The 5 Best Coleman Instant Tents You Can Buy

Long gone are the days of dragging out the old Canvas Coleman tent and spending 30 minutes or more trying to set it up.

As today’s modern Coleman tents can usually be set up in about 10 minutes.  

But if you want to spend as little time as possible setting up your tent, you need a Coleman Instant Tent, as they can usually be set up in about 60 seconds.  

But with so many different Coleman tents on the market today, it can be hard to know what the best Coleman instant tent is?

So we did some research to come up with the 5 best Coleman instant tents currently on the market today.  

Coleman Instant Cabin Tent

 

• Average Cost:  $110 to $260 (Depending on Size)
• Setup Time:  60 Seconds
• Sleeping Capacity:  4, 6, 0r 10 Person
• Waterproof:  Yes (Rainfly – Sold Separately)

One of the most popular Coleman instant tents on the market today is the Coleman Instant Cabin Tent which is available in either a 4, 6, or 10 person version.

Making this tent a great choice, no matter how small or large your family is.  

And because this Coleman tent utilizes a cabin design, the interior is super spacious with plenty of headroom to easily walk around inside, as the center height of the tent is a generous 6 feet high.

This Coleman instant tent also offers excellent waterproofing features, thanks, to Coleman’s WeatherTec® System, which includes features such as a bathtub floor, welded corners, and inverted seams.  

Coleman Instant Cabin Tent Pros:

• 60 Second Setup
• Double Thick Fabric Reduces Wear and Tear and Risk of Tear or Puncture
• Excellent Ventilation Due to Large Screened Windows and Integrated Rainfly

Coleman Instant Cabin Tent Cons

• For Full Rain and Weather Protection, You Need the Rainfly for this Tent Which is Sold Separately 
• Designed Only For Car Camping Due to Larger Size and Heavier Weight
• Lacks Front Awning for Additional Weather Protection

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Coleman Pop-Up Tent

 

• Average Cost:  $50 to $100 (Depending on Size)
• Setup Time:  10 Seconds
• Sleeping Capacity:  2 or 4 Person
• Waterproof:  Yes 

If you’re looking for the fastest tent setup possible, then you need to look no further than the Coleman Pop-Up Tent, which can actually be set up in about 10 seconds.  

This fast setup time is thanks to the tent’s ingenious pop-up design.

Because once you’ve removed the carrying case and storage strap from the tent, the only thing left to do is throw the tent into the air and watch it pop-up into a tent right before your eyes.  

This convenient pop-up tent is also designed to handle many different weather conditions, thanks to its large screen roof, which helps you stay cool on those warm summer nights and included rainfly that keeps you nice and dry on those rainy days.  

Coleman Pop-Up Tent Pros

• Fastest 10 Second Setup Time
• Lightweight and Flat Design Makes it Easy to Transport and Store
• Included Rain Fly Helps Keep You Dry
• Available in Two Different Sizes to Accommodate Different Size Camping Parties

Coleman Pop-Up Tent Cons

• Large Circle Shape When Stored Makes it a Poor Choice for Backpacking
• Tent Door Can Be Challenging to Zip Up
• Lacks Front Awning for Additional Weather Protection

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Coleman 6-Person Steel Creek Fast Pitch Dome Tent

 

• Average Cost:  $150
• Setup Time:  7 Minutes
• Sleeping Capacity:  6 Person
• Waterproof:  Yes 

While this tent’s 7 minute setup time is certainly not instant.

Because Coleman designed this tent to be Fast Pitch, by including color-coded preattached tent poles and hubs, this Coleman tent can be set up 50% faster compared to standard Coleman tents.  

So while instant is nice, 7 minutes is still pretty fast when it comes to setting up a tent.  

This tent also has some really great built-in design features such as an attached screen room and Coleman’s WeatherTec® System, which helps to set it apart from the basic camping tent.  

