Silver Series Instant Up 8-Person 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.

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.

I'm looking at both. Have the Coleman instant up Silver but looking at the North Star because it's got built in lights and a vestibule which is very handy. Will probably just get a cheap king's swag for myself. Currently only have the tent for the family but I snore and keep my wife up so I'm looking at buying a swag so I can sleep next to the car or something.

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.

Just get a Coleman easy up and be done with it honestly

I have had the eight person for about four years now. We use it maybe three times a summer. It’s very heavy. So definitely a car camping tent. It is easy to set up. Not quite as easy to pack away. We did camp through a torrential downpour. With the rain fly, it did leak a bit near the windows. I subsequently bought tint wax and waxed all the seams near the windows. Haven’t used it in the rain since so I don’t know if it worked. One thought. 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.

If you are car camping, go big on the tent. The space is great. I use a 6-8 person tent for myself and two dogs. I can fit a queen sized cot, side table, and double camp chair in the tent with plenty of space left over. Really nice when there is bad weather. Plus being able to stand up and move around in a tent is great. The exped megamat is one of the most comfortable sleeping pads you can get. I recommend putting it on a cot to get yourself further off the ground. I don’t bother with an electric cooler and just have a good Rotomolded cooler from Ozark trail. Can hold ice for a 5 day trip when packed correctly. For cooking I bring a Coleman stove and a tripod so I can good over the fire or on the stove depending on what I’m making. Between that and a cast iron pan and a pot I can make just about anything. I just bring my pillow from home. I’m by my car so space isn’t an issue. Especially since I switched to a minivan this year. Even with two large dogs along I have a ton of space to pack. I used to have a small sedan and packing was a bit more interesting in that. A roof bag came in handy. For water I bring a 7 gallon igloo container that I put under the table. I have a USB powered faucet and a hose runs down to the container. Works out great and so much easier to use. I get a lot of heat on sale, second hand, and from Sierra. My tents are Coleman and Ozark trail. The Ozark trail one is a 6 person instant tent that I bring if it’s a quicker trip and good weather. The Coleman is an 8 person but not instant. Has better weather resistance though so if rain is in the forecast I bring that one.

OMG. 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.

In general, the bigger the tent, the more involved setup is. If you want 4 people, and gear, and not feel cramped, I wouldn't suggest anything smaller than an 8 person. Packed away, this will be the size of a duffel bag. It's going to be strictly a car camping type thing. My recommendation - start with something really simple and affordable. You can find a Coleman 8 person for around $200. Go on that a few times, in a few different weather scenarios. It'll be plenty quality enough that it won't leave you miserable or be a detriment. But it's affordable enough that you won't feel like you wasted a bunch if/when it gets relegated to backup spare status. Going in that one will help you determine features that are deal breakers. Do you need better rain protection? Lighter weight? Better ventilation? Light blocking? Higher quality poles or materials? As you put that list together, you can decide your budget, and that'll narrow the field a ton. Or, you might determine that you're perfectly happy in the Coleman, and you've saved yourself hundreds of dollars.

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 

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.