So I still haven't got around to starting on my micro camper, and I'm looking for something a little more spacious for my off-road expeditions than my Eureka Mountain Pass 3XTE.

I keep seeing good things about the Coleman Instant Tents and am considering the Instant Tent 6. I see that Coleman now sells an optional rain fly, which looks like it might address my concerns about the tent's rain performance. For some reason the weather gods and the off-roading gods are waging war against each other, and except for brief truces, most of my multi-day trips are in the soaking rain, if not outright downpours.

I'm not looking for a tent that can withstand a nor'easter, as worst case we can sleep in the Jeep. But I would like something that would withstand a good downpour or brief thunderstorm without leaking, has good ventilation, is easy to setup, and would provide space for two cots, a dog, gear and I could get in-and-out of without crawling.

Does anyone here have first-hand experience with the Instant Tent, or have seen one in person, and have opinions?

Thanks.

Nope, Coleman does make quality stuff.

Lee

I have a Coleman WeatherMaster 6, and I like it a lot.

Friends of mine have the 6 person model they use for car camping with their 3 kids. This tent is huge and if I recall, it weighs about 25-27 lbs. So far they have not reported any issues and I have seen the tent firsthand when it has been pitched in their backyard. Quality seems decent and they have not had any leaks that I am aware of. Mind you, they also string up a large tarp over the camp area in inclement weather.

Personally, I wouldn't get a tent without a full outer rain fly.

The company I've had good experience with for car-camping tents is Outbound. While I haven't bought something new from them in years for personal use, I have a large 5 or 6 man that I've used for years of family camping and I haven't had any problems with it. Plus we've seen our share of rainy days and some serious storms but we haven't gotten wet yet - without resorting to covering the tent with a tarp.

Another really nice feature I look for when I'm expecting rain is a good sized vestibule. The one on mine provides ample room for taking off shoes, rain clothes, etc. before entering the tent itself.

Looking at the newer Outbound models, their vestibules are even larger than the one I have and, by seeing them in person briefly, some of them even appear to have enough room to set up a couple chairs in the vestibule while still allowing easy access in & out. A couple of examples of 6 man tents from the current Outbound line would be the Lakeside Long 6 and the Explorer 6. The one I have is more similar to the current Klondike 5 in design.

That said, I have little experience with their newer models and am hoping they are the same quality as their older stuff. We recently bought my step son one of their 3 man tents (an Outpost Long 3) with no ill reports yet, but he's only used it once.

I actually own the Coleman Instant Tent 6, and took it out for the firt time this weekend.

We had a brief rain Saturday night, and it held up just fine under that rain-storm, but if they have a rain-fly for it now, I would probably still consider picking one up for really heavy downpours. The floor is very good, and no leaks. I did put set it up on a 10x10 tarp under it... just to protect it a little more.

The Tent is awesome, is as easy to set up as they claim and is very sturdy. Taking it down is a little harder as you have to get all the air out of it. At least the carry bag is big enough to hold the tent even if not rolled up as well as you would like it to be.

I've looked a bit at the Instant Tent 6 at other peoples' campsites and it seems pretty weather-tight but not much ventilation. The walls don't "breathe" at all so it could be hard to dry out inside. I haven't yet talked to anyone that's had one in a good rainstorm though. I did have friends with an Elite Weathermaster 6 that had a bit of dripping in the middle of the tent.

My pick in that size would be a Eureka Copper Canyon, either the 10x10 or 13x12. The floor fabric is a little thin, but it seems to handle wet weather reasonably well and has decent ventilation.

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I still haven't made up my mind.

Dennis, I normally agree with the full fly, but as I get older I'm getting tired of crawling in and out of the tent. The optional fly is not full coverage, but it does appear to provide protection for the top and side seams and enough coverage to leave the windows partially unzipped. It also doesn't look like it would be too hard to just throw a tarp over and stake it out so there's an air gap for ventilation.

Size and weight isn't a concern since on a heavy camping trip I'd be loading this onto a utility trailer.