Coleman Instant Tent, 4-Person
4
5
5
5
Very Easy to Set Up
My husband and I bought this tent for our road trip last summer. It is definitely very quick and easy to set up. The most time consuming part is hammering in the tent pegs, which also doesn't take long depending on the type of ground. We were very happy with the tent. Only complaint is the size. It was what we expected, but if you think you'll be able to fit 4 people in there it will be a very tight fit. We used an inflatable queen sized air mattress which filled most of the floor. Neither my husband or I were able to stand up in the tent, but it serves its purpose well as a place to sleep.
May 14, 2013
Awesome
Haven't camped in it yet, but it took me about 1:30 to set up and about the same to tear down! Unbelievable! Bought this for my annual canoe trip. Will be awesome to be done and sitting by the fire when everyone else is still setting up their tents and swatting the Mosquitos. I was surprised at how roomy it was inside. I think 3 adults will fit with sleeping bags no problem. 4 may be a slight squeeze.
May 6, 2013
Sturdy and easy to use
Just spent 6 days in this tent with my pregnant wife who was comfortable the whole time.
Pros:
-Easiest setup and teardown ever
-Durable materials are used throughout
-Large interior space for its footprint
-Good ventilation
Cons:
-No loops for inside clothesline or gear loft (Just a single loop at the centre of the ceiling)
-No window on back wall
-Pacakge states tent can fit one queen sized air mattress. (It does, but you have to inflate it inside and it covers nearly the entire floor, converting your tent into a bouncy castle)
Overall, I am happy I bought it. It makes for great glamping.
August 6, 2012
Great buy!
This was our first tent purchase, and we're pretty happy with it. We are rookie campers, so we don't have any other experience to compare it to, but the Coleman Instant tent goes up in about 60 seconds with 2 people, or slightly more if just one. It's stable and pretty strong, and doesn't need a rainfly - I just came back from a trip where it rained from about 9pm to 8am, and I didn't get wet at all. (I was a bit damp from the humidity and possibly condensation.) I did notice that there was some water on the floor in the morning, mostly under my air mattress and under the foam mat on the floor - could be condensation, I didn't find any entry points or holes where it could have come from. The tent fits 2 single air mattresses and a few extra bags; the only way you could fit 4 people is on sleeping mats, using tiny acrobats who have no regard for personal space.
Pros:
- the squared shape makes it feel less claustrophobic than dome-style tents. It's almost 5 feet tall in the centre.
- goes up extremely quickly, even for newbies
- seems to be waterproof - we've been through 2 thunderstorms now without incident
- light and easy to carry in the carry-bag, just over 10lbs
- sturdy design
- fits 2 people + gear very well
- zip-down windows on 3 sides helps with ventilation a LOT
- bug-proof!
Cons:
- ventilation isn't great when all the windows are done up. There's a small vent at the top which helps, but you still get a bit steamy. It's not intolerable though.
- The water on the floor in the morning after a night of storms did have to come from somewhere - there wasn't a lot, maybe 8-10 tbsps spread across the tent, mostly under impervious surfaces. Condensation?
- the zips catch a bit, you have to watch what you're doing when you zip up the door and especially zip up the tent bag - if you catch the bag zip, what you will be catching it on is the floor of the furled tent, ripping a hole in it. The floor material could be stronger, it feels just like a regular tarp material.
All in all, excellent purchase, especially on sale. Knocked 1 star off for the mystery water on the floor, but strongly suspect that is due to condensation, which can't really be helped. We've already recommended the tent to a whole bunch of friends and at least 1 pair of total strangers, who bought it on our recommendation.
August 5, 2012
Super easy set-up, BUT
First the good.
The tent really does set up in a minute or two - no hassles with poles, loops, rainfly's etc.
In plus 30 kmh winds it stays well secured using the 8 tent pegs supplied (4 in the corners and 4 guy lines#.
The neither good/nor bad -
Although advertised as a 4 person tent it can really only accomdate 2 persons comfortably.
The floor space is a 7' x 8' #2.4x2.1M# rectangle with the overall height just under 5'. Add two air mattresses and a bit of gear and person 3 and 4 will have to sleep outside.
The bad #my opinion#.
The windows on either side of the tent don't have ties to secure the nylon when you have them open so the cloth flaps around, touching the floor and flapping in your face if you happen to be in the tent.
Likewise, the tie-backs for the door only work when you have both the nylon AND the screen open - which would let the bugs in.
There is no window or second door in the back of the tent.
The only door, in the front, is only a 1/2 door.
Facing the tent from the outside, the left hand side is simply a window, so you are left with an approximately 3'x3' #1M# opening to get in and out of the tent.
No matter how you arrange the sleeping bags #even with 2 people#, one will always have to climb over the other to get at the door.
The tent lacks a separate rain fly. Ok, they are trying to keep this thing really easy to set-up, but a separate rainfly not only keeps out the rain, it also really helps keep out the heat as well.
If it's raining you have no choice but keep the windows and door zipped up #the inner nylon is what keeps the rain out#.
If it also happens to be hot/humid when it's raining, the tent becomes super uncomfortable in a hurry due to lack of air circulation.
Because of the complexity of the pole system the tent is bulky and heavy compared to dome tents of similar size.
This restricts it's use to "car camping" - you are not going to pack this in any distance.
I probably wouldn't recommend this tent to anyone unless their over-riding "need" was "ease of set-up".
The price is high for this size of tent - you really are paying for the innovation.
At this price point you can get superior quality tents #better/stronger material, lighter weight, better rain resistance etc.# if you don't mind putting the poles together yourself.
But if you are simply an occassional weekend "summer" camper and want a "no hassle" tent, this or one of the larger ones in the same line, might be for you.
June 29, 2012
