Coleman - Skylodge 4-Person Instant Camping Tent

I also have the 4-person variant of that same tent that I use on solo trips that is pretty solid as well. That one was fine in a thunderstorm with high winds. It's also very easy to set up.

I have the Coleman instant cabin for car camping, it’s super heavy but it has lasted many years of hard use through rain, snow, hail, and 115F desert trips. It’s way too heavy for anything besides car camping, but it sets up in about 2 minutes max, and has been really sturdy. The 4 person model fits a queen sized mattress in it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

I have the 4 man. I had to buy the rain-fly separately. Its a good tent for warmer weather. Its a bit heavy.

You dont assemble the poles on mine.

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.

I had the Walmart version. Loved the easy set up. Then my cat peed on it. No tents go in basement anymore.

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,

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 have had one for probably ten years. It's been great. Not indestructible, but really good for the money. Over the years the floor developed a few holes that had to be patched and the zipper started to wear out (fixed by tightening the pull with pliers). Get the rain fly, and get a tarp the right size for the bottom. Not for keeping the water out, but for easier pack up.

Just got back from a 3-day camping trip with my kids, and let me tell you, this tent delivered! 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). The quality feels legit; all the seams are solid and it held up perfectly in some light rain—didn’t get a single drop inside. 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. As mentioned by others, it doesn’t come with a rainfly/top flap, which I totally missed until we were already at the campsite. The tent itself is waterproof, but the missing rainfly means you’ll have to shut the windows if it rains or grab one separately; otherwise rain might come in through the mesh. 

Several of our other adult scout leaders have them. I’m not a fan. Rainfly is a separate purchase. It is fast to set up, but weird. And awkward to take down and dry out. It isn’t worth saving 5 minutes of set up to cause more hassle later, Door is only on one side, which makes it hard to use 2 cots (6 person). I would rather do a Sundome for similar size/ease with more utility.

Agree, same, used a couple for years, no problems, only leaked once in a huge storm with driving rain going sideways.

Coleman tents are disappointing They leak in heavy rain Instant tents are a good concept but not as sturdy as a regular tent on my opinion

It will leak, you will wake up with everything wet. I would not recommend this tent to anyone.

I've used Coleman's just like this for nearly 20 years now. They work well, but the first one had a zipper go bad, tried to repair, didn't work. Second one zipper started to fail but ultimately the seams have started to fail. Found that out last time it rained, woke up with puddles. Not happy. Too many areas, I'll fix them eventually but will ultimately need to replace. I'll probably be looking at something different going forward. I got a small two person tent that works well and is small and light to deal with, I like that as I typically camp alone. But, I'll be needing a new multi person tent sometime in the next few years and I may go with a Gazelle T3/T4 or a Big Agnes next time around.

Like others have said getting a 2-3 person tent is good enough for a solo but… I like the Colman’s Easy Up 4-person tent. It’s a cabin tent so its bigger than your normal dome tent. I got one for my mom because she is getting older and needs something that she can set up easily by herself and can stand up in. it is a bit heavy but if you can handle the extra weight its worth it. I will always recommend Colman for beginning/casual campers because they are fairly inexpensive and the quality it pretty good for the price. Though they may not be that good in harsh weather conditions. If you don’t need the head space a simple dome tent will do you and will be less headache to put up and down. Also recommend buying a cheap tarp for rain cover. Helps shade your tent and keeps it bone dry.

We’ve had ours for about 6-7 years and it gets used 4-5 times a year. We love it.

I have a 4 person Coleman Instant Up and it is very good.

I bought one about 4 years ago. Its quick and easy to set up and take down but if it gets rained on it leaks. That's with the "sold separately" rain fly installed. I even tried sealing the tent in year 3 to try and get it to stop leaking in the rain with no luck.

This is the best tent we have had. Easy to set and robust enough. We have used it for years. I’d buy it again !

