Coleman Elite Montana 8-Person Tent

We haven’t been camping in years, but Coleman was always a brand we completely trusted. This tent was wonderful! It basically had 3 rooms, but could be opened to create larger spaces. My husband and I would sleep on one side and my kids on the other. 2 twin air mattresses fit easily without touching the sides. We left the center area for our luggage and belongings. In bad weather we were also able to use it as a communal space to play games etc. we did take precautions and waterproof it before even our first use, we had no issues.

This tent is awesome! My husband is not into camping, so I found this big tent to give us space and comfort. Low and behold a storm comes through on the first day and this thing resisted wind and heavy rain without a single leak. It was easy to pop up and put away. 10/10!

GREAT given the conditions we camped in!

We just camped for the first time in this tent last weekend in 25-30 mph winds and TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS for 13 hours straight. This tent held up incredibly well. The park rangers had even commented on how well it took the storm. Out of all the campers left, only 3 tents were left and ours was the only one standing by morning. We did take in a tiny bit of water from underneath after about 9 hours but that is a long time for a tent to take a beating like that in my opinion. We did find 3 very tiny holes in the bottom of the tent and have no idea where they came from - maybe that's how some water got in? I can say with absolute certainty that it did not leak at all from above and the small amount of water we took in was minimal compared to what came down on us. (This ... MoreWe just camped for the first time in this tent last weekend in 25-30 mph winds and TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS for 13 hours straight. This tent held up incredibly well. The park rangers had even commented on how well it took the storm. Out of all the campers left, only 3 tents were left and ours was the only one standing by morning. We did take in a tiny bit of water from underneath after about 9 hours but that is a long time for a tent to take a beating like that in my opinion. We did find 3 very tiny holes in the bottom of the tent and have no idea where they came from - maybe that's how some water got in? I can say with absolute certainty that it did not leak at all from above and the small amount of water we took in was minimal compared to what came down on us. (This may be because I hadn't tucked the tarp completely under the tent??) I wonder if there is a repair kit? We are looking forward to using this again and again!

Good tent, great value.

We had been using a 6 person tent from another brand. But when we bought cots, it didn’t leave us enough room. This tent gives us plenty of space to move around even with the army style cots set up.Initial set up was not intuitive but once I figured it out, it was easy.We really like this tent. Very glad we got it. And at this price it’s a steal.

Not a happy camper

I bought this tent thinking I was going to get the quality that I have purchased in the past... Boy, was I wrong.I bought this for our yearly camping trip and it leaked all weekend. Poor quality. I couldn't figure out why.. Everything was set up as directed from the instructions. We even had a nice level lotI have many Coleman products.. this will be the last tent....Try looking at returning the product before you buy, it's not very easy.... It looks like I am stuck with a $200 tent that is worthless.. Who wants a tent that leaks right out of the box...

Poor airflow

We bought this to take our three young children on their first camping experience. Room wise it has plenty of room for our crew of five. And, once it is all stood up and tied down it feels pretty solid. The awning in front is just enough that in a mostly vertical rain you have a little bit of shelter to slip shoes on/off and get in/out of the tent without letting water in. Setup was not too bad. It definitely takes at least two people to put up the tent and take it down effectively. We had it set up in about twenty minutes. There was a decently heavy rain shower while we were out camping and the tent shed the water quite effectively. We stayed nice and dry (from the rain at least) inside the tent. The biggest issue, and this was a huge one for us was lack of ... MoreWe bought this to take our three young children on their first camping experience. Room wise it has plenty of room for our crew of five. And, once it is all stood up and tied down it feels pretty solid. The awning in front is just enough that in a mostly vertical rain you have a little bit of shelter to slip shoes on/off and get in/out of the tent without letting water in. Setup was not too bad. It definitely takes at least two people to put up the tent and take it down effectively. We had it set up in about twenty minutes. There was a decently heavy rain shower while we were out camping and the tent shed the water quite effectively. We stayed nice and dry (from the rain at least) inside the tent. The biggest issue, and this was a huge one for us was lack of airflow. We had sweltering 80-90 degree daytime temps and 80-90% humidity. Escaping into the tent to get out of the sun and try to let our two year old nap was not feasible. Simply stepping into the tent (in the shade of trees) was like walking into a sauna. Night time when the temps started to go down outside we struggled to get any airflow into the tent to cool us down. The windows on this tent are simply too small. You have two rather short windows on either end of the tent, a small ground vent in the back, and then the top half of the door. Your only other option for increasing airflow would be to take down the rainfly which would expose the mesh panels on the top of the tent. But, if you're expecting the possibilty of an overnight rain you will want that rainfly there. Plus a large part of the strength of the tent seems to come from the combination of the rainfly with the tent itself. I think if you were planning an early spring or late fall camping trip with this tent airflow might not be such a huge issue. But, that's not always a guarantee. If I were buying a new tent I would definitely prioritize bigger windows that could maximize airflow.

TRULY Waterproof!

