Both of the doors zip open to the side that’s color-coded blue, as opposed to zipping open to opposite sides. This means the vestibules equally protect the doors, rather than providing opposite entries and exits—the latter creates a situation where, in stormy weather, one side of the tent is always more exposed to blustering wind or rain. In other words, one partner—or one partner’s gear—is always going to get a dose of weather when they head out.
And I typically find that color coding the poles and the connection points and sleeves is the easiest way to communicate what goes where. This is great for avoiding potential exposure to hazardous chemicals, but you should pitch the tent well away from any open flames. The 2 room dividers turn it into a 3-room tent – one divider is even made with silver-coated fabric so it works as a movie screen. There are also two strings of LED lights hanging inside the tent, an E-port to power your tech goods, and a mud mat.
They even asked if they could trade their typical family tent (a similar cabin style to the below models) for this tent at the conclusion of testing. The separate fly, which covers the upper half of the tent, uses a third, shorter “brow” pole to form protective peaks over the door and the back window. 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.
I laid down a tarp before I took out the tent from its box and it took me about 15 minutes to put up (&and I don’t like reading instruction but it is on the inside of the duffle bag). I’ve always wanted an instant tent and heard how easy it is to pop up. After I ordered the product at Walmart.com, I went to the store to pay cash. I received two queen air mattress on time but did not receive the tent till well over time estimated delivery. I almost went to refund the tent, but it did not qualify @ the time.
But with this tent, you have to neatly fold the pole inside the tent body to have a hope of getting the whole thing back in the carrying sack. But the bigger issue is that one of the plastic pieces that holds the pole into place on one side broke. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).
Even if you’re well versed with the classic criss cross style of most modern camping and backpacking tents, the structural needs of a 10-person tent can get pretty intense. So I understand why Coleman tried to simplify it by attaching their poles at one end of each tent. The smaller of the two problems is that this makes breakdown more of a hassle than it needs to be. You can’t simply fold up the poles separately and do whatever you need to do with a sopping wet rain fly and tent body. It’s natural to focus on the quality of a tent’s rain fly—you need that piece to work when the skies open up.
You can secure the fly to the poles with Velcro ties underneath the fly, so that the extra lines anchored the whole tent, not just the thin protective fabric, but we only needed to do so in very windy conditions. When the fly is fully deployed, the tent has two vestibules, which provide additional gear storage and also help ventilate the tent in inclement weather. And in a stroke of design brilliance, a small loop sewn into the top of the fly makes it possible to ozark trail instant cabin roll up one half of the fly, exposing the full mesh canopy while still providing shade and privacy. Its walls are 75-denier polyester fabric (tougher than the Wireless 6’s 68-denier polyester and the same as the REI Co-op Base Camp’s) that extends about two-thirds up the tent’s sides, and then is topped with mesh. The partial fly does a great job of keeping rain out of the upper, mesh areas, and cleverly placed vents maintain airflow so it never feels too stuffy.
Most of the tents we tested came with basic L-shaped stakes, which tended to spin around in the soil and slip a line. A full rain cover, two vestibules, and an extra-sturdy pole structure make this the best choice for families who want to get outside in any weather. In this camping tent guide by Academy Sports + Outdoors, you’ll learn how to choose your next tent. You can easily fit two queen-sized air mattresses inside of a 10-person tent, or six twin-sized camping mattresses. Plan to bring along the directions if this is your first time setting one up. Beyond this breakage, however, the Skydome ended up being a pretty serviceable tent.