Northwest Territory Vacation Home 10-Person Tent 14' x 14'

We started our vacation with a Kelty by Ridgeway Sonoma, 18' x 18' dome tent we found at Costco. It looked ideal and was very easy to set up. We spent one night in it in Oregon at our in-laws in the backyard to try it out. Too short inside at 80"(not quite that as we set it up) but nice, easy, and somewhat comfortable.

We went to Tahoe with reservations at D.L. Bliss State park. Arrived with daylight to spare but found our campsite to not be able to accomodate the huge tent footprint. In fact, no tent site at D.L. Bliss wil accomodate an 18' x 18' tent!

Parks Service very kindly moved us to Sugar Pine Point in the group section where they were sure the tent would fit. We set it up under headlights and spent the night.

Next day, we found it hard to place the cross shaped Kelty ANYWHERE with room for an 18' x 18' footprint, which we all know means even larger space is needed for stakes and guys.

At any rate, we went into South Tahoe the next morning and stopped into K-Mart. We needed a few things in the camping section and I ran into the display for the Northwest Territory 14'x14' Vacation Cottage III.
"Wow!" was my first reaction.

After trying so hard to find the best tent with enough comfortable room to change clothes and not have to stoop to move around, we thought the Kelty would be it.
But when we saw the NWT VCIII, it was all over.

We checked the instructions first in the store so I would be sure I could understand them. Simple enough.
Checked the screens, wall fabric, and fly fabrics along with stitching and all looked very good. So we bought one.

Back at camp, took down and packed the Sonoma and set up the NWT VCIII. With help from my 18-year-old daughter we had it all set up in 18 minutes from start to finish while my wife timed us and watched our 3-year-old son.

First impression on entering...VERY ROOMY, lots of headroom, room to move, room to breathe. I particularly like the one solid backwall without vents or windows. A good idea for windy sites. There is a top vent window at the front wall peak, double "D" doors and side windows. Very nice for good airflow.

The first night, temperatures fell to 41 degrees and was chilly, but with the windows all zipped closed it was plenty warm without additional interior heat.
The floor is strong and well made.

The fly is exceptionally good, made of a good quality, tight weave rip-stop nylon and sewn well with double seams. We used seam sealer before mounting the fly, but did not have any rain.

The steel pole framework was very easy to set up and holds the tent very well. It feels sturdy and strong.
We had one day with a few very strong gusts of wind but the tent hardly moved at all, and this was without having the fly staked down or additional guys added anywhere.

The design weight of the poles is more than adequate, yet not too heavy. The shock cords that connect them are joined at the breaks by flat chain, adding strength and minimizing possible breaks during assembly or takedown.

We used long Steel Stakes rather than the plastic ones included with the tent. Probably not necessary, but my personal preference for stakes is steel.

We set it up over a 14' x 16' silver tarp for additional floor protection. I recommend this with any tent, but typically just slightly smaller than the actual tent floor itself, to prevent flooding in the rain.

Taking it down was very simple and easy. The two handled bag has additional expandable zippers and a wheeled, rubber bottom. We rolled it tightly and it all fit in the bag along with the 14'x16 tarp with a room to spare.

Overall, we are very happy with the tent. We considered several others and as I mentioned, and settled on one which was not quite right. We had two Coleman twin air-beds joined as a king size bed and two more twin air beds for my son and daughter. There was probably room for two more twin beds without difficulty.

Without airbeds, the tent can probably sleep 10 people as advertised, but eight would be more comfortable with room to move around inside a bit.

If you want or need height inside, you'll love this tent. I am 6'4" and my wife and daughter are 5'9" and 5'10" and we all enjoyed the "Stand Up" roominess of this tent.

We were in it for four days and nights and each day someone had to ask us about, remark about or compliment it. It is a handsome tent and in my honest opinion an incredible buy at $149 (on sale) regularly around $180.

Love this tent. It is huge.

We bought this tent in the summer of 2013 from K-Mart for about $150, but we have seen it everywhere else for around $200. The tent is very well made and is very spacious.

We set up two queen size mattress, there is space for a small fold-up table (TV tray) and space to walk. There is a closet and a "front porch" where we setup two inflatable couches we bought from a yard sale. They are Coleman brand. We get a lot of compliments for the setup. We love this tent.

The only unfortunate thing is that I left it in its case but outside last summer while I was organizing the garage and with California's 110-degree heat the plastic fittings became brittle. This summer when we "pre set it up" to clean it before out camping trip the wind bent it and two of the fittings broke. Fortunately I was able to find some information to order replacement poles.

I believe this is considered a "Summer tent." The roof of the tent is mesh and there is a 5 to 10 inch space between the mesh and the top tarp for better ventilation during the summer. However we camp at the California mountains. Our favorite place is Courtright Reservoir, CA. It gets pretty cold out there so we purchased some fabric tarps (like the ones used to cover furniture while remodeling) and made small holes for the hooks to go through and that made a HUGE difference retaining heat.

I noticed that a lot of other people are also looking for the replacement information so I included it below:

Northwest Territory 16 x 14 ft. Vacation Home with Closet

(For picture of the tent go to searsoutlet and search for Vacation-Home-10-Person-Tent
Description Item # 00627622000P Model # 68-07040R-2
1 (888) 280-7876

customerservice@hkdglobal.net
Info@hkdglobal.net

 

HKD Global

888-280-7876 (Toll Free)

888-996-4244 (fax)

 About replacement I received the following reply from HKD:

Thank you for your email, I would be happy to assist you in getting the replacement poles for your tent. I show that the horizontal poles or leg poles are available on this model. I show that the poles range in price between $8.50-$9.50 per pole. Our usual shipping for two poles is set at $12.00 by weight. Please note that additional sales tax applies to MO and TX.

