We got this tent this spring to replace an OLD Coleman external frame tent that used to leak on us like a seive, even when all we had was a heavy dew. Anyway, this tent has performed like a champ for the camping we did this summer.
First of all, the plusses...and there are plenty:
1) This tent is EASY to set up. The external frame and tent never come apart, so you don't have a chance to lose anything. I have set the tent up on my own, but, frankly, it's easier to set up when you have the help of one other person.
2) The set up goes like this...after you have the tent out of its bag you reverse the bend of the corners of the external fram so the poles extend out and down rather than down and up (the way they are stored). Next, extend the four telescoping poles that go from the center of the tent to the four corners until they snap into position at their maximum extension. After you have done that you extend and vertical poles (I recommend doing the corners first) until they snap locked at their maximum extension. Then do the same for the side poles, and you are done with the basic set up. Lastly, use tent pegs to secure to corners and sides of the tent in place.
3) Our first outing it rained, but we stayed nice and dry (be sure to use a ground cloth or tarp under your tent). Thanks Coleman!
4) There are plently of windows in the tent, and the tent can be divided into two rooms - front and back.
5) The engineering of this tent is such that it is able to give and sway a bit in the wind, and that's nice.
6) The tent is made of good materials.
The minuses...
1) The carry bag that the tent comes in seems a bit too small when you try to put the tent back into it when you break camp, but with some grunting and impolite shoving it finally will go back in. (Why do tent engineers always make the bag always do this!?)
2) This is NOT a back-packing tent...i.e., it's HEAVY. That's OK for us, since we camp in campgrounds where we can drive close to where we set up camp.
3) The metal L-shaped tent pegs are inadequate for high wind conditions...and if the gusts are heavy enough the tent will slip out of these pegs and partially collapse...not what you want to have happen to you and your family at night..which leads me to the part of the review where I tell you how to make this 4-star tent into a 5-star tent.
Here's how to make your 4-star tent a 5-star tent. It's easy. The one significant weakness of this tent is that the tent pegs are not substantial enough to hold up to prolonged exposure to wind (and in Idaho where I live it can get mighty windy). So, to correct this flaw simply repalace the light-weight metal tent pegs with more substantial tent pegs, such as COGHLANS Tent Stakes / Pegs 9" ABS Tent Pegs Md: 9309. or Coghlan's Ltd Tent Pegs 12In Abs 6Pk 9312. A half dozen of these pegs will do the trick, and viola, you have a 5-star tent!
The last time we went camping (last week) I had the impression that I should throw some of our old tent pegs in with our gear, and I'm glad I did! They worked wonders.
I hope this review and suggestion was helpful to you.
So, without the alternative tent pegs, 4-stars. Coleman Instant 14- by 10- Foot 8- Person Two Room Tent
We just returned from our 1st camping trip with this tent. We usually camp once a year, for 4 nights/5 days, at a campground. Our family consists of my husband & I and our 3 kids, aged 13, 14 & 17. Our must-haves in a tent when we were looking were a room divider and a non D-shaped door (D-shaped are too vulnerable to zipper blow-outs with lots of not so gentle use...). We bought this tent based on those requirements, the dimensions & # accomodated, the ease of set up & reviews.
Our two cents:
PROS
1) this tent definitely is easy to set up. My husband & his mom (I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant) set up the tent straight out of the bag for the 1st time in about 15 minutes. I read the directions but it wasn't even really necessary, it was that simple.
2) take down was just as easy.
3) plenty of room for our family of five. It would be 8 man as long as everyone was very comfortable with each other! It fit our family on 2 queen and 1 twin mattresses with space for our gear and our boys gear. My daughter is too particular & kept her stuff stored in the car! We're going to have to store more gear in the car next year when we add the pack & play though!
4) the room divider was WONDERFUL. My husband didn't think he'd like it (being separated from the kids) but he admitted he liked having our stuff separated from theirs & not having to paw through everyone's things & bedding to get to our own.
5) two doors. One was T shaped, which is exactly what we wanted, and the one the kids used. The other was D-shaped, and not what we wanted, but we put it at our end where we were more conscious of the care needed to operate it without zipper blow-outs.
CONS:
1) there is no rain fly and therefore no ventilation in the ceiling. Heat rises. Even with the walls being almost completely screened & open all day to allow air flow the tent was warm. And humid. I was thankful the temps got down to the 40's & 50's on a couple nights to allow more comfortable sleeping conditions!
2) there are no ties to secure the windows with when they are rolled down to expose the screens. You roll them down and sort of tuck them into themselves at the bottom. It's not quite deep enough for them to stay & they wind up falling out. Some ties would be nice to help them stay in place.
We had great weather and a tarp covering the tent & area around it in the event of rain - so we can't speak to the weather resistance of the tent. We did seal the seams, as one should do with ANY tent anyway. Oh - and get some beefier tent stakes. The ones included are pretty wimpy! - Family Tent - Great Family Tent - Large Tent - Camping'
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