Thoughts on the Coleman Instant Tent?

[Westcoastwild]

Some friends have one and I've used it.

I think it's ok for a Coleman. Which are great if you are more backyard campers or want something the teens can use (misuse). I don't like Coleman tents very much- they do last but the ones I've had have both leaked and had condensation/airflow problems. This one has the set up ease and it works as promised. My friend who owns it is values the ease of set up and price over its downsides. She only really camps with some relatives who RV, so she has an escape if a storm hits.

You can buy (in other words, I have) a tent that is just as easy to set up, has near bomb proof rain proofing and much, much better air circulation from Rei...for 3-4 times more when not on sale. Until I bought that one I thought it was given that tents were airless and leaky. I'm not comparing the two, apples to apples, I'm just saying that air circulation and rain proofing are important enough to me that I wouldn't go back to my Coleman years.

Edit to say that my main reason I did not like it even for dry cool weather camping was the amount of room that it took up packed down. That was a deal breaker for me but I have a tiny car. As my friend pointed out, if I bought an SUV or truck, I wouldn't care about that, but come on, I'm not going to upgrade my car so I can spend less on a tent

 

[Cosmic]

We have two cars: a Hyundai Accent and a Hyundai Elantra. It fits (the 10'x14') in the trunk of the Elantra, but not in the Accent.

 

[parrothead64]

We have a hybrid trailer, but still tent camp occasionally when there are only two of us. I bought the first generation of this tent back in 2010. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-6-Person-10-x-10-Connectent-for-Canopy/46271757
Yes, you have to buy the ez up separate, but its been a great tent for the last 7 years. Set up is easy enough and we usually attach another ez up in front and put a 20x10 tarp over both for better rain protection. This is from Richmond a few weeks ago. Lots of room and I can stand up in it. My 10 year old daughter and I set the whole thing up, so that tells you how easy it is.

 

[jabrabu]

I have one and like it. I also have the rainfly, which I pretty much always use with it. The one problem is that part of the central hub broke and I can't find a replacement for it. They sell lots of other replacement parts, but not that one, which is strange since it's such a key part of the tent. It still works okay with the broken piece, but part of the top just isn't as tight as it should be.

 

[FortForever]

We've had our Bushnell 12 person instant tent for a few years now. It's fantastic for Florida. It does come with a rain fly, that is held about 18" above the mesh roof to allow heat to escape. Bushnell instant tents are specifically intended for warm weather. They stay cool to cold inside and would not be good in colder climates. We can't even use ours in Florida in the winter.

When we first bought it, we set it up (in under 2 minutes) and put several coats of waterproofing spray on it. It has been set up through quite a few heavy downpours without a single leak. We have never reapplied the waterproofing and it will be 3 years old late summer/ fall. Probably time to do it again.

If anything ever happened to this tent, I would replace with the same. I have no experience with Coleman instant tents, but I imagine they are just as easy to set up. The lack of rain fly/ ventilation may be a deal breaker in Florida.

 

[Marshel]

If you use an ac unit with your tent, the lack of a mesh roof actually becomes a benefit. I had a 12 x 10 dome tent with a solid roof and rainfly, I would put a tarp over the rainlfly with the silver reflective side up and it would not only stay dry, but would also keep cool with a 5000 btu unit in the door even if the tent was out in the sun. Used it a couple of times at the fort for May trips.