To identify the exact poles needed, I have attached a diagram to this email. If you could please identify the colored poles needed from the diagram we can ensure the correct poles are ordered

(Unfortunately I'm unable to attach any files so I can't post the diagram.)

I worked long and hard to talk my boyfriend into getting this big and comfortable tent. Despite the fact that we have a 16x10 Eureka Blue Mesa, I wanted one that would feel more homey. Homey I did get. We spent about $25 on "Seam Grip" to seal the mammoth fly, no problem, $20 on "Camp Dry" to waterproof the walls and doors, again, no problem. It started to thunder and lightning and rain, still no problem. Then it got windy...PROBLEM.

We set up our little portable palace at my family's cabin about two weeks after we bought it and spent hours waterproofing it. We slept in it for a total of two hours before the wind picked up and blew our little house in. I woke up at about 3:30 a.m. to the ear shattering sound of the ridiculously weak plastic joints snapping one by one as they broke. My boyfriend tried to hold the ceiling up while my 8-year-old daughter and I made a run for it, I felt like Dorothy dragging Toto to the storm cellar until I stepped outside... I'll just say it sounded a heck of a lot windier inside the tent than out.

As rain poured in on my poor boyfriend he tried to find the door through the maze of screen and wall material that just five minutes earlier had been our sleeping quarters. As we stood in the cabin, soaked to the bone, I dreaded the first conversation I would have with my boyfriend which undoubtedly would start with, "I told you not to get that tent!"

I was wrong. He acknowledged the fact that it was no way windy enough to do the kind of damage that was endured by that tent. The plastic connectors are a joke. There was not one stitch of damage anywhere else on that tent. If those bubble gum and mickey mouse connectors had held, we would probably still be camping in it. Instead, we had to go home and get our Old Faithful, the Eureka.

Another storm blew through while we "slept" in the Eureka and I waited, on pins and needles for the snapping to start on that tent too. Waited in vain. It held up and I slept dry and secure, unlike the few nights before in my "brand new Vacation Cottage".

If you have this tent or are thinking about getting one, buy some rope so you can anchor down the poles to take any undue stress off of those connectors, because believe me, THEY WILL NOT HOLD UP TO MUCH.

First off, I bought the tent. Once home, I read the reviews and had mixed emotions. I dance Men's Traditional at Native American Pow-Wows. Camping for most Pow-Wows is a must. Most dome tents and larger tents are great for sleeping and storage, but dressing in regalia (native clothing) is a chore. I am 6'2" tall. You do the math. I dressed as a hunch back. This tent solved my only problem with ease.

Now, I read the other reviews, and I can only say, Hmmmm.

This Memorial Day weekend Pow-Wow was held just outside Columbus, Ohio. When I got to the sight, several people helped me erect my "cottage." The wind was gusting from 15 to 25 mph. I mean we had our hands full. BUT! once up, we had us a tent.

Friday, my other half showed up and we finished setting up inside. Try as hard as we could, we could NOT fill up the tent. I mean we had two queen sized air mattress set up, and one was the type on the collapsible stand. Still had room. So we took the "ground" one down.
Saturday night, a violent storm came in. Winds up to 15 mph, and a torrential downpour. As a Viet Nam vet, I would compare it to a "mild" monsoon. Other tents collapsed under just the rain. We had a puddle in our tent about the size of a large serving platter. Came to find out, I, in my infinite stupidity, left a small opening in the one window for venilation.

There was a "roof puddle" in the back section of the screen area, but a few good pushes and the bulk of it was gone, and pulling the "roof" section taut, and the puddle was gone.

Overall, this tent was magnificant!! Because of the time element, I didn't have time to waterproof it with the commercial sprays. Didn't even need it!

If you do decide to purchase this tent, by all means, do so. If it is put up properly, and by someone who knows what they are doing, and talking about this tent is a God-send.

Most of regailia that we Native dance in is primarily feather, fur and intricate bead work, nothing that should be left to the elements. This tent did its job of protecting it, above and beyond the call of duty.

Excellent tent is too modest a term in describing it!

Note of caution: apply seam sealer to the fly before using the tent for the first time! That said, except for small drips during three ferocious thunderstorms, the tent passed its inaugural camping trip with flying colors. Very roomy, nice center height of 92", and good ventilation even with all the windows zipped. The remote light was 'fun' but not very useful.

DO read ALL the instructions through carefully and follow them to the letter. The first time we set the tent up, it took about 45 minutes (with two adults) but most of that time seemed to be undoing what we shouldn't have done in the first place! I would not recommend this tent to those who don't follow directions (both set-up and take-down) but I would definitely recommend it to large families (says it sleeps 10; I think maybe eight would be more comfortable and six easily) or people who do car camping. Wouldn't want to lug this 50 pound beauty up a hill or through the woods! And joy of joys, after take-down, ALL the pieces fit nicely back into the wheeled carrier without having to sit on the bag to zip it.

All in all, very nice tent for the money and we've had no problems with it. We even had several other campers and the park ranger ask where we got it and they were all very surprised at the relatively low price.

Apparently this model of the tent is no longer available. I like it well enough that I will be building my own framework with better materials to replace the one that came with the tent.

I have one that I set up in our backyard last October, and was using as a "hideaway" to kick back and read or use my computer. Went into town three days after setting it up, and when I got home found we'd been hit by high winds (we live less than 2 miles from the Wind River mountain range in Wyoming), and 7 out of 9 of the plastic tubing connectors were obliterated, and 1 center roof tube and 1 section of the front side roof tubing were ripped apart, leaving the male insert part of the tube in the mating tube.

