Once out of the bag, simply lift 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, and a ding for the bag size — packing this one back up did take a little extra smushing, but it wasn’t too bad.
Coleman’s flagship weather protection system is called “Weathertec” and tents with this system are the best suited for three-season camping rain-or-shine. The second weak point of Coleman tents is typically the stitching. The same rules apply here in that you don’t want to put any more pressure or stress on the seams of your tent than is necessary.
Neither tent experienced any ground leaks during testing, either under rainy conditions or when we soaked the tents and the ground underneath them with a garden hose. Without the fly, the Mineral King 3 has a full mesh dome with a waterproof, tape-seamed bathtub-style polyester floor. The tent doors are nearly wall-sized, and when they’re unzipped, you simply stuff them into pockets, rather than having to roll and toggle-tie the fabric. coleman bbq Two hanging pockets plus loops for a ceiling hammock provide simple yet effective additional interior gear storage. Despite having the smallest capacity of the tents we tested at 42.5 square feet, the Mineral King 3 easily fits two people with a full-size mattress, or two sleeping pads, and gear. Two large vestibules add nearly 40 square feet combined—that is, 18.75 square feet on either side—of potentially protected ground space.
Its system of pre-attached color-coded poles is designed to be set up “55 percent faster than standard Coleman tents,” according to the brand. And like any Coleman tent, it provides a solid barrier between you and nature. Coleman’s patented WeatherTec-welded floors and inverted seams help you stay dry, while the included rainfly offers extra protection from the elements, should you need it. The best family camping tents aren’t only spacious, they are super-sturdy and they have kid-friendly features like easy ventilation and smart storage pockets—plus they should be easy to pop up in minutes.
When choosing a tent, it is essential to consider how many people will use it and how much space they need. The Coleman 6-Person Cabin Tent with Screened Porch offers enough space to hold up to six people comfortably and can be divided into two separate rooms. There are a lot of satisfied purchases for this tent although some users argue that it is not waterproof enough. By applying additional waterproofing treatment and sealing the seams, it should be able to protect campers from light rain.
But under windy conditions, you’ll want to reinforce the poles with all available mechanisms and not cut any corners in setup. The Mineral King 3’s fly attaches intuitively with plastic buckles and has well-placed guy tabs for you to secure it with extra lines and stakes. The fly also adds the vestibule space, which not only gives you options for gear storage but also helps ventilate the tent in inclement weather via two vents.