t mind spending a bit more for a unique tent with great livability, the Wonderland is well worth the investment.
The Wonderland is suprisingly stout and feels solid when fully guyed out
Not the best in heavy wind
The Wonderland is great for the sheltered locations most people camp in, but a tall tent like this has potential to flex and bend in heavy wind. If you tend to camp in exposed environments and expect high winds, a tent with a lower profile is probably a better choice. That said, the Wonderland is quite stable, especially when you firmly stake it down and use all the guylines. Being prone to wind damage is a general con of most tents that are tall enough to stand in. We expect the Wonderland’s thick, aluminum poles to hold up very well in normal conditions.
There are no vestibules on The Wonderland, so you’ll have to store gear inside the main part of the tent if it rains
No vestibule
It would be nice if the Wonderland Tent had the option of an enclosed vestibule to keep gear out of inclement weather and out of sight when we’re away from camp. It’s not a huge con though since we can easily store gear inside the spacious main part of the tent or in the car. The most important thing is that the Wonderland has awnings over the doors to keep the doorways drip-free when it rains.
The Wonderland’s minimalist rainfly is great for summer trips, but we’d prefer a full-length fly for stormy conditions
Cap-style fly isn’t quite as protective
The Wonderland’s cap-style rainfly is easy to put on and it allows for great ventilation. Overall, we like it, and the design feels solid for weather protection in normal conditions. That said, a full-length rainfly like the previous model, the Kingdom, had might offer slightly better fortitude in extreme situations with blowing dust or driving rain. If you close up the low, triangular vents, all of the windows, and guy it out fully, the Wonderland should perform well in heavy weather.
The best way to attach guylines to a tent is with an easily-releasable bowline knot
Guylines not pre-attached
A staked-out tent has more interior space, looks much sleeker, and is far sturdier. It’s not a dealbreaker because most tents are the same way, but the guylines don’t come pre-attached to the Wonderland and we wish they did. It takes a good chunk of time to figure out how to tie all the knots and stake it out the first time you set it up and it could be a bit confusing for the average user. We think it’s pretty important to use guylines with the Wonderland and it would save people some hassle if they cam pre-attached.
The 4-Person Wonderland weighs 21 lbs. 11 oz. and is about the size of a large duffel bag when packed
Bottom Line
The REI Wonderland is one of the most spacious and practical camping tents on the market. It’s excellent for tall campers and anyone who wants plenty of room to stand, stretch, and move freely in their shelter. We’re big fans of this tent’s open, airy feel and love the big sky views it offers when the fly is off. We recommend the 4P version for couples wanting a luxurious space, and the 6P for groups of 3-4 adults or families with kids.
The Wonderland came in as a very close second to the REI Skyward on our list of the Best Camping Tents, and that’s mostly due to its price. Cost aside, the Wonderland is a very high-quality and roomy camping tent and it’s one of the tents we gravitate towards most for our personal car camping trips.
