Coleman Red Canyon Dome Tent

    I bought this tent through an ebay sale several years ago. The seller had a lot of appx. 300 of these tents and was offering them on a "buy it now" basis for $43.99 each. Shipping came to $21.95, making the total price a whopping $65.94. That's what I paid out for a $100.00 dome tent that had been used maybe three times.

    I've owned four or five tents throughout my life. This Coleman dome tent ranks right up there at the top of the review in terms of the main things I look for in a good camping tent.

    1). Unassembled storage size. It has to be small and compact and this tent is. Folding the whole thing up small enough to get back inside the nylon carrying case can be a trick but once you do, the footprint this tent leaves in your gear is nice and small.

    2). Set-up time. It takes me twenty minutes to get this tent completely set up. That's if there's no significant wind blowing. If pressed, I could probably do it in ten. Like any tent, this one needs to be staked down good and if the wind is blowing at all, the guy lines should be staked down securely.

    3). Floor space and center height. I'll never buy another tent that I can't stand up in, or that is too small for myself and my two dogs. Pup tents are fine for kids but from here on in my tents are going to be at least semi-substantial. I want a pup tent's economy and ease of use, combined with the functionality of an outfitter's camp tent. Well, that's what I want anyway. This tent is sort of a compromise.

    4). Affordability. This tent retails for $100.00 new. I got it for 65 bucks. That's a solid "10" in the affordability category. Would I have bought it new for $100.00? Yes. In a minute.

    In my opinion, this tent represents the point at which casual tent camping meets serious, extended stay camping. Note that I said, "in my opinion." the Coleman Red Canyon dome tent isn't large enough or rugged enough to be considered as a long term shelter option for serious campers, but it's close. It's knocking on the door, so to speak, and that's what I was looking for: A tent for serious camping, without the serious price tag.

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