Coleman tents · Vs review

Coleman Evanston Tent V.S. Carlsbad Tent (I've Got Them Both!)

I bought both screen-room tents and ran them through 8 side-by-side tests.

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Cheaper — and you can stargaze
The author's Coleman Evanston 6 Tent

Coleman Evanston 6The value pick

7.6/ 10
  • Set up17.5 min
  • Peak68 in
  • Inner area83.9 sq ft
  • Screen room42.3 sq ft
AmazonColeman
My higher-scoring tent
The author's Coleman Carlsbad 4 Tent

Coleman Carlsbad 4Dark Room tech

7.7/ 10
  • Set up11 min
  • Peak60 in
  • Inner area58.5 sq ft
  • Screen room27.6 sq ft
AmazonColeman

The short answer

Carlsbad for blackout sleep. Evanston for value and stargazing.

Match the sizes and these two are near-identical: a 6-person Carlsbad has the same dimensions as my 6-person Evanston. The Carlsbad adds Dark Room tech, a bigger door (47 x 35 in against 47 x 26 in) and an e-port. The Evanston has more rainfly coverage, a screen room you can actually stargaze from, a slightly easier pitch and a lower price. Whichever you pick, get the 6-person version. I couldn't stand up anywhere in my 4-person Carlsbad.

Side by side

Where they actually differ

MeasuredEvanston 6Carlsbad 4
My score7.6 / 107.7 / 10
Set up (1 person)17.5 minutes11 minutesA 6-person Carlsbad takes about 18 minutes
Poles43 black, 1 grey (colour-coded)4All green
Peak height68 inches60 inches
Base dimensions10 by 9 feet9 by 7 feet
Sleeps6 pads or 2 queens4 pads or 1 queen
Screen room10 by 5 feet9 by 4 feet
Door size47 x 26 in47 x 35 in9 inches wider
Dark Room techNoYesMine came defective
E-port01
Pockets / lantern loops2 / 22 / 2
Rainfly over screen roomMoreRemovable: you can stargazeLessFabric can't come off
What I paidOver $100The cheaper of the twoOver $100

✓ = the better result, from my own testing. The size difference is mine, not the models'. I own a 6-person Evanston and a 4-person Carlsbad, and a 6-person Carlsbad matches the Evanston's dimensions.

Which applies to you?

Get this one if…

Get the Carlsbad if…

  • You want Dark Room tech. It's the headline difference.
  • You want the bigger door: 47 x 35 in, not 47 x 26.
  • You need an e-port. The Evanston has none.
  • You'll check it for defective blackout fabric on arrival, like mine was.

Get the Evanston if…

  • You want to stargaze: its screen-room fabric comes off.
  • You want more rainfly coverage over the screen room.
  • You want the slightly easier pitch: colour-coded poles, fewer snags.
  • You want to spend a bit less.
The author with her Coleman Evanston 6 Tent (left) and Coleman Carlsbad 4 Tent (right).
My Evanston 6 (left), my Carlsbad 4 (right).
Video: Coleman Evanston vs Carlsbad

If you prefer watching to reading, check out my video here instead.

See the 8 tests
  1. Set Up
  2. Spaciousness
  3. Screen Room
  4. Door Size
  5. Dark Room Tech
  6. Storage & E-Port
  7. Rainfly & Stargazing
  8. Price

Set Up

MeasuredEvanston 6Carlsbad 4
Set up (1 person)17.5 minutes6-person11 minutes4-person; the 6-person takes about 18
Poles44
Pole colour-coding3 black + 1 greyAll green
Screen-room pole sleeveShort, plus pole clipsLong, no clips: snags

Same process on both: two poles for the tent body, one for the screen room, one for the rainfly. The Carlsbad is quicker only because mine is the smaller 4-person. On ease, the Evanston wins: its poles are at least partly colour-coded, and its screen-room sleeve is shorter and far less snaggy because it uses pole clips instead.

All four poles of the author's Coleman Evanston 6 Tent.
The Evanston's four poles.
All the fiberglass poles of the author's Coleman Carlsbad 4 Tent.
The Carlsbad Tent poles are all green in color.
The author setting up the screen room of her Coleman Carlsbad 4 Tent.
The Carlsbad's long screen-room sleeve is the snaggy part.

Spaciousness

MeasuredEvanston 6Carlsbad 4
Peak height68 inches5 foot 860 inches
Base dimensions10 by 9 feet9 by 7 feet
Sleeping pads64
Queen beds21

This one's a tie, because it's a size difference rather than a model difference. A 6-person Carlsbad has the same 68-inch peak and 10 by 9 foot base as my Evanston. What it does show is why I'd skip the 4-person: I couldn't stand up anywhere in the Carlsbad, and I could stand fully upright in the Evanston.

Two queen beds inside the author's Coleman Evanston 6 Tent.
Two queens fit the Evanston 6.
A queen bed inside the author's Coleman Carlsbad 4 Tent.
One queen fills the Carlsbad 4.
The author standing completely upright on a queen mattress inside her Coleman Evanston 6 Tent.
This is a picture of me standing on a queen mattress inside the Coleman Evanston 6-Person Tent. Notice I’m standing completely upright.

