Recommend a good Coleman tent?

Wanderlusty

Wanderlusty

Explorer
The wife has already clued me in that she is planning on buying me a tent for Christmas. . . from the Coleman store! :luxhello:

Maybe she is looking forward to us :camping:

Anyway, I know that there are some good brands out there like North Face and the like, but she is set on Coleman, and I know that they aren't bad by any means, but I know also that they sell the same $50 tents that last about one or two trips too, so I want to be careful about which of their tents I get.

What I am looking for is:

1)Durability
2)Waterproof
3)Big enough for 2 larger adults and at least one (maybe eventually more) kid.
4)Ease of setup
5)Preferrably less than $200

Pretty much in that order. . .

What is awesome is that she also clued me in on what I was getting from her family. Apparenly she has let them know of my new hobby.

Coleman 5 gallon water container
Coleman sleeping bag good down to 20 Degrees

Anyway, looks like a pretty good Christmas so far!
:xxrotflma

Any help you folks can give would be GREATLY appreciated!
 
Ursidae69

Ursidae69

Expedition Leader
There is a tent thread around here somewhere for serious tent needs. I have 35 dollar Coleman 5-man dome tent that has lasted for years for very mild weather camping. I'm not up on the rest of their line though. Good luck.
 
Wanderlusty

Wanderlusty

Explorer
Yeah, I read that thread from front to back. Really helpful knowing what to look for and what not.

My wife seems pretty set on a Coleman tent, so I was hoping for folks that could reccommend a specific one (like the 5 man dome you have) as that thread did not mention much on Colemans, other than that they were good.

Thanks for the reply!

Around here, a mild weather tent would work, but since I plan on heading into some more extreme climates from time to time, I am a bit scared by the $40 and $50 tents. . .
 
Ursidae69

Ursidae69

Expedition Leader
Fat_Man said:
Around here, a mild weather tent would work, but since I plan on heading into some more extreme climates from time to time, I am a bit scared by the $40 and $50 tents. . .
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have better tents for more extreme or backpacking. I like my Mountain Hardware tent, but it requires stakes. I might sell it and try to find one that doesn't require stakes. If it is clear, I don't use a tent anyway usually.
 
Wanderlusty

Wanderlusty

Explorer
I guess what I am looking for is kind of a 'Do It All' tent. I don't really backpack per se, but I won't complain if I end up packing in sometime.

And I figure if it stands up to tougher conditions, it should handle mild conditions just fine.

I can't really afford to buy multiple tents, so want one that is versatile and durable enough to work under several conditions.

I guess I want it all. . . the perfect tent. That isn't asking too much, is it? :hehe:
 
G

Gonzzo

Observer
A few suggestions...from a nOOb...

I have owned several tents from all makes and designs. From base camping to car camping to backpacking to ultralight. Of those i have owned a few coleman tents. Of the ones i have owned, the COLEMAN CIMARRON and the COLEMAN CADENCE come to mind as possible tents for you. The cimarron is basicaly the original design for the cadence. Both are good 4 season tents. They vent well if you leave the fly off and will keep you dry under mean conditions. The cimarron is cheaper at around $100 but harder to find. The cadence goes for about $200.00 and you can normaly find it on e-bay or several online stores. They are both 3 person tents with an external vestibule. Of those two, the cimarron had a little bigger vestibule(if memory serves me well). Both sound like they might be what you are looking for. Hope this helps.

Gonzzo.
 
Wanderlusty

Wanderlusty

Explorer
Gonzzo,

Thanks SOOO much. That was EXACTLY what I was looking for!

My wife actually remembers seeing the Cimmaron when she went to the Coleman outlet in Branson, MO, so that would be really cool.

I like the Cadence VERY much as well. On Coleman's site, the Candence is much more descriptive about materials, etc, dunno why. Would you see these tents as mostly equal, despite the Cadence being 2x the price? Is it just that the Cimmaron is an older design?

The Cimmaron:

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=9260C727&categoryid=11070

The Cadence:

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=9860-707&categoryid=11070

Again, thanks so much for the help!
 
