This brand frequently launches new models and there will be more tents added here in the list. This is why you might want to bookmark this text and visit it occasionally, this will keep you informed. This is one of the best known tents of Coleman, and it is primarily built for the US market. You have in total 9.2 + 6.7 m² in the main room and in the screened room. In addition to the Gold Series, with a unique light & heat reducing fly, the Northstar Lighted Dark Room Series is the ultimate design that combines ease of set up, and clever features for more luxurious expeditions. The largest tents of Core are 12 person, and they have them as instant and non-instant, lighted and non-lighted.
Fly-less, we had no problems, and the tent maintained its shape under windy conditions the first time we pitched it. The tent body simply clips onto a set of aluminum poles that dock into grommets at four corners of the tent. These now-common clip-style setups are generally intuitive and can be accomplished in minutes—certainly this was true of the Mineral King 3, as under good conditions one person pitched the tent in under five minutes. In high winds, it took us a maximum of 10 minutes to pitch and fully secure the tent fly with extra lines and stakes. Mountain Hardwear’s plastic clips and aluminum poles handled well and fit together easily. For this guide, we’re not looking at overly specialized gear but rather tents that suit the most common terrains you’re likely to roll up to in a car-camping scenario—grassy lawns or clearings, soil, sand, and basic platforms.
A full rain cover, a spacious vestibule, and a reinforced pole structure make this the best choice for families who are committed to getting outside no matter the weather. If you’re constantly on the move and aren’t keen on pitching and taking down a tent, rooftop tents secure to the roof of your car and either pop up or fold out when you’re ready to use them. This convenience and additional features — including a ladder and a built-in mattress — mean rooftop tents tend to be on the higher end of the price spectrum.
With enough floor area to fit two queen-sized mattresses, 6 feet of headroom at the center, and good ventilation, it checks many of the boxes that people are looking for in a tent. It’s not the most weather-worthy or well-built design, but it’s an excellent value for what you get. To see how it stacks up against coleman sleeping bags the competition, see our article on the best camping tents. Last but not least, Coleman offers another intriguing budget option in their Montana tent. Stacked up against the Sundome, the Montana 6P is smaller with 84 square feet of floor area, shorter with a 68-inch peak height, and costs a little more at $117.
Nylon is also more susceptible to UV damage, which, as Howe pointed out, is a top tent killer. In the backcountry, campers are generally making camp each evening and then packing up again in the morning, whereas car campers generally leave their tents up for much longer periods of time, increasing the material’s UV exposure. (Howe suggested setting a tent up in the shade to prolong coleman cabin tent its life.) Polyester is stiffer and heavier but not as susceptible to UV damage, and it doesn’t absorb water like nylon does, Howe told us. The takeaway here is that polyester is arguably the better fabric for car campers, who often pitch their tents in a sunny spot. Finding the smallest, lightest tent that meets your needs is the logical approach when you’re backpacking.