I had one for years and loved it! When I was a teen I'd set it up in the backyard all summer long to turn it into a temporary bedroom. It's heavy, but was always the fastest and easiest set up. Lasted quite a while (tho with many duct tape patches) until I broke one of the poles with a friend because we forgot to set the tent up *before* we started tripping. Still kick myself for breaking it.

I bought one from Amazon, I did a test run set up with 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 eventually opted for a Shiftpod and a Gazelle T4. More expensive but there is quality manufacturing

I've had this tent for 3 years now and love it! It's so easy to set up - even solo and I'm only 5'1. It's a little hard to get it small enough to fit in the bag and the zipper ripped a while ago. I've thought about getting a new bag, but I just use the one it came with and use the clips.

Another vote for Coleman Instant up  4P, or maybe 6P for 2 people!  I camp solo, and am a shorty, can easily setup in 15 mins, and fits in smallish car!

Coleman instant up 4P tent would be ideal for you - big enough for 2 people and room for your things, easy to set up and pack down and you can stand up in it no worries. It is a bit more than your $200 budget, at $299 currently from Tentworld for the silver series (which is a perfectly adequate tent). Keep your tent zipped up to keep critters out, but it's highly unlikely you'll have a snake enter your tent.

Yep same haha. I love using my Coleman instant up for car camping trips :)

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. They are well-made. 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, and a secure zip so no critters can get in. If you’re feeling really luxurious get the 6P so you don’t both have to share one air mattress which makes the other bounce around all night. If you want a backpack-able tent, consider a three man, 3 season tent with a fly, but where the tent attaches to the poles with little clips, rather than having to thread the poles through sleeves. It just is a lot easier to put the tent up that way. And again, if you are car camping, there’s nothing wrong with bringing your bedding from home to ensure you have a warm night. I would lay a blanket or sleeping bag down as my top sheet and then have a blanket/doona or unzipped sleeping bag as my top layer. I use my actual big and lovely down pillow from Home as well. But if you are backpacking, consider a three season sleeping bag that is lightweight but still warm. And if you are taller or bigger, get the oversized ones so you’re not scrunched up like a caterpillar crammed in a cocoon all night. It’s a tiny bit of extra weight, but the extra comfort is worth it in my opinion. And finally, for that extra bit of extravagance, if you have the money and are car camping buy the instant up gazebo. Put it up right next to your tent opening for some shelter so you can step right out of your tent and be undercover.

Definitely this is OP’s best choice. Value for money it can’t be beaten

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how the boat destroyed my tent!!! I'm sure this will make a great story once I have the details. My Coleman was good to us, too. It was going to need another waterproofing, but it did a great job. I'll consider another one for sure.

I agree that the Coleman is a great value. I have a 8p one and use it for troop outings. 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.

Our family camps at assateague regularly most recently Labor Day week-into the weekend. We also love assateague even though it can have harsh conditions. We got stuck in a couple days of high wind last October. Fortunately the Coleman 4 person tent held up just fine. That’s terrible peoples set ups are breaking. The only thing I see here I would do differently if I was worried about the wind is possibly keeping your vestibule canopy down. It will provide less lift if the wind blows in that direction. It sounds like you’re well experienced and know what you’re doing. Happy camping!

We went from a Coleman 4 person tent to a Coleman 12 tent. We also have a queen blow up mattress & having the extra room is amazing. Since I'm not carrying it, I don't care how much it weighs

Remember, when tents say sleeps, 4, 6 etc. Its never realistic. Im camping now in a Coleman 4 person tent. 1 is comfy, 2 is cramped. 4 if we were midgets.

I camped for years with 50' of Paracord and a 10 x 20 4 mil plastic sheet. I see tents in thrift stores often. I have 2. Watch out for broken zippers. That's the most common fault. Easy to fix with the tool ($10). 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

My 4-man Coleman has weathered some beatings over the past 10 years. Solid tent.