The rain fly clips and tiedowns came loose, and resulted in a 6' tear and a 2' tear from whipping against some nearby branches in the trees.

Other than that, The tent was fairly easy to set up, very roomy, and I like it well enough that I'll be fabricating a new set of framework for it, out of heavy materials that should have been used in the first place, (thinking 3/8" galvanized pipe to replace the tubes, and connectors made from block aluminum).

As you can't get parts any longer, that's about the only answer.

I bought this model back 4-5 years ago. And we love it. It is mostly my grandson and myself who go camping but I have had other family members at times with us. My grandson sets up this tent by himself and he is only 13 now. Goes up so quickly. And comes down quickly also.

We had camped in several rainstorms and never had a problem with it. Until last summer, we had gotten a replacement for the rainfly and it was a bit bigger than old one. Collected water in one corner and caused the connecter to break.

Only bad thing is that we can not get replacement part for it since the tent is no longer manufactured. I am trying to manufacture one on my own or rather making piece to go over the broken part so we can keep on camping with this tent.

Update: May 11, 2011

I have had this model for several years and have loved it!! My grandson, who goes camping with me, is able to set it up in less than 30 minutes by himself. 

Unfortunately, the company has discontinued this model so you cannot get replacements parts for it anymore. But I have had a friend make the corner connectors for me and use duct tape to fasten the poles together where the cord has ripped apart. 

My family saw this tent at a family reunion and could not believe the size of it and the space it had. I since have gotten the newer model that is 14 by 16 and love it also. My dad even had me get him one to keep on hand as a guest house for when all of us go to see him.

I purchased this tent as a birthday gift for my husband as our previous tent (an Ozark Mountain) was pushing 14-years-old and still in good shap, but wanted something different. The tent sleeps 10 and came with shelves and a bay window, remote control light all of which was attractive. It also comes in a roll on bag much like a travel bag on wheels. The rainfly goes on over the outside of the external frame.

Well, don't waste your money on this one. It is a great tent on a dry non-windy day, but a small rain storm blew in. It wasn't overly windy. Even with a tarp hung above the tent we got wet. I had previously sealed all the seams especially around the windows. The water still came in right good. The flap over the outside zipper at the door leaked badly no matter how we tried to seal it. The wind gusted a bit at about 15mph and the center side support kinked and when it did the whole right hand side of the tent came down ripping about a 2 foot section in length on the top (roof) of the seam. The shower hung on for about an hour and we had a great amount of water in the tent. The poles are not easily replaced and are expensive and I sewed the seam shut only because I intend to get the money out of it anyway and let the kids use it for a summer time play room.

Buyer Beware! also should you buy this one anyway. Put a piece of plywod in the bottom of the roll on bag or the wheels break off!

I absolutely love this tent. I have been camping since I was 10. I have staying in many tents from the old 2 man Pup tent to a 30 Man Canvas tent (w/o floor). This tent is the best I've seen. Spacious, very versatile. My wife and I have been using the this tent for 2 to 3 years. We even set it up in our yard first time in using it, just to see how big it was. I love (during warm Weather) to have all the doors and windows open for the breeze to come through.

I only gave it 4 stars with a suggestion to make it 5 stars, by asking the manufacturer to make one minor addition. The ceiling has four (4) 6' screens. This is great for warm weather and warm nights. To make it an all weather tent (or cooler weather also) I suggest putting zippered screened areas for the ceiling also. My suggestion is the flap would be connected, just like the screen room. Zippers on both sides. Connected at the bottoms. and connectors at top. The only flaw with this is the height of the ceiling. Keep the height, but make a cord or handle for each zipper that can be reached, but can be connected to the tent in some fashion so that it would not hang down. I would buy it if you did so. I am currently seeking to put these in myself if you don't. Four Stars can absolutely be Five if you do so.

We purchase this tent for a getaway next month. We set it up in our back yard so we could get an idea of the internal dimensions, where we’d like to put what and coordinating with the electrical input etc.

Today (2 days later) it rained for about 3 hours. We both thought this would be a great test for leaks so we went out to take a look. We found a uniform leak around the entire tent!!!!! Where the tan sidewall meets the black lower skirt. This would have been a disaster if it had not rained before we took it camping, as most belongings are kept near to the sides allowing for adequate living space in the center.

Since the head of the inflatable mattress was also wet and nothing was touching the sides of the tent coupled with the fact that this was uniform around the entire tent tells me “bad design“. Defects are a given, they happen, no one’s perfect but the entire dang tent???? This is a factory/design flaw.

Trying to make a decision of purchasing seam sealer or just return it and buy another brand name from different named store as this bears the K-Mart logo as well as Northwest Territory.

I'm giving it this rating due not only to the flaw in the product but the resulting widespread damage it would have caused, let's face it this wasn't a puddle at the zippered door.

The tent provides a great amount of space for our family of four. We went camping for one week and loved it. Very easy to set up and take down. My only big complaint is four of the black connections have broke and I can't seem to find where I can buy replacement parts. If anyone has found this information, please email me at jwestern@sanilac.k12.mi.us.

I bought my three-room Northwest Territory Vacation Cottage II last year at K-mart for the purpose of being able to camp at the Randolph Portage County Fair during the last week of August. I have to say for the amount of money I spent on it, I really liked the size because I am in a wheelchair and I needed the space. But the only problem I had, brand new out of the container, no where on there, and being a first time tent owner, was there any indication that this needed to be water proofed. So needless to say during that week and during the rain it leaked very badly.

