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New camper:) Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

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  • New camper:) Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

    Hey guys, I've been browsing the forums for a while and I finally decided to become a member. So hello everyone!

    Anyhow, I'm looking for a large cabin type tent...I have a wife, 2 boys, and a dog. Nothing to extreme, just basic camping at the local campgrounds. I realize a lot of you guys like recommend the higher end tents and perhaps eventually I will upgrade. But for now, I just need the best family tent I can get for under $200. I've been browsing on amazon and so far I think i've narrowed it down...

    My wifes choice: Coleman Weathermaster 6 (she likes the screen area)

    My choice: Coleman 8 person instant tent

    or maybe the Coleman Elite Montana 8

    So what would you guys recommend for my family camping trip? Thanks a lot!
    Last edited by wolfgar23; 07-02-2013, 03:39 PM.

  • #2
    Re: New camper Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

    Welcome wolfgar! Hope your stay with us will be a long and happy continued camping journey! Picking the right tent(3-season or 4) is a very personal choice. For me, even though I'm the king of my campsite I always follow the advice of my wife who always proves right! I really can't explain it better than that. It's best to try to find the best tent to fit your immediate needs. If the tent lasts longer than than five years with normal use then you're struck pay-dirt! By then you might be ready to upgrade! Stick around and share your knowledge with us! Hope to see pics of what you purchase & your next campout too! Remember every campout is just practice for the next one!
    Get campin', Renodesertfox A canvas campateer
    Campin' Here Between Campouts! Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

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    • #3
      Re: New camper Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

      Based solely on the Amazon reviews, and the sticky thread on the instant tent, I would go with that one. You may want to read the sticky on the instant tent thread.
      Nights camped in 2019: 24
      Nights camped in 2018: 24

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      • #4
        Re: New camper Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

        We just got the Weathermaster 6. Our old tent had a screened area that we really liked (especially with the dog!). Plus it's tall enough for my 6'4" husband. I can't give you first hand experience on it yet, though we leave tomorrow for a week long trip so I'll try to update when we return.

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        • #5
          Re: New camper Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

          I have the 4 person Coleman Insta Tent and love it. Walmart has a great deal on the 8 person tent right now for just a little more than the Amazon price. For about $10 more, you get the fan/light combo and an airbed.
          http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-8P...undle/24909154
          - Laura
          Coleman Dome/Instant Cabin Tents, Kamprite IPS, Shasta Oasis 18ft Travel Trailer

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          • #6
            Re: New camper Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

            Whatever tent you choose, I highly recommend you get a separate screen tent. We spend a lot more waken hours inside the screen tent than inside the sleeping tent, soba BIG screen tent works well.

            I bought a humongous screen tent from Walmart for $80. And it was an excellent investment. We can easily fit a large picnic table inside with much room to spare.

            It keeps the sun, rain, and mosquitoes off of us

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            • #7
              Re: New camper Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

              If you're not an impulse buyer, you can do better on eBay. We've bought 3 tents for 60% off MSRP, new-in-the-box. I.E., $500 6-man tents from companies like Sierra Designs for $190. Just sayin', if it was me, I'd get a "disposeable" from W-Mart or whoevver, return it after an outing or two, and teach Coleman to stop selling Asian knockoff cr*p with their good stove/lantern name attached to catch suckers...IMHO of course.
              Mike's comments for a screen room are right on! Tents including these screen rooms are way too big for most tent pads and the screen room has no wind or rain integrity. If you're in no-bugville an Ezy-up will do, but otherwise (I hail from TigerMosquitoville myself) get a separate screen enclosure and like it. AFA as actad's post, I think he meant to say get a self-inflating sleeping pad (not an airbed). Airbeds/cots have 0.75 R-Values, once the temps drop below 50-degrees F you want to be thermo neutral, which is to say, 5.0 R-Value. Now if you have guests over in the house now and then, a "free" air mattress is good stuff, agreed!
              Last edited by tplife; 07-03-2013, 10:13 PM.
              “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
              ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

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              • #8
                Re: New camper Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

                The airbed was included, as was the fan/light, so for basically ten bucks, you could resell at a yard sale or give away if you are not a fan of them. I am a cot person, myself, which are great for the weather in which I tent camp. In cold weather camping, I would be in my little TT with a propane furnace.
                - Laura
                Coleman Dome/Instant Cabin Tents, Kamprite IPS, Shasta Oasis 18ft Travel Trailer

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                • #9
                  Re: New camper Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

                  We have the coleman instant and it’s a HOOT. Setup time is cut down dramatically since the tent goes up so easily. It’s also real roomy--best tent we’ve ever owned.

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                  • #10
                    Re: New camper Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

                    Just camped at Barkcamp State Park in Ohio. They have 3 Rent-A-Camp sites and use the Coleman Max Insta Tents. You get 2 cots, tent canopy, dining canopy, table, cooler, grill, propane, broom/dustpan, and lantern. Thought it was neat that they use the tent that I have.
                    Attached Files
                    - Laura
                    Coleman Dome/Instant Cabin Tents, Kamprite IPS, Shasta Oasis 18ft Travel Trailer

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                    • #11
                      Re: New camper Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

                      I've been using Coleman tents for at least 10 years. Have served me well. Seal the seams well and you should be good.

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                      • #12
                        Re: New camper Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

                        I have the elite weathermaster 6. love the hinged door with children, roll up/down windows, the fan/light prewired with the CPX6 system. That said we find it a little cramped for 3. the screened area is pretty small we usually just use it for tote and cooler storage. I would go with the 8 man and get a separate screen room.

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                        • #13
                          Re: New camper Help with tent...Coleman Instant tent vs Weathermaster?

                          I have an Instant Tent and it has made life so much easier when I roll into my campsite. My neighbors are always amazed. I traded in my Instant Tent 4 for an Instant Tent 6 because it has standing headroom which is much easier on my 60 year old body. With your big family go for the Instant Tent 8 and you will not be sorry.

                          Note that packing away the tent is harder than putting it up. Throw away the tie straps that are for packaging only and get yourself some straps with nylon buckles sewn in. When its time to wrestle the tent back into its bag, you can loosen the straps, circle the bulge of nylon and taffeta, and cinch them up to rein in the whole affair.

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