Coleman Instant Tent?

[rwmagee90]

This is my first post and i must say I am thoroughly enjoying this site. Been wanting to start getting out more. I saw these instant tents and was wondering if any one was using them? How do they hold up? Do they leak? And does any one have dimensions with one all packed up?

[john101477]

wow a cheaper turbo tent.
Man I have not used one of these but for the most part I am not a fan of hub style tents. even worse is if the hub is plastic. As for the weather protection, they may guarantee it to stay dry but with the new tents I have yet to see that actually happen. My biggest worry with this tent would be wind, not rain.

[rwmagee90]

I am not new to camping and such, 5 years in the army as an infantryman, but I now have a wife and soon to be baby to worry about. Just me i just roll out a sleeping bag and thats it a poncho hooch if rain is expected. now i actually have get all geared up.

[john101477]

You might look at the posts by barlowrs we actually just went through all this. I never hinted at your possibility of being new to camping. Many times in my past a sleeping bag and maybe a tarp was my options when camping. When it rained we just pulled the tarp over us. As you know or are finding out when you start taking your family gear is essential. Being army you can apriciate quality vs garbage. Simply put, while you do not have to spend 500 or better a good solid tent with good reputation will benefit. If you would like search out my review thread as I am in a similar situation as you as far as family

[brice]

I picked one of these up at Sam's a few weeks ago to use as a more versatile screen room to supplement a camper shell on my truck. My thinking is we can close the windows and use the tent as a changing room or open them for a screen room to hang out in.

I've only used it one night (in my yard) so I can't comment on longevity. The tent does go up and comes down very fast, which is why I bought it. It is defiantly faster than setting up an ezup and attaching screen panels. The tent fabric and zippers seem to be high quality for a tent in this price range.

The hub and joints are plastic, but they seem fairly beefy. I'm worried about the clips that hold the tent body to the poles, they look like they could be broken easily. I agree with John, there is no way this tent will stay dry in a storm. My biggest complaint about this tent is that there is not a good way to secure the window flaps when they are zipped down.

This is not an expedition worthy tent and I wasn't expecting it to be. I do think it will be perfect for fair weather family camping and should last several seasons with a little care.

[rwmagee90]

i am not really looking for anything to spectacular. Mostly just a few trips a year to the OBX and maybe Appalachians. Summer months only. I don't get much time off work and was looking at quick setup so I can enjoy as much time away as possible.

[john101477]

i am not really looking for anything to spectacular. Mostly just a few trips a year to the OBX and maybe Appalachians. Summer months only. I don't get much time off work and was looking at quick setup so I can enjoy as much time away as possible.

My only thought to this is you could do better with the $200. Better yet with a little more. I am very unfamiliar with the Appalachians but live in an area that see's extremes on both side of the weather spectrum. 110 degrees in the summer and driving rain + upto 60mph winds in the winter with snow 30 min away. I would seriously check out REI and Cabelas for a decent tent even if it is just a summer tent. Anything that will make the outdoors easier and more comfortable for the family. As I have told others, many tents can be put up by one person. Saving 5 minutes of setup time in the grand scheme of things is not a big deal.

[JIMBO]

I don't know what you're driving, but

You might consider a "Hatch tent" lots of them out there

Mine is 9' x9' and we can sleep init/ dress init/bathroom init, or jump in the X/jeep and close the door to sleep/dodge predators/hide !!

Or get an Airzone Odessy 8' x 8' blows up with air in less that a minute and will withstand rain or heavy winds

Possibilities are endless, I have an AIRZONE Goldfinch (5' x 8'), on my trailer and it is very quick and takes up almost no room

JIMBO

[rwmagee90]

we currently own 3 vehicles and all three are soon to be one the market. A 1987 toyota supra non-turbo, 5-speed, cherry interior, needs paint, only 106k on it, a 1998 acura integra ls, auto, interior ok, body ok, 128k, and a 1989 toyota pickup, 22r, 4 speed, 225k, 2wd, has 4runner interior, 4runner front end swap. The toyotas are mine, the acura is the wifes, I am currently looking at either a 4runner, xj, or an isuzu trooper.

[brice]

I'm bumping this thread for a short one year review. My family has used this tent several weekends with a couple of week long trips along the way.

First the good: It sets up and packs super fast, just as advertised and it's holding up well. After one rainy trip I had it set up in the yard with no stakes to dry. An unexpected storm came and blew the tent across the yard, bending some of the joints backward and leaving it in a jumbled mess. After folding all of the joints the correct way I was surprised that there was no damage to the tent or frame. I have used the tent in moderate wind and, when anchored down well, it has been stable and relatively quite .

The bad: As expected, it leaks. The worst of this is above the doors. The water pools on the roof and when the door is unzipped it runs into the floor of the tent. There are no straps for stowing the window panels when they are zipped down. We ended up leaving the windows zipped up about 6 inches and tucking the flaps in between the tent wall and the screen.

Overall, it's a good tent for the money, just keep in mind that it was designed for fair weather family camping, not expeditions to a rain forest.