There’s a specific moment on every family camping trip I’ve led where chaos threatens to take over. It’s usually just after sunset, when the mosquitoes begin their nightly assault. The kids are tired and sticky with s’mores, gear is strewn about, and everyone is trying to pile into the tent at once, tracking in dirt and bugs. For years, our trusty but cramped 4-person tent served as a simple sleeping pod, but it offered no real living space. It was a place to escape the elements, not to enjoy them. We longed for a middle ground—a bug-free zone to play cards, a sheltered spot to take off muddy boots, a space that felt less like a nylon coffin and more like a temporary home. The problem is that tents offering this level of comfort often come with a premium price tag or a setup process that requires an engineering degree. Neglecting this need for space and comfort doesn’t just make a trip less enjoyable; it can be the reason a family decides camping “just isn’t for them.”
- Spacious tent has enough room for 6 people with 2 queen size airbeds
- Sets up in 15 minutes with rainfly and carry bag included
What to Consider Before Buying a Family Camping Tent
A family camping tent is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for creating a comfortable and protected basecamp in the great outdoors. It’s your family’s shield against rain, wind, and insects, but more importantly, it’s the central hub for your adventure. A good tent provides not just shelter for sleeping, but also a functional living space to wait out a storm, organize gear, and create lasting memories. The main benefits are security, comfort, and the ability to extend your outdoor enjoyment, transforming a simple overnight stay into a genuine home-away-from-home experience.
The ideal customer for this type of product is a car camper—a family, a couple, or a group of friends who drive to their campsite and prioritize space and comfort over low weight and packability. They are people who see the tent as a destination in itself, a place to lounge and relax. This could be a young family with small children who need room to play, or even older campers who appreciate the ability to stand up and move around without feeling cramped. Conversely, this type of tent is not suitable for backpackers, thru-hikers, or anyone who has to carry their gear over long distances. For them, every ounce matters, and a 20-pound tent is simply not an option. They should consider ultralight backpacking tents from brands that specialize in minimizing weight.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: Don’t just look at the “person” rating. Scrutinize the floor dimensions (length and width) and the center height. A tall center height (over 6 feet) is a game-changer, allowing you to stand up fully to change clothes and move around. Consider if you’ll be using air mattresses, as two queen beds can quickly consume the entire floor of a so-called “6-person” tent, leaving no room for gear.
- Capacity/Performance: A general rule of thumb is to divide the manufacturer’s capacity rating by two for a comfortable experience (e.g., a 6-person tent is comfortable for 3). For performance, look at the water resistance rating (hydrostatic head) and features like taped seams and “bathtub” style floors, where the waterproof material extends up the sidewalls. Ventilation is also key; look for mesh windows and roof panels to combat condensation.
- Materials & Durability: Tent fabrics are typically polyester or nylon, measured in Denier (D). A higher Denier count, like 75D, indicates a thicker, more durable fabric. The poles are equally important; fiberglass is common in budget-friendly family tents and is perfectly adequate for most conditions, while aluminum poles are lighter and stronger, found in more premium or backpacking-oriented models. Check for sturdy zippers, as they are a common point of failure.
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: How long does the tent take to set up, and can one person do it? “Instant” or “pop-up” tents offer maximum convenience, while traditional dome tents with pole sleeves require a bit more practice. For maintenance, ensure the tent is always stored completely dry to prevent mildew, and periodically re-apply a waterproofing spray to maintain its weather resistance over the years.
Keeping these factors in mind, the Coleman Evanston 6/8 Person Screened Camping Tent stands out in several areas, particularly in its unique blend of space and value. You can explore its detailed specifications here.
