Coleman Instant Pop-Up Camping Tent, 2/4 Person

My Coleman Pop-Up just arrived and I have to say I am impressed. After reading all the negative comments about the quality and difficulty putting it away I was skeptical. However, the quality is on par for what it is intended to be, a simple easy overnight fair weather tent for families. As a boy scout leader and life long hiker and camper I have seen all manner of tents over the years (currently have 4) and all in all this is a good option for the novice or family looking for a quick easy solution to camping in a tent. I was looking for a quick easy tent for weekend camping when I cant use my hammock.

PROS:
Light and easy to put up. (However, not really a hiking tent. Packed, its a large circle that’s about 32 inches across.)
Everything you need in one package, stakes, rain fly, etc.
Good Size for TWO (2) adults or One adult and One child. There is NO WAY you are getting 4 adults into this tent. Maybe 4, 5-10 year olds. Perfect for a couple of Cub Scouts.
Lots of ventilation screening. This is most definitely a PRO since condensation at the peak of the tent can be a problem with multiple people in a tent.
Free standing, the design allows it to be set up with no need to stake it down to make it stay up.
Folds up flat with no bulky bag.

CONS:
You will need 2 cheap tarps. (One to go under the tent and one to cover the inside on the floor. The floor material is thinner than expected but a tarp covering the floor took care of any concerns I had about tearing the floor from the outside or having a cot rub a hole in the material. )
It is short inside. You will not be standing up inside as an adult but most backpacking tents have his downfall.

Addressing Other Negative Comments:
Zipper Being Too Tight to Zip- Apparently people are stretching the tent out lengthwise before they put the stakes into the ground. That was the only way I could get any tension in the zipper. Simply open the tent and put the stakes in the ground exactly where the loops end up.
Hard To Put Away- It comes with 4 step picture instructions that are simple and easy and in English and Spanish and there are tons of YouTube videos. Posted Comment: ” Myself and 4 adult men couldn’t get it back in the bag.” If you by yourself let alone with 4 other adults cant put this tent back in the bag and cant follow any of these instructions without breaking the poles, you probably should not be out in the woods anyway. If a true emergency were to arise I am pretty sure you’re not going to make it home.
Quality: Boys and Girls it is a $70 tent, if you’re climbing K-12 or camping in the Amazon this is not the tent for you. (I doubt any of the people complaining have the capability to do either anyway) If you’re taking the family to the park for the weekend or your younger scouts for an overnight, its perfect. Experienced campers know how to work around these minor shortfalls so see above.

In summary, its a great little tent for car camping or quick 2-3 night scout camping. Good for two adults or 4 younger kids. Know its limitations and accept them. Dont wait to set it up for the first time once you’re in the woods. Practice makes perfect! Lastly, be careful when opening for the first time, it is under tension! Only let one ring go at a time, otherwise you may get a face full of tent and a fat lip to remind you to be more careful next time.

Happy Camping and Leave NO Trace.

Très facile à installer, 10 secondes! Pour le rangement un peu plus de sport, par contre avec la vidéo Youtube ça quand même bien été.
Testé sous une faible pluie et je suis restée au sec.

Affordable, easy setup, easy packup, lots of space for someone whos around 5’11 and fits in the bed of my truck. No complaints

After a few practice setups and more importantly, take downs, I tested this tent (2P) camping this past weekend. IT does indeed go up very quickly and one could argue that is goes down just about as fast. However, because I was camping with others that made me show them how easy it was a few times it may have lost its speed advantage over other tents. People find it amazing and want to see it.

The test also included it in both some mild wind and some rain. It handled both very well and did not leak a drop! The issues others have pointed out about the door being inset when open and water getting in that way are indeed true, but minor. Many tents get wet around the door in the rain as folks enter and exit. You just wipe it up. I might rig a tiny fly extension for it to prevent this when using it in the future.

All of my other tents that get used frequently are Sierra Designs, two of which are four season tents. Is this one as good as those? No, no it is not. In “real weather,” or backpacking I’d use the Sierra Designs tents. But they take far more effort and time to setup and take down. In good weather the Pop Up has them beat!

I also use a Sierra Designs Baffin Bivy and though not a tent, it is used for speed, i.e set up and take down camp fast. It is still faster than the Coleman Popup, but not by a lot and the Pop Up is certainly more comfortable and less of an issue in rain.

Others have pointed out issues taking the tent down and folding it up, even broken polls while doing this. I did not have any issue. I watched the YouTube videos and made a point of being gentle. I practiced a lot. I can fold it up in well under a minute. I have folded it up maybe 40 times without any poll issues or failures. To those having issues, practice, never force it and watch the you tube videos of the folks who know how to do it. It is really, really, easy.

Others have pointed out the door zipper can be difficult to zip. This is also true and more so when the tent is staked out. It is not a one handed operation, but to be just, on all three of my Sierra Designs tents, it is a two handed operation also, and mostly where the door corves when they are put up tight. The Coleman was the same, though it is slightly harder to zip up. I’d ding it for that, but I got used to it pretty fast. It is another thing where being gentle with it will have rewards.

Some have pointed out the cloth floor as an issue. Though, many tents have fabric flows this one seems thin and may be a vulnerable spot. I used a small tarp under It (I use fitted ground cloths with my other tents). I sized the tarp so most of the water running off the tent hit dirt and not the tarp (so the water does not go under the tent). I did not have any problems.

Finally, it comes down to how many stars. I could easily say my Sierra Designs, tents are 5 stars and therefore this must be something far less. However, the Sierra Designs tents cost three to five times as much! The ease of setup earns this tent a great score. For the price this Coleman Popup is 100% worth it. Five stars.

This tent can do more than a kids’ backyard summer camp out. Used in winter, -5 C, no wind. For just 1 person. Pitched on packed snow, with an messy mix of snow and sleet happening. The tent was covered in a thin layer of ice the next morning. Performed very well. No precipitation got in, and there was no condensation or dampness in the tent. I used a groundsheet and just the 2 integrated guy lines, no other stakeouts. Tent was solid. It has a bathtub floor btw which will help in soggy conditions. The only downside is the lack of any kind of entry protection. Snow fell in from the door every time it was opened. These are small tents so what comes in goes everywhere. Would be unmanageable with 2 people. Addition of an isolated and floored vestibule area would make this tent truly amazing.