Coleman Instant 10 Person Dark Room Cabin Tent Review

While creating this review for the Instant 10, we examined the data against twenty-seven other 10 person cabin tents, checking more than sixty different data points. We also checked the total cost including shipping & discounts from thirteen various suppliers online shops, to find the best bargain for you.

The Instant Dark Room Fly Open
Coleman's Instant 10 Dark Room With the Fly Open
In this review, we will present to you:
  • A look at the reviews we found.
  • A detailed examination of the features, materials and dimensions.
  • The Pros and Cons of the tent.
  • The Lowest Price that we Found!

At optimumtents.com our reviews are produced from our exclusive database of more than 1,000 tents, that are sold in the USA. Our aim is to give you an objective review and our own unique rating based on the statistics, along with the best value and lowest price we found.

Best Value & Low Price

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  • Coleman Logo
  • Manufacturer: Coleman
  • Model: Instant Dark Room
  • Year Introduced: 2017
  • MPN: 2154824
  • Sleeping Capacity: 10 Persons
  • Designed For: 3 Seasons
  • Best Use: Car Camping
  • Type: Cabin Tent
  • Available in: Other Sizes
  • MSRP: $459.99
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Instant 10 Pictures and Videos

Click on an image or video to enlarge them!


The Instant Dark Room With the Fly Off

Coleman Instant 10 Dark Room With the Fly Off
Fly Closed on the Instant Dark Room 10

Fly Closed Instant 10 Dark Room

A video about the Instant 10 tent.

Another video about Coleman's tents.

QUICK OVERVIEW

Logo Representing the Features Section

Features


  • Freestanding: Yes
  • Color: Black, Yellow Green
  • Number of Rooms: 2
    Room Dividers: 1
  • Number of Windows: 7
  • Number of Doors: 1
  • Zippers: Zipper Cuff
  • Storage Pockets & Gear Loft: Yes, N/A
  • Mesh Roof & Walls: N/A, N/A
  • Footprint: Not Included
Logo Representing the Materials Section

Materials and Extras


  • Inner Walls: Polyster Taffeta 150D
  • Half Fly: WeatherTec Systems Patented Welded
  • Floor Materials: WeatherTec Systems Patented Welded
  • Pole Material: Steel & Fiberglass
  • Number Of Poles: 8
  • Pole Dimensions: 16mm And 22mm
  • Guy Lines & Guy Outs: Yes, Yes
  • Stakes: Yes
Logo Representing the Dimensions Section

Dimensions


  • Floor Area: 140 sq. ft.
  • Center Height: 6 foot. 7 inches.
  • Packed Weight: 44 Lbs 10 Oz
  • Packed Size: 48 x 12 x 11.5 inches.
  • Number of Vestibules: None
  • Screened Areas: None
  • Awnings: None

Tent Set Up

Instant setup in about 60 seconds

Green Thumbs Up Logo

Summary: Favorable Reviews

People who used the tent said that: The tent looks great. It is also waterproof, protects very well against rain even without seam sealer. Great for kids.


Teal Thumbs Down Logo

Summary: Unfavorable Reviews

Campers who bought the tent said that: Hard to set up. The structure has a tendency to be unstable even when pitched according to the instructions. Some parts, like the elbows, can also break easily.


SIMILAR TENTS WITH LOTS MORE SPACE

Coleman Octagon 98 Dark Room 8
Coleman Octagon 98 Half Fly 8
  • 21% More Space
  • 4% Extra Headroom
4.5 Stars Logo (4.1)
$289.99
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Nemo Equipment Bugout Dark Room 6
Nemo Equipment Bugout Screen Room 6
  • 3% More Space
  • 6% Extra Headroom
4.5 Stars Logo (3.9)
$299.95
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Coleman Weathermaster Dark Room 10
Coleman Weathermaster 10
  • 9% More Space
  • 1% Extra Headroom
4.5 Stars Logo (4.1)
$299.99
More Details

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Coleman Echo Lake Dark Room 8
Coleman Echo Lake Fast Pitch with Cabinet 8
  • 14% More Space
  • 6% Extra Headroom
4.5 Stars Logo (3.8)
$329.99
More Details

$130 Cheaper

SPECS AND CONFIGURATIONS

The Instant 10 Dark Room has seven windows and one door and a peak center height of 6' 7, which is a little bit less than the average height of the 24 other 10 person tents we have studied. With 140 square feet of space inside, it is significantly smaller than some other 10-person tents, and it would be quite cramped for you and, up to nine other campers during the whole of the 3-seasons, this tent is suggested for use in, larger tents similar to this one can generally make a very nice choice for people that welcome having plenty of room inside their tent for sleeping and hanging out.

One of the good things about cabin tents is, that the walls of the tent are basically vertical creating a larger interior, this gives you a lot more headroom at the sides of the tent, making it feel much larger than a dome tent, they also, tend to have large sleeping areas, making them great for groups. Normally cabin tents will be used by people going on a camping trip in a car or a truck as they are quite heavy when compared to dome tents. This dose though make them well suited to cooler nights. Many cabin tents contain more than a single room, similar to the Coleman Instant two-room tent

Beneath you can browse a list of the tent's pros and cons.

