Coleman Montana Tent V.S. Red Canyon Tent (I Bought BOTH!)

Hours Updated

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I have both the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent and the Red Canyon 8-Person Tent, and in this blog post, I’ll go through all the differences between these tents.

The Coleman Red Canyon Tent has a significantly bigger base area, it sets up slightly faster, it has slightly better ventilation, and with slightly more storage options. Meanwhile, the Coleman Montana Tent has a front porch, hinged door, and e-port, all of which the Red Canyon doesn’t have.

This is a picture of me in my Coleman Montana Tent (left) and as well as a picture of my Coleman Red Canyon Tent in my yard (right).
This is a picture of me in my Coleman Montana Tent (left) and as well as a picture of my Coleman Red Canyon Tent in my yard (right).
CharacteristicsMontana Tent (8P)Red Canyon Tent (8P)
Set Up Timing22 minutes20.5 minutes
Take Down Timing14.5 minutes14 minutes
Expandable Carry Bag?YesNo
Peak Height74 inches73 inches
Tent ShapeExtended DomeExtended Dome
Length15 feet 4 inches16 feet 4 inches
Width6 feet 9 inches9 feet 7 inches
Base Area103.5 square feet140.6 square feet
Single Pads810
Queen Beds33
Front Porch?YesNo
Number of Doors11
Hinged Door?YesNo
Room Dividers02
Pockets22
Lantern Loops11
Gear Lofts01
E-Port10
Clothesline01
Hot Day Ventilation~2,200 square inches~3,300 square inches
Vents03
Rain Test~15 minutes~15 minutes
Weight23.4 pounds20.2 pounds
Packed Size26 x 15 x 12 inches26 x 13 x 10 inches
A table containing all the differences between the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent and the Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.

If you enjoyed this video, do consider subscribing to my YouTube channel:

Check out the Coleman Montana and Red Canyon Tents:

Check out the Montana Tent (Amazon)
Check out the Red Canyon Tent (Amazon)
Read my full review on the Montana Tent
Read my full review on the Red Canyon Tent

Table Of Contents
  1. Set Up & Take Down
  2. Carry Bag
  3. Spaciousness
  4. Front Porch
  5. Hinged Door
  6. Room Divider
  7. Storage Options
  8. Hot Day Ventilation
  9. Rainy Day Ventilation
  10. Rain Test
  11. Portability
  12. Pricing
  13. Recommendation
  14. Bonus: Must Read!

Set Up & Take Down

Set Up Timing

The Red Canyon 8-Person Tent took me about 20.5 minutes to set up on my own, while the Montana 8-Person Tent took me 22 minutes.

This is a picture of my brother guying out one of the guylines of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.
This is a picture of my brother guying out one of the guylines of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.

Set Up Process

The Montana took me slightly longer for 2 reasons.

First, I had these 2 extra fiberglass poles to fix up the hinged D-door. There’s one pole for the straight side of the door, and the other one is for the curved side of the door.

This is a picture of the shortest black fiberglass pole of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent being inserted into the straight part of the hinged D-door.
This is a picture of the shortest black fiberglass pole of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent being inserted into the straight part of the hinged D-door.
This is a picture of my brother curving one of the hinged D-door fiberglass poles into place, to secure the hinged door of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent.
This is a picture of my brother curving one of the hinged D-door fiberglass poles into place, to secure the hinged door of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent.

And second, I also had to set up the rainfly pole. I had to first insert it into the pole sleeve of the rainfly, and secure it with 4 Velcro attachments.

The rainfly fiberglass pole of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent is black with a red ring, and the pole sleeve in the rainfly is similarly color-coded red.
The rainfly fiberglass pole of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent is black with a red ring, and the pole sleeve in the rainfly is similarly color-coded red.
This is a picture of the rainfly being draped over the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent.
This is a picture of the rainfly being draped over the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent.

Then, after getting the rainfly up, I had to bend the rainfly fiberglass pole, secure each end of the pole, hook up the s-hooks of the rainfly, then stake out the extended edges of the rainfly.

The rainfly pole of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent is to be bent into this semi-circle shape.
The rainfly pole of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent is to be bent into this semi-circle shape.

All of this took a couple extra minutes.

Take Down Timing

On the other hand, the take down and pack away for both tents is about the same, the 8-Person Red Canyon took me 14 minutes, while the 8-Person Montana took me 14.5 minutes. So, about the same.

Carry Bag

But take note of these 2 relatively important differences in the carry bag.

Expandable Carry Bags

For the Montana, I could easily expand the provided carry bag by ripping out this strip at the bottom of the bag.

This is a picture of me ripping the strip off the bottom of the Coleman Montana Tent’s carry bag to expand it.
This is a picture of me ripping the strip off the bottom of the Coleman Montana Tent’s carry bag to expand it.

