Admittedly we were skeptical when we read the claim on the storage bag, Instant setup in 60 seconds or less. When you put the words Instant Tent in your title, you’re setting a high bar for yourself. The only variable factor in set-up time is how fast you feel like walking around the tent unfolding the poles and pulling them to their full length. The rain fly might take another couple of minutes, but it’s also a very simple set of buckles that even one person can handle with ease. If you’ve always had a more traditional tent, you’ll find yourself laughing at how quick and easy the Instant Tent 6 goes up. The Coleman Instant Tent 6 has average dimensions for a 6-person tent, at 10’x9’ (90sqft).
You’ll also want to set aside some extra time to strap on the secondary rainfly should you opt to purchase this along with the tent, but we’ll talk more about that later on. It’s also worth noting that this tent can easily be set up by only one person, something that cannot be said for several of the two-person tents in our review. As mentioned earlier, the tarp floor is a nice touch as well. Because the pole system relies on hinged/jointed corners, you’re unlikely to stress any poles to the point of bending or breaking.
Great tent, easy to put up, but the only problem is the plastic joints break and are hard to replace. Not everyone has $500 to spend on a fancy REI tent with a gold leaf rainfly, screens made of spun diamond dust and built-in speakers that hypnotize woodland creatures into singing you softly to sleep at night. Heather and I are blue collar, working-class Coleman people. Heather and I have been camping now just shy of five years, and in that time, we’ve owned four tents.
I found that part to be a bit annoying but the “cool” factor far outweighs my disassembly complaint. But we’ve been burned by this “instant setup in about 60 seconds” claim of Coleman’s before. If the tent (or canopy) has been properly folded and zipped up in the bag then, sure, you can put it up pretty quickly.
This spacious cabin tent can fit up to two queen-size airbeds that’s perfect for a group trip or for a spacious endeavor into the wild on your own. Our main issue with the integrated rainfly is that we lose all ventilation (and views of the outside) when there’s risk of rain, but there is a slight solution to this. For an additional $28, Coleman offers a secondary rainfly accessory made of Polyguard 2X that straps to the top and allows you to have open vents without getting your stuff soaked.
While many tents of this size include some form of vestibule to keep your shoes or other gear out of the tent, but also out of the elements, the Instant 6, does not. Leaks in moderate to heavy rain and tent corners break easily. If someone could make them out of metal it would be a great tent. Unlike traditional tents, the s come with pre-attached poles which extend and snap into place, making the entire setup process a lot quicker compared to your standard tent. Of course, this is also the reason why it weighs a lot more.
The main appeal of the Coleman Instant 6 is detailed in its name. For those cloudless summer nights, this could make for an attractive option for families in search of low-cost camping; however, there are still several competitive options out there at similar price points. The floors and canopy on the Coleman Instant Tent 6 are made up of a rugged 150D polyester, which is noticeably thicker than many of the tents in our review and should hold up to a great deal of punishment. The aluminum poles are also quite durable; the leg poles are 16mm thick, while the roof poles are 12mm thick. All of these heavy-duty materials add a great deal to the weight—at nearly 25lb, this is the heaviest tent in our 2021 review.
Easy to set up and break down, the Coleman Instant 6-Person Cabin Tent with Rainfly allows for efficient time use on your camping trip. The ground vent allows increased ventilation perfect for those hot and humid days. For intense rain, the included rainfly offers extra protection to keep your shelter and essentials dry.
In my opinion, the tent was definitely easier to setup than it was to put away. I agree with the last reviewer…tent looks good, setup is really nice, but the plastic corner brackets break way too easy, metal ones and this tent would be awesome. I like the weatherctec system, on most Coleman tents seems they stay dry even in heavy rains. The Coleman’s lightning-fast setup time is really its only party piece. Besides this, it’s very much a bare-bones tent at an attractive price point. On our first attempt and of course, without reading the instructions, we were able to setup the coleman cooler in about two minutes and 20 seconds.