Coleman Cobra 3 Tent Reviews and Details

Tent Reviews: Coleman Cobra 3

Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Coleman > Cobra 3 Reviews

Current Model?
Berths:
Weight:
RRP on date added:
Bedroom inners:
Living area groundsheet:
Pitching Style:

Yes
3 (more 3 berth tents)
2.90 KG
Ł90.00
1
Fully Sewn-in
Fly first

Average User Rating:

9/10 from 6 reviews

Viewed: 51850 times

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6 Reviews of the Cobra 3

By: David1965 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2014 Rating: 9 from 10

Great value tent. My wife and I have the 3 person version, our two sons have a two person version each, which we got off Amazon much cheaper than the prices listed on this site.

We've added a Coleman Universal Tarp and a homemade footprint, and found that combo nearly perfect for cycle touring in France. The Universal Tarp isn't really designed for a side-entry tent, but it works pretty well to give extra shade and/or rain protection. (I'll try to upload some photos to show this) With the side-door open, it basically gives you an extra tent.

There is no 'official' footprint available for this tent, but it's easy enough to cut one yourself using cheap tarpaulin, and it makes a massive difference. The porch doesn't turn into a swamp in bad weather and the bottom of the tent inner is always nice and dry when you pack it away.

I almost always pack the inner and outer separately. It's just the best way to ensure that the interior of the tent stays dry.

Very quick to put up - you can get the outer in place with four pegs at the corners in about five minutes - which is a blessing when the rain's coming down and you need a shelter.

I've only noticed the condensation issue mentioned above once - when I forgot to lift the vent at the back with its two guylines.

The double side entries are very useful - we tend to use one porch as a store and one as a doorway. Having both sides with zip entries on the 3 person version is best. The 2 person version only has one zipped side, which is a bit of a pain. However, as a tall man, I appreciate the way this tent design makes full use of its length.

As for downsides - the tightness of the door zips, as others have mentioned, means you can't easily click the fly to the big outer pole all the way around, and this leads to some loss of stability, but this is only a problem when (as I did one memorable night on a coastal hillside with no shelter) you pitch the tent so it's side-on to high winds. If you do the guylines properly and pay attention to wind direction, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

2 from 2 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?

By: Mrshj Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2014 Rating: 7 from 10

Price: excellent.

Space for 3 fine, I used it with my 2 kids, we had card games with 2 adults and 2 kids inside.

Weight is ok, we were cycle touring in France.

Pack size, is a little more bulky than I am used to with ultra light tents but a bungee helped to reduce volume a little it fitted on my bike rack slotting under the saddle and between the panniers but my husband couldn't get that set up to work on his bike.

Entrance: don't really like- 2 entrances was fine but I found it a bit awkward to get into, sort of low and at a bit of an angle and having to wiggle through the porch section- maybe I'm getting old but I'd look for a different design in future.

Porch: having 2 was useful for middle of the night wee exits but also meant I forgot what stuff was where, in terms of keeping track of stuff it was a lot better just having the panniers in the tent with us. As the kids conk out fully all night we probably only needed one.

Condensation: we had a lot of condensation inside the fly every morning. Maybe I'm not used to travelling with 3 or didn't vent it right but it was a real pain have to separate the fly carefully every time from the inner and spend a while airing and drying it. We used it in a cool August in brittany.

Erecting: given the condensation issue I was never able to leave it all attached together so putting it up was a bit of a faff compared to other lightweight tents. I also concluded I prefer a semi or fully self standing design.

Overall: it did a fair job for a very reasonable price. I will use it again but am keeping an eye out for something else for my solo cycle camping and I have learnt from some of the issues with the cobra design. I will be buying a free standing tent next with easier access and fewer condensation issues.

1 from 1 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?

By: Ataylor Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2012 Rating: 10 from 10

I have owned this tent for a couple of years now and have never regretted the choice.

I have started cycle touring and wanted a tent I could get all my kit (4 large panniers, Handle bar bag and extra top bag) in to as well as a single airbed.

It copes brilliantly with all that and still has space to spare.

Ok its supposed to be for 3 people but I recon two would be the comfortable max.

It can be put up really quickly in about 10mins tops. Much quicker than my brother in laws Vango Tempest 200. I am cozy in side while he is still working on the outer tent. We tend to leave the Cobras fly sheet up to have breakfast in a morning as we can both sit up under it and do the cooking (both doors open for safety).

