Coleman Evanston Tent V.S. Carlsbad Tent (I’ve Got Them Both!)
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I have both the Coleman Evanston 6-Person Tent and the Coleman Carlsbad 4-Person Tent, and in this blog post, I’ll go through all the differences between these 2 tents.
While the Carlsbad Tent comes with Coleman’s Dark Room Technology, a bigger door size, and an e-port, all of which the Evanston Tent doesn’t have, the Evanston Tent has slightly more rainfly coverage, a better screen room for stargazing, a slightly easier set-up, and is less expensive.
| Characteristics | Evanston Tent (6P) | Carlsbad Tent (4P) | Carlsbad Tent (6P) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set Up Timing | 17.5 minutes | 11 minutes | ~18 minutes |
| Number of Poles | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Peak Height | 68 inches | 60 inches | 68 inches |
| Base Dimensions | 10 by 9 feet | 9 by 7 feet | 10 by 9 feet |
| Single Pads | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| Queen Beds | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Screen Room Dimensions | 10 by 5 feet | 9 by 4 feet | 10 by 5 feet |
| Doors | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Door Size | 47 x 26in | 47 x 35in | (Not measured) |
| Dark Room | No | Yes | Yes |
| E-Port | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pockets | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Lantern Loops | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Rainfly Coverage | More | Less | Less |
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Check out the Coleman Evanston and Carlsbad Tents:
Set Up
Number of Poles
Both the Evanston and Carlsbad Tents have about the same set up process, each with 4 poles to set up. The first 2 poles are for the main body of the tent, 1 more pole is for the screen room, and the last pole is for the rainfly.
Set Up Process
There were slight differences in the set up process though. The Carlsbad Tent comes with this red-colored webbing under this pin here, while the Evanston doesn’t.
However, the Evanston Tent poles are at least a little color-coded, with 3 black poles and 1 gray pole. The gray pole is for the screen room. On the other hand, the Carlsbad Tent poles are all green in color.
One big difference I noticed is that the pole sleeve for the screen room in the Carlsbad is much longer and much snaggier (with no pole clips), while the Evanston is shorter and less snaggy (and comes with extra pole clips instead).
So, for the ease of set up, I think the Evanston Tent beats the Carlsbad by a little bit.
Set Up Timings
Here are the set up timings for both tents. Because my Carlsbad Tent is a smaller 4-Person Tent, it took me only 11 minutes to set up, while my 6-Person Evanston Tent took 17.5 minutes to set up.
Spaciousness
Evanston 6
For spaciousness, a 6-Person Evanston will have the same dimensions as a 6-Person Carlsbad, with the peak height coming in at about 68 inches, or 5 foot 8.
The base area will come in at about 10 by 9 feet, and can fit 2 almost queen sized mattresses, with the dimensions of each mattress.
Carlsbad 4
On the other hand, a 4-Person version will have a peak height of just about 60 inches, with base dimensions of about 9 by 7 feet, and can fit 4 single pads or just 1 queen sized bed.
Screen Room
The size of the screen room is the same as well, with a 4-Person version having 9 by 4 feet of space, while a 6-Person version has 10 by 5 feet of space.
Just take note that most Coleman tents run a bit small, so the dimensions of your tent will be slightly smaller than is marketed by Coleman.
| Coleman Tent | Marketed Dimensions | Actual Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
| Carlsbad 4P (Dome Tent) | 9 x 7 feet | 8.7 x 6.8 ft |
| Carlsbad 4P (Screen Room) | 9 x 4 ft | 8.7 x 3.8 ft |
| Evanston 6P (Dome Tent) | 10 x 9 ft | 9.6 x 8.8 ft |
| Evanston 6P (Screen Room) | 10 x 5 ft | 9.6 x 5 ft |
Here are the actual dimensions in square feet for both my Carlsbad and Evanston tents:
| Coleman Tent | Inner Tent | Screen Room | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlsbad 4P | 58.5 sq. ft. | 27.6 sq. ft. | 86.1 sq. ft. |
| Evanston 6P | 83.9 sq. ft. | 42.3 sq. ft. | 126.2 sq. ft. |
Door Size
Evanston 6
Strangely enough, I found the door sizing to be very different for both tents. My 6-Person Evanston Tent actually has a smaller door than the 4-Person Carlsbad, which is weird right?