While the Coleman Evanston 6/8 Person Screened Camping Tent is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:
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First Impressions: Unboxing the “Tent Mahal”
Pulling the Coleman Evanston 6/8 Person Screened Camping Tent from its carry bag, the first thing we noticed was its manageable, if not insignificant, weight. At just over 20 pounds, it’s firmly in the car-camping category, but it wasn’t a struggle to carry from the vehicle to the pitch site. The contents were straightforward: the main tent body, a separate rainfly, three shock-corded fiberglass poles, a bag of standard metal stakes, and the carry bag itself. The Polyester Taffeta 75D fabric felt substantial enough for its price point—not as whisper-thin as an ultralight model, nor as canvas-heavy as a glamping setup. It felt reliable. The instructions were sewn into the bag, a classic Coleman touch that prevents them from getting lost. Laying the tent out, its footprint immediately conveyed a sense of generous space, with the attached screen room adding a significant amount of square footage. It looked less like a simple dome and more like a small multi-room structure, living up to the “Tent Mahal” nickname one user affectionately gave it.
What We Like
- The screened-in porch is a fantastic, bug-free zone for gear or lounging.
- Spacious main cabin comfortably fits two queen airbeds with room to spare.
- Coleman’s WeatherTec system provides reliable waterproofing in the main sleeping area.
- Excellent value, offering features of much more expensive tents.
What We Didn’t Like
- The screened porch has no floor and is not waterproof, collecting water during rain.
- Setup can be challenging for a single person, especially shorter individuals.
Deep Dive: Performance in the Field
A tent’s true character is only revealed after you’ve lived in it—through a calm, starry night and an unexpected downpour. We put the Coleman Evanston 6/8 Person Screened Camping Tent through its paces on a weekend trip that saw both. Here’s how it performed across the key areas that matter most to family campers.
Setup and Portability: A 15-Minute Pitch?
Coleman advertises a 15-minute setup time, a claim we found to be optimistic for the first attempt but achievable with practice. As many users confirmed, this is ideally a two-person job. Spreading the tent out is simple, but raising the main dome requires some coordination. The process involves threading two long fiberglass poles through snag-free continuous pole sleeves, forming two intersecting arches across the top. The “Insta-Clip” attachments then snap onto the poles, giving the dome its shape. At 5’10”, I could manage this part alone, but my partner, who is 5’5″, found it difficult to reach over the top to secure the rainfly, echoing feedback from other users who noted that height can be a factor in solo setup. The final pole arches over the front to create the screened porch’s awning.
The instructions sewn into the bag are rudimentary at best. We found them almost useless, as one reviewer bluntly stated. We highly recommend a quick video search for a visual guide before your first trip; it will save you considerable frustration. Once you understand the mechanics, subsequent setups are much faster. Takedown is the reverse process and is straightforward, though neatly folding the large tent to fit back into its expandable carry bag requires some patience. While it’s not an “instant” tent, the conventional setup is reliable and sturdy once complete, offering better wind resistance than many pop-up cabin tents.
The Screened Porch: A Game-Changer with a Major Catch
The screened-in porch is, without a doubt, the star feature of the Coleman Evanston 6/8 Person Screened Camping Tent. This 50-square-foot vestibule transformed our camping experience. It became the designated “mudroom” for dirty shoes and wet gear, preventing the sleeping area from becoming a mess. During the day, it was a shady, bug-free spot for our dogs to lounge and for us to sit in camp chairs reading a book. The double-door zippered entry is a smart design, creating a buffer zone that drastically reduces the number of insects that make it into the main cabin.
However, this fantastic feature comes with a critical, non-negotiable caveat: it is not waterproof. The porch has a mesh ceiling (covered only by the rainfly’s awning) and no floor. When the rain arrived, water streamed in. This is by design, not a defect. As many users have emphatically stated, the porch floods. We found ourselves sweeping puddles out the front door with a small broom. One user noted the quarter-sized drainage holes in the corners, which are meant to let water out but could also let critters in—a valid concern, though we didn’t experience any intrusions. The consensus among seasoned owners is clear: if rain is in the forecast, you must either accept a wet porch or take proactive measures. The most effective solution is to pitch a separate, larger tarp over the entire front of the tent, creating a true waterproof awning. This adds to your gear and setup time but fully unlocks the porch’s potential in all weather conditions.
