Coleman Sun Blocking Family Tent, 4-Person

Last updated: February 2, 2022

Coleman Sun Blocking Family Tent, 4-Person
Show Contents

We looked at the top Family Tents and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Family Tent you should buy.

Overall Take

In our analysis of 133 expert reviews, the Coleman Sun Blocking Family Tent, 4-Person placed 12th when we looked at the top 15 products in the category. For the full ranking, see below.

From The Manufacturer

Sleep in after the sun rises or put the kids to bed early while the sun is still up with a Coleman Carlsbad Fast Pitch Dome Tent with Screen Room. The Dark Room technology on this tent blocks 90% of sunlight to keep the tent darker if you want to sleep while the sun is up, and it also reduces how much the tent heats up during the day by up to 11.4%.

Expert Reviews


What experts liked

Coleman pitches its Carlsbad Fast Pitch tent as your answer to the greenhouse effect of tents in the sun: this tent, they say, will stay cooler than other tents in the sun. And our testers found this to be impeccably true. One tester was even startled, late one July morning in the sunny Napa Valley, to realize she was the last one to wake up in the morning among a group of friends camping out for a wedding.
The design detail we mentioned is the separate screen room in the front. Its walls are made from mesh, making air circulation excellent so you can sleep more comfortably on warm nights.
The Fast Pitch technology by Coleman makes this tent an easy setup, even for one person. Reflective guylines mean that you’ll never trip over your tent when you get up in the middle of the night.
This tent is built with the Dark Room technology. In the specifications, they claim that it blocks 98% of sunlight. The materials are dark and the inner area is darker than the usual tents. Because of the reflected sunlight, they also claim that the heat is reduced by up to 11%. The most important role in this plays the fly. I have included this tent on my list of dark rest tents.
Darkroom technology blocks 97% of sunlight for cooler temps.
This is yet another exceptional feature of this tent, the dark rest technology. Some call it also ‘lights out’ or ‘dark room’ design. So you have reflecting features in the fly, they claim that it blocks 98% of sunlight, and also the materials are dark, and the inner area is far darker than in standard tents. Due to the reflected light, the atmosphere is cooler, they claim up to 9.5%. With such a design you can sleep longer in the morning, and you can also take a nap during the day.
The dark room technology prevents 90% of the sunlight entering inside the Coleman Tent for 6 Person and hence reduces the heat in the tent.
The screened room works incredibly well for anyone that sits and has a beer, as they will stay safe from bugs and flying insects.
Dark Room technology (a Coleman exclusive feature) blocks nearly 98 percent of sunlight, allowing you to sleep past sunrise.
The Coleman Carlsbad is without a doubt the easiest tent that I have ever setup. The Fast Pitch™ system uses pre-attached, color-coded poles and hub, fast fit feet and snag-free Insta-Clip™ suspension to let you set up your tent painlessly and with speed.
Easy to Assemble. The Carlsbad 6 can be fully set up in about 12 minutes. It uses Coleman’s innovative “Fast Pitch” system, which includes pre-attached poles and “fast fit” feet. The fast fit feet allow for easier staking into the ground. In addition, the poles are all pre-attached to a central hub, so they are perpendicular always. The pole segments are shock-corded to make connecting them a lot easier. Attaching the tent canvas to the poles are similarly made easy through clips. Snapping in those clips to the poles is clearly a lot faster than threading the poles through sleeves.
Carlsbad’s Dark Room technology is actually really wonderful. From the light of the brightest moon, to those often startling first rays of sun in the morning, the Dark Room technology blocks out 98.4% of it, creating a relaxing place to rest your head, even in the most remote places.
This Coleman 4 person tent includes “dark room” technology, which blocks out 97.5 percent of sunlight which allows you to sleep after sunrise if you are not the type to get up and tackle the day at 0600.
The vestibule has the drainage facility in flooring.
This polyester tent is parked with numerous features similar to Coleman counterparts. Its dark room technology blocks about 98 % of the sunlight from reaching the interior. With such features, you get to comfortably enjoy your sleep even if the sun is already up. This technology is very excellent when it comes to the regulation of temperature. Basically, it prevents the room from heating up.
This gear incorporated the fastpitch dome tent system that enables easy setup, and it also has a Dark Room Rest Technology. With this technology, 90% of sunlight can be prevented from getting into the tent. This helps in keeping the room darker and also reduces heat during the day.

What experts didn't like

The tent poles are not our favorite style, with the sleeve connecting the segments external to the poles. This is not as smooth to handle when you're setting up the tent.
A bit low.
If it rains everything in the vestibule gets wet.
A bit low.
Quality of poles may disappoint you.
The manufacturers claim that it is 8 pounds but the real weight is 17 pounds.
Instructions for assembly can be hard to follow.
What would happen if it rained, sure we would stay dry in the tent, but everything in the screen room would become soaked.
Bulky. The entire setup weighs 22 pounds, so it’s best used when driving to a campsite. Also, when packed, the Carlsbad 6 package is 26 x 11 inches. It’s bulky, so it is not for backpackers or travel-light campers.
Don’t get me wrong, this tent is pretty durable, but while putting it together for the second time, I managed to splinter part of the fiberglass piece of the pole while attempting to lengthen the pieces of the condensed version from the bag.
Some campers who have purchased and used this tent was that it was not as waterproof as claimed. The screen room does a good job keeping out bugs and dirt.
Vestibule may get wet and you need extra protection in rain.
Some reported leakages in corners.
The ridge pole is made of fiberglass, which is not so durable.

Our Expert Consultant

Shawna Newman 
Camping And Outdoor Expert

Shawna Newman is the editor-in-chief of Active Weekender, a website that provides resources — from gear recommendations to beginner tips — to people looking to plan outdoor adventures. Her favorite outdoor activity is hiking, and she is on a quest to visit every national park in the U.S.

 

View our Family Tent buying guide for in-depth advice and recommendations.

More to explore