Kelty Night Owl 3 Person Dome Tent Review

While preparing this review of the Night Owl 3, we looked at the data against one hundred and seventy-seven other three person dome tents, examining more than sixty different data points. We also checked the total price including shipping & discounts at thirteen different suppliers stores, to find the best price for you.

The Night Owl Fly Open
Kelty's Night Owl 3 With the Fly Open
In this report, we will cover for you:
  • An outline of the reviews we found.
  • A thorough examination of the features, materials and dimensions.
  • The Pros and Cons about the shelter.
  • Where you can save $110.00

Here at optimumtents.com all our reviews are produced with the aid of our individual dataset of over 1,000 tents, that are found in America. Our aim is to give you an honest review and our own individual rating based on the data, along with the lowest price and best value we could find.

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  • Kelty Logo
  • Manufacturer: Kelty
  • Model: Night Owl
  • MPN: 40812119
  • Sleeping Capacity: 3 Persons
  • Designed For: 3 Seasons
  • Best Use: Backpacking
  • Type: Dome Tent
  • Available in: Other Sizes
  • MSRP: $269.95
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Night Owl 3 Pictures and Videos

Click on an image or video to enlarge them!


The Night Owl With the Fly Off

Kelty Night Owl 3 With the Fly Off
Fly Closed on the Night Owl 3

Fly Closed Night Owl 3

A video about the Night Owl 3 tent.

Another video about Kelty's tents.

QUICK OVERVIEW

Logo Representing the Features Section

Features


  • Freestanding: Yes
  • Color: Blue, Gray
  • Number of Rooms: 1
  • Number of Windows: None
  • Number of Doors: 2
  • Zippers: Noiseless pulls
  • Storage Pockets & Gear Loft: Yes, No
  • Mesh Roof & Walls: Yes, Yes
  • Footprint: Not Included, Available Separately
Logo Representing the Materials Section

Materials and Extras


  • Inner Walls: No-See-Um Mesh
  • Full Fly: 68D Polyester
    Fly Waterproof Ratings: 1800 mm
  • Floor Materials: 68D Polyester
    Floor Waterproof Ratings: 1800 mm
  • Pole Material: Aluminum
  • Number Of Poles: 3
  • Pole Dimensions: N/A
  • Guy Lines & Guy Outs: Yes, Yes
  • Stakes: Aluminium
Logo Representing the Dimensions Section

Dimensions


  • Floor Area: 46 sq. ft.
  • Center Height: 3 foot. 7 inches.
  • Packed Weight: 6 Lbs 11 Oz
    Trail Weight: 6 Lbs. 3 Oz.
  • Packed Size: 17 x 7 inches.
  • Number of Vestibules: 2
    Total Vestibule Area: 10.00 sq. ft.
    (2 x 5 sq. ft.)
  • Screened Areas: None
  • Awnings: None

Tent Set Up

Fast easy set up with Kelty Quick-Corner Technology

Green Thumbs Up Logo

Summary: Favorable Reviews

People who purchased the tent noted: Lightweight, easy to set up, and holds up in the wind. First time out, we had several inches of rain but stayed dry, and the temperature stayed comfortable with the vents. This tent is almost identical in its overall look to the former Trail Ridge, but Kelty made a lot of improvements to that model and gave it a new name. The upgrades I like most are the built-in gear attic (this is not listed in the tent's specs) Held tight for a full week. Head clearance is good. Surprisingly huge tent for how small it is to transport when packed away. Double entry is a super nice touch.


Teal Thumbs Down Logo

Summary: Unfavorable Reviews

Campers who bought the tent said: Despite the intention of the design, the sleeves for the tent poles actually take more time to set up than the corner straps with grommeted holes in them like most other models. A bit hard to figure out where the footprint was supposed to attach-no instructions. It wasn't straightforward to attach the rainfly, but otherwise a good tent.


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SPECS AND CONFIGURATIONS

The Night Owl 3 has two doors and a maximum center height of 3' 7, which is 11 inches less than the average height of the 139 various 3 person tents we have examined With 46 square feet of space inside, it is a tiny bit smaller than some other 3-person tents, and it could be a little tight for you and, up to two other campers during the whole of the 3-seasons, this tent is approved for use in, smaller tents like this one generally make an excellent choice for campers who appreciate spending heaps of time outside exploring the great outdoors.

A few of the fantastic things about dome tents are, that they are for, the most part not too heavy, making them simple to carry around. In near all cases, tents used for backpacking are of the dome type. They are generally speaking, freestanding and very simple to set up. In calm weather, you can do without guy lines and stakes, not that this is recommended.

