Coleman 8 Person Tent: Definitive Review (2024)

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This is the Ultimate TopNotch Coleman 8 Person Tent Review 2024…

For families with young children, camping under a single roof leads to memories that last a lifetime.

Inspiring your children’s love for the outdoors from an early age can create better environmental stewards for many generations to come.

But poor backcountry accommodations can ruin even the most well-planned camping trip.

That’s why you need a family tent that provides plenty of space for everyone and doesn’t cause fighting and headaches during the setup process.

Many families have found the convenience of an instant tent makes their trips so much more enjoyable.

So today…

We’re going to highlight one of the best instant tent options on the market.

In this comprehensive review we’ll cover:

  • Why it’s a great option for family backpacking trips.
  • Where it ranks against the competition in terms of overall comfort
  • How easy it is to set up and breakdown
  • Lots more…

So if you’re in need of a new instant tent for summertime adventures, you’ll love this guide.

Let’s get started.

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Value for Money
5
Ease of Set-Up
7
Comfort
6
Weather resistance
7
Workmanship
6
Packed Size
10
Overall Score
68

  • Manufacturer: Coleman
  • Capacities: 8P
  • Dimensions: 46.8 x 9.8 x 9.8 inches
  • Seasons: 3-season
  • Weight: 38.2 pound

Bottom Line : A great starter tent for family camping

Pros


  • Friendly price, good ventilation, lightweight

Cons


  • Small for eight people, not super waterproof

Our Verdict: Coleman 8 Person Tent

The Coleman 8 Person Tent is an excellent starter tent for families just dipping their toes into the camping world. 

It only requires three simple steps to set up and even beginners can complete the process in about 60 seconds. 

Yes, you read that right! 60… seconds…

The dimensions of the tent make it spacious enough to fit eight people comfortably. But you can also use this tent for glamping because it’ll fit two queen-sized air mattresses inside too. 

The large mesh windows and doors on this tent provide plenty of ventilation for camping during the hottest months of the year. 

And while it’s not the most waterproof amongst the best large tents on the market, it does offer a few features that keep you warm and dry if a light rain shower comes through camp. 

Our initial verdict is…

“The Coleman 8 Person Tent is a great instant tent for large families exploring camping for the first time!”

Related: 11 Best Large Tents

Value For Money

In our review process, we regularly compare a tent’s price and features to those of its competition. 

Unfortunately, the Coleman 8 Person Tent doesn’t quite provide the same value for money as some of the other large tents we researched. 

Coleman 8 Person Tent

Value For Money Rating

Big Agnes Flying Diamond
9
REI Kingdom 6
9
Wenzel Great Basin 10-Person Tent
9
Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Tent
8
CORE 9-person Instant Cabin Tent
8
White Duck Outdoors Complete Canvas Tent
7
NTK Laredo GT 8 to 9 Person 10 by 15 Foot Sports Waterproof Tent
7
Tahoe Gear Ozark 16 Person Family Cabin Tent
7
NTK Super Arizona
7
Winterial Teepee Ten
6
Coleman 8 Person Tent
5

If you’re looking for a tent with similar capacity and more bang for your buck…

Check out the NTK Laredo GT! 

And if you’re truly looking to buy your first camping tent ever…

We highly recommend checking out our Tips For Buying The Right Tent!

Ease of Setup

Setting up this tent is relatively easy, even if you’re new to camping. 

As its ‘instant tent’ name implies…

…it can be erected in about one minute because the poles are pre-attached to the body of the tent. 

Coleman 8 Person Tent

Ease Of Setup Rating

Winterial Teepee Tent
10
CORE 9-person Instant Cabin Tent
9
NTK Laredo GT 8 to 9 Person 10 by 15 Foot Sports Waterproof Tent
9
REI Kingdom 6
9
Wenzel Great Basin 10-Person Tent
8
Big Agnes Flying Diamond
8
Coleman 8 Person Tent
7
NTK Super Arizona
7
Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Tent
6
White Duck Outdoors Complete Canvas Tent
5
Tahoe Gear Ozark 16 Person Family Cabin Tent
5

The poles themselves are telescoping, so you simply extend them to their full length after the tent body is laid out flat on the ground. 

The poles then click and lock into place to guarantee the stability and structure of this instant family tent.

This tent also doesn’t require a rain cover, which further reduces your overall set up time. 

Your last step will simply be to stake guy lines in place to keep the body of the tent even and less likely to collapse inward.

Overall Comfort

The 14’ x 10’ floor plan that the Coleman 8 Person Tent boasts makes it spacious enough for eight people to sleep inside comfortably.

It also has a peak height of 6’7” to allow taller individuals to stand comfortably inside.Because it’s a cabin-style instant tent, the walls are almost perfectly vertical, which serves to create even more space inside this tent.

Coleman 8 Person Tent

Overall Comfort Rating

Big Agnes Flying Diamond
9
REI Kingdom 6
9
NTK Super Arizona GT
9
Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Tent
8
Wenzel Great Basin 10-Person Tent
8
CORE 9-Person Instant Cabin Tent
8
Tahoe Gear Ozark 16-Person Tent
7
NTK Laredo 8 to 9 Person 10 by 15 Foot Sports Waterproof Tent
7
Coleman 8 Person Tent
6
White Duck Outdoors Complete Canvas Tent
6
Winterial Teepee Tent
5

That being said…

Our review process found that a true three-season rating might be a little generous for this instant tent. 