Then after taking it down, and getting it dried out, somehow the instructions to put it back up got lost, blew away or something, but now I am in desperate need of assembly instructions so I can use the same tent again this year and start getting it set up for water proofing. Can u help me? I am at diannareich@yahoo.com if anyone has instructions.

Thank you in advance, and I am really appreciative of its size, not the leaks, but all in all it was a wonderful tent.

Dianna

I am a 61-year-old Native American. I dance Men's Traditional
at pow-wows. Until I got this tent, changing into "regalia"
(Native Attire) was a real challenge. I'm 6'2" and most of the other 6' tents, aren't. It was like the hunchback trying to get into leotards.
This tent, I stand tall and dress easliy. It holds a queen sized platform air bed with no problem.

Last season we had a terrible storm at a pow-wow with gales, torrental downpours, and very high winds. As a result, we had a puddle about the size of a basketball, on the "sunroom" side of the tent. Some fool didn't close the window flap all the way. (Ah hem, I pulled that duty that nite.) Shhhh.

Overall, the tent is fantastic. I agree, set it up first in friendly territory first to get the hang of the poles and fly direction. It's not that hard if you READ AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS! (Comment to those who had trouble setting up.

Would I buy another one of THIS tent? No. Cause this one is holding up just fine. Don't need one.

First thing that went was the brittle rods that hold the bay windows out and the sleeves that hold them. A freak hail storm in the middle of August collapsed 1/4 of the tent and broke the top bar. I repaired it with a lead pipe. As the screening started developing holes, I'd stuff a silk scarf in the holes. Another storm the following May pushed it over, breaking more poles, which I creatively repaired. Then the landlady's dog tore into it with her claws. I glued pieces of the divider material onto the rent walls.

I love my tent. I am disabled 55-year-old woman who lives in my cabin tent nine months out of the year in No. California. I love the size and all the screen area. I would pay $500 to $600 for the same model to be made out of heavy duty canvas, stronger steel frame, and tougher screening that will be easily replaced. Something that will last more than five years.

By the way, the shelves are crap. Barley Waters

Bought this used at a garage sale, and re-waterproofed using Star Bright PTFE and seam sealer. Some of the side clips need replacing, but remains water tight without them.

Sturdy, HUGE interior, and true stand-up, cabin style tent accommodates two queen air mattresses with storage bin used as night stand in the middle, as well as 8 ft. table in entry area.

Setup is confusing at first if you do not have directions, but instructions found easily online: google Northwest Territory Vacation Cottage III instructions. Use colored tape to make setup easy. 15 minutes to assemble.

We bought this tent 4 years ago. We have owned 3 other tents over the years and this by far has been the best. I have read some of the other reviews...we have had no problems with leaks, tears, none-working-zippers, or snapping poles.

We camp about every other weekend. I have put it up by myself in good weather, but it is easier with 2 or more. The same with taking it down..1 experienced tent camper can take it down, but it is easier with more, because it is so big.

We are a family of 4 and we have ample space. We have camped in rain storms and gusting winds around 15mph, we all stayed dry. Others around us did not fair so well. I have not used any water repellent on it, but will this year just because it has been used a lot and no use it being careless. We have always used and put in place all the hooks and clips.

The tent looks exceptional but what other reviewers are saying is true--the rainflap will pocket and hold rain water even in light rain storms! We just spent the weekend with our family (2 daughters and a granddaughter and we only had to set it up three times, once in the begiining on Friday afternoon and then again Friday about 9:30 p.m. and again at 11:30 p.m. and needed to poke "weep holes" in the tent floor to let the water from the pockets seep out -- entirely too much to mop out!

I now need a new side pole as the original bent and then finally broke in two due to rainwater pocketing. Does anyone have the original instruction manual and parts numbers?? Our's got W-E-T and stuck to itself and we cannot use it. If so, please email me at meggano@msn.com with information for left side top rail post (the one under the rainflap) and cost, please.

Thanks,
Larry

This tent... where to even start. Seemed great when I set it up in my yard before we went the first time because my sister-in-law bought the same one and it was missing pieces.

So upon setting it up in my yard... one of the poles that went in the window to keep it open snapped in half. Then I just said, whatever it's fine we were leaving in two days anyway. So I packed it away and camping we went.

We were flooded the first night. We woke up to see the cieling about 10 inches from our faces pooled with water. Everything soaking wet. Plastic snapped. Horrible!!!

Took me three months to get ahold of someone to get replacement parts. They said my warranty on the tent wasn't good because I sprayed stuff on it to keep it dry. The tent wasn't as bad as the people you have to get through to to get help.

Hi everyone who posted their thoughts before and convinced me to go ahead and purchase this behemoth. I followed the advice to follow to the letter set-up, did it on my own in one hour and found it not too difficult. (Though having help with the rainfly would sure be nice.)

It's a darn impressive set-up and comfortable to move around in. I sure don't get the claustrophobic feeling that other tents can induce in me.

I notice that the seams on the tabs that attach the tent to the poles are stressed to a possibly unhealthy point, is it me or some technique I need to do? They aren't twisted or anything, but very taut and I wonder about them tearing down the line.

Other than that concern, I'm impressed thus far and leaving it up in m y backyard for the summer under the shade of a tree. Will make a great get away.

Within 24 hours of buying, our family decided to set up the cottage to check it out and it was GREAT. It did take a little longer to set up but seemed to be worth the time. We loved the size and the big screen room. There wasn't anything that we found wrong with it at all. We were planning a trip next weekend our first in the new tent, BUT...we decided to leave it up overnight, bad decision.