Coleman made claims to this tent being 100% waterproof. It is.After enduring three sopping wet camping adventures with a tent from a different company that also made this claim, but lied, we were ecstatic when it rained all day, twice, and we got to stay inside our Coleman tent, high and dry and happy to be alone.As I lay on our air mattress watching the water bead and then run off the rain fly, I saw a spot where the water pooled. I risked it and pushed up on that spot. The water just rolled off. Very satisfying.When we got home I salvaged the other tent for parts and then threw it in a dumpster. Very satisfying.To accompany our tent, we purchased a 16x10 ft. heavy duty tarp to pitch the tent on. This gave us a 16x3 ft. "floor" to stand on when we exited or ... MoreColeman made claims to this tent being 100% waterproof. It is.After enduring three sopping wet camping adventures with a tent from a different company that also made this claim, but lied, we were ecstatic when it rained all day, twice, and we got to stay inside our Coleman tent, high and dry and happy to be alone.As I lay on our air mattress watching the water bead and then run off the rain fly, I saw a spot where the water pooled. I risked it and pushed up on that spot. The water just rolled off. Very satisfying.When we got home I salvaged the other tent for parts and then threw it in a dumpster. Very satisfying.To accompany our tent, we purchased a 16x10 ft. heavy duty tarp to pitch the tent on. This gave us a 16x3 ft. "floor" to stand on when we exited or entered the tent, so very little dirt was tracked in. I used two 36" bungee cords and carbiner clips to anchor the two front points of the tent to the front edge of the tarp. The trick is to keep the bungee cords completely relaxed, as if they were just lying on the ground, so the door will work properly. I was pleased to discover that most of our tarp's anchor holes aligned with the tent's anchor points. The wind that accompanied the rain could not move the tent because, when it tried, the cords pulled back!And yes, we loved the "D" door that closed so quickly behind us, as well as the ingenious built in lighting.Our Queen air mattress took up one side of the tent and the other side had room enough to set up two collapsible chairs and a small table. While we played games, our gear sat quietly in the corners, as happy as we were to remain dry on this latest and very satisfying camping adventure.So, fellow tent campers, don't worry to much about weight or ease or set up, this tent is not heavy and with two people the set up is uncomplicated. This tent is 100% waterproof. Nothing else matters when compared to that on a rainy camping day. Nothing.

Time to step up to Glamping!!

I apologize in advance for my wordiness, but there's so much to love about this tent!The local in-store clearance combined with news of our pending first grandchildren inspired us to finally pull the trigger and move towards the creature comforts of glamping! Our trusty old Eureka Timberline is now relegated to the odd canoe trip.I spent an hour setting everything up slowly, getting a feel for the tent and inspecting every stitch. All I can say is Wow! - Coleman continues to lead the field in family camping and I will not listen to a word from anyone claiming their quality or attention to detail has declined over the years. Nonsense!The Montana is obviously huge and somewhat pole/line heavy, but everything is so intuitively designed with colour-coded poles and ... MoreI apologize in advance for my wordiness, but there's so much to love about this tent!The local in-store clearance combined with news of our pending first grandchildren inspired us to finally pull the trigger and move towards the creature comforts of glamping! Our trusty old Eureka Timberline is now relegated to the odd canoe trip.I spent an hour setting everything up slowly, getting a feel for the tent and inspecting every stitch. All I can say is Wow! - Coleman continues to lead the field in family camping and I will not listen to a word from anyone claiming their quality or attention to detail has declined over the years. Nonsense!The Montana is obviously huge and somewhat pole/line heavy, but everything is so intuitively designed with colour-coded poles and continuous sleeves paired with c-clips it's pretty hard to imagine running into trouble. Once it's set up you'll realize it's WELL worth the extra setup time over a traditional dome. The engineering and use of geometry create what we're already calling the "soft cottage"For our purposes (Couples luxury camping), this tent is ideal with room for a 'real' bed (2 air mattreses stacked with non-skid mats between them and a featherbed topper), a bistro set, and ample space for a 6'3" guy to stand up and get changed. I can't tell you what this means after decades of wiggling, rolling, and crawling around on all fours.With my seam sealer at the ready I completely soaked the tent over and over with the garden sprayer - I never needed to even take the cap off! Not a drop inside the tent. Proof positive that Coleman's Weather-Tec system delivers as advertised (something rarer and rarer these days). I didn't have a way to simulate strong wind, but given how rock-solid everything was with all the stakes and lines in place I'm confident the tent will deliver.The front porch accommodates 2 full size muskoka chairs completely out of the direct sun or rain - No more tarps! In a pinch I could even set up a protected tiny kitchen.Lots has already been said about the unique extras - The hinged door is brilliant, The led light and self-rolling windows are handy and nice to have, although this would still be a top-shelf tent without them. My favourite is the extension cord port which will allow us to significantly extend our season at both ends by using serviced sites in the Spring & Fall and bringing along an electric space heater (propane tent heaters scare me to death).Thank you Canadian Tire for another of your amazing sales and to Coleman for solidifying your reputation of design and workmanship. Headed to Mazinaw tonight!!!

Very comfortable tent for longer camp outs

It is a great tent; CAN be set up solo with patience though not quickly; very comfortable but does require stakes to hold shape and too big for standard tent pad so best to have a smaller back-up dome along as back up. Most luxurious tent-space I have ever enjoyed for longer stays in large site with reasonably soft (stake-friendly) ground!

light did not work

There was a problem with light charger came with this tent, the plug end did not match to insert into the charger, so we could not use the light. And the plastic part to hold the light switch to the wall was also broken. Inside of the tent was nice, accommodating 3 adults, two kids and 2 dogs easily. I contacted customer service because of the light issue, I used chat function to contact, I thought it was easy but after I followed the instruction to upload the pictures, I am not sure if anyone is following up on my issue. It would be nice to have acknowledgement from someone if the pictures are received and being review etc.