Since we tested a lot of instant tents in this roundup, we want you to know that they can be heavier than you might expect. While instant tents are getting lighter, they’re still heavier than standard tents and are not a good choice as a carry-along when you hit the trails. They are best as car camping tents, and for backyard campouts and staycations. Normally cabin tents are used by groups going on a camping trip in a car or a truck as they are quite heavy when compared to dome tents.
The hydrostatic head ratings on both brands’ tents are not the highest, I think easily less than 1,000 millimeters, so the fabric will also start leaking after an hour of heavy rain. What’s more, the carrying bag split open the first time I zipped it shut and, from the looks of it, won’t last more than two or three camping trips before it needs to be replaced. It had a ton of great online reviews and video bloggers hailed it as one of the best family tents for the price. We loved the thoughtful design features of this tent by Kansas-based company Core, including electrical cord access, a lantern hook, a gear loft, and a huge wall organizer. This tent includes a place for everything, so you’ll never be left scrambling to find your cell phone, headlamp, or wallet.
Overall, these poles—all of them aluminum—contribute to a particularly sturdy structure, with or without the rain fly. During our testing, our Base Camp shrugged off both a rainstorm and a desert windstorm as if they were nothing. Despite losing some headroom in comparison with the Kelty Wireless 6 and The North Face Wawona 6, both of which measure six-foot-four in height, the Base Camp 6 offers a substantial six-foot-two. This can be problematic with all family camping tents, but we noticed in testing that this was a major issue with many instant tents. Many lacked windows on four sides of the tent, which can be stifling in warmer weather if you haven’t positioned your tent in the right direction for a cross breeze—something we found frustrating. After researching 30 six-person tents and testing 15 side by side on a total of five trips, we chose the Kelty Wireless 6 as the best entry-level camping tent for most families.
The main tent body has a giant front door that’s oriented to make entry and exit easy for all the tent’s occupants at night, and a smaller back window that doubles as a second door. The Wawona 6 is more complex to set up than a classic dome-style tent like the Wireless 6, but not by much. We recommend doing it with two people, but one person can manage in about 15 minutes. As with any free-standing tent, with this one you stake out the four corners, and then you feed the two main tent poles through the Wawona’s fabric sleeves, which go halfway down the tent’s body. The North Face’s color-coded poles make this process easy to navigate. (We were stubborn and didn’t look at the instructions.) Once you identify the front and back, the process is straightforward.
Note that the packed size is quite good 26 x 10.5 inches (66 x 27 cm) and you can transport it on a bicycle. Also consider how many doors you will need, which will depend on the makeup of your party. Sleepovers, backyard movies, and allowing your kids to bring a friend because you have this tent as a second are all good reasons to consider the Coleman Cabin with Instant Setup. Just remember you are buying simplicity and speed, nothing more. Ships in the manufacturer’s original packaging, which may reveal the contents.
It’s spacious, easy to set up, has weather protection, and is durable, all at an affordable price. The Wireless 6 lacks some of the premium materials found in pricier tents, but it features solid workmanship and should provide dependable, comfortable shelter in most three-season camping situations. The only issue is while the Coleman Skydome coleman bbq calls itself an instant tent, it really isn’t one. It lacks telescopic poles or pop-open features to make it truly instant. It is, however, one of the easiest family camping tents we’ve ever assembled, making it a perfect middle ground for a family that wants an easier setup and a sturdy build, without the bulk of an instant tent.
Express Shipping Fees are a fixed cost based on the distance between your shipping address and the selected store. Shipping Fees are calculated based on your shipping address, and the size and weight of the item(s) being shipped. The inner door is also huge and this is again a double-layer type, with mesh and with panels.
Space-wise, the dimensions are 11 x 8 ft (335 x 244 cm) and the back room has around 64 ft² (6 m²). But there is also the front screen room that adds around 2 square meters and this space is partially protected even in the tent’s version without the porch. For retail purchases returned with a receipt, please return the unused and unopened item, with the
original sales receipt, for a full refund or exchange.
In our tests, an experienced camper took only about six minutes on the first try to set up the tent body alone and stake it out. Getting the fly placed and staked properly took about five more minutes. While we’ve mentioned how the simple setup and its storage sack benefit you by saving time, you will also find the front door is a good size for everyone to get in and out of with ease. These are additional waterproofing features that most tent companies don’t include. The integrated fly can help for a light misting of rain, but you should invest in a rain fly for this tent if you want to stay dry during storms. For waterproofing, Coleman has their WeatherTec System, which features things like inverted seams around the entire tent, coupled with seam taping on certain seams, like the seams on the rainfly.