A terrible thunderstorm came up in the middle of the night with tornado warnings and winds 40 to 50 mph. The tent fell victim to the storm, it could have been worse, but only one pole was bent, two connector hubs broke and the tent itself suffered multiple rips and tears. We will be contacting the company for replacement parts and hope that we have no problem. It really does need stronger poles!

I had this tent set up in my backyard for 3 months last summer. The only problems experienced were the water pooling (solved by using the straps across the bars). Most omninously was the corner connector snapping during a mild windstorm. I take partial blame for this as I hadn't used the tethers that would have prevented the tent from trying to walk away.

The connectors are flimsy anyway. I advise ordering extras for your tent while under warranty (esp the corners) and maybe even duct taping them for extra strength. I duct taped the broken one and it held up fine.

Overall, I love mine and am looking for another. Will have to drive to a Kmart two hours from me to get it but once you experience the spaciousness, you will have hard time going back to the dome tents. East to set up if you follow directions.

The tent held up very well. We have used it in all kinds of weather. We even had one trip that we had four days straight of pounding rain, it never leaked. It is very spacious and airy. Fits four very comfortably with plenty of room for all. It is very easy to set up and take down. It is nice because most campgrounds you go to have a specific spot to set up your tent and they are usually square pads, which fits this tent perfect.

We own two of these tents, which one is for our children and they just love it. It gives them plenty of room to put all their toys they bring with them along with their beds and clothing. They can also set up table and chairs in the screen room so they can play their games on a rainy day.

I purchase this tent because I like the design and the price was right. The family went on our first camping trip this year and were excited about our new tent. Setting it up was fairly easy. The amount of room was great and we really enjoyed our first four nights of rest. Unfortunately on our fifth night we got a storm.

The tent began to leak along the side seams at the back of the tent in the beginning of the storm. Then it began to leak along every seam on the rain flap (roof) and everything was drenched and we had puddles inside both rooms. We had to leave for the night and return in the morning to collect our belongings.

I am unhappy with this product. Before we even went home I stopped by Kmart and returned this tent for a full refund.

For California camping this tent is the bomb! I'm searching today to download a new copy of the manual and also pick up some replacement parts.

After having this tent for 5-6 years and using it approx. 7 times, the last trip we finally broke a pole. Or rather the elastic inside the pole snapped being over extended. I think that's pretty good. I would also like to replace the bag. The top handle strap tore off and the wheels don't really work anymore. This is pretty good considering how long we've used it and the space you get with this vacation home tent!

Per the other reviewers, we have had it in rain..a little leakage and regarding the wind near the beach, it held up well. But I remind, this is California camping. It's cold in Big Bear and windy at the beach.

I love this tent. I've had it for 4 yrs now. It's sustained high winds & heavy rains. When you first get it, you definitely need to use sealer on the seams and waterproof.

My only complaint really is that it might be nice if the rain fly was perhaps longer? This would help keep rain out better during high winds.

Tip I've learned; in setting it up. Once you get the initial roof pools in place, put the rainfly on. Being only 5'1", putting the rainfly on AFTER the tent is completely up was nearly impossible.

It's the most roomy tent I've ever owned. I love the screen porch area with the floor attached. I noticed most tents now do not have the floor in the screen area. Which explains why I've had this tent so long. It's roomy, homey, I love it!

My family of seven camps at least 10 times a year. This is by far the most spacious, durable, and sturdy tent I have ever owned in the past 25 years. The tent goes up with ease in less than 20 minutes and can be down by a single person. I have read the other reviews and have not experienced faulty zippers or collapse due to rain. The zippers do require you to place your finger between the zipper and the overlap to prevent the zipper from snagging however. We recently camped and experienced high winds with a torential downpour and the tent held up with no leaks and no structural problems. This tent is large, comfortable and reasonbly priced. It is fairly heavy when packed but the wheeled carry bag tackles that problem nicely. I would recommend it without hesitation.

We purchased this tent at the end of the summer. We thought it was a great buy for the size. The setup is pretty easy and straightfoward. It helps when you have a family of four to help. We, like so many others, enjoyed the space.

On only our second time using it in the middle of July we experienced a summer micro-burst wind that blew our tent away like it was nothing at all. I guess mere size doesn't guarantee that it would stay in place. Many poles were bent--plastic fittings broke. It was a mess--unfixable out in the wilderness.

We sure would like to keep it. We need replacement poles. I know mother nature is unpredictable but it would have been nice to have a tent that could withstand some of mother nature's wrath.

I left mine up during a storm and it broke also, so I need to get a part also. The thing says to get a replacement part you are to either call 18882807876m-f 8-5cst and have your part number and model number ready or you can send a request to hkd global ltd 317 elm street washington mo 63090 usa or email at customer service @hkdglobal.net

my model number is kmt07040. if anyone needs anymore help contact me at artemisia999_999@yahoo.com if ya have the same model number i can give you the part number from my paper also i found my list and the place for the number to get ahold of them attached to the tent sleeve that it comes in its on the back of the assembly instructions.

sincerley,
august

We purchased this model of tent last summer at Kmart in International Falls, Minnesota. The first time we used it there was a thunder storm that evening and the wind came up and most of the plastic connectors that link the poles together broke and the tent came crashing down on my family and myself. Nobody was hurt but the trip was a mess.

I tried to return the tent but was told the incident was due to operator assembly error and that they would not return or replace the tent. I have even tried to order new parts but have been unsuccessful in this endevor as well. I do not recommend this tent to anybody. Save your hard earned cash and purchase something else. Thank you for reading and happy camping.