However, for the Red Canyon, I couldn’t do so, which I thought was a little bit weird. So, I recommend folding it up as neatly as possible.

This is what the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent looks like out of the Amazon packaging.
This is what the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent looks like out of the Amazon packaging.

Carry Bag Quality

But one great thing about the Red Canyon carry bag is that it’s actually slightly higher quality and thicker than the Montana carry bag.

Spaciousness

For spaciousness, both tents are quite similar in terms of peak height and tent shape.

This is a picture of me standing under the peak height of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent. I can easily reach the top of the tent by extending my arm up a little.
This is a picture of me standing under the peak height of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent. I can easily reach the top of the tent by extending my arm up a little.

Peak Height & Tent Shape

The peak heights in the Red Canyon and the Montana 8-Person Tents are 73 inches and 74 inches respectively, and both tents have an extended dome shape, with the peak height only at the center of the tent.

This is a picture of me standing under the peak height (74 inches) of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent, and I can easily touch the top of the tent by extending my arm out.
This is a picture of me standing under the peak height (74 inches) of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent, and I can easily touch the top of the tent by extending my arm out.

When I take 3 small steps away from the peak height in either tent, my head would touch the mesh at the top of the tent.

This is where my head touches the top of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.
This is where my head touches the top of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.
This is where my head touches the mesh at the top of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent.
This is where my head touches the mesh at the top of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent.

Base Dimensions

But, there’s a huge, huge difference in the base dimensions of both tents.

For the Montana 8-Person Tent, I measured the length to be about 15 feet and 4 inches, and the width to be about 6 feet and 9 inches, and I calculated the total base area to be about 103.5 square feet, which fits 8 pads side by side with no leftover space.

This is what 8 pads looks like inside the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent. From top to bottom: Klymit Uninsulated Double V, Exped MegaMat Duo 10, Klymit Insulated Double V, Big Agnes sleeping bag, and the last pad was under my feet when I was snapping this picture.
This is what 8 pads looks like inside the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent. From top to bottom: Klymit Uninsulated Double V, Exped MegaMat Duo 10, Klymit Insulated Double V, Big Agnes sleeping bag, and the last pad was under my feet when I was snapping this picture.

On the other hand, for the Red Canyon 8-Person Tent, I measured the longest length to be 16 feet and 4 inches, and the longest width to be about 9 feet and 7 inches, for a total base area of about 140.6 square feet. I could easily fit 8 sleeping pads into the tent, still with leftover room at the sides of the tent for some gear, or maybe even 2 more pads.

This is what 8 pads looks like in the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent. From left to right: Big Agnes sleeping bag, Klymit Double V Uninsulated, Exped MegaMat Duo 10, Klymit Double V Insulated, Sea to Summit Self-Inflating Camp Mat. Even with these 8 pads, there’s still space to fit 2 more right at the sides.
This is what 8 pads looks like in the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent. From left to right: Big Agnes sleeping bag, Klymit Double V Uninsulated, Exped MegaMat Duo 10, Klymit Double V Insulated, Sea to Summit Self-Inflating Camp Mat. Even with these 8 pads, there’s still space to fit 2 more right at the sides.

Front Porch

My Montana 8-Person Tent has a nice little porch area, which measures about 103 inches in length, and about 32 inches in width, and this is something the Red Canyon doesn’t have.

This is what the front porch of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent looks like.
This is what the front porch of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent looks like.

It provides quite a bit of shading from the hot sun, so you can put gear here as well. I liked that it kept my flip flops cool instead of superheating it.

This is the shading provided by the front porch of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent against the hot sun.
This is the shading provided by the front porch of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent against the hot sun.

Hinged Door

Montana 8

While both my Montana and Red Canyon Tents have only 1 door each, I much prefer the door on the Montana, because it’s this awesome hinged door.

This is a picture of me opening up the hinged door of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent.
This is a picture of me opening up the hinged door of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent.

Complete with a handle outside and inside the tent, it’s really like a regular door, and I don’t have to fumble with any annoying zippers to get in and out of the tent.

This is a close up of the handle of the hinged D-door feature.
This is a close up of the handle of the hinged D-door feature.

I can even keep this door open by pushing it behind this black fiberglass pole here.

This is a picture of the hinged door of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent being kept open.
This is a picture of the hinged door of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent being kept open.

Red Canyon 8

On the other hand, I had to use the zippers on the Red Canyon door, as well as the 2 door latches by the side if I wanted to leave the door open, like so in the picture below.

This is a picture of me ducking to get through the door of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.
This is a picture of me ducking to get through the door of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.