Livability and Space: Sizing Up the “6/8 Person” Claim
Tent capacity ratings are notoriously optimistic, and the Coleman Evanston 6/8 Person Screened Camping Tent is no exception. We tested the 8-person model, which features a main cabin floor of 12 by 10 feet. While you could technically line up eight people in sleeping bags, it would be uncomfortably tight. For real-world family camping, this tent is a palace for a family of four or five. We easily fit two queen-sized air mattresses inside, and as one user with a family of four noted, there was still ample room at their heads and feet for clothes and gear bags.
The center height of the 8-person version is listed at 6.5 feet in some specs, though we measured it closer to 6 feet in the absolute center. This still allows most adults to stand up straight, a luxury that cannot be overstated when you’re camping for multiple days. The dome shape means the headroom diminishes quickly as you move toward the walls. The large windows on the sides and back, combined with the mesh roof panels (under the rainfly), provide excellent ventilation. On a warm, humid night, we kept the windows unzipped and enjoyed a comfortable cross-breeze, preventing the stuffiness and condensation that can plague lesser tents. Small but thoughtful features like the E-Port for running an extension cord and a central gear hook for a lantern add to the overall livability. This tent truly shines for those who want to spread out and be comfortable. If you see camping as more than just sleeping, the generous living space is a compelling reason to choose this model. The incredible value of this space is a key reason the Coleman Evanston remains so popular season after season.
Weather Performance: Trusting the WeatherTec System
When the skies opened up for a steady, hours-long rain, we held our breath. This is the moment of truth for any tent. I’m happy to report that the main cabin of the Coleman Evanston 6/8 Person Screened Camping Tent remained perfectly dry. The proprietary WeatherTec system, with its welded polyethylene “bathtub” floor and protected inverted seams, performed admirably. Water beaded up on the polyester rainfly and ran off without a hint of leakage. We confirmed what numerous users have experienced: as long as you’re inside the main tent, you will stay dry.
It’s important to note the product’s claim of being a “4-season” tent is a significant overstatement. The large mesh panels in the roof, while great for summer ventilation, would allow significant heat to escape in cold weather. We, along with most users, would classify this as a solid 3-season tent, perfect for spring, summer, and fall camping. One user successfully camped in 35-degree temperatures by keeping everything zipped up, but it’s not designed for snow loads or harsh winter winds. The aerodynamic dome shape, however, does handle wind better than vertical-walled cabin tents. A user who took it beach camping praised its stability in windy conditions, a testament to its classic and proven design. The main takeaway is that for typical family camping weather, the core sleeping area is a reliable and dry sanctuary.
What Other Users Are Saying
After compiling our own field notes, we cross-referenced our experience with the broader community of owners. The sentiment is remarkably consistent. On the positive side, users rave about the tent’s incredible value. As one camper put it, it’s a “remarkably good 3-season tent… for hundreds of dollars less than comparable models.” The screened porch is the most frequently praised feature, with one family calling it “really nice for storing gear” and a perfect shady spot for their dogs. The reliability of the waterproofing in the main cabin is another common theme, with a reviewer who weathered a storm in Acadia National Park reporting they stayed “completely dry inside” and experienced “NO condensation at anytime.”
On the negative side, the single most common complaint is, unsurprisingly, the porch’s performance in the rain. One user stated it bluntly: “Everyone who said the screened in porch floods when it rains was not kidding!” This is less a defect and more a design choice that buyers need to be aware of. The other main critique revolves around minor design and quality control issues. One user was frustrated by the large drainage holes in the porch corners that could allow bugs in, while another received a tent with unsewn mesh on an interior door right out of the box. These issues appear to be exceptions rather than the rule, but they highlight the trade-offs that sometimes come with a budget-friendly price point.