My daughter bought this tent and it also came apart during a heavy rain. The tent top would get water pockets. It tells you this in the manual but it's a boxy high tent. For backyard use the kids and adults will love it. We tried to reach the company and when we did they were so kind and replaced every pole and part we lost. North Pole owns the company and they can take a while to reach because they are busy. The number is on the owners manual. KMart told us too bad. Save reciept. Even after the tent did this we still love it. We will put it up in a protected area. Our other Northwest tents are great and I camp with them. The company is great.

We have now had our cottage 3 for three years and it's been through two tornados in Hugo Mn. and it's held up great. Just a little water by windows but that probably came from driving winds.

We use ours five times a year and we got two of our friends upgraded too the Cottage 3 and a lot of other campers ask what kind it was and if they could look inside our family calls it "the condo" of tents and i buy another in a heart beat.

The parts people are very good as well our friends dogrip a hole in it they sent us s repair kit in less then a week. I highly recommend this tent. Very roomy even holds the new twins stuff.

Kim Wagar and Family

Same problem as most other reviewers. . . Rain collapsed the tent. We camp almost every weekend, and always leave our three tents and equipment tent set up for the entire summer, as we are only nine miles from home and it is a pain to put them up every weekend. We had a downpour this week, and when we went to the campsite this weekend, this tent was on the ground and everything in it was soaked.

The other two tents (not of this make or model) were perfectly dry. The black connectors were all broken. I am in the process of trying to find replacement parts, but by reading these reviews . . .I doubt I will have any success. I am very disappointed and will not buy from this company again.

We bought this tent 2 years ago and absolutely love it. We have a family of 6 and there is plenty of room. We camped in the Florida Keys last summer it rained the first night and we stayed dry as a bone without sealing the tent. Setup was a little difficult the first time ,but now is a breeze. It takes about 20 minutes with two people and is worth every minute. We went on a group camping trip in April with extended family and everyone was calling our tent THE CONDO. The height is great ,you can section off a room and get dressed easily inside the tent. We had three queen size air beds and still have room for a table. Great tent for a great price.

We purchased this tent from K-Mart after seeing it at a campground. We absolutely loved it until we were camping during "gale force winds". We thought it would hold up and should have dropped it until the wind died down. But unfortunately we didn't and suffered some pretty major tears. For a quick fix, we patched them with "duct tape" and that did the job for the weekend.

We've tried to purchase another one, but K-mart doesn't carry this model anymore or at least the ones we checked. So today I just purchased the Northwest Territory Vacation Home with Closet and we'll see how this one is. I'm sure we will be quite pleased and I can only hope they've made some improvements.

I really enjoy the size and space. I would improve the design by having canopies over the doors so that when it rains the inside of the tents won't get wet while going in tent. I would also design a 5' to 6' canopy that extends from the large screen in porch area to be able to leave my cover down when raining and as an extra sun shield.

The tent does leak on the floor seams and the brittle rods that hold the bay window out break too easly. It's hard to find replacement parts. I have been camping for many years and if these few design additions where done I would rate this tent one of the best.

We just ended a 7-day camping trip July 3rd with a 2-, 3- and 9-yr.-old plus mom and dad. We had 4 suitcases, 3 duffle bags, plus we sleep on cots and we still had some room left over. It rained very hard one night for hours and didn't have a single leak (and we didn't seam seal either). We also got a thunderstorm with pretty good winds and still no problem. We used the screened room for sleeping but (unlike some other tents we've tried) we could really air it out during the day by opening up the screen. None of our stuff was damp when it was time to sleep or pack up. Room to stand up!

I went camping with my children and I put the tent up, with help of two teenagers went up quickly. I also was able to get it back into the bag!

Only problem I'm running into is finding replacements parts for the poles and pole points. If anyone can help please email me dreese73@msn.com

We feel it was a great buy. We and some friends went camping on the beach inlet. While we were there the first time two storms came up and met over our tent.The storms had heavy rain and bad blowing winds. The tent withstood all of it and we slept safe. And stll able to enjoy our outing. We later went back to the same spot four weeks later. Storms were coming and high tides. The tent withstood the bad weather again and the high tide. We love our tent. The problem we are having is our directions on setting it up got wet and we need a new set of plans for parts and instructions.

This is the K-Mart brand of a tent made by Northpole.
The instructions are difficult to follow. It is easy to get almost all finished with all the external tent pole framework and then discover (or not discover) that the tent below the framework is running the wrong direction.

During set up, the design makes it very easy to over-bend the plastic angled joints and break them if you're not an expert with the product.

Once its all set up, hope it doesn't rain. The windows on the sloped walls are way out past the fly that covers the roof and if you have a real rain, it comes right in the zipped up windows.

I love this tent, it is so wonderful to go camping and be able to have a tent like this one. It's like a small cabin to stay in. The last time we went camping a big storm came and really pulled at the tent and I need to order some things to do some repairs on it and if anyone can help me please e-mail me so that I can get some new parts before we go camping again. I need a phone # so I can call and order parts. Please help me I need to fix my home away from home. Thank You. Rita

We bought this tent because we have small children and need lots of space for STUFF when we go camping. This seemed to be the perfect solution. The layout of the tent is great! We love the "floor plan". HOWEVER, the first time that we used the tent, it leaked in every single seam! The GOBEDRY label is an absolute joke. Everything we had in the tent was drenched. We had to purchase a huge tarp to place over the entire tent structure to alleviate leakage. This worked well, but considerably reduced the airflow making the tent very hot.

Fabulous concept ~ very poor workmanship!

We love our tent! It has great headroom so you can get dressed without being hunched over. The first night of camping it downpoured and we stayed completely dry. There wasn't even any seepage with the fabric. The two bay windows also allow you to open the windows without getting water inside. We were going to buy this tent a few years ago when it was the first model but Kmart pulled it. We like this model and got it 25% off during a camping sale. I would suggest setting up once before you go camping because it is a different setup then most tents.

