Cortes Octagon 8

I’m not a Coleman fan, but there far room tents are a great tent, well ventilated, very dark in daylight. My sister has an older version 8-person with the door flap door which is my favorite feature

We have a Robens Aero Yurt and it’s brilliant. The step up from the Coleman Octagons we’d used before is enormous. Really, really impressive build quality.

I have had the eight person for about four years now. We use it maybe three times a summer. It’s very heavy. So definitely a car camping tent. It is easy to set up. Not quite as easy to pack away. We did camp through a torrential downpour. With the rain fly, it did leak a bit near the windows. I subsequently bought tint wax and waxed all the seams near the windows. Haven’t used it in the rain since so I don’t know if it worked. One thought. We are two adults and one kid. We can all sleep in half the tent. That leaves the other half as a living room if the weather is no good or at night, I put a blanket down, a couple of camping chairs, and a table, and we have our own little tent cabin.

If you are car camping, go big on the tent. The space is great. I use a 6-8 person tent for myself and two dogs. I can fit a queen sized cot, side table, and double camp chair in the tent with plenty of space left over. Really nice when there is bad weather. Plus being able to stand up and move around in a tent is great. The exped megamat is one of the most comfortable sleeping pads you can get. I recommend putting it on a cot to get yourself further off the ground. I don’t bother with an electric cooler and just have a good Rotomolded cooler from Ozark trail. Can hold ice for a 5 day trip when packed correctly. For cooking I bring a Coleman stove and a tripod so I can good over the fire or on the stove depending on what I’m making. Between that and a cast iron pan and a pot I can make just about anything. I just bring my pillow from home. I’m by my car so space isn’t an issue. Especially since I switched to a minivan this year. Even with two large dogs along I have a ton of space to pack. I used to have a small sedan and packing was a bit more interesting in that. A roof bag came in handy. For water I bring a 7 gallon igloo container that I put under the table. I have a USB powered faucet and a hose runs down to the container. Works out great and so much easier to use. I get a lot of heat on sale, second hand, and from Sierra. My tents are Coleman and Ozark trail. The Ozark trail one is a 6 person instant tent that I bring if it’s a quicker trip and good weather. The Coleman is an 8 person but not instant. Has better weather resistance though so if rain is in the forecast I bring that one.

Coleman 6 person instant tent, been using it since 2018 and still going strong. Before that we had the 8 person tent and that lasted close to 10 years. No ragrets.

OMG. We have the same tent, same size family and we called our "The Condo" as well. Each boy had their own area and mom and dad had the middle with a queen size air mattress. The big old 100 lb lab even had plenty of room.

In general, the bigger the tent, the more involved setup is. If you want 4 people, and gear, and not feel cramped, I wouldn't suggest anything smaller than an 8 person. Packed away, this will be the size of a duffel bag. It's going to be strictly a car camping type thing. My recommendation - start with something really simple and affordable. You can find a Coleman 8 person for around $200. Go on that a few times, in a few different weather scenarios. It'll be plenty quality enough that it won't leave you miserable or be a detriment. But it's affordable enough that you won't feel like you wasted a bunch if/when it gets relegated to backup spare status. Going in that one will help you determine features that are deal breakers. Do you need better rain protection? Lighter weight? Better ventilation? Light blocking? Higher quality poles or materials? As you put that list together, you can decide your budget, and that'll narrow the field a ton. Or, you might determine that you're perfectly happy in the Coleman, and you've saved yourself hundreds of dollars.