Adventure is moments away when you set up the Coleman® 8-Person Instant Cabin. Pre-attached poles make setup a simple matter of unfold, extend and secure, so your cabin and the integrated, vented rainfly are ready in about 60 seconds. If it rains, the WeatherTec™ system and its patented welded floors and inverted seams will help you stay dry. Inside, there’s enough room to stretch out on two queen-sized airbeds, and two storage pockets help to keep small items organized. When it’s time to head home, the tent easily packs up into an expandable carry bag with a rip strip until you’re off on your next adventure. At $500, this modified dome-style tent isn’t cheap, but it represents substantial value.
The first day I set the tent up the wind blew it over while I was setting it up, 3 “Knuckle” joints broke instantly, they are a part of the tent poles that allow the tent to “pop up”. This was not a strong wind, more like a gust in a breeze and should not have injured the tent at all. During the course of camping all 6 of these joints broke and I used duct tape to hold the poles together (which was far superior to the cheap brittle plastic joints that came with the tent). Weight and packed size for the Instant Tent 6 are 24.9lb and 48”x9”x9”, so it’s certainly a hefty tent that will take up a decent amount of space in your trunk. However, it’s very easy to unpack and pack away with respect to its travel bag, which we consider much more valuable. In the setup category, the 6 is a true standout amongst our 2021 review, and we were quite impressed with what it could do.
But it does that one trick of assembling quickly very, very well. There are some cheap touches, especially in the construction quality, but this is a cheap tent. While this isn’t a tent you would want take out in inclement weather, it’s a perfect option for backyard camping or shorter camping trips in decent weather. The tent is made from 150D polyester and you can see the seam seals all the way around. We haven’t had a chance to test it in the rain yet, but we’d expect it to hold up well initially and potentially not be the most durable tent over the years since the zippers and mesh don’t appear to be high quality. With 56 square feet, the inside is big enough for a queen air mattress or two twins.
The Mineral King 3 has a full rain fly, which you can roll up halfway or completely remove for epic stargazing. It also comes with a groundsheet (aka footprint) to protect the tent floor. The Coleman Instant Cabin makes getting camp set coleman camping chair up quicker and easier than ever. This instant tent has pre-attached poles that make setting up camp as simple as unfolding, extending, and securing. You can assemble the tent in about a minute and then get started on your adventure.
The shepherd’s hook design, in contrast, held lines secure. We also wanted self-standing tents, which can stay up on their own. Even so, you should, ideally, coleman instant tent stake down each corner securely; in some crowded campgrounds, however, finding a flat spot with soil soft enough to do that can be difficult.
However, this was not a bother to us, as this tent really only needs to be transported from the car to the impact pad, and we’d rather heft a few extra pounds than sacrifice durability. There’s no included footprint with this tent, and we’d recommend purchasing either a 9’x9’ or 10’x10’ footprint, which unfortunately is not offered by Coleman. You can also save quite a bit of money by opting for a tarp instead. These will run you anywhere from $10-20, depending upon your desired level of quality. It’s natural to focus on the quality of a tent’s rain fly—you need that piece to work when the skies open up.
While these more complex tents are substantially roomy, they involve a longer and more complicated setup that often requires more than one person. Last year I bought a Coleman 8 Man Instant Tent, since I usually camp alone it looked like a good product. I spent three weeks going up the Arkansas river valley in Colorado from Salida to Leadville prospecting for gold.