Coleman 4-Person Cabin with Instant Setup Review

The Coleman Cabin with Instant Setup is a sweet little tent that doesn't try to be anything other than super easy to set up. The tent goes from bag to fully erected and staked in well under the 60 seconds it claims. The build quality isn't great, the door only opens halfway, and the window covers simply flap in the wind once open, but if you're looking for a very simple tent that is cheap and stupid fast to set up, stop researching, you found a winner.

Performance Comparison

Putting the chairs and table together took longer than pitching this instant tent.

Photo: Rob Gaedtke

Space and Comfort

At 56 sq ft, you can fit two twin air mattresses with about a foot of hallway left or fill the entire tent wall to wall with a full and a twin. The Cabin wasn't really built for four, but in a pinch, you could make it work. The door only opens halfway, a bummer feature also found in other Coleman tents. This makes getting in and out awkwardly difficult.

The Cabin has three large windows, easy access vents in the ceiling (these are accessible from inside the tent thanks to zippers in the ceiling), and two storage pockets. The only ding on the windows is that they have no ties or way to secure them once opened, so they are left to simply dangle.

A full and a twin air mattress just barely fit in this 4-person tent.

Photo: Rob Gaedtke

Weather Resistance

The Cabin will fair well in both warm and cold weather. The single-walls are seam-sealed and have good coverage all the way around. The tub-style floor and the tent walls are both made of thick 150D polyester. The included six stakes will hold the low-profile design down just fine, along with the two pre-attached guylines. Should the weather turn hot, the large windows on both sides of the tent and door paired with the two top vents allow plenty of air to run through.

The surprising large windows unfortunately have nowhere to tuck away when unzipped.

Photo: Rob Gaedtke

Ease of Use

Not much to say here — this is an instant setup tent, after all. Once out of the bag, simply lift up on each side of the tent until you hear a "click," and you're done. The hardest part of the setup is putting the stakes and guyline in. You could give this tent a knock for its weight, coming in at 18.2 lbs, as well as a ding for the bag size — packing this one back up did take a little extra smashing, but it wasn't too bad.

Handy soft mesh covers the fulcrum points to protect your fingers should you forget to pull them out before closing.

Photo: Rob Gaedtke

Durability

With the entire tent made of 150D polyester and all of the seals seam-sealed, the main structure isn't the worst. However, the zippers and the mesh netting are poorly made, and the bag will not last more than a season before it rips or springs a leak. The poles are made from aluminum, but there are a lot of moving plastic pieces that hold them together.

Included guylines are of questionable quality.

Photo: Rob Gaedtke

Family Friendliness

This is a great tent to bring along for the kids or for some extra covered storage, but not ideal for the entire family. At only 56 sq ft, this will be tight quarters, and should the rain come, spending a full day in this tent will test everyone's strength. The Cabin is the perfect kids' tent OR parent tent OR gear tent, but you only get to chose one.

As a secondary tent for friends or gear, this tent is perfect.

Photo: Rob Gaedtke

Value

When you mix the low price point with the super simple setup, you get a good value grab. Don't expect anything fancy other than a tent even the kids or your newbie camping buddy can set up.

Conclusion

There is magic in the speed this tent goes up. Sleepovers, backyard movies, and allowing your kids to bring a friend because you have this tent as a second are all good reasons to consider the Coleman Cabin with Instant Setup. Just remember you are buying simplicity and speed, nothing more.

A top-down view of the small but fast Coleman Cabin.

Photo: Rob Gaedtke