Room Divider

The Red Canyon 8-Person Tent has 2 room dividers, while the Montana doesn’t have any. You can put up the 2 dividers at the 2 sides of the tent.

This is a picture of me setting up one of the dividers of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.
This is a picture of me setting up one of the dividers of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.

In the middle between the 2 dividers, you can fit 4 regular sleeping pads or 2 double pads, and behind each divider, you can fit either a double pad, or 2 separate pads, but nothing bigger (it can’t fit a queen), so the space behind each divider is really minimal.

This is how much space there is behind each divider of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent. Notice it fits just 2 sleeping pads/bags nicely.
This is how much space there is behind each divider of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent. Notice it fits just 2 sleeping pads/bags nicely.

And also, there’s no zip down the middle for easy access into each room, so I had to take down one of the latches, and then climb over the divider, which is so not user-friendly, so I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of this.

This is a picture of me climbing over the divider of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.
This is a picture of me climbing over the divider of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.

Storage Options

There are slight differences to the storage options in each tent.

Pockets, Loops, Gear Lofts

While both these 8-Person Tents have 2 pockets and 1 lantern loop each, the Red Canyon comes with an extra gear loft at the top of the tent.

This is what the gear loft of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent looks like when set up.
This is what the gear loft of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent looks like when set up.

Clothesline

The Red Canyon also comes with this pre-attached string that you can use as a clothesline, and it’s my only Coleman tent to come with a clothesline.

This is what the clothesline of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent looks like. I’ve also set up the 2 dividers, to the left and the right of the clothesline.
This is what the clothesline of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent looks like. I’ve also set up the 2 dividers, to the left and the right of the clothesline.

E-Ports

However, my Red Canyon doesn’t come with an e-port, though the Montana comes with this e-port at the bottom of the tent with a zippered closure.

This is what the e-port of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent looks like. This picture is taken from the outside of the tent.
This is what the e-port of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent looks like. This picture is taken from the outside of the tent.

Hot Day Ventilation

For hot day ventilation, I took the rainfly off each tent and calculated the amount of mesh there is on the tent.

Red Canyon 8

The better ventilated 8-Person Tent on a hot day is the Red Canyon, with ceiling mesh, plus 4 more windows, for a total of about ~3,300 square inches of window ventilation.

This is what the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent looks like with the rainfly taken off.
This is what the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent looks like with the rainfly taken off.

Montana 8

The Montana 8-Person Tent also has a decent amount of ceiling mesh, but there are only 3 windows, which are not very big, for a total of about ~2,200 square inches of window ventilation.

This is what the ceiling mesh panels of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent look like with the rainfly taken off.
This is what the ceiling mesh panels of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent look like with the rainfly taken off.
This is what one of the two side windows of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent looks like.
This is what one of the two side windows of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent looks like.

This is just two-thirds the amount of ventilation in the Red Canyon, and can definitely be improved, especially by installing another window on this last wall here.

This is what the back wall of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent looks like from the inside of the tent.
This is what the back wall of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent looks like from the inside of the tent.

Rainy Day Ventilation

For rainy day ventilation, I looked at the number of windows and vents that can be left open in the heavy rain. And well, let me just say that both tents didn’t do very well for this.

Red Canyon 8

While the Red Canyon 8-Person Tent has 3 vents inside the tent, they’re all pretty tiny, so there’s not a lot of ventilation.

This is one of the vents of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent under heavy rain. There are 2 of these vents on the 2 widths of the tent.
This is one of the vents of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent under heavy rain. There are 2 of these vents on the 2 widths of the tent.
This is the vent at the back of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent. It’s the smallest of the 3 vents.
This is the vent at the back of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent. It’s the smallest of the 3 vents.

Montana 8

And as for my Montana tent, this doesn’t have any ventilation at all, because no windows can be opened, and there are also no vents.

The side windows of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent were pretty soaked from the heavy rain, so they can't be opened in the rain.
The side windows of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent were pretty soaked from the heavy rain, so they can’t be opened in the rain.

Rain Test

If you’re wondering how both these tents did in the rain test, I would say that they’re about the same, staying dry for about 15 minutes each before the first drop of water got into the tent.

Montana 8

For the Montana Tent, while it looks like it has a decently long rainfly, notice that the widths of the Montana Tent isn’t covered by the rainfly at all, and it’s where it leaked first.

This is a picture of me using a water hose to hose down the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent.
This is a picture of me using a water hose to hose down the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent.

Red Canyon 8

As for the Red Canyon Tent, while the rainfly for this tent is extended at the sides of the tent, the front of this tent has a really short rainfly, and it’s where it first leaked.

This is a picture of me using a water hose to conduct a heavy rain test on the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.
This is a picture of me using a water hose to conduct a heavy rain test on the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent.

