Coleman - Instant Up Darkroom 8 Person Tent
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 15, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
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"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."
"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."
"It's a lovely tent that can be lazily pitched completely in 5 minutes, and popped up in 90 seconds."
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"I had a Coleman instant tent for 13 years with no leaks."
"I had a Coleman tent that I used for the past 13 years with no issues until the zipper broke."
"Its withstood 20mph constant winds with gusts higher for 2 weeks straight for me as well as other windy dusty rainy situations"
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"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."
"Love my Coleman Darkroom for car camping. ... I need to use a lantern to see during daylight hours with the rain fly on."
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"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."
"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."
"Plenty of room, actually has a divider to section it off into two rooms."
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"It was an instant tent, tall, no bugs, no leaks, and plenty of room."
"I second this, I've bought 2 Coleman instant up tents and they are perfect."
Disliked most:
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"Not quite as easy to pack away."
"When it’s just my son and I, I opt for my smaller 4p one as it is easier to set up and tear down."
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"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."
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"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."
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"I had an issue with one the the buttons on the instant up pole just giving falling apart."
turtleturbo 0.8Try the Coleman instant up darkroom tent if you can. It's a winner for our family!
honest-aussie 0.4I have a Coleman instant up dark room tent. Its the 10 person but it comes in a 4 person too. It is hands down the best tent I've ever had. Buy myself I have setup down to 10mins and pack up like 5mins. Ive had it in hurricane force winds only to find the camp-site totally destroyed in the morning. Except my trusty Coleman! It acted like a bombshelter because I slept through all of it. If you are car camping dont stress on the weight too much.
OldMail6364 0.4I've got one of those - after a year the "dark" coating became so sticky and gross that I've stopped using it. Not covered under warranty they claim we did something wrong but I can't think of what and others have had the same issue. We've tossed the fly in the bin and use it as a second tent / put it under a tarp if we're worried about rain.
Hansj2 0.3For 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
InanimateObject4 0.3I'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.
hammond_egger 0.2I 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,
I've used 4,6,8 man Coleman Instant Tents for years. Goes up in about 3 minutes, comes down in about 8 minutes (you have to roll it and smash it back in the carrying bag.
Mackheath1 0.2I can't speak to durability, but my Coleman EZ has lived a long life through a lot. But tent sizes seem to be incredibly deceiving. There's two of us and a 6-person tent is tight. I may be a snob?, but if the tent fits in roughly the same-sized bag, go for a larger tent.
Upper-Collection9373 0.2Just get a Coleman easy up and be done with it honestly
AbsolutelyPink 0.1Dark 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.
Curious_Breadfruit88 0.1I wouldn’t get a 2+ room tent, it will be hard to setup and pack away as 1 person! What you want is an “instant tent” Coleman sells one and Aldi also sells a decent one as a special in summer. Sleeping bags you can get some decent ones on special at macpack or similar stores, just look for the temp rating Cooking wise Kmart has a butane cooker (legit brand too!) for $20 last time I checked, works great it’s just like a normal gas stove, it uses butane canisters
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