The fact that it doesn’t have an additional rain cover and it has several large mesh windows and doors means it might not be the warmest camping tent when overnight temperatures drop.

Weather Resistance

When we review the weather-proof properties of a camping tent, one of the first components we typically look at is the rain fly. 

Well…

This tent doesn’t have one. 

So that tells you something right there.

Coleman 8 Person Tent

Weather Resistance Rating

White Duck Outdoors Complete Canvas Tent
9
Big Agnes Flying Diamond
9
Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Tent
9
NTK Super Arizona GT
9
REI Kingdom 6
8
NTK Laredo 8 to 9 Person 10 by 15 Foot Sports Waterproof Tent
8
Coleman 8 Person Tent
7
CORE 9-Person Instant Cabin Tent
7
Wenzel Great Basin 10-Person Tent
7
Tahoe Gear Ozark 16-Person Tent
6
Winterial Teepee Tent
5

Unlike a cabin-style tent like the Core 9 Person Instant Family Tent however, the Coleman 8 Person Tent doesn’t have a mesh roof that would allow moisture or rain to drip in from the ceiling.

Nevertheless…

We would avoid this tent if there’s any precipitation in the forecast, despite the welded floor and inverted seams helping to keep leaks from penetrating those areas from underneath. 

If you need a more weather resistant camping tent for your family…

Check out the Coleman WeatherMaster 10.

Workmanship

The material used in the body of this instant tent has a denier count of 150. 

This is a measure of the thickness of the tent’s material, which plays a large role in how well it’ll hold up against the elements.

Coleman 8 Person Tent

Workmanship Rating

White Duck Outdoors Complete Canvas Tent
10
REI Kingdom 6
9
NTK Super Arizona GT
9
Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Tent
9
Big Agnes Flying Diamond
9
CORE 9-Person Instant Cabin Tent
8
Wenzel Great Basin 10-Person Tent
8
NTK Laredo GT 8 to 9 Person 10 by 15 Foot Sports Waterproof Tent
7
Tahoe Gear Ozark 16-Person Tent
7
Winterial Teepee Tent
7
Coleman 8 Person Tent
6

Unfortunately…

This Coleman 8 Person Tent ranks at the bottom of the pack in terms of material thickness.

But it does boast inverted seams that help to prevent leaks in one of the most leak-prone areas of all tents.

And the poles are made of steel rather than the aluminum that’s more common amongst other large tents.

For an option with a better workmanship ranking…

Check out our review of the Wenzel 8 Person Klondike.

Packed Size

One area of excellence to note is the packed size of this instant tent. 

It weighs just over 38 pounds and packs down to dimensions of 46.8” x 9.8” x 9.8”. 

So it won’t be easy to strap onto a backpack, but it should fit just fine in the back of your car.

Coleman 8 Person Tent

Packed Size Rating

Coleman 8 Person Tent
10
REI Kingdom 6
10
Winterial Teepee Tent
10
NTK Super Arizona GT
9
Wenzel Great Basin 10-Person Tent
9
NTK Laredo 8 to 9 Person Tent
8
Tahoe Gear Ozark 16-Person Tent
8
Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Tent
8
Big Agnes Flying Diamond
8
CORE 9-Person Instant Cabin Tent
7
White Duck Outdoors Complete Canvas Tent
4

On another note…

This is one of the lighter large tent options out there, which makes it much easier for one person to move around and set up on their own.

Our Final Verdict: Coleman 8 Person Tent

Our final word on the Coleman 8 Person Tent is that it should probably be used for fair-weather camping only. 

It does boast plenty of features that make it useful if you’re new to camping, such as telescoping poles and a pre-attached tent frame. 

So overall…

“This Coleman 8 Person Tent Tent an easy-to-use starter tent for large families exploring a newfound passion for the outdoors!”

Our Final verdict Rating

REI Kingdom 6
90%
Big Agnes Flying Diamond
87%
NTK Super Arizona GT
83%
Wenzel Great Basin 10-Person Tent
82%
Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Tent
80%
CORE 9-Person Instant Cabin Tent
78%
NTK Laredo 8 to 9 Person 10 by 15 Foot Sports Waterproof Tent
77%
Winterial Teepee Tent
72%
Coleman 8 Person Tent
68%
White Duck Outdoors Complete Canvas Tent
68%
Tahoe Gear Ozark 16-Person Tent
66%

Conclusion: Coleman 8 Person Tent

In conclusion…

This is a useful option for your summer camping adventures if you’re confident it’s not going to rain! 

Actually we would ‘always’ recommend you start with your own waterproofing at home before you take out any new tent.

The tent’s telescoping poles and pre-constructed frame make it super easy to set up even if you don’t have a lot of experience with camping tents. 

It offers plenty of space for a family of eight and can even accommodate two queen-sized mattresses if you want to bring a little more comfort to your sleeping. 

Nice.

Families who need to create some level of privacy while camping will also love the room divider that creates two private spaces inside the tent. And each room will have its own door to make entry and exit more convenient. 

All in all…

You’ll learn a lot about your camping preferences while easing into the nuances of sleeping outdoors with this instant tent!

We’ve done the work – now it’s over to you to make your choice!

Other Versions

If you’re interested in other Coleman products or tents with similar capacities…

Here’s another option to consider: 

Coleman WeatherMaster 10

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