Dale Hedrick
2005-05-12 01:50:28 UTC
Coleman Rock Springs 8-Person Tent
Reviewer Information:
Name: Dale Hedrick
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Height: 62 (1.8 Meters)
Weight: 275 Pounds (125 Kilograms)
Email Address: dhedrick-***@public.gmane.org
City, State, Country: Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
Date: May 11, 2005
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping my entire life only sporadically as a child, but
over the past 4 years I have been camping more and more. I am married
and have 2 young children who often accompany me on my trips, so I
usually take dayhikes from our base camp, although I am starting to take
more weekend backpacking trips too. Most of my current
camping/backpacking is done in the Wisconsin State Parks on relatively
flat land. Temperatures range from 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius) to
95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius). Most of my backpacking is done
between April and October, with an average temperature around 70 degrees
Fahrenheit (21 Celsius).
Product Information:
Manufacturer Coleman
Year of Manufacture 2004
Manufacturers Website www.coleman.com
<http://www.coleman.com/>
Listed Weight 30 Pounds (13.6 kilograms)
Actual Weight 31.2 Pounds (14.2 kilograms)
Product Description:
Occupancy 8 person tent
Rooms 4 rooms & a screened porch 3
doors to the outside
Material 185T polyester, 1000D
polyethylene sheeting
Poles Fiberglass
Dimensions 72(183cm)H x 204(518cm)W x
168(427cm)D
Field Information:
I have used this tent as my familys sole tent for the past 10 months.
During this time we have camped in southeastern Wisconsin on numerous
occasions. The terrain has been very similar every time level,
slightly rocky terrain. It has been used in beautiful 70 degree
Fahrenheit (21 Celsius) weather, in downpours when it was only 40
degrees Fahrenheit (4 Celsius), and pretty much anything in between.
My biggest concern when first considering this tent was the weight at
over 30 pounds (14 kilograms), it truly is a beast. I would never
consider using this tent for anything but camping when a vehicle was
within 5 miles (8 kilometers) of the campground any further and it
would be too much of a burden to make it worthwhile. Ive been able to
park within ¼ mile (1/2 kilometer) of our campsite each time Ive used
it, so the weight was not much of an issue after all. The biggest
selling point for us on this tent was the size while there are only 4
of us who use this tent regularly, it is nice to have some extra space
in case the kids have friends that tag along. It is also very nice for
me to have a tent that is tall enough that I can stand up inside with no
effort. This tent met these criteria, and then some.
The second concern was how difficult setup would be. I am technically
challenged to begin with, and I have had a very hard time setting up
large family-style tents in the past. Imagine my terror when we
realized that the instructions had not been included with our tent!
Quite honestly, I was amazed with the set-up of this tent. It
definitely requires two people to set it up, but for the two of us, it
was a breeze from opening the tent to having it fully set up took us
less than 5 minutes. A true testament to the ease of set up is that
even with 6 poles and a huge tent, we had no trouble even without any
directions.
If there were to be a dictionary definition of torture testing a family
tent, having two young & rambunctious children spend an entire weekend
in it while it is cold and raining would probably be at the top of the
list. This is exactly what happened to us on one trip. There was no
leaking of any sort through the whole ordeal, and there was no shortage
of toys (and children) bouncing off the walls, and fingers leaving
smudges on the fabric it stayed comfortable and put up with as much
abuse as we could give it. Another blessing was the screened porch
while it didnt keep 100% of the water off the ground, it stopped the
ground from becoming a large mud puddle like the rest of our campsite,
which meant that the inside of our tent stayed pretty dry with minimal
mud being tracked in. Not only have the material and seams held up
wonderfully to water, but the fabric has demonstrated its durability by
withstanding the abuses of children playing inside the tent, and also
playing with sticks swinging towards it on the outside. Another added
bonus is that there are a plethora of mesh pockets inside, so there is
no lack of storage for anything that I want to have at my fingertips.
Overall, this tent is fantastic. There are only a few small downsides
to this tent. First, and most obviously is the weight, but thats the
price you pay to have a huge tent to sleep in. Second, there is no
screen to zip around the primary entrance, as the screen porch serves
that purpose I would much prefer to have a second screen so that the
screen porch could be tied open, or so that I could sleep with only the
screen zipped shut, but not let in the bugs that can crawl under the
porch. Finally, the stakes that are provided with the tent do not hold
up well they are very prone to bending, but since I have had this
problem with ALL of my previous tents, I was prepared and brought my
preferred stakes along just in case they bent. My only other complaint
is that the tent is advertised as a 4 room, 8 person tent, but it is
really sized that it should be a 3 room, 6 person tent. It could
accommodate 8 people, but would not be comfortable at that size except
for sleeping, and with a tent this large I need everyone to be able to
be active inside in the event of bad weather.
