With their famous one minute setup claim, Coleman instant tents are rumored to combine all of the best benefits of a instant and traditional tent into one unit. The canvas is made with a special weathertec material that is sure to keep you dry, but what do customers think about the one minute setup? With it’s unique exoskeleton design, all that is required for setup is to unbag the tent and lock the legs in place. With several different tent sizes available, Coleman has made it accessible for all family sizes.

Most people are drawn to the Coleman instant tent because of it’s one minute setup time. With some users reporting a setup of just over 40 seconds, it could take you longer to unsheathe your survival knives than set up the whole base camp! With less time figuring out tent pole assembly and more time with your family, you can enjoy the hiking, canoeing, or fishing that you planned in your short says at the campsite.

Although there are plenty of upsides to the exoskeleton design of the tent, there are several coleman instant tent review sites online that outline some of the drawbacks of the design. First and foremost you’ll notice when the tent first arrives in the mail. The box and tent ships at a weight in excess of 43 pounds. Needless to say, this design is not well suited for a hiker trying to find a peaceful campsite in the middle of the forest. No, it more suited towards a large family planning to drive to their campsite. Second, many reviewers have discovered that the tent does not ship with a rain fly. Meaning, in any sort of rain, the inside of the tent is going to get extremely hot and humid. However, for those families who plan their trips in good weather, this tent is a perfect way to squeeze more fun out of a camping trip and less work.

Editor’s Note:

I used to have a tent like this, and loved it! It was an earlier model, and I do not recall if it was a Coleman brand, but the poles were “built in” to the tent like the tents mentioned here. It was great to set up, and you could even do it late at night in the dark quickly. Check out this guide for the best camping tents too.