Coleman Instant Tent

These tents use a unique central hub that the poles are attached, when you want to set up the tent you just remove it from the bag, unfold the poles, extend and lock them to full length and... your done. The tent is already attached, nothing more to do except stake it down if you need to for wind and your ready to go!

Coleman claims they set up or take down in 60 seconds or less. We took ours over to the local four wheel drive club, The Santa Rosa 4x4's, and let a few of the members give it a try. Admittedly the first attempt was a bit on the slow side, but they did have a bit of a handicap. We had never opened the tent bag yet, and when we started the timer and they opened the bag they found that the tent was inside a cardboard box inside the bag they had to remove it from! Once that was done the 60 second claim was not far off, and can even be beat after a few uses.

We did find that taking it down can take a little bit longer unless you leave doors or windows open as the trapped air slows things down a bit, but it's still VERY fast and easy. No poles to assemble, no threading them through sleeves, just unfold and extend the already attached poles and your done.

One night while using the tent we had a bit of a freeze. The outside and inside of the tent were completely frozen!

Summer is drawing to a close, and I hope that you all have many happy wheeling memories that you made this year, so let me ask you a question: how many times did you arrive at your camp site on the trail late in the evening, maybe WAY after nightfall and have to set up your tent in the dark? I know its happened to me far too many times to count. Setting up a tent in the dark while hunting poles, trying to find the little sleeves that they go into and the likes can get a bit tedious when your cold, tired and just want to go to sleep. Enter the Coleman Instant Tent series. The Coleman Instant Tents are available in 3 sizes, 8X7 (four person), 10X9 (six person) and 14X8 (eight person) so you can pick the tent size to fit your needs. These tents are also tall, ranging from 4'11" to 6'4", so it makes getting dressed in the morning a bit easier. I'm getting a bit older and the back isn't what it once was, so being able to stand up straight in our 14X8 is really great. I have always liked having lots of room in a large tent and this one does not disappoint! With room for 2 queen air beds and some gear, space is not an issue.
	These tents use a unique central hub that the poles are attached, when you want to set up the tent you just remove it from the bag, unfold the poles, extend and lock them to full length and... your done. The tent is already attached, nothing more to do except stake it down if you need to for wind and your ready to go!

	Coleman claims they set up or take down in 60 seconds or less. We took ours over to the local four wheel drive club, The Santa Rosa 4x4's, and let a few of the members give it a try. Admittedly the first attempt was a bit on the slow side, but they did have a bit of a handicap. We had never opened the tent bag yet, and when we started the timer and they opened the bag they found that the tent was inside a cardboard box inside the bag they had to remove it from! Once that was done the 60 second claim was not far off, and can even be beat after a few uses.
	We did find that taking it down can take a little bit longer unless you leave doors or windows open as the trapped air slows things down a bit, but it's still VERY fast and easy. No poles to assemble, no threading them through sleeves, just unfold and extend the already attached poles and your done.
	One night while using the tent we had a bit of a freeze. The outside and inside of the tent were completely frozen!
The Instant Tents have the Coleman Weathertec system to keep you dry. With leak free protected seams on weatherproof fabric and waterproof floors, the Instant Tents do not come with a rain fly, they are reported to be weatherproof without one. I did some research online and found claims from end users going both ways on this one, I did go through one rainy night with mine without any leaks. They do offer a accessory rain fly, I think just to play it safe it's something that I would recommend for extra protection because it's no fun to wake up wet! The rain fly will also let you leave the windows open a bit for ventilation and still be protected from the rain. The Coleman Instant Tent has become a favorite for my family and I, we will report back down the road and let you know how its holding up.
Back to the Product Review Page
Back to the Home Page