G

Gonzzo

Observer
Things have changed...

To be honest, the design of the cimarron has changed since i owned one, it seems to be on par with the cadence now. But, without testing the new cimarron i would not be able to compare them. What i can tell you is that both of the tents i owned where of equal value as far as craftmanship goes. They both kept me dry and comfortable.

I can say that by looking at the pictures of the new cimarron, they have re designed the fly and guyout points. It looks to be an improvement on an already strong design. One advantage the cadence has is that it has 2 doors and 2 vestibules(the back vestibule is smaller than the front), however, the front vestibule does not have it's own pole like the cimarron so the vestibule size will be smaller/weaker than the new cimarron design.

One thing to note is that coleman designated the cadence as a 4 season tent and failed to give the new cimarron a season designation. I would still use the cimarron as a 4 season tent though.

If i was to buy either one of these tents NOW, i would probably buy the new cimarron, purely based on the new design.

I hope this helps. Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions.

Thanks.

Gonzzo.
 
Wanderlusty

Wanderlusty

Explorer
It helps a LOT. You may be new to the site, but you sound like a veteran camper.

It will be a couple of weeks before we get back up to where the Coleman store is, so I am gonna cross my fingers that the Cimmaron that my wife remembered seeing is still there.

I definitely like knowing that the Cimmaron is such a good value. She told me if she upped for the Cadence, that would complete her Christmas shopping for me. If the Cimmaron is still down there around $100, then (maybe) I can get MORE STUFF!!!! Eeeh, maybe not, but still, I have never been one to shy away from saving money!

Thanks again!
 
G

Gonzzo

Observer
That would be it...

That is the original cimarron design, a good tent for a great price. At that price i'd get it, try it out and if i didnt like it, e-bay it or send it off to the gear closet to be used as a spare or loaner.

But knowing that price is great (cheapest i ever saw it was about $70), craftsmanship has always been ok with coleman tents and it sounds like it would suit your needs, id say get it. W#ith some of the money you save, i would look into replacing the fiberglass poles with some aluminium poles. There is nothing wrong with the fiberglass poles, i just like to be thorough and have a spare set of aluminium ones in the bag incase one goes out. Easton makes replacement poles as do some other manufacturers, i just cant remember any other names right now. i need my :coffee:

Good luck.

Gonzzo.
 
Wanderlusty

Wanderlusty

Explorer
I think that I will see about getting that one. The price is right, and I have the experience of someone who owned one letting me know it is a good product.

I like the idea about replacing the poles. I did a quick search and found a few other companies that do replacement poles as well.

As a bonus, it would match my 8X8 picnic canopy (color) though I am not sure I would have that along too often. It is a pretty bulky piece of equipment, and the Jeep is already starved for space.

Thanks again for the help. I will let you know if I get it.
 
Wanderlusty

Wanderlusty

Explorer
Well, I mentioned the E-Bay one to the wife, and she nixed the idea. It was either a general distrust of E-Bay stuff, or she wants me only to have the best stuff. . . :luxhello: I think I will go with that. . .

Anyway, have narrowed it down to the Cadence and the Bristol. The Cadence is a 4 season tent, and the Bristol is a 3 season tent that has the same construction materials and quality (aluminum poles, etc) but is slightly larger and taller (which would be helpful) but has one fewer pole and because it is taller is probably not AS good in high winds.

As I understand it, the main difference between these two is that the 4 season Cadence is rather strong, and can hold a heavy snow load, and is lower profile and can resist heavier winds.

For me, I don't know how much snow will be a factor, but wind is a reasonable concern. Since I plan on using it a lot out West, maybe someone from that direction can tell me if wind is a big enough issue to get the Cadence as opposed to the Bristol?

They cost the same, and there are plusses and minuses to each. Just trying to decide. Thanks in advance for any advice.

The Cadence:

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=9860-707&categoryid=11070

The Bristol:

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=9802-806&categoryid=11070


:camping:
 
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