We have had two Northwest Territory tents and loved them both, but the first tent the canopy that goes over the tent after a couple of years shredded and we couldn't find a replacement. Now we have a 14 x16 and the corner poles and one side piece has broken do to a storm we were in camping.

Thank God we weren't hurt, but again we can't seem to find replacements for them. The tents aren't cheap. Do you have any suggestions on what we are to do do in order to get our money's worth out of the tent?

Thank you,

Thomas McGuire

We have this tent for about 3 years. I've had to replace some poles due to heavy winds and rain. This year I needed to replace some of the plastic hubs. Well as you can see, I'm very disappointed.

I called the customer service to order the parts only to find out that they discontinued them and what parts they have are gone due to a large volume of BROKEN HUBS and POLES! UGH! I just want some parts!!!!!!! The tent (fabric) is just fine..no leaks. We really can't afford another tent...Especially for a big family.

I was so excited when I bought this tent. Finally, I thought, a tent with lots of room my family won't be cramped in. The design, however, is seriously flawed. When it rains the water collects at the bottom of the tent roof in huge amounts. My husband stayed up half the night one trip pushing the water out so we wouldn't get flooded. The pole connectors are very flimsy too. I've had to replace three of them so far and have only used the tent two times. Thank goodness for duct tape!

This is our third summer with this camping cottage. The room is fantastic! It is by far the best tent I have owned over 25 years of camping.

The only complaint that I have is that there is a leak by the one door--that no matter how much sealing and searching I do just will not go away. It isn't very much water, but it is annoying.

As far as the rain flap goes, keep it taut with the guy ropes that come with the tent--this prevents any pooling.

My husband and I were camping at Pymatuning State Park in September. As a result of the hurricane in Florida it rained and the winds were at 50mph, all night. At one point I thought the tent was going to collapse because of the way the wind was pushing in the side. It was a miracle this tent held up under those rough conditions. It survived with just one strap that was torn and not one single bent pole. I highly recommend this tent.

This past weekend we went camping and thought it would be great. This was the second time we used the tent and had no problem with it the first time. That is probably because it didn't rain last time.

Well it poured this time and the tent collapsed. The tent joints (pole holders)snapped like they were wax. They were not made well at all and we had to Duct tape it in 5 separate places just to make it through the weekend.

Hi, I really like the tent...but we were hit by a storm and one of the side poles next to the door buckled. Other than that, my friends and I enjoy the tent. I was just wondering if anyone knew what's the size of the poles. We are going camping in two weeks and our tent is up north and I have no clue about the size. If any of you could help me out I would really appreciate it.

I went camping with this tent and it rained all weekend. First problem, the seams on the rain fly leaked. I put a tarp on and it quit. Second problem, the floor leaked. This is a good tent for camping long weekends but for two or three days the set-up is not worth it. I would have probably loved this tent if the weather was great, but is it ever really great? Look forward to trying it out again.

We bought this tent because we have a large family. It was great for the first few trips, after the fourth trip one of the zippers stopped working so we switched sides and after one trip that zipper also has stopped working. It needs more durable zippers put in it. This tent has even been through a thunderstorm that dropped 2-3 inches of water but it only leaked a little near the walls if something was touching it.

I show JRTs. I bought the 14 x 14 cottage tent. Mainly because of where we show. Out in the country. BEST TENT I have ever bought. I was the talk of the terrier trial. I have a queen size bed, a table, lights and a tv. The porch area I have a table chairs and a cooler.

My next thing I am buying for this tent is a generator. Could not be happier with it.

Ralph

Our family loves this tent. It has plenty of room and is easy to set up. After purchasing the first one and trying it out, we purchased 4 more of the same. We have used them for several family reunion camping trips during the past few years. They do fairly well during rainstorms if they are scotchguarded and straps are used across the tops. They do leak al ittle near the doors during heavy rains.

We have been using our tent for six years and have never had a problem. It is intelligently designed and is great for those of us, (my wife and I) who hate crawling in and around the inside of a tent. This has plenty of room and you never have to stoop down. There are even shelves to attach in the corners. It's great. I would buy another in a second.
Thanks

We loved the room this tent and it has given us several camping trips. Until the first time it rained then the seams leaked on the rain flap. I woke up to a soaked blanket. Not too impressed. The tag says GOBEDRY on it. Yeah, go be dry somewhere else, not in the tent that's for sure. So this tent is great for camping if it isn't going to rain.

We have had our tent for 4 years. Have rode through torrential rains and thunderstorms in Michigan's North!! No leaks, no wet floor. We couldn't believe its durability.

My husband has a bad back and needed something he didn't have to bend over to get into. I did most of the set up which could have been a bit more user friendly but that's why I'm taking off a 1/2 star!

I have purchased two of the Northwest Territory tents. One was the condo size, the other was the vacation cottage, both have broken connector pieces from setting up or taking down. I like the size and easy set up of the condo but hate that the connector pieces break so easily.

Luckily I purchased the warranty, but none of the K-Mart stores in the Chicagoland area have a replacement.

This is by far one of the best tents I've ever camped in. Set-up was easy by myself (20 min.). No runs, no drips, no errors, no problems.

Added 300 gold lights from bronners and it was a show stopper. I added 4 extra top straps and had no problem
with the wind or weather.

It may say 10 people, but with two it really was a
Vacation Cottage II. (45-year-old pro camper)

In my opinion this is a great family tent. Only a tiny leak around a zipper.

For replacement fittings etc contact North Pole Ltd customer service @ 1-800-366-1599. These guys are located in Washington, MO, and offer good service at a fair price. I just ordered two replacement fittings for under $12 shipping included.

