2) The poles came free of the center “hub” at the top of the tent and had to be forced into place several times. Unfortunately, this tent’s life was also short lived. The front zipper came off track from almost the get go and never did zip up right after repeated attempts to fix it. About halfway through the brief year and a half that we owned it, one of the tent stake rings started to tear loose from the seam, followed by another a few months later. It seems like something else went wrong with it that I can’t remember now. At any rate, we left it behind in a dumpster at Indian Cove Campground in Joshua Tree last year.
The peak height is 6’2”, which will allow most hikers to stand up without needing to crouch. In addition, this cabin-style tent has excellent verticality of the walls, so you shouldn’t need to crouch if you’re anywhere but in the direct center of the tent. This will most certainly be a tight squeeze for six people, but it could more comfortably accommodate two parents and two children.
But if the item has been crammed in there willy-nilly, it’s like trying to untangle a ball of Christmas tree lights. We’ve envied our friends Kim and Kent’s instant setup tent the last couple of times we’ve camped with them. While instant setup feels coleman camping chair like cheating, Heather and I have lost so much time to unfolding, threading and securing poles in fading light that we thought it was time we pampered ourselves. If you’re speedy, you can probably have the tent up (sans rain fly) in 45 seconds.
The thick, sturdy poles, give it strength, but the bending, jointed corners can be compromised in moderate to heavy wind. That said, as long as you stake the Instant Tent down and make use of the guy lines to anchor the tent to the ground or close trees, it holds up just fine. It’s a small point, but also worth noting that the guy lines are woven with reflective material, so they’ll pop out at you when you hit them with a flashlight in the dark.
Click the microphone in the search bar to try again, or start typing your search term. Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we’ll send you our favorite travel products each week. The leaves are becoming more coleman camping chair multicolored as October approaches. Fall scenery is nearing its peak across the U.S., and one of the best ways to immerse yourself in the season’s kaleidoscopic views is to camp right under the arboreal canopy.