How Good Are Coleman Tents? (I Have 14 of Them!)

Part 1 of 5

They’re genuinely easy to put up

This is Coleman’s biggest strength. There are four different ways a Coleman tent goes up, and I’ve timed all of them myself, solo, including staking and guying out.

Type	How it goes up	My timing
Pop Up	Unbag, unstrap, toss. It pops open with the rainfly pre-attached	15 seconds
Instant	Pull the elbow joints up, extend the telescoping wall poles, fit the rainfly	30-50% faster
Fast Pitch (Skydome 4)	Pre-attached poles, fast-fitting feet, pole clips instead of sleeves	9.5 minutes
Conventional (Sundome 6)	Poles through sleeves, propped up by hand	11.5 minutes
Conventional (WeatherMaster 10)	Same again, but short sleeves and sturdy poles	19 minutes

My adviceThe Fast Pitch system is the one that didn’t deliver: my Skydome 4 took 9.5 minutes, about the same as a conventional Sundome 4. If you want a genuinely fast setup, buy a Pop Up or an Instant, not Fast Pitch.

Part 2 of 5

Three features I actually love

• Dark room fabricColeman claims it blocks 90% of light, and I’d broadly agree. Caveats: the bathtub floor has no dark room fabric, and there’s a gap between ceiling mesh and rainfly.
• Hinged D-doorOn the WeatherMaster 10, Instant Cabin 10, Montana 8 and the Elite tents. Two extra fiberglass poles install it, and then it’s 5 seconds, tops, to get in or out. And it still zips shut with the poles in place.
• Auto-rolling windowsOn the Elite Sundome. Unzip the window and the fabric rolls itself up. No latches to fumble with, no droopy window fabric.

One thing to knowOn dark room tents with side-wall vents (the Sundome Dark Room and Carlsbad Dark Room), guying the rainfly out lets a lot of light in through those vents. Leave the rainfly lower if you want it darker.

Part 3 of 5

Every size and shape you could want

Coleman runs from 1-person to 12-person, and across 14 tents I found the stated capacities genuinely accurate, assuming everyone sleeps shoulder to shoulder.

Three shapes cover almost the whole range:

Part 4 of 5

And now the cons: all of them

• WaterproofingWater-resistant, not waterproof. Rainflies are short (some cover only the ceiling mesh), and the inverted flooring seams leak after 15-30 minutes of heavy rain. Full data in how waterproof Coleman tents are.
• Structural integrityMostly fiberglass poles, the least structurally sound pole material. And Coleman’s aren’t thick or confidence-inspiring. Aluminum would be better.
• No usable vestibuleNot one of my 14 had usable vestibule space. Even the Montana 8’s front porch only gave shade, not rain protection.
• One door, usuallyEven the big family tents (Montana 8, Red Canyon 8) have a single door. Only my WeatherMaster 10, Instant Cabin 10 and Elite Sundome 6 have two.
• Storage is lackingMost have just 2 pockets, averaging about 9 × 7 inches. My Instant Cabin 10, a ten-person tent, has two. And my Red Canyon 8, Evanston 6, Skydome 4, Instant 4, Pop Up 4 and Pop Up 2 have no e-port at all.
• Materials68D-75D polyester body, polyethylene floor. Higher-end tents use higher-denier polyester, polyester floors and aluminum poles.
• Not for backpackingYou could split a Sundome 2 with a friend, but the packed size is still large. A real backpacking tent halves Coleman’s weight and packed size at minimum.
• 1-year warrantyMarmot, Teton and ALPS Mountaineering all warrant tents for life. Coleman gives you 1 year, limited.

My adviceIf you want premium materials in a regular camping tent, REI Co-Op. Mountaineering or winter camping, Mountain Hardwear or The North Face. Marmot and Nemo are excellent too. Just know they cost at least 3-4× what a Coleman does, and usually more.

Part 5 of 5

Who Coleman tents are and aren’t for

That range is exactly why Coleman does so well; they target the average, budget-conscious summer camper looking for a simple getaway, and they nail it.

The winners

Which Coleman tent is best?

I bought and tested 14 of them, so here are the awards.

My award	Winner (on Amazon)	Also at
Best Value for Money	Coleman Sundome 6	Dick’s · Walmart · Coleman
Best Large Family Tent	Coleman WeatherMaster 10	Dick’s · Walmart · Coleman
Best Instant Cabin Tent from Coleman	Coleman Instant Cabin 10	Dick’s – Dark Room · Walmart · Coleman
Best Budget Large Family Tent	Coleman Montana 8	Dick’s · Walmart · Coleman
Best Screen Room Tent	Coleman Evanston 6	Walmart · Coleman
Best Budget Pick	Coleman Sundome 2	Walmart · Coleman
Quickest Set Up	Coleman Pop Up 4	Walmart

My “Best Value for Money” pick is the Sundome 6: my highest scorer at 7.8, with no real cons, and about $100. Need something bigger? The Montana 8 is my Best Budget Large Family Tent: a huge 140.6 sq ft base, three queen beds’ worth of floor, for about $150.

Quick questions

FAQ

Are Coleman tents good quality?

For the money, yes. Across 14 of them I found them easy to set up, feature-rich, and accurate on capacity. They’re not top-of-the-line. Fiberglass poles, short rainflies and a 1-year warranty are the price.

Is Coleman a good tent brand?

A decent one, with excellent value for money. Coleman targets the average, budget-conscious summer camper. For extreme conditions or mountaineering, look at REI Co-Op, Mountain Hardwear or The North Face instead, at 3-4× the price.

Which Coleman tent is the best?

My Best Value for Money pick is the Sundome Dark Room 6 at barely over $100. For large families it’s the WeatherMaster 10, or the Red Canyon 8 on a budget. Quickest set-up is the 4-Person Pop Up, at 15 seconds.

Keep going

Where to next

Every figure on this page comes from the 14 Coleman tents I saved up for and bought myself.