I bought a Coleman, 7x7 dome tent with a vestibule in 2003, on clearance for $25. I still use it. Although I only use it for car camping, it's been a great little tent!
I got a Coleman four person dome tent at Big 5 on sale. I can put my cot, the table with my CPAP, the battery for the CPAP and charging the phone in it. There's room for the dog in her crate in the open corner. I leave the crocs outside and have tent slippers. If it's rainy I put kitchen stuff back in the car, bring in my little chair, and sit reading in the tent.
My cheap sleeping bag and a foam pad on top of the cot are enough to keep me warm. I use a blue tarp and fold excess under the edge of the tent floor so as not to draw the water underneath.
I’ve used the North Face Wawona 4 and 6, along with a 4 and 6 man Coleman.
The Coleman’s held up surprisingly well. They don’t do as well in the wind or rain though.
The NF tents are a much higher quality though. Thicker poles, stronger fabric, better in the rain, better features.
Something to think about is size. The smaller tents are easier and faster to setup. Plus you need less soft. The Wawona 6 has a huge vestibule/ rain fly. It takes a lot longer to setup, and while I can do it all solo it takes much more time than the 4. My 2 and 3 man backpacking tents are even faster. If you are getting in late and go with a normal tent, smaller is probably better.
I do a lot of beach camping, and have a 4 person Coleman dome tent that has stood up to 35+mph winds on Cape Lookout. The only issue was that the wind was blowing the sand so hard it came up and into the vents in the top of the tent. It has gone through other thunderstorms too. One wiped out 3/4s the tents at Ocracoke and ours was standing strong.
Probably not the best tent, but it has survived a lot of heavy weather. Ours has the little patio entrance thing, which is nice for sand. Just make sure you have good stakes.
krzybone