Dome tents are without a doubt the most commonly seen of all the other sorts of tents you will see when camping. They tend to do better in the rain than other types, allowing water to easily slide off the sloped walls, unlike cabin tents that have flat tops, resulting in the rain pooling on the roof. The simplest dome tent should have a square floor, slanted walls a couple of poles which cross in the center of the roof. Due to the way they are made, it is typically thought of that they are ideal for up to a maximum of 6 people.

Down below, you can see a list of the tent's pros and cons.

Click or Tap on the Tab you Want to See!

PROS

  1. Freestanding. The Night Owl can support its own weight on any terrain. It does not even have to be staked down in most cases. But in case of strong winds, it is always best to secure it to the ground with the included steel stakes and guylines.
  2. Vestibules. Having two vestibules. Affords you a place to store shoes and other things that can get dirty, muddy, this is a huge plus.
  3. Internal storage. It is good to see Kelty has added a gear loft and pockets in the interior to store some of your gear.
  4. More than one door. With 2 doors, it is easier to get in and out of the tent, in the middle of the night if needed.
  5. Breathable. The Night Owl's interior uses a mesh fabric on the inside of the tent, and this helps maximize the flow of air. With the extra ventilation, and this tent is great for use in the summer.
  6. The rainfly completely covers the tent body. The rainfly covers the entire body of the tent from the top to the bottom and has a waterproof rating of 1800mm. Meaning it will easily protect you against heavy rain.
  7. Fantastic Ratings The Night Owl 3 has some of the best ratings of all the tents on optimumtents.com
  8. Available in other sizes. Kelty has also made this model available in Other Sizes.
  9. Low price. It is a great purchase for a 3 person dome tent providing this much space. Not many tents available on the market provide this level of quality for only $159.95 info_outline

CONS

  1. Not roomy. With a floor area of 46 square feet, the Night Owl 3 is smaller than quite a few of the 139 other 3 person tents we have looked at.
  2. Lacking in Headroom. With 11% less headroom than similar sized tents, one can see how this could be a negative thing for some campers.
  3. Footprint not Included. There is no included footprint, The floor may be made of 68D Polyester but it is still best to protect it further with a footprint, more so on rough terrain.
  4. A tad heavy for backpacking. Even though the Night Owl 3, looks like a small tent, it is not ideal for backpacking as it weighs 6 pounds. This is quite a lot more than many other backpacking tents
  5. Sloping walls. Even though Dome tents have many qualities to rave about. The sloping walls do tend to make it all the more smaller inside.

CONCLUSION

5 Stars Logo

Our Ratings: 5.0 STARS

Kelty's Night Owl 3 tent is really good for backpacking. Here are a few other points not noted above which, were noticed and liked, while researching the model: Light it up with nightlight diffuser pockets for your headlamp or flashlight, A spacious interior means there’s always room for a friend and 2-door, 2-vestible design with tons of storage.

With very good ratings, a few reviews and a center height of 3' and 46 square feet of space to play with, this tent is like your very own modest home away from home. It allows you to enjoy some real quality moments exploring the great outdoors. We found a decent amount of pros about the tent that you can check out above.

If you found this website looking for an endorsement on this particular tent, we consider, it would make for a very good buy. If you simply happened to land on this page while looking for a brand new tent having not heard of this brand or this tent model previously, it is probably a good idea to look at some other comparable tents.

Value for money: In so much as value for money, this tent is a cheaper than the average cost of all the one hundred and ninety-three, three-person tents we have taken a look at, this just by itself does not make it excellent value for money. One should also look at other areas in detail, as we do with every tent.

When we calculate the valuation of a single tent, we examine tons of stuff, searching for points where the tent could beat out other similar tents and where it is coming up short. On this occasion, with an overall rating of 5.0 and the price knowledge above, It is simple to recognize that with a price of $159.95 info_outline The Night Owl 3 is an exceptional purchase and astonishingly cheap when compared with comparable tents.

The ratings show that the quality and dimensions the tent provides were not in any way compromised to finish up with a price undoubtedly beneath the normal price for similar tents. It could make a remarkable choice for nearly all people searching for a comfy three-season dome tent to camp with, that should serve you well for years to come.

Best Value & Low Price

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$159.95 info_outline
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COMPARE WITH OTHER SIMILAR TENTS

KELTY TENT MODELS

DOME TENTS || 4 PERSON TENTS

Other Sizes and Variations of the Kelty Night Owl Model

Model Headroom Sleeping Area

Kelty Night Owl 2
Night Owl 2

3' 7"34 sq ft

Kelty Night Owl 3
Night Owl 3

3' 7"46 sq ft

Kelty Night Owl 4
Night Owl 4

5' 2"55 sq ft
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