How Does the Coleman Evanston Compare to the Alternatives?
The Coleman Evanston 6/8 Person Screened Camping Tent occupies a sweet spot of space, features, and price, but it’s not the only option. Here’s how it stacks up against three notable competitors.
1. Kelty Grand Mesa 2P/4P 3-Season Tent
- Fully featured and refreshed for 2020, the reliable backpacking companion Grand Mesa tent is now even grander. Easy, affordable, and awesome… like your...
- 2020 Updates: Kelty Quick Corners keep poles in place during setup, EZ-Zip vestibule with fully taped seams, Shark Mouth carry bag for easier pack up and...
The Kelty Grand Mesa is designed for a completely different camper. This is a lightweight, compact backpacking tent built for those who carry their shelter on their back. Compared to the Evanston’s 20+ pounds, the Grand Mesa weighs a fraction of that and packs down significantly smaller. It uses higher-end materials like aluminum poles for a better strength-to-weight ratio. The trade-off is space. Even the 4-person model is cozy and lacks the standing height and separate living area of the Evanston. If your adventures involve hiking to your campsite, the Kelty is the superior choice. For car campers who prioritize comfort over portability, the Evanston offers far more livability for the money.
2. CORE Instant Cabin Tent LED Lights 6/9/12 Person Camping
- BUILT-IN LED LIGHTING: Ceiling pole-integrated LEDs with three levels of illumination—high, low, and night light—controlled by a wall switch for...
- INSTANT POP UP TECHNOLOGY: Pre-attached poles lock into place for setup in 2 minutes or less
The CORE Instant Cabin Tent is the Evanston’s chief rival for convenience-seeking families. Its pre-attached poles allow for an incredibly fast setup, often in just a couple of minutes. This “instant” feature is its primary selling point and a massive advantage for campers who dread the setup process. It also boasts near-vertical walls, maximizing interior volume and usable space, and includes handy features like built-in LED lighting. However, this design can be less stable in high winds compared to the Evanston’s aerodynamic dome shape. The choice here comes down to priorities: if your biggest pain point is setup time, the CORE Instant Cabin is likely the winner. If you prefer proven wind stability and the unique utility of a screened porch, the Evanston holds its ground.
3. Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Tent
- WeatherTec system's welded corners and inverted seams keep water from getting in
- Tub floor with patented corner welds, protected seams, and a covered zipper help keep water out
For those who like the Coleman brand but need even more space, the WeatherMaster 10-Person is the logical step up. This is a massive cabin-style tent, often featuring a room divider to create two separate sleeping areas, making it ideal for larger families or camping with kids who need their own space. It shares the same reliable WeatherTec waterproofing as the Evanston but in a larger, heavier package. Some WeatherMaster models also include a screened porch, though the design can vary. This alternative is best for large groups or families who need maximum interior square footage and multi-room functionality and are willing to handle a larger, heavier tent.
The Final Verdict: Is the Coleman Evanston Right for You?
After extensive testing, we can confidently say that the Coleman Evanston 6/8 Person Screened Camping Tent is an outstanding value for a specific type of camper. If you are a car-camping family or couple who craves extra space and a bug-free zone to relax, and you understand and can accept the limitations of its non-waterproof porch, this tent is one of the best deals on the market. The main sleeping area is spacious, well-ventilated, and reliably dry, providing a comfortable sanctuary for sleeping. The screened porch, while flawed in the rain, is a genuinely transformative feature in good weather.
This is not the tent for backpackers, extreme weather adventurers, or those who demand a completely foolproof, all-weather living space right out of the bag. But for the vast majority of fair-weather family camping trips, it provides a level of comfort and utility that is hard to beat for the price. It’s a “Tent Mahal” on a budget, and for that, it earns our strong recommendation.
If you’ve decided the Coleman Evanston 6/8 Person Screened Camping Tent is the right fit, you can check its current price and purchase it here.
Last update on 2025-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API