Summary:
While this tent will not be my only tent (its too heavy to even be
considered for a weekend backpacking trip), it will remain my only base
camping tent for as long as it lasts. It has proven to be the perfect
match for my family, and has been extremely durable. If you were to
take a look at this tent, you would think that it had only been used
once or twice its seen a great deal of use, but is still in perfect
condition. I have had no problems with zippers or fraying/tearing, and
I have no reason to expect any. I am very pleased with the quality and
durability of this product.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Reviewer Information:
Name: Dale Hedrick
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Height: 62 (1.8 Meters)
Weight: 275 Pounds (125 Kilograms)
Email Address: dhedrick-***@public.gmane.org
City, State, Country: Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
Date: May 11, 2005
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping my entire life only sporadically as a child, but
over the past 4 years I have been camping more and more. I am married
and have 2 young children who often accompany me on my trips, so I
usually take dayhikes from our base camp, although I am starting to take
more weekend backpacking trips too. Most of my current
camping/backpacking is done in the Wisconsin State Parks on relatively
flat land. Temperatures range from 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius) to
95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius). Most of my backpacking is done
between April and October, with an average temperature around 70 degrees
Fahrenheit (21 Celsius).
Product Information:
Manufacturer Coleman
Year of Manufacture 2004
Manufacturers Website www.coleman.com
<http://www.coleman.com/>
Listed Weight 30 Pounds (13.6 kilograms)
Actual Weight 31.2 Pounds (14.2 kilograms)
Product Description:
Occupancy 8 person tent
Rooms 4 rooms & a screened porch 3
doors to the outside
Material 185T polyester, 1000D
polyethylene sheeting
Poles Fiberglass
Dimensions 72(183cm)H x 204(518cm)W x
168(427cm)D
Field Information:
I have used this tent as my familys sole tent for the past 10 months.
During this time we have camped in southeastern Wisconsin on numerous
occasions. The terrain has been very similar every time level,
slightly rocky terrain. It has been used in beautiful 70 degree
Fahrenheit (21 Celsius) weather, in downpours when it was only 40
degrees Fahrenheit (4 Celsius), and pretty much anything in between.
My biggest concern when first considering this tent was the weight at
over 30 pounds (14 kilograms), it truly is a beast. I would never
consider using this tent for anything but camping when a vehicle was
within 5 miles (8 kilometers) of the campground any further and it
would be too much of a burden to make it worthwhile. Ive been able to
park within ¼ mile (1/2 kilometer) of our campsite each time Ive used
it, so the weight was not much of an issue after all. The biggest
selling point for us on this tent was the size while there are only 4
of us who use this tent regularly, it is nice to have some extra space
in case the kids have friends that tag along. It is also very nice for
me to have a tent that is tall enough that I can stand up inside with no
effort. This tent met these criteria, and then some.
The second concern was how difficult setup would be. I am technically
challenged to begin with, and I have had a very hard time setting up
large family-style tents in the past. Imagine my terror when we
realized that the instructions had not been included with our tent!
Quite honestly, I was amazed with the set-up of this tent. It
definitely requires two people to set it up, but for the two of us, it
was a breeze from opening the tent to having it fully set up took us
less than 5 minutes. A true testament to the ease of set up is that
even with 6 poles and a huge tent, we had no trouble even without any
directions.
If there were to be a dictionary definition of torture testing a family
tent, having two young & rambunctious children spend an entire weekend
in it while it is cold and raining would probably be at the top of the
list. This is exactly what happened to us on one trip. There was no
leaking of any sort through the whole ordeal, and there was no shortage
of toys (and children) bouncing off the walls, and fingers leaving
smudges on the fabric it stayed comfortable and put up with as much
abuse as we could give it. Another blessing was the screened porch
while it didnt keep 100% of the water off the ground, it stopped the
ground from becoming a large mud puddle like the rest of our campsite,
which meant that the inside of our tent stayed pretty dry with minimal
mud being tracked in. Not only have the material and seams held up
wonderfully to water, but the fabric has demonstrated its durability by
withstanding the abuses of children playing inside the tent, and also
playing with sticks swinging towards it on the outside. Another added
bonus is that there are a plethora of mesh pockets inside, so there is
no lack of storage for anything that I want to have at my fingertips.
Overall, this tent is fantastic. There are only a few small downsides
to this tent. First, and most obviously is the weight, but thats the
price you pay to have a huge tent to sleep in. Second, there is no
screen to zip around the primary entrance, as the screen porch serves
that purpose I would much prefer to have a second screen so that the
screen porch could be tied open, or so that I could sleep with only the
screen zipped shut, but not let in the bugs that can crawl under the
porch. Finally, the stakes that are provided with the tent do not hold
up well they are very prone to bending, but since I have had this
problem with ALL of my previous tents, I was prepared and brought my
preferred stakes along just in case they bent. My only other complaint
is that the tent is advertised as a 4 room, 8 person tent, but it is
really sized that it should be a 3 room, 6 person tent. It could
accommodate 8 people, but would not be comfortable at that size except
for sleeping, and with a tent this large I need everyone to be able to
be active inside in the event of bad weather.
Summary:
While this tent will not be my only tent (its too heavy to even be
considered for a weekend backpacking trip), it will remain my only base
camping tent for as long as it lasts. It has proven to be the perfect
match for my family, and has been extremely durable. If you were to
take a look at this tent, you would think that it had only been used
once or twice its seen a great deal of use, but is still in perfect
condition. I have had no problems with zippers or fraying/tearing, and
I have no reason to expect any. I am very pleased with the quality and
durability of this product.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Give the gift of life to a sick child.
Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.'
http://us.click.yahoo.com/5iY7fA/6WnJAA/Y3ZIAA/V4TolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
To read our reviews, please visit http://www.backpackgeartest.org/
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BackpackGearTest/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
BackpackGearTest-unsubscribe-***@public.gmane.org
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/