The door on my 6-Person Evanston measures 47 inches in length, and 26 inches in width, and looks like this.
Carlsbad 4
On the other hand, the door on my 4-Person Carlsbad measures 47 inches in length, and about 35 inches in width, so it’s actually bigger.
So, here’s where the Carlsbad beats the Evanston.
Dark Room
I think the most prominent feature that the Carlsbad has over the Evanston is actually the dark room tech. During the day, the Evanston is quite a bit brighter inside the tent, due to the lack of the dark room tech.
On the other hand, this is what the Carlsbad Tent looks like during the day as well.
It’s a little bit darker compared to a regular Coleman tent without the dark room tech, like the Evanston, but take note that my Carlsbad Tent actually has defective dark room tech. The fabric should be as dark as the windows (notice the black fabric of the windows?), but sadly, they’re not.
Tip: I highly recommend that you check yours after you buy it. And use a retailer that is open to refunds or exchanges, like Amazon.
Storage
E-Port
Another advantage the Carlsbad has over the Evanston is in the e-port. My Carlsbad Tent comes with 1 e-port, while the Evanston doesn’t have any e-port at all.
Other Storage
The rest of the storage options are the same though, with 2 pockets in each tent, and also 2 lantern loops for some lighting at night.
Rainfly
While the ventilation and rain protection in both tents are about the same, there’s a slight difference when it comes to the rainfly coverage.
With the Rainfly
For the Evanston Tent, notice that there’s this green colored part of the rainfly, that covers a little bit of the screen room?
On the other hand, take a look at the Carlsbad Tent’s rainfly. It stops just before the screen room starts, so the screen room only has this small piece of fabric protecting it.
While this may not seem like a big difference at first, there’s a huge difference when you remove the rainfly.
Without the Rainfly
For the Evanston tent, I could lie down in the screen room and actually stargaze with pretty good views.
On the other hand, for the Carlsbad Tent, I couldn’t remove the fabric over the screen room, so it’s not as great for stargazing.
Pricing
For the pricing, I remember paying about the same price for both tents. So, I paid over $100 for my 6-Person Evanston Tent, and also for my 4-Person Carlsbad Tent, so the Evanston is a little bit more affordable.
Recommendation
Overall, I think both tents are pretty great. They’re pretty similar in most regards, like in dimensions and spaciousness, so here’s a few recommendations/tips to decide which is best for you.
Recommendation #1
First, whether you’re getting either tent, I recommend getting at least a 6-person tent. With my 4-Person Carlsbad, I couldn’t stand up anywhere, even under the peak height of the tent. And also, to get through both the doors of the tent and the screen room, I had to keep ducking, which can be a bit of a strain after a while.
On the other hand, I could stand up in my 6-Person Evanston, which made it a lot more comfy.
Also, my 6-Person Evanston came with an extra stake loop under the screen room door, making it easier to zip and unzip. My 4-Person Carlsbad didn’t come with this extra stake loop, so I kept having to press the door down with my foot before unzipping.
Recommendation #2
Second, if you love blackout tents, the Carlsbad is easier the better pick for you. It’s definitely more comfy in a blackout tent than in a non-blackout tent.
Just make sure that you didn’t get a defective one like I did. In fact, here’s what a Coleman blackout tent should look like:
Recommendation #3
Third, if you need something a little bit more budget-friendly, go for the Evanston Tent. It doesn’t have the dark room feature, but it has a slightly easier set up, you can stargaze from your screen room, and it’s less expensive, so more bang for your buck.
Recommendation #4
Fourth, just take note that both these tents have little to no rainfly protection over the screen room, so even in light rain, water gets into the screen room, not to mention in heavy rain.
If you want this to be protected, you’d need to buy an extra tarp or canopy or something.
Bonus: Must Read!
To find out how the Evanston and Carlsbad Tents compare against more than 10 other Coleman tents, check out this blog post right here: I Bought & Tested the 14 BEST Coleman Tents!
Or, check out the Coleman Evanston and Carlsbad Tents:
