Gear Review: Mountainsmith Genesee 4 Tent

Gear Review: Mountainsmith Genesee 4 Tent

Overview

Campfire Guy here.  The Mountainsmith Genesee 4 Person 3 Season Tent is one of my favorite tents.  As you can see in My Quest for Perfection,  I’ve been a bit picky when it comes to buying tents.  To the delight of both Amazon and my wife, the Mountainsmith Genesee, was not one of the tents that I returned. This 4 person, 3 season tent has been my go to tent for the past two years.  So far I’ve taken eight trips, spanning fifteen nights in the Genesee.  

I’ve encountered a variety of North Texas weather which varies between insufferably hot to moderately hot and the Genesee has proven to be a solid purchase.   With my propensity to get a bit handsy with potential new gear, I was leery purchasing a tent sight unseen from Amazon.  Based on all the positive reviews, I rolled the dice.

Setting It Up

Instructions are printed on the outside of the included stuff sack.  No paper instructions for my kids to immediately misplace.  

Look Ma, no paper instructions!
Look Ma, no paper instructions!

The two poles and four corners are both color coded.  This simplifies the pitch, as the tent is actually a rectangle. 

Gold poles match up with yellow corners. Silver poles (not shown) match up with gray corners (still not shown).
Gold poles match up with yellow corners. Silver poles (not shown) match up with gray corners (still not shown).

It is a little awkward to set this up solo, but do it twice and you’ll be an expert.  The key is to grab both poles and sort of shuffle your feet under the floor towards the center, which enables you to clip the hooks around the pole intersection.  

No Campfire Guys fell down in the pitching of this tent.
No Campfire Guys fell down in the pitching of this tent.

Once the tent body clips are attached to the aluminum poles, you’ve got yourself a tent.  So far I’ve managed to set this up on my own without falling down.  Featuring color-coded corners and buckles that are attached to the tent body, the rain fly is easy to install. The tent is free standing.  This will make it easier to relocate your tent should you realize you pitched your tent atop a gigantic ant hill or if you need to air out the tent when you get back home.  

Plenty of "no see um" mesh for ventilation.
Plenty of “no see um” mesh for ventilation.

The attached reflective guy lines with tension locks on the rain fly guy outs are a nice touch.  Sometimes you just can’t remember how to tie that rolling hitch.

Doors and Vestibules

When I’m not camping solo, I usually have one or two of my kiddos in tow.  The definition of a successful trip in my house is coming home with the same number of kids I left with and not stepping on one of them while exiting the tent at night.  Two doors help with getting in and out of the tent safely.  Given the option, I always prefer the flexibility of a two door tent.  The Genesee doors both have nylon panels that can zipper down from the inside to allow for more views and ventilation.  At each entrance is a decent sized vestibule for gear storage outside your tent, perfect for airing out stale socks and hiking boots after a long day in the woods.  My Gossamer Gear Mariposa fits with plenty of room to spare.  So does my seven year old.

Interior

With 56 square feet of usable floor space, the inside of this tent is palatial with just one or two occupants.  Peak height is 52″ allowing for plenty of room to sit up.  I’m 5’ll” and while sleeping parallel to the doors, neither my head nor feet touch the sides of the tents.   Initially, I was concerned that the no see um mesh on the two fixed walls of the tent would be too flimsy and tear easily.  So far the no see um has held up fine and provides great ventilation in the hotter months.  Rain fly has two pop up vents to help with airflow in warm weather.  

There are small gear storage pockets at two corners of the tent.  Two more pockets would really help, but would further increase the, “now, which pocket did I put my keys in” dilemma.  The detachable ceiling loft pocket is rubbish.  It’s hard to install and feels like it could rip at any moment, so I don’t use it.  The gear loop at the tent peak makes for a great place to hang my LuminAID PackLite Lantern.  

Final Thoughts

At a 6lbs 9oz trail weight, this tent is more geared towards car camping.  However, if you are only backpacking a short distance to base camp, or can split up the tent between two people for longer treks, the amount of interior space the tent provides would be worth the added weight.  I did end up purchasing the Mountainsmith Genesee Footprint for this tent.  Yes, you can buy a cheap blue tarp from Home Depot, but have you tried folding one of those things up by yourself?  

I would recommend getting the footprint and using a sharpie to note where the doors are on the footprint.  This will save you some headache trying to orient the footprint to the tent if you are setting the Genesee up late at night with limited brain capacity after a long day.  For the weight, interior space and price, this an excellent tent.

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TL; DR

  • Price: Ranges from $145 to $199
  • The Good: Price, easy setup, freestanding, spacious interior, comes with light weight, sturdy stakes.
  • The Not So Good:  Needs (2) more sidewall pockets for gear storage and a zippered extension cord pass through.  Detachable ceiling loft pocket needs to be sturdier.
  • Manufacturer: Mountainsmith

Specs (as provided by Mountainsmith)

  • Manufacture: Mountainsmith
  • Model: Genesee 4
  • Capacity: 4 person
  • Dimensions (LxWxH): 96″x84″x52″
  • Weight: 6lbs 9oz (trail); 6lbs 15oz (packed)
  • Poles: (2) 8.5mm DIA anodized Yunan 7000 series aluminum alloy
  • Fly: Material 185T Poly PU2000MM F/R
  • Tent Material: 185T Breathable Poly F/R
  • Floor Material: 190td Poly PU5000mm F/R


Disclosure:  This tent was purchased by the author with his own funds.  This article contains affiliate links which help to fund my outdoor adventures and feed my family of six.

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