Screen Room

MeasuredEvanston 6Carlsbad 4
Screen room (marketed)10 by 5 feet9 by 4 feet
Screen room (measured)9.6 x 5 ft · 42.3 sq ft8.7 x 3.8 ft · 27.6 sq ft
Inner tent (measured)9.6 x 8.8 ft · 83.9 sq ft8.7 x 6.8 ft · 58.5 sq ft
Total126.2 sq ft86.1 sq ft

Same-size models get the same screen room, so this is another tie on like-for-like. Worth knowing: most Coleman tents run a bit small, so what you actually get is slightly under the marketed figure. Those measured numbers above are mine, off the tape.

The author measuring the shortest length of her Coleman Evanston 6 Tent's screen room.
Measuring the Evanston's screen room.
The author measuring the shortest length of her Coleman Carlsbad 4 Tent's screen room.
And the Carlsbad's.

Door Size

MeasuredEvanston 6Carlsbad 4
Door47 x 26 in47 x 35 in9 inches wider

This surprised me: my 6-person Evanston has a narrower door than my 4-person Carlsbad. Same length, nine inches difference in width, and you feel it every time you go in and out.

The author exiting her Coleman Evanston 6 Tent through the door.
The Evanston's 47 x 26 in door.
The author ducking to get through the door of her Coleman Carlsbad 4 Tent.
The Carlsbad's is 9 inches wider.

Dark Room Tech

MeasuredEvanston 6Carlsbad 4
Dark Room techNoYesMine arrived defective
Inside during the dayBrightDimmer than a regular Coleman

The biggest thing the Carlsbad has over the Evanston. In daylight the Evanston is noticeably brighter inside.

One caveat, and it's mine, not the model's: my Carlsbad's Dark Room fabric is defective. It should be as dark as the window fabric and it isn't. Check yours when it arrives, and buy from a retailer that takes returns.

The author opening the windows inside her Coleman Evanston 6 Tent.
The Evanston in daylight.
The author lying in her Coleman Carlsbad 4 Tent with all windows and the door closed.
The Carlsbad, everything shut.
The defective Dark Room fabric of the author's Coleman Carlsbad 4 Tent, arrowed in red.
The red arrow marks the defective part of mine.

Storage & E-Port

MeasuredEvanston 6Carlsbad 4
E-port01
Pockets22
Lantern loops22

Storage is a match apart from the e-port, which only the Carlsbad has.

The author pointing to one of the pockets inside her Coleman Evanston 6 Tent.
Two pockets in each.
The e-port of the author's Coleman Carlsbad 4 Tent.
This is the e-port of the Coleman Carlsbad Tent. The Evanston doesn’t have any e-port at all.

Rainfly & Stargazing

MeasuredEvanston 6Carlsbad 4
Rainfly over screen roomPartial coverStops where the screen room starts
Screen-room fabric removableYesStargazingNo
Rain in the screen roomYesEven in light rainYesEven in light rain

The Evanston's rainfly reaches over part of the screen room; the Carlsbad's stops just as the screen room begins, leaving one small piece of fabric. Take the rainfly off and the gap really shows: I could lie in the Evanston's screen room and stargaze properly, while the Carlsbad's fabric wouldn't come off at all.

Fair warning on both: there's little to no rainfly protection over either screen room, so water gets in even in light rain. If you want it dry, you're buying a tarp or a canopy.

How far the rainfly of the author's Coleman Evanston 6 Tent covers the screen room, arrowed in red.
The Evanston's fly reaches over the screen room.
The rainfly of the author's Coleman Carlsbad 4 Tent stopping where the screen room starts.
The Carlsbad's stops short.
The view up from the screen room of the author's Coleman Evanston 6 Tent with the rainfly removed.
Fly off, the Evanston stargazes.
The view up from the screen room of the author's Coleman Carlsbad 4 Tent.
The Carlsbad's fabric stays put.

Price

MeasuredEvanston 6Carlsbad 4
What I paidOver $100The cheaper of the twoOver $100

I paid roughly the same for both, with the Evanston a little less, which, given it's the bigger tent, makes it the better value per square foot.

My recommendation

Both are good tents and they're near-identical once you match the sizes, so it comes down to what you want. If you love blackout tents, the Carlsbad is easily the better pick. Just check yours isn't defective like mine. If you want more for your money, the Evanston is a little cheaper, has the slightly easier pitch, and you can stargaze from its screen room.

Whichever you go for, get at least the 6-person version. In my 4-person Carlsbad I couldn't stand up anywhere, and I had to duck through both the tent door and the screen-room door, which gets old fast. My 6-person Evanston also came with an extra stake loop under the screen-room door, so it zips without me pressing the fabric down with a foot.

Full reviews if you want the detail: the Evanston 6 and the Carlsbad 4.

Bonus: To see how the Evanston and Carlsbad stack up against more than 10 other Coleman tents, read the post where I bought and tested the best Coleman tents.

See all my Coleman tents

Every figure on this page comes from my own measurements of the tents I bought and tested.

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