The outer fabric is made from silicone coated ripstop that will survive any weather and there are two doors with mosquito net protection, so you can avoid clambering over people in the night. Turns out that we quite liked it and it worked rather well. The porch area is rather large, meaning that your stuff doesn’t get wet when it rains and neither do you. It was really nice to have the choice of sitting outside but still being sheltered a little from the canopy. The top half of the front door can also be unzipped to reveal a large mesh panel. You could leave this panel open in the daytime for ventilation and to cool the tent down. And because the inner bedroom pod is already attached to the flysheet, once you’ve clipped the poles into each of the corners you just clip the flysheet to the poles and you’re done. This also means you can’t get the inner fabric wet if pitching in a storm. It took us less than four minutes to pitch.

Decathlon popularised the pop-up tent and revolutionised festival camping, but those early designs, while easy to put up, were extremely difficult to fold away again. Thankfully, the design has evolved and, while it’s still incredibly simple to pitch, it can also be put away without (much) swearing. Courtesy of colour coded straps and clips, it’s easy to fold the tent in half, after which a pull cord system then holds everything in place while you fold it again to fit the bag. It’s still a faff, but so much easier than previous versions. The tent also features an extra pole above the screen room, which is necessary for the screen room to function properly. To set up the screen room, you will need to stake it to the ground using the three loops provided. Only when the screen room is staked to the ground will the roof become fully tensioned and the ceiling take its proper shape and height. Not Fully Freestanding This is the first tent we have tested that has an open front area. We were used to having a kitchen/front area that can be zipped up, so we were more than a little curious as to how it would work out for us. The Coleman Steel Creek Fast Pitch Tent weighs 19.01 lb (8.62 kg), which is relatively heavy for a camping tent. This is a tent that is best suited for places with car access, as it may be too heavy and bulky to carry long distances. However, the tent is easy to set up and take down, making it a great option for car camping trips where ease and convenience are top priorities. Organization and Structure I’ve already mentioned the zip-stop feature and it’s safety advantages. However this feature is even better if you have dogs or children as it means you can leave the bottom half of the door zipped to keep the dogs or kids in and then when you want to go through the door you can just step over and through.

The Coleman Steel Creek Fast Pitch Tent is designed to accommodate up to 6 people comfortably. The tent has a total floor area of 140 ft² (13 m²), with a total room per person of 23.3 ft² (2.17 m²). However, it’s worth noting that the screen room area is not fully protected from rain, so it’s not recommended for sleeping in wet weather. That being said, the screen room is a useful area for storing gear or cooking, and the tent provides a good amount of space for the declared number of people. The capacity of 6 People vs. 4 People Tents are sized according to the number of adults they can feasibly sleep (two-, four-, six-person and so on), but unless you’re looking for an ultralight adventure tent for one person, the rule of thumb is that if you halve the stated person number, you’ll get the number of adults the tent will actually sleep comfortably. A four-person tent will give two adults plenty of extra space for bags without being squashed but, if you’re camping with kids, a six-person tent (with separate bedrooms) is ideal. To pitch, you simply pull on two chords that clip and bend the poles into position. With the flysheet, bedroom and groundsheet already fitted, you’re ready to go in 30 seconds, if that. Once pitched, you can move it into position and peg out. The full floor in the screen room includes mesh openings along the wall on the floor for drainage, which is useful during wet weather. While the screen room is not recommended for sleeping during rainy weather, it can be used as an extra sleeping space during dry weather. Double-Layer Type Next to each door is a large side window, complete with roll-away blinds. On the front wall is the large front door with more windows each side.

When all the windows blinds are opened up, you get a really bright living space with a wide open and airy feel to it. The grey tent material on the roof helps with the lighting too, and the area is more than big enough for the family’s chairs and the dogs fabric crate too. Overall, while the dome part of the tent is freestanding, the tent is not fully freestanding due to the need to stake the screen room to the ground. However, this is a common feature in many tents and does not detract from the tent’s overall functionality and convenience. Who is it for Space-Wise We fitted our large Outwell Claros table on the one side of it along with our storage boxes and there was still plenty of room for 4 good sized chairs. We often ate our tea in that area and enjoyed sitting out there with a fire blazing just a few feet away. The Coleman Evanston 6 Tent features dark rest technology, which has become increasingly popular in recent years. This technology reduces the amount of sunlight that enters the tent, creating a darker and cooler sleeping environment. In contrast, the Coleman Steel Creek Fast Pitch Tent does not have dark rest technology. Fast Pitch vs Sleeves

Coleman Event Shelter 4.5 x 4.5 XL PRO Replacement Flysheet 5010006818

The configuration of the bedrooms is clever in that they consist of 2 separate pods. The small pod that sleeps 2 can be totally removed if you fancy, ideal if you want more storage space. The larger pod has a room divider in it, which we removed to make one large bedroom for us parents to sleep in with a little more room. The Coleman Steel Creek Fast Pitch Tent has a unique double-layer structure that includes two rooms: a dome sleeping area and a screen room. The screen room is covered by the fly but has angled walls and no panels, making it exposed to rain and not fully protected. The screen room has a full floor, however, and is permanently attached to the tent, making it a bug-free zone. The main entrance door on the screen room is an inverted T-shape and is made entirely of mesh. Dome Sleeping Area There are two large side doors with mesh inners, one on each side of the tent. In the hot weather, we had both doors open (just leaving the mesh because of the dogs), and it helped to get some fresh air inside.

When comparing the Coleman Steel Creek Fast Pitch Tent and the Coleman Evanston 6 Tent, there are a few key differences to consider. While both tents have the same size and organization with a two-room structure, there are some notable distinctions between the two. Dark Rest Technology That being said, pop-up and fast pitch tents are generally small and designed for two adults at most. Some of the latest fast pitching designs have a little more space – with room for young children – but if you need an easy-to-pitch tent for a large family looking to camp for more than a long weekend you’ll need to invest in an inflatable design. These come in sizes that sleep up to 12 adults. How much should I spend? While the Coleman Steel Creek Fast Pitch Tent is advertised as a 6-person tent, it’s important to note that the inner room is 10 x 9 ft (3.05 x 2.74 m), and it can be cramped if you try to fit 6 sleeping pads on the floor. For optimal comfort, it’s recommended to downgrade the capacity to a maximum of 4 people. The tent can still comfortably fit 2 queen airbeds, but keep in mind that this may limit storage space underneath the beds. Suitable Seasons and Weather ConditionsDon’t invest hundreds of pounds on a large tent – or hi-tech mountaineering design – that you only need for one weekend at a festival. In this situation, we suggest borrowing one from a friend. Be warned, though, that you’ll need to be at least five-feet eight inches (172cm) tall and have a relatively strong grip to lift and clip the tent together. You’ll want to take an eye mask if you plan on sleeping past dawn as it is very light in the mornings – but you’re using it for adventure, rather than sleeping off festival excesses.