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PROS

  1. Freestanding. The Instant Dark Room can support its own weight on any terrain. It does not even have to be staked down in most cases. But in case of strong winds, it is always best to secure it to the floor with the included steel stakes and guylines.
  2. Internal storage. It is good to see Coleman has added a gear loft and pockets in the interior to store some of your stuff.
  3. More than one room. The Instant comes with two rooms, allowing for more privacy. Perfect for a large family and groups who do not want to be all sleeping together.
  4. Removable divider. For those who want to maximize all of the available space that the Instant provides, the divider can be removed to have one large room for everyone to share.
  5. More than one window. With 7 openings it is simple to keep the tent ventilated on a hot summers night.
  6. Available in other sizes. Coleman has also made this model available in Other Sizes.
  7. Low price. It is a great purchase for a 10 person cabin tent that provides this much space. Not many tents available on the market provide this level of quality for only $459.99 info_outline

CONS

  1. Sensitive to wind. Because of its size and shape, the Instant may not do best in strong winds if it is not firmly secured with the provided guy lines and stakes. Even though the tent is listed as freestanding in all but very calm conditions, one would want to stake and tie it down correctly.
  2. Not roomy. With a floor area of 140 square feet, the Instant 10 is smaller than quite a few of the 25 other 10 person tents we have looked at.
  3. Lacking in Headroom. With 10% less headroom than similar sized tents, one can see how this could be a negative thing for some campers.
  4. Only one door. With just one door to get out in the middle of the night, it may wake other people that are sleeping.
  5. No Vestibules. If you want to keep your dirty shoes, clothes, and backpacks protected from the rain etc, you must keep them inside the tent.
  6. Rainfly does not totally cover the tent body. The rainfly only covers the ceiling and part of the tent body from the top. Meaning it might not protect against heavy downpours.
  7. Uses Fiberglass poles. Even though the poles are comprised of steel & fiberglass. Using even some fiberglass with a large tent like the Instant 10 could possibly lead to problems, if there were to be extreemly windy conditions.
  8. Poor Heat Retention. The general construction of the Coleman's Instants interior is designed to easily let air in and out. Therefore, it cannot keep heat inside, making it unsuitable for use in cold weather.
  9. Heavy. Even though heavy is not in it self a negative, it is worth noting that the Instant 10, weighs 44 pounds and has a packed size of 48 x 12 x 11.5 inches. Clearly it is designed for camping with a vehicle and would not be super easy to set up on your own.
  10. Footprint not Included. There is no included footprint, The floor may be made of WeatherTec systems patented welded but it is still best to protect it further with a footprint, more so on rough terrain.

CONCLUSION

4.5 Stars Logo

Our Ratings: 4.5 STARS

Coleman's Instant 10 Dark Room tent is ideal for car camping. Here are a few other cool things not already mentioned above which, were found and liked, while researching the model: The included rainfly and the WeatherTec system with its patented welded floors and inverted seams will help you stay dry., Storage pockets to keep your gear organized and Integrated rainfly doesn’t require separate assembly.

With awesome ratings, lots of reviews and a peak height of 6' and 140 square feet of space to play with, this tent is like your very own little mansion. It allows you and up to 8 other campers to enjoy some delightful moments enjoying nature. We found a decent amount of positive points about the tent that you can study above.

If you found this page looking for recommendations on this actual tent, we think, it should make for a very good acquisition. In case you just happened to land on this website while browsing for a brand new tent having not heard of this manufacture or this tent model before, it is perhaps a good thing to check out some more similar tents also.

Value for money: When thinking about value for your dollar, this tent is cheaper than the standard price point of all the twenty-four, ten-person tents we have taken a look at, this alone by itself does not make it great value for money. We also need to think about other areas in detail, as we do for every tent.

When we determine the ratings of a single tent, we look at loads of stuff, looking for points where the tent could outshine other near-identical tents and where it is not quite as good. In this case, with a total rating of 4.5 and the price knowledge above, It is simple to observe that with a price of $459.99 info_outline The Instant 10 Dark Room is a fantastic purchase and cheap in comparison with comparable tents.

Its ratings show that the quality and size the tent provides were not in any way skimped on to obtain a price tag well beneath the usual price for similar tents. It is also worth thinking about the fact that it is marked down by 0% from the manufactures suggested price. It could make a fantastic choice for nearly all campers searching for an adequate three-season cabin tent to camp with, that will serve you well for years to come.

Best Value & Low Price

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$459.99 info_outline
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COMPARE WITH OTHER SIMILAR TENTS

COLEMAN TENT MODELS

CABIN TENTS || LARGE TENTS

Other Sizes and Variations of the Coleman Instant Model

Model Headroom Sleeping Area

Coleman Instant Dark Room 10
Instant 10 Dark Room

6' 7"140 sq ft

Coleman Instant Dark Room 4
Instant 4

4' 11"56 sq ft

Coleman Instant Dark Room 6
Instant 6

5' 11"90 sq ft

Coleman Instant Dark Room 8
Instant 8

6' 7"140 sq ft
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