The tent packs away in my own single dry bag minus the poles, those fit on top of the rear pannier rack under the tent dry bag.

The only down side I have is that when the outer tent is clipped on to the poles the zip is way to tight to use so I unclip the side I will be using from the poles.

The tent is light at just under 3kg (did my own weight test)

I like the ability to enter from both sides and the extra storage at the side of the door on both sides (leave the smelly shoes out there)

In Summary. A great tent. Quick to put up and loads of space.

2 from 2 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?

By: Yoda888 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2011 Rating: 9 from 10

Cracking little tent bought after seeing Waynetod's post in January. Bought the three man version as difference in pack size and weight over the two man was marginal and it is really spacious and can sleep a couple in reasonable comfort with acres of room for a single camper. Clever wedge design provides great storage in the two 'wings'. Simple pitch as one takes me no more than 10 minutes and little more to pack away.

As weight is not an issue for me, I've ditched the strange lightweight pegs that it came with as I as somehow cut myself the first time I tried them and have replaced with normal pins.

The only real problem I have with the tent is the outer door zips feel tight - unclipping the fly from the poles to provide a bit of slack solves this but is a bit of a pain and can't be done from inside so overnight resort to leaving the bottom two clips off and crawling in the bottom of the door. Have tried moving things around but can't seem to find the answer with the problem being the same on both doors. This is the only reason I've not scored it a ten.

4 from 4 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?

By: Gaz Gough Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2012 Rating: 10 from 10

I owned a Cobra 2 tent and it was the 'dogs'. I bought the new version from EBay a few months ago and I'm loving it, great design, sturdy and lightweight. The big improvement is the pole system over the old cobra, you can use this version outer only! meaning that if lightweight camping is your bag this will protect you from the rain and wind for under 1Kg

5 from 5 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?

By: Waynetod Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2010 Rating: 9 from 10

Having used this Cobra 3 in the woods in January 2012, I can say I was impressed for the price I paid Ł55. Practised pitching it in my garden just the one time, I was sure I could pitch this in around 5 mins. I was right. It differs slightly in construction from the Cobra 2berth in that you can enter either side (cobra 2 is a one side entry only). It rained a little during my trip but there were no let downs on Colemans part. Condensation did build up on the inside of the fly due to the extremely damp and cold conditions. As it is made of a lightweight material, I`m not sure how noisy it could be in very windy conditions, but it can be tension-ed as tight as a drum. No such problems in the inner though. Plenty of ventilation in the inner, with a zippable mozzie mesh panel in the top of one of the side doors. Having the ability to open both side doors will come in handy for allowing a bit of shade in the warmer weather and plenty of room for sitting up and outside storage for your boots and stuff. But this is a lightweight bivvi type tent and although great for sleeping in comfort, it is just designed for that only. Sleeping.

I intend using this as a 1 man tent, and the amount of space inside for the weight and pack size makes it luxurious for solo camping. There are a lot lighter tents out there, but cost hundreds of pounds more and lets face it, how far do you carry your gear, More than 2 miles?

Packing away was really quick too. Unclip the inner and fold, pull the alloy pegs on the outer and slip out the 2 alloy poles and fold. Job done. I`m looking forward to using this as a hit and run type tent on the continent next summer whilst touring on my bike.

4 from 4 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?

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Manufacturer's Description

A lightweight tent offering superb value for a budding adventurist; the wedged tunnel design is wind responsive and strong. A quick and easy to erect design the use of aluminium poles ensures that this tent performs in inclement conditions but retains its lightweight credentials. Simple and quick to pitch; fly-first pitching providing protection from the elements in no time. Lightweight with a compact pack size it will fit neatly in a backpack. Wedged tunnel construction is stable ensuring protection in high winds. Aluminium 7001- T6 poles are light yet resilient in harsh weather conditions.

Set up: Flysheet first
Capacity: 3 person
Flysheet fabric: Polyester, 3000mm, PU coated, taped seams
Inner tent fabric: Breathable Polyester and no-see-um mesh
Groundsheet: Polyester, 5000mm, PU coated, taped seams
Poles: Aluminium 7001-T6
Carry bag type: Two way compression with wide opening
Headroom: 100 cm
Pack size: 49 x 21 x 20 cm
Weight: 2.9 kg

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