Coleman Seams

But the reason why these tents leaked is because Coleman inverts their seams, instead of taping their seams. So, if you seal these seams, these tents should be able to last at least a couple of hours under heavy rain before leaking.

After 15 minutes of heavy rain, I noticed that the bathtub flooring seam of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent started leaking a little.
After 15 minutes of heavy rain, I noticed that the bathtub flooring seam of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent started leaking a little.
Notice the small puddles of water on the flooring of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent. The seam where my finger is was leaking water into the tent.
Notice the small puddles of water on the flooring of the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent. The seam where my finger is was leaking water into the tent.

Portability

For portability, the Montana 8 is not only a little heavier, but also a little bulkier than the Red Canyon 8.

Weight

The Montana weighs 23.4 pounds, while the Red Canyon weighs 20.2 pounds.

From left to right: Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent, Coleman Sundome 2-Person Tent, 32-ounce Nalgene bottle.
From left to right: Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent, Coleman Sundome 2-Person Tent, 32-ounce Nalgene bottle.

Packed Size

Also, the Montana has a packed size of 26 x 15 x 12 inches, which is about 30% bigger than the Red Canyon, which has a packed size of 26 x 13 x 10 inches.

This is what the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent (top, green) looks like beside a Coleman 2-Person Sundome Tent (bottom, black).
This is what the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent (top, green) looks like beside a Coleman 2-Person Sundome Tent (bottom, black).

Pricing

For pricing, I found both these 8-Person Coleman Tents to be equally affordable. If I remember correctly, I think I paid about the same price for both tents, around about $150 bucks. This is actually really affordable for an 8-person family camping tent.

Recommendation

Overall, both the Red Canyon and Montana are great value for money family camping tents. I mean, for like $150 bucks, I think it’s pretty good value.

This is a picture of my brother taking the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent out of the cardboard box.
This is a picture of my brother taking the Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent out of the cardboard box.

But if I had to pick just one, I actually prefer the Red Canyon a little better. The biggest reason is the humongous base area inside the Red Canyon. In fact, the base area is so huge, it’s like 37 square feet bigger than my Montana, and this base area is almost as big as my WeatherMaster.

This is a picture of me using a measuring tape to measure the longest length of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent (16 feet 4 inches).
This is a picture of me using a measuring tape to measure the longest length of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent (16 feet 4 inches).

I mean, just check out the base area of the Red Canyon compared to my Coleman 10-Person Tents. It’s pretty amazing right?

Coleman TentBase Area
Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Tent143.6 sq. ft.
Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent140.6 sq. ft.
Coleman 10-Person Instant Tent135.7 sq. ft.

On top of that, from my testing, the Red Canyon also has better hot day ventilation and rainy day ventilation, than the Montana.

This is one of the vents of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent, pictured from the inside.
This is one of the vents of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent, pictured from the inside.

It also comes with 2 dividers, a gear loft, and a clothesline, which the Montana doesn’t have, so pretty feature-rich. But, the Montana has a hinged D-door and e-port, and also the front porch, which the Red Canyon doesn’t have. And I do really like the hinged door a lot.

Just bear in mind this biggest con of the Red Canyon – It has these thin rainfly fiberglass poles, and one of them snapped on my first use, so I highly recommend buying and bringing along maybe a couple of these tent repair pole splints (click here to check price), which costs only a few extra bucks, so not a super big deal to me.

This is what the rainfly pole of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent looks like when set up (bottom view).
This is what the rainfly pole of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent looks like when set up (bottom view).
This is a picture of me duct taping the rainfly pole of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent. It broke on my first use.
This is a picture of me duct taping the rainfly pole of the Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person Tent. It broke on my first use.

In summary, if you prefer having more space in your tent, go with the Red Canyon Tent. On the other hand, if you don’t mind having a little less space, but you like all the features of the front porch, hinged door and the e-port, go with the Montana Tent.

Bonus: Must Read!

To find out how the Montana and Red Canyon compare against my 12 other Coleman tents, I highly recommend that you read this blog post: I Bought & Tested the 14 BEST Coleman Tents!

This is the thumbnail I used for my 14 Best Coleman Tents video. From left to right: Coleman Instant Cabin 4-Person Tent, Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Tent, and Coleman Sundome 6-Person Tent.
This is the thumbnail I used for my 14 Best Coleman Tents video. From left to right: Coleman Instant Cabin 4-Person Tent, Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Tent, and Coleman Sundome 6-Person Tent.

Or, check out the Coleman Montana and Red Canyon Tents:

Check out the Montana Tent (Amazon)
Check out the Red Canyon Tent (Amazon)
Read my full review on the Montana Tent
Read my full review on the Red Canyon Tent

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