Hope this post helps those who might be looking for parts!
Happy camping!
Pappy

We camp every chance we get with this tent! We took it up to Splitrock State Park in Minn. We walked a mile to our campsite along side of Lake Superior. When we set the tent up every other camper had to come through our tent. They wanted to know where we found such a "cool tent". We told them at K-Mart! Thank you for a fine product!

I love my tent. I bought it in 2003. My husband & I went camping a lot for 3 yrs after that then 2007 we put it up to air out to go camping we got a bad storm it broke some parts and we are trying to get a hold of someone to help fix it but no luck so could anyone help cause we really love this tent.

We loved how spacious it was, but we also had a problem with it collapsing due to heavy rain. One black connector and one pole actually broke so we cannot use it this year. We also leave our tents up all year long and this was the first one that snapped like this. Perhaps adding more cross poles would help due to the size of the roof?

This tent was awesome. We stayed very dry and we had torrential downpours being just off Lake Michigan. I would suggest to the other owners to use the straps that go under the rain fly. They just snap right on the top poles of the frame and reach over the peak to the other side. That is what keeps the water from puddling up on top.

We purchased the Northwest Territory Vacation Cottage II 14 x 14 last year (Sleeps 10). A strong wind knocked over the tent and broke some of the connecting parts.

My question is: We need replacement parts for the plastic couplets for the corners. Does anyone know where I can purcase?

****FOUND THE REPLACEMENT PARTS*******
NorthPole Limited
23 Town & Country Drive
Washington, MO 63090
1-800-366-1599
1-800-775-1965

I really love this tent although we had a terrible storm last time we had it up. We had a bad storm with a lot of wind damage. 2 connector plastic pieces broke and I don't have the replacement part insert anymore .

So I cannot find where to get replacement parts for my Northwest Cottage 2 tent. Does anyone know how I can find them?

I recently purchased this product with enthusiasm. I went camping and everything was well. When I come home to clean it out I set the tent up by instruction only and a black connection piece cracked and broke in half. I would like a replacement part if possible. Overall the tent held up well and was very comfortable for my family.

My family and myself have owned two and have been nothing but pleased. The construction of this tent is so unique and sturdy that I feel very comfortable at night when we camp in it. I definitely would recommend it to anyone. I have had one small leak out of two tents, pretty good ratio if you ask me.

We too had problems with leaking and a connector broke. We have since sealed the seams and sprayed the entire thing. Hopefully when the grandkids come up this summer, our camping trip will have a better ending. As for the broken connector, DUCT TAPE. I can't seem to find where to get replacement parts. Any help?

Excellent tent, sets up for us in no time flat. Only drawback is leaking on flooring and in pockets under windows. This was taken care of by sealing the seams and using spray to protect the bottom. I have found that if you seal the tent right away before use, it saves a lot of grief.

it was great, had fun when we used it for the first time. Now two years later we want to go camping and cannot find the instructions or one of the parts. We are so disappointed we may not get to go because there are 7 of us and nobody else has a tent to use.

Use it twice and it fell apart at the zippers and the windows. The floor was already wearing holes in it. I was led to believe that the product would be a wonderful choice, but they were wrong, so I am returning my Northwest Territory.

P.S. But I love to shop at Kmart.

Got dome tent for my birthday, used it once and zipper ripped the flap over the zipper. being too small decided to get a bigger one. Checked many Kmart stores to replace it with a cottage tent but reviews made me change my mind. I will look at other brands.

I found the plastic pole connectors very weak and they break easily. The fly sheet should be made out of one piece to avoid leaks and the doors leak when it rains. Keep the replacement parts number that came with the tent as you'll need it.

We have had this tent 3-4 years and love it. It has withstood major Minnesota wind, hail, and rain storms. Easy to assemble, easy to disassemble-but remember how it went in the bag. It feels almost like a camper=but not quite.

My family and I love the tent. We have had it for a few years, however the zippers for both doors will not stay zipped therefore we can no longer use it. Any ideas on how to replace the zippers.

Had tropical downpour and winds. Had only one small leak. Roof fly was not taut enough and water pooled on top of the tent. Tightened up the top and no problem--withstood 30 mph wind gust and horizontal rain.

Yes, I was given my tent, but it didn't come with the poles or instructions and I need them badly. Can anyone knows of the number I can call? I would be very happy.

I love this tent, we have used it a lot. One summer we left it up for over one month and it did not get water in it one time.

We thought we had the world's greatest tent until a thunderstorm snapped the poles on the tent. The tent is extremely roomy but the quality of the poles is weak.

I used it once and it leaked. the next summer set it up to clean it before camping trip and it collapsed. KMart said too bad. reciept

Needs more support on back ends of fly. Right end fills with water. Two more belts I think would do it to each side.

It worked for a while, but poles broke, and when we staked it down it bent and cracked and ripped.

Great tent for the money. Lasted two years, but I need a replacement rainfly. Can't find where to order parts.

Great tent until the storm came.

The rainfly did not hold up and the tent broke.

We have the 14 x 14 Vacation Cottage and it is always the talk of the campgrounds, as well. For all of you needing information or needing to order parts, here is the information I found on my owner's manual:

Tent Customer Service
3333 Yale Way
Fremont, California 64538-6169

At the bottom of the owner's manual, it reads:
To order replacement parts, call toll free
at 1-800-366-1599 Monday thru Friday from 7 AM to 4 PM (PST - West Coast)

Mention complete model numbers.

(The model number for the 14 x 14 Vacation Cottage is
#88-97-08 )

I hope this helps all of you.
Tom and Connie