Coleman - Instant Up 8P Lighted Northstar Darkroom Tent
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 13, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
11
5
"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."
"Also that bad boy had been through nephews and nieces and drunk friends and is remarkably unscathed."
"Its withstood 20mph constant winds with gusts higher for 2 weeks straight for me as well as other windy dusty rainy situations"
15
1
"It has poles always attached and sets up like an easy up. ... Realistically I have it up in less than 5 minutes even with the kids helping and then we can play. ... I learned the most important factor to look at is easy. Not what's the best or the most sturdy. Nope what's quick and easy that way you actually use it."
"instant tents are a heck yeah from me. ... I call them relationship savers. ... No hunting for tent poles, trying to fit this to there ... I can put it up and take it down on my own and don't need to crawl around on the ground for anything."
"super fast setup and take down"
9
2
"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."
"Its huge. ... We call it the tent condo. ... One time we had 2 queen air mattresses, a play pen, and 3 suitcases in it for an entire week in total comfort."
"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."
4
1
"it ’s tall enough for me (5’4”)."
"It was an instant tent, tall, no bugs, no leaks, and plenty of room."
"My friend is 5'10 and can stand up in it."
5
0
"Love my Coleman Darkroom for car camping. ... I need to use a lantern to see during daylight hours with the rain fly on."
"Stays cool/dark enough to sleep in once the sun comes up if you want to."
"Stays cool/dark enough to sleep in once the sun comes up if you want to."
Disliked most:
1
4
"Both of my Coleman Instant tents have holes in the floor after just 2 uses. Both of them leaked water in a moderate storm. ... The Coleman Instant Tent has a known issue with leaks so they sell an additional aftermarket rainfly. ... I have the rainfly. Doesn't even cover the windows.... The windows fill up with water and then the water started dripping right off the keeper for the windows screen...."
"I do not recommend the Instant Up as mine leaks ... there’s an aftermarket rainfly so it’s a known issue"
"I had a Coleman instant tent for 13 years with no leaks. One trip to the same campground with the T4, leak, and bugs. It made me sad. ... Yep, it leaked for me the first time I used it. Colorado mtn storms can be crazy, but short."
1
3
"How much boot space do you have, the Coleman Instant Up is excellent, BUT takes a lot of room."
"It’s very heavy. So definitely a car camping tent."
"much more difficult to pack down. ... Coleman was a real pain packing down - aligning the tent poles so it it could fold over was tricky"
0
2
"much more difficult to pack down. ... Coleman was a real pain packing down - aligning the tent poles so it it could fold over was tricky"
"Not quite as easy to pack away."
0
2
"The pole design means they are under twist pressure, and after I'd replaced the third set of poles I decided to go inflatable. ... and the poles kept breaking."
"I had an issue with one the the buttons on the instant up pole just giving falling apart."
0
1
"We found that in bad weather the Coleman was too cramped whilst we crowded in and kept out of the rain."
Agree with the instant ups. I bought [this 4 person](http://Northstar Instant Up Darkroom 4 Person Tent With LED Lighting | Coleman AU https://share.google/nqE4uh9hjw63VFEz0) and can set it up and pull it down by myself (F45). My friend is 5'10 and can stand up in it. Not sure if there would be a ton of extra room with two cots in it but they would fit. 6P might be better if they need more space.
r/camping • Tent recommendations for a couple of senior gentleman? ->If the budget can afford it, stepping up from the Coleman Silver to the Gold/Northstar range is a significant increase in quality and experience. Treat it well and it will last for years.
r/OutdoorAus • New to camping, need help picking up a 6P tent ->For car camping I like: Reasonable durability Instant up Standing height Large volume Relatively cheap. My ethos is , It's gonna last 5-10 years. I want to be comfortable in the space, be able to stand and change. Have cots or air mattresses, and get into camping mode fast to enjoy my time. I also want to be able to pack it down fast or ditch it without money factoring into my decision in worst case scenarios if there is dangerous weather that pops up The Coleman instant up 8p is what my wife And I have ran for the last 8 ish years The gripe I have with that era is that there is no rain fly. They have since fixed that. It's a lovely tent that can be lazily pitched completely in 5 minutes, and popped up in 90 seconds. I've taken it camping over 20 times, probably spending 100 nights in it. Not huge numbers, but it's honestly held up. The new generation ones have dark out fabric as well. Growing up my mom had this vintage eureka cabin tent, it was like a six-person, but the walls were damn near slab side, and it had an over 6-ft internal height. That one wasn't instant up, But it was pretty close. I think I could get that one set up in 5 to 10 minutes
r/CampingGear • What do you personally look for in a car camping tent? ->I've used the Coleman Instant Up 8P for years. If you peg it down well it holds up well in strong gusty winds and bucketing rains.
r/OutdoorAus • New to camping, need help picking up a 6P tent ->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 have a 4,6 and 8 person Coleman Insta-tent. I take the 8 person when my wife goes with me. Plenty of room, actually has a divider to section it off into two rooms. Get the biggest tent you can afford. You'll never regret extra space,
r/camping • Looking for a solid 6-person tent — any recommendations? ->Just get a Coleman easy up and be done with it honestly
r/camping • Tent recommend to fit 3 people on cots? ->The one touch pop-up then twist to close types can be deceptively difficult to close unless you're used to that twist and turn type. I'm shit at it and broke one so I got an "instant up" type that you can push down to open up squeeze to close. You can see an example if you Google: インスタントアップサンシェード
r/japanlife • Pop-up tents for the kids-any recommendations? ->I got mine at Kohnan like 4 years ago for 6000yen I think? It's still going strong with 2 kids and multiple outings over the years.
r/japanlife • Pop-up tents for the kids-any recommendations? ->Dark room tents were just appearing right after I got my instant tent so I missed the boat, but instant tents are a heck yeah from me. I call them relationship savers. No hunting for tent poles, trying to fit this to there, having to roll the tent tight to get it bagged up. Yes, they're heavy and not meant for backpacking or lugging any distance. They're bigger packed than regular tents, but I can put it up and take it down on my own and don't need to crawl around on the ground for anything.
r/camping • Coleman Instant Up Darkroom Tents opinions and pros and cons ->Get one you can stand in or almost. Coleman ‘’instant tent’’ is not hard to set up. Best by tarp for rain fly so rain doesn’t go in windows
r/camping • Any reason not to get a bigger tent. ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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