Elite Montana™ 8-Person Cabin Tent

I have the Coleman Montana and the Coleman Carlsbad. Love the Montana, but the footprint is huge. We don't camp a ton, but this is our most-used tent and is plenty spacious for our family of 4. I hate the Carlsbad. Ours is only 4p, so idk if the 8p is taller, but I can't stand up in it. But the *worst* feature is the vestibule. The zippers come together at the ground in the middle. There's nothing holding it taut, so you can't unzip it one handed *and* it's on the ground. It's extremely frustrating if you're carrying anything. Plus, there are large holes on the sides of the vestibule for cords or whatever, so you'll get plenty of bugs in there.

We use a Coleman Montana 8p tent (A2) for our family of five and the tent is still going strong 7 years later.  It’s rained while we camped and we stayed surprisingly dry for a cheap tent without a full rain fly.  We all have plenty of room and once you know how to set it up it’s pretty easy.

We have an 8-person Coleman Montana for our family of five.  We’ve used it for about 8 years now.  Fits us wonderfully.  It’s not hard to put up but does require two people. A dome-style tent might be easier, or even an instant cabin tent.  I would keep everyone in the same tent, especially since you’re just starting out.  My oldest 2 are 10 and 12.  Even though we’ve been camping since they were babies, I do not think they’d feel comfortable in their own tent yet.  Maybe soon. I’d get the oldest 3 and you sleeping pads (if you can afford it), and put the 1 year old in a pack n play.  If you can’t afford sleeping pads then use air mattresses - but make sure they fit without touching the walls of the tent.  Our Coleman Montana can fit two queen air mattresses with a pack n play in the middle.

I’ve had an amazing time using the Coleman Montana 8 for my car camping tent. It is very breathable and does not leak. I’ve used in more times than I can count in all weather including high winds and sideways rain. If guyed out, it will withstand anything and keep you and your family safe. I just got a new one after the last one lasted 8 years before the seam tape started separating.

i have owned 2 coleman 8 person tents that utilize that same design. they were not the black out ones ( I camped in florida and it got crazy hot here, so i wanted thin material that was light colored). this design stood up to LOTS of wind and rain very well. only complaint would be a lack of air flow as all the windows were a few feet above the ground so it was tough to get air flowing through the tent. IF you are camping in a warm location a small battery fan may be a good idea

I looked up your tent. looks like they added a vent in the rear / bottom. this would help with airflow and a small fan down there would suck in (relatively) cool air. The windows at the top would help eliminate condensation ... and there is a lot of room in these tents. was not an issue for me. My first coleman 8 person (**Montana**) with this design had a small doggy door in the back, that had a screen that helped with ventilation. The second one did not have the doggy door, but did have a lot more material on sides of the door to that created a rain-free awning

That tent is a coleman montana 8 person. I have had 2 of them,.they are very sturdy when all the guy lines are used. It does well in the rain... the fly covers the 2 side windows very well. my only complaint would be the windows are high so there is not much air flow low down. I always bring a small fan so not an issue. The coleman 6 person is what I used last. It was fine after I my dog passed and it was just me. I like to have enough room to stand, and bring a chair and small table inside incase it rains. This one is 10x10' and 6' tall. https://preview.redd.it/vna1vl7a5krf1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c7cb984cda2696f6a6e11b307ce64be9bd89425

Coleman makes decent lower cost tents. I had an 8 person that withstood several crazy winter storm fronts in florida while island camping (60-70 mph)...I did use all the guy lines and they were secured to trees or tree roots. I have also had a 4 person 10x10 dome tent from coleman that worked great https://preview.redd.it/f61egic2lptf1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7894d5619f7bcf8c2db3f933bfa9419af460dc4

Family of 5 here. We upgraded from a Colman Montana to a NorthFace Wawona 8 this year. We love the new tent, it’s so much easier to errect and disassemble.

We bought the Coleman for $80 in an Amazon sale. The NorthFace cost us $500 at REI (it was on sale and we had sone dividends to use). We broke the Coleman twice during the year we owned it. We haven’t broken the NorthFace yet. The Coleman was perfectly serviceable, but the NorthFace feels more spacious (smaller floor area, but more vertical space and a huge vestibule). The Coleman was more prone to condensation buildup, especially camping in the spring.

When I got a new knee, after surgery, and we had a small tent, my bf got us a McMansion tent..for like 8 ppl! I could stand up in it and we could use an air mattress for ease of getting up/laying down. No one said a word, but it was sort of laughable, but I didn't care! It also had space for more stuff in the tent! What's "normal" anyway? Just have a great time camping!!

The Sundome or Cabin series are car camping staples. Great value, easy setup, perfectly adequate for 40-75°F. The ventilation is decent and they're bomber in light rain. Downsides: heavier materials, can get condensation if you seal it up too much. Honestly for your use case, Coleman is probably the practical choice. The price difference could go toward a better sleeping pad or quilt which makes way more difference for comfort.