 

Coleman Steel Creek Fast Pitch Dome Tent Pros

• Fast Pitch Tent Setup
• Fully Waterproof with Rainfly and Colemans WeatherTec® System
• Large 6-Person Design Allows the Whole Family to Fit Comfortably Inside

Coleman 6 Steel Creek Fast Pitch Dome Tent Cons

• Larger Size Makes it a Poor Choice for Backpacking
• Heavier 19 Pound Weight  

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Coleman 8-Person Instant Family Tent

 

• Average Cost:  $320
• Setup Time:  60 Seconds
• Sleeping Capacity:  8 Person
• Waterproof: Yes (Rainfly – Sold Separately)

The Coleman 8-person Family Tent is another really popular instant tent from Coleman that has a very similar look and feel compared to the Coleman Instant Cabin Tent.

And just like the Coleman Instant Cabin Tent, the Coleman Instant Family Tent can be set up in just 60 seconds, which is pretty incredible considering how large the tent is.  

Another really nice feature of this tent is the amount of interior space it offers, as it can comfortably sleep up to 8 campers at a time and has a center ceiling height of 6 feet 7 inches.

Which gives this tent a very spacious feel and makes it super easy to walk around inside. 

Coleman Instant Family Tent Pros

• Instant 60 Second Setup Time
• Weatherproof with Coleman’s WeatherTec® System
• Double Thick Fabric Reduces Wear and Tear and Risk of Tear or Puncture
• Spacious Interior Can Fit 4 Queen Sized Air Mattresses

Coleman Instant Family Tent Cons

• For Full Rain and Weather Protection, You Need the Rainfly for this Tent Which is Sold Separately 
• Designed Only For Car Camping Due to Larger Size
• Heavier 40 Pound Weight Can Make It Cumbersome to Move Around
• Lacks Front Awning for Additional Weather Protection

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Coleman Skydome Tent

 

• Average Cost:  $60 to $180 (Depending on Size)
• Setup Time:  Under 5 Minutes
• Sleeping Capacity:  2, 4, 6, or 8 Person
• Waterproof: Yes

While the Coleman Skydome Tent can’t exactly boast instant setup, as it usually takes about 5 minutes to set up. 

Thanks to preattached poles and quick pitch technology, this tent is the next best thing to instant tent setup.  

This tent also comes in a variety of sizes ranging from a 2 person version all the way up to an 8 person version.

So no matter how small or large your camping party is, you’ll be able to find a tent size that’s a perfect match.

Another unique feature of this tent is the extra headroom inside the tent due to its design, as this Coleman tent has 20% more headroom compared to a traditional dome tent.  

Coleman Skydome Tent Pros

• Can Be Setup in Less than 5 Minutes
• Weatherproof with Coleman’s WeatherTec® System
• Available in Several Sizes Including 2, 4, 6, and 8 Person Versions
• 20% More Headroom Compared to a Traditional Dome Style Tent
• Wider Door Makes Entry and Exit Easy

Coleman Skydome Tent Cons

• Lack of Tent Windows Make it Difficult to See Outside
• Because Tent Poles are Attached to the Tent if a Pole Where to Break it Would Be Difficult to Replace
• Poor Zipper Quality

Other Popular Instant Tents

Even though you came to this article looking for the best Coleman instant tent, we thought you’d like to see some other instant tents not made by Coleman for comparison.

As Coleman is not the only company that makes an instant tent, in fact, there are several very popular instant tents that are not made by Coleman.

Core Instant Cabin Tent

 

• Average Cost:  $180 to $320 (Depending on Size)
• Setup Time:  60 Seconds
• Sleeping Capacity:  6, 9, or 12 Person
• Waterproof: Yes

While Core might not be as big of a household name as Coleman, Core actually makes a wide variety of outdoor gear including camping tents, outdoor lights, sleeping bags, and camp chairs. 

But one of their most popular outdoor products and tents is their Core Instant Cabin Tent, which is available in 6, 9, or 12 person versions.

And the main reasons why it’s so popular is that it boasts a 60 second setup time, putting this tent easily into the instant category.  

