Coleman Instant 10 Man Tent

[TerryD]

So we got this tent last week and tried it out this weekend. Another member suggested that I should write a review so here's my go at it.

Two years ago our old 10 man dome tent died a pretty rough death and we've been discussing what to replace it with. The compact size of the dome tents when packed up was a definite check in it's column, but the speed and ease of the instant tents won out. I found the 4 man tent on Amazon Lightning Deal for $70 and picked it up to check them out. My wife and I were both really impressed with it and pulled the trigger on the 10 man for the family. I found it on Amazon as well for $269 with the rain fly, which I had to buy extra for the 4 man.

When it arrived, we obviously had to give it a try. We just unboxed it and set it up in the yard really quick to see how it went and to make sure everything was included with it.



The wife and I were both very pleased with how quickly it went up and came down, but packing it back up was a bit of a pain.

So we packed up and headed out Friday, putting the tent, our instant 10x10 canopy and the camp chairs on the roof rack.

At camp, we took a little extra time setting it up, this time staking in the legs of the tent after we got it stood up and making sure the base was pretty square. Putting the rainfly on it was easy, and we figured out pretty quickly that if you tie out the rainfly, it really stabilizes the tent. With it just strapped to the tent, it kept wanting to pull the tent down in a spiral motion that would have really been rough getting out of if it collapsed on you in the middle of the night.

Here are a couple pictures of the tent setup, both inside and out.



That's one queen air mattress and two twin size air mattresses in there with PLENTY of room to spare, even thought kids fill all available space with clothes they "unpacked"... I'm 5'10" so I'm not very tall, but this thing has amazing amounts of head space in it. I can walk to all four corners standing up straight and only at the very edges does the slope of the wall cau

 

[TerryD]

Some stuff to add:

• The door and door screen zipper pulls all line up when it's closed. This caused some serious issues when my oldest woke up in the middle of the night with an upset stomach. To remedy this, I swapped out the original pulls with bright red 550 cord that is MUCH longer than the original pulls so hopefully they will be easy to find in an emergency such as we experienced that night.

 

[theick]

Thanks for the writeup. I've been looking at the 6 man after our other tent leaked like crazy in the rain. I always worry about rainflys that don't cover the sides and windows for the tent. That's were you end up getting wet.

 

[BCBrian]

I have the 6 man version of this tent. When the windows are closed and the fly is installed, it is pretty waterproof. The vents on the roof are closeable and the floor material comes up the sides about 8". If you get all the zippers closed tight it stays very dry.

Packing it back up was a challenge the 1st time until a friend showed me how to roll it into a tighter package. Gather the poles together and pull the fabric out from the center, then roll the flaps around the group of poles and it will fit in the bag much easier. I do it by myself in about 5 minutes once the stakes are pulled and the fly is removed.

 

[dventoza]

I have the 10 man version as well and I like it for what it is but the one thing I didn't like was how loose and sunk in the tops is the door areas are. Makes the "hinged" door really saggy. That's really my only complaint besides trying to package it back up. Oh and the oversized bag they give you is awesome! Doesn't have to be put away exactly like it was from the factory to fit in the bag.

 

[TerryD]

Oh and the oversized bag they give you is awesome! Doesn't have to be put away exactly like it was from the factory to fit in the bag.

Funny you mention that, we didn't find that feature till the third time we packed it back up...

 

[ClearwaterScott]

We borrowed the 6 person version from a buddy last summer for a quick 2 day trip. My only concern was with the strength of the floor material. In the 6 person version the hub for all the poles packs back onto the center of the floor which was quickly wearing thin. I reinforced with some Gear Aid flex patch. Just something to consider.

 

[dventoza]

Funny you mention that, we didn't find that feature till the third time we packed it back up...

Haha, yeah it's nice once you find it!

 

[Jelorian]

I have 2 of the 6 man versions and they are still going strong. Both came with the rain fly. I've seen some of the Instant Tents sell without them so make sure it's included if you want the rainfly. They will hold up to the wind but you really need to stake them down properly. Was debating the 10 man version as they have them at Costco now. For the price and ease of setup they are pretty nice. I also love how the bag has some extra space for those who can't pack the tent up as tightly as it came from the factory.

 

[TerryD]

I have 2 of the 6 man versions and they are still going strong. Both came with the rain fly. I've seen some of the Instant Tents sell without them so make sure it's included if you want the rainfly. They will hold up to the wind but you really need to stake them down properly. Was debating the 10 man version as they have them at Costco now. For the price and ease of setup they are pretty nice. I also love how the bag has some extra space for those who can't pack the tent up as tightly as it came from the factory.

We didn't actually find that extra room feature till after we had packed up the 10 man twice and the 4 man once.

 

[Scout]

I have a 6 man also.. I love the extra space when its just my wife and I..I haven't found any issues with it.. Easy up and easy back down. Nice and quick..Cant wait to get back out in it.. My 1 and only complaint. When I purchased it, all rain flys were on back order.. Haven't looked for one yet..one of the brown on one side and gray on the other side tarps works pretty good..

 

[TerryD]

So we camped for two nights on the Outer Banks this weekend in our tent. It did well with mild winds, but in the higher winds like during the day out there, it didn't did as well. I had to re-rig the guys for it a couple times and it still collapsed until the wind died down. If you could find better cover than we had out would probably do better, but we were limited on space choice.

 

[Espengineer]

Just used this tent with a friend. Setup was a breeze. Overall I think it works well, plenty of room, good ventilation. I like the idea of the red paracord. The only cons were in the two days we used it, it seemed like the extra flap on the door got caught in the zipper every time it was opened. The other is the size when closed, this thing is pretty big.

 

[TerryD]

We have some issues with the little flap at the zipper as well. You kind of develop a method of using it though.

We honestly had no issue putting it back in the bag BEFORE we popped the little extra room thing open on the back of the bag. I wish we had never open it up honestly, it packed away easier and smaller as it was.

 

[Mike W]

What is the footprint of that tent? Seems like a nice space, but I have trouble finding a flat spot for my 10'x10' sometimes.. that one must be twice that.

 

[TerryD]

I've not measured mine and I can't find a listing online, but it is pretty big. We've just been at improved sites with it so we haven't had any issues finding a space. I could see it being a challenge if you were in some of the dispersed spots I've come across though.