Coleman - Instant Tent with 1-Minute Setup, 4-Person
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 5, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
12
3
"Shit man, I still got them and they still work great. Oldest one close to 15 years."
"I've had mine for over a decade of camping in all kinds of weather across the American SW, including multiday camping festivals, this thing refuses to die lol."
"The tent I use most often is a 4 person Coleman I bought new for $40 about 20 years ago. I'm very pleased with it. It gets about 10 days of use a year, so 200 days total so far"
16
1
"man they setup FAST."
"Setup was ridiculously simple – probably took us 3 minutes, tops, with zero stress (which is saying something if you’ve ever struggled with mystery tent poles at dusk)."
"It's so easy to set up - even solo and I'm only 5'1."
4
1
"I’m pretty tall so I really appreciate the standing room. It made getting changed or just moving around so much easier than ducking in a tiny pup tent."
"Managed to fit my queen-size air mattress in there with room to spare for the rest of my stuff."
"They’re quite tall in the middle and in the 4P will give you extra room, with near full head height depending on how tall you are"
15
2
"I love using my Coleman instant up for car camping trips :)"
"I've had mine for over a decade of camping in all kinds of weather across the American SW, including multiday camping festivals, this thing refuses to die lol."
"I third this as long as you are car camping. Where you only have a very minimal walk from where you park to where you put your tent. ... For a newcomer/1st time these tents are fantastic. They go up in a minute or two."
6
8
"Been through some decent thunderstorms too."
"It had the rain fly and it never leaked."
"it held up perfectly in some light rain—didn’t get a single drop inside."
Disliked most:
2
2
"It would shake like crazy at night since the wind could not pass through. ... I ’m talking Dorothy’s house flying away from Kansas type of shaking in the wind."
"Though they may not be that good in harsh weather conditions. ... If you are backpacking for several days or looking for a 4 session tent go for the more expensive brands. But if you want to go up for weekend summer trips where excessive rain is not expected Coleman will do you."
0
3
"For pack-in or hiking its FAR too heavy."
"I wouldn't recommend it, they're super heavy"
"it is a bit heavy but if you can handle the extra weight its worth it."
2
7
"I had one and it had no rain fly, internal or not. ... Needless to say one sudden rain storm on a sunny day while we were out hiking and we came back to the tent with about 3 inches of water inside. ... Without a rain fly it's more a screened gazebo than a real tent."
"ultimately the seams have started to fail. Found that out last time it rained, woke up with puddles. Not happy."
"It will leak, you will wake up with everything wet."
0
1
"Super hot inside during the day (even with the windows down)."
0
3
"The stakes are junk of course."
"the first one had a zipper go bad, tried to repair, didn't work. ... Second one zipper started to fail"
"one of the plastic footings broke on shipment ... Seeing how fragile this tent was discouraged me to seek a replacement from poor quality of Coleman."
I would suggest using a regular Easy-Up. Buy a few of the side panels, but don’t open them - wait and see if you need them and return any that are unopened. Bring some bedsheets to tie on sides as panels. You could get that tent listed as Option 1. I tried that same tent before it’s not bad. Just put it under the Easy-Up canopy. If you just need a place to change, then consider one of those shower tents. They are around the size of a Porto Potty. Much easier to manage than a regular tent if you aren’t sleeping in it.
r/Coachella • First Coachella - Car camping tent question ->Coleman Instant Tent w/ rain fly (sold separately). They are bulky and heavy but man they setup FAST.
r/overlanding • Tent Recommendations ->I'm obsessed with mine and have recommended them to friends for years. Excellent for car camping, easy to set up with one person, and super easy to put away. Mine has internal lights that easily connect to any power bank with a light switch right inside the door.
r/camping • Coleman 4 man "instant setup" tent. Any good? ->I have the model with the mesh top and rain fly. For car camping it's awesome. I've used mine dozens of times. Minutes to setup/breakdown solo. Been through some decent thunderstorms too. My model has a tub floor, which that one looks to have too. For pack-in or hiking its FAR too heavy. I'll bring a more traditional style if I'm doing trails with my gear. But tossing it out of the trunk is perfectl. I got mine on sale thinking it would last a few trips, exceeded my expectations and I've gotten multiple seasons out of it.
r/camping • Coleman 4 man "instant setup" tent. Any good? ->I own one. I bought it new and took it camping, but after four hours, I could NOT get the tent up. I had to drive home, over an hour plus, and grab another tent. When I took it home, my whole family was over for a BBQ and we decided to see what "I had done wrong". (That was said over and over.) We learned that the top spoke piece in the center was flawed and the tent could not be set up! My BIL spent a good hour "operating" on it, and fixed it. We have used it in the yard several times, but I have yet to again solo with it, given I camp a good drive away now. I will try it again this summer.
r/camping • Coleman 4 man "instant setup" tent. Any good? ->I used to have one. As a tent it worked fine, it got a little lopsided after a few years. It had the rain fly and it never leaked. It does set up remarkably fast. My main gripe was it doesn't pack down well. It gets, crumpled and rolled and fits in a large bag. It was always a pain to pack because how large the bag is. If you're car camping and have a lot of extra space it should be fine.
r/camping • Coleman 4 man "instant setup" tent. Any good? ->I’ve had this tent since 2018 and used it probably 70-90 times. It’s been great. Only reason I’ve more recently stopped using it is we got the larger version of the same tent that’s been just as good. I’m sure there’s higher quality brands that people will recommend, but it’s been great overall.
r/camping • Coleman 4 man "instant setup" tent. Any good? ->I had one and it had no rain fly, internal or not. Needless to say one sudden rain storm on a sunny day while we were out hiking and we came back to the tent with about 3 inches of water inside. Without a rain fly it's more a screened gazebo than a real tent. I wouldn't recommend it, they're super heavy, and they are not really that "instant" unless you have 4 people to help
r/camping • Coleman 4 man "instant setup" tent. Any good? ->I have the 4 man. I had to buy the rain-fly separately. Its a good tent for warmer weather. Its a bit heavy.
r/camping • Coleman 4 man "instant setup" tent. Any good? ->You dont assemble the poles on mine.
r/camping • Coleman 4 man "instant setup" tent. Any good? ->As a single adult scout leader I run a 4 person instant Coleman tent. I sleep on my own 95% of the time. In a pinch I could provide room for another leader. I have a 6-person but it’s way too big for me by myself. Before the Coleman I had a 4 person malamoo mega that I really liked.
r/camping • Tent Recommendations for Simple Scout Camp ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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