Core Instant Cabin Tent Pros

• Instant 60 Second Set-Up
• Available in Multiple Sleeping Capacities
• Waterproof with Rainfly Included
• Center Height of 6 Feet 6 Inches Makes it Easy to Stand Up Inside the Tent
• Room Divider For Added Privacy Inside the Tent

Core Instant Cabin Tent Cons

• Poor Quality Zippers
• Designed For Car Camping Only Due to Larger Size and Heavier Weight
• Lacks Front Awning for Additional Weather Protection

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OT QOMOTOP Instant Camping Tent

 

• Average Cost:  $110 to $250 (Depending on Size)
• Setup Time:  60 Seconds
• Sleeping Capacity:  4, 6, 8, or 10 Person
• Waterproof: Yes

Another great cabin style instant tent is the OT QOMOTOP Instant Camping Tent, which like other cabin style tents boasts a 60 second setup time.  

This instant camping tent is also available in four different sizes including a 4, 6, 8, and 10 person version.  

In addition, this tent is fully waterproof thanks to its included rainfly, waterproof taping on all seams, and tub floor with welded corners.

OT QOMOTOP Instant Camping Tent Pros

• Instant 60 Second Set-Up
• Available in Multiple Sleeping Capacities
• Waterproof with Rainfly Included

OT QOMOTOP Instant Camping Tent Cons

• Designed For Car Camping Only Due to Larger Size and Heavier Weight
• Lacks Front Awning for Additional Weather Protection
• Lower Center Height of 4 Feet 11 Inches Makes it Challenging to Walk Around Inside the Tent

Different Coleman Tent Setup Options

Coleman has three different tent setup options they use throughout their tent lineup including Conventional Pitch, Fast Pitch, and Instant Setup.

Coleman’s Conventional Pitch Tent

The slowest option when it comes to setting up a Coleman tent is conventional pitch, as these Coleman tents will usually take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes to set up.

So if your someone that wants a quick tent setup, you should stay away from Coleman tents that use conventional pitch setup.

Coleman’s Fast Pitch Tent

The second fastest Coleman tent setup option is Coleman’s Fast Pitch, which allows the tent to be set up 50% faster compared to the conventional pitch tent option, by using color-coded and preattached poles and hubs.

Allowing a Coleman tent with Fast Pitch technology to be set up in 5 to 10 minutes.

Coleman’s Instant Setup Tent

The fastest setup option for Coleman tents is Coleman’s Instant tent setup, which allows the main body of the tent to be set up in 60 seconds.

It should be noted, however, that this 60 second setup time only includes the time it takes to set up the main body of the tent.

And does not include the time it takes to attach the rainfly to the tent or to layout and stake down the tent footprint.

How to Setup Up a Coleman Instant Tent

 

1. Unpack the tent and separate the rainfly and main body of the tent.
2. Unfold the four corners of the tent.
3. Pull the main mass of the tent that’s sticking up in an upward position.  
4. Extend and click each main pole into place at all four corners.
5. Make sure the tent floor is pulled flat and then stake down each corner of the tent with the included tent stakes.
6.  Pull the rainfly over the top of the tent, making sure it’s orientated correctly.  
7. Attach the rainfly to the tent frame, hook the corners into position, and stake down the edges.
8. Unroll and extend the guy lines, stake them down, and tighten the lines until taut.  

Is the Coleman Instant Tent Waterproof?

All Coleman tents are waterproof, as Coleman goes to great lengths to make sure their tents are as waterproof as possible by applying waterproof coatings to their tent fabrics and equipping their tents with their WeatherTec® System.

However, it’s important to understand that there are degrees of waterproofing when it comes to tents.

And that tent manufacturers will often throw around the term waterproof pretty loosely.

Because oftentimes when a tent manufacturer uses the term waterproof, they should be using the term water-resistant.

As every tent has its breaking point, where some amount of water will leak inside the tent.

So when it comes to Coleman’s Instant Tents, they are waterproof as Coleman states but just remember that doesn’t mean you won’t find a single drop of water, condensation, or moisture inside the tent, especially after a heavy rain.