By the way I’m a member of r/snowpeak and thought your question asking about the Alpha Breeze entertaining to a bunch of Snow Peak nut jobs. lol I’ve had various tents for various situations over the years. Earliest memory was using a Coleman four man tent with my family when I was a kid, an acceptable tent for a child, but I also didn’t know any better. I would say any sub $200 tent now probably falls in the same quality of cheaper tent fabric and lower quality poles. In my teens and throughout my 30s, I got big into backpacking so it was with brands like MSR and Big Agnes. In that time of lightweight backpacking tents, I really loved the original MSR Mutha Hubba (3p), it was lightweight and very packable and was spacious relative to its total weight. I’ve since gotten a newer MSR Hubba Hubba (2p) which I like, slight lowering in quality since the 2000s era of MSR quality. Which brings us full circle to the Alpha Breeze, it’s now my dedicated car camping tent, having also slept in and seen other tents that friends bring on car camping trips. It’s something I view as a long term investment that features thoughtful tent design along with the durability that comes with quality. Last thing, the price is high, but I’m seeing this as something that will last me +10 years, if not 20. Which over time breaks down to about $60/year if using 10 years.

I've had a couple of the instant set-up cabin tents throughout the years, I will keep buying this type until I make the jump to travel trailer. However, I cannot recommend the 10p Core with the built in screened porch. The porch is basically useless in the rain, it doesn't detach & holds the front part of the rainfly. If you decide to keep the screen open it just collects bugs that quickly make it into the tent when you unzip the doors to get in. This is my first Core & probably my last, will probably go back to the Coleman in the same size for my very last tent. Choose Wisely.

Dude, my first two tents were coleman. Shit man, I still got them and they still work great. Oldest one close to 15 years. I went from a 4P Coleman to 6P Coleman when I had kids. So if you can get one in good condition or buy it.. go for it. I got my coleman sundome for like a 100 bucks. If you don't want a coleman, you can sang one of these from costco for a 100 bucks - https://www.costco.com/core-6-person-lighted-dome-tent.product.100892929.html Now a days I have a Marmot 6P, recognize that this is 500$ tent. Don't spend this kind of money for your first tent unless you have money to spare or plan on going a lot of camping. The difference between a 100$ tent vs a $500 tent are: - More indoor pockets - High quality tent poles - No snag YKK zippers - Easy to pack bag - better ventilation But from a core tent/sleeping POV, its the same. IF and WHEN you are ready to go backpacking, it would be good to invest in lighter smaller gear. A decent backpacking tent is pretty expensive.

And Coleman has a super popular four person tent, that will accommodate two comfortably, has that expanding bag, and easy set up and take down. The stakes are junk of course.

I picked up a used Coleman four person tent for my boys for $40 on eBay. They started sleeping in it when they were 4 and 6 years old.

Both of my kids have them and use them often. I have borrowed them a couple of times and really loved the fact that they block that unwelcome morning sun. They don't seem heavy, they are just coated with a different material that maybe adds ounces. I am speaking of the Coleman 4 man tents however.

If you're trying to tiptoe into camping, I wouldn't necessarily recommend high end gear, although if you do get into it, higher end gear is better in the long run. For now, if you have nothing, start simple. I'd recommend something like a 4 man Colman tent. Coleman make great car camping gear that isn't going to break the bank, and if you really get into it, you can splurge for the higher end tent later. Get a tarp that is about the same dimensions of the floor of your tent and put it under it for protection. Also, the stakes that come with tents usually aren't all that great, so you may want to get something heavier duty, and get sand stakes if you plan to camp on the beach. For cooking equipment you can find some great deals on Marketplace, but a simple two burner propane stove is cheap and easy. Some folks really like the Blackstones, and so do I, but I find them heavy and find a two burner to be a little more versatile. It's really a personal preference. For cooking equipment, if you want to save money, just grab stuff from your kitchen and put it in a storage container to take with you. GSI makes good cooking gear and I personally like stainless steel stuff from Stanley, as it compacts for storage and I can be rough with it. Go with compostable paper plates to save yourself some cleanup. Start making a list of the small stuff as it pops into your [head.Med](http://head.Med) kit, flashlight, headlamps, towels, etc.