Should You Buy a Coleman Tent? An In-depth Performance Review

The reason is that they build them separately for the EU market and for the US market. So the former are huge and they typically can accommodate far more than 6 people. The Mineral King 3 and the Tungsten 4 have similar tent-body profiles and are nearly identical in setup, except that the Tungsten 4 uses two brow poles instead of one to support its fly. Like the Mineral King 3, the Tungsten is a largely mesh dome tent coleman sleeping bags with a tape-seamed polyester bathtub floor, which is highly water resistant. Neither tent experienced any ground leaks during testing, either under rainy conditions or when we soaked the tents and the ground underneath them with a garden hose. Beyond their general size, the tents in our test group were very different from one another, with a wide array of pole configurations and window, door, and roof designs.

The tent comes with fiberglass poles, an E-cable port, a pleasant awning supported with its own pole shown in the picture, and you also have side windows. The Coleman Skydome 6 Tent is with a full fly and vestibule so you have plenty of space for storage and a full protection in a 3-season camping. Its official capacity is for 6 people and for this you have a floored area of 85 ft² (7.9 m²). The mentioned vestibule adds 40 ft² (3.7 m²) of fully covered area for gear. The structure is an extended dome supported with fiberglass poles.

It offers an area of 144 ft² (13.4 m²) but not all of this is fully sealed. I have included it also in my list of best inflatable tents for camping. On the other hand, the tents built for the US market are typically smaller regarding the floor area, and the official capacity is usually unrealistic. So make coleman bbq sure that you check the actual dimensions, and do not rely blindly on the official capacity. The Gold series is manufactured with higher quality fabrics, and provides more livability thanks to its detachable awnings, increased storage, and better ventilation – so it’s ideal for regular camping outings.

From smaller two person tents used at remote campsites, to large family-sized tents used at campgrounds. I’ve also purchased and used tents from The North Face and Marmot, which are considered more “high-performance” brands. When W.C. Coleman invented the first gas-powered lantern in 1900, he couldn’t have imagined that he’d sparked over 120 years of outdoor innovations.

To start, the Instant Cabin’s speedy set-up time (a claimed 60 seconds) is a standout feature and impossible for the Sundome to match. Second, the Instant Cabin doesn’t include a rainfly, although the tent body is said to be waterproof without one. And finally, the robust and quick-deploying frame of the Instant Cabin adds significant weight—it clocks in about 10 pounds heavier than the Sundome. While we love the idea of setting up a tent super fast, we’re not convinced the Instant Cabin is worth the extra cost and questionable rain protection. Despite its inexpensive price tag and overall lack of features, the Coleman Sundome is a highly durable camping tent that should have no problem standing up to years of use. The bathtub floor is made of a thick, tarp-like material, and the body and mesh don’t feel in the least bit fragile.

For waterproofing, look for 1000mm coating and/or their WeatherTec System. Weight will vary a lot depending on whether you’re looking for small 2-person tents for backpacking or a huge 10-person tent for car camping. The season rating will usually be 3-season, meaning that it’s appropriate for use in spring, summer, and fall but won’t stand coleman sleeping bags up to winter conditions. The number of occupants (aka “sleep capacity”) can be a little tricky with any brand of tents. If you’re going to have a lot of gear, or just need more room for a family tent, always up-size the number of people. For example, a family of four campers should go with a 5- or 6-person tent instead of a 4-person tent.

coleman tents

On the other hand, Coleman has them many, and they launch new models very frequently. Personally, having camped through some pretty nasty rain storms, a full rainfly is extremely important to me. Likewise, a covered vestibule area before entering my tent is valuable to dry off before entering. Coleman has purpose-built a tent testing facility where they can simulate all sorts of weather conditions in a controlled and repeatable environment.

We don’t recommend the smaller version of this tent for couples who might actually take it on the road; it was just too flimsy in our tests. From within Coleman’s own lineup, we also like the Instant Cabin 6. Both tents can fit two queen-size air mattresses, feature a single door for entry and exit, and boast 6 feet of headspace.

So, let’s breakdown the materials, manufacturing, and testing processes, and aggregate the results to rate the quality of Coleman tents. Weighing in at 16 pounds 10 ounces, the Sundome 6 is easy to haul from the car to the campsite and store when not in use. For carrying, the included rectangular bag for the Sundome is simple in nature, but the full-length zipper and well-placed handles get the job done. We would have loved to see internal dividers like those found on the REI Kingdom bags, but those likely would have raised the price of the Coleman.