Like most campers I have a history of trying to find the 'perfect' tent for different occasions,weekend camping,family trips etc.I have bought and sold many tents either through this site or others.
At present I have a Coleman Instant Tourer 4 for my own use (Family now gone off camping!). I have reviewed the tent and as with other reviews I like the tent but there are always some shortcomings,usually in the level of specification.
Looking on the web I have found that the same or similar models of tents have a much higher level of specification in different countries,especially the USA and a great deal more choice. Why is this ?
I have contacted Coleman and await their reply.
If I was to buy a 'US' spec tent which has all the spec we find lacking in similar tents sold in the UK it would cost me an extra £50 in import duties not to mention postage.Any way we can solve this?
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I also have the Instant tourer 4 and I noticed the specs from those made for different markets.
The ones they make for US seem to be higher.
Hopefully Coleman will reply to you, they didn't to me when I asked about why the seam between groundsheet and side walls wasn't taped or sealed.
On the other hand some of the tents made for overseas are of lower quality as they don't have our diverse weather patterns.
I don't think there is a way to 'Solve' it, apart from using our judgement and choice and if needs be buying from abroad.
If the spec is better then no doubt if it were to be available over here then it would cost more anyway.
Coleman weren't very helpful when I asked a question regarding my tent. They just said ask the person I bought it from
My tent was ex display so I wasn't expecting a lot but I have camped in it twice now and find it pretty good. There are little niggles like the inner tents sag a bit and I had problems with the zips which I have now resolved, but I am generally pleased with it.
Coleman don't seem to get much of a mention in this country although I was pleased to see another Coleman Da Gama on the last campsite I went to...at least I now know somebody else owns one too
I bought a Coleman Galileo 5 at the end of last year and have used it on 4 separate occasions so far.
I did a lot of research before buying and narrowed my choice down to this tent and a Vango Icarus. I was lucky enough to be able to see them pitched next to each other at a local retailer and the one thing I noticed was that the Coleman poles appeared to be thicker thus giving the appearance of being stronger.
This was the selling point for me and I have been very happy with my purchase.
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We were at a camping store today who were selling Coleman tents. We saw a Coleman Mackenzie 6XL, it was monsterously huge and a great price. I think if we hadn't have just purchased a tent, we would have possibly brought it.
My hubby is American, so we know that the Coleman brand have a good reputation. My hubby has a Coleman tent that he left back in the US that he got 19 years ago now and it's still like brand new (although he didn't use it too heavily). His sister and her family still use it for camping. It's an 8 man dome tent.
I definitely think they're an under-rated brand over here right now. But slowly gaining more of a foothold.
I also had a Coleman sleeping bag in the US and loved it. It had a zip-in fleece liner and we did sometimes just use it as a make-shift duvet when visiting family. That's still with my husband's sister in the US and being used.
Over here right now, we have a Coleman Family Cookset which is a really nice sized cookset and stacks nicely. Not used it yet, so can't atest to it's wear and tear. But based on US experiences, I certainly consider buying a Coleman tent in the future.
Thanks for all the replies. i am off camping to Yorkshire on Friday to see the 'Grand Depart' of the Tour de France. The tent should get a good test there! As i am a solo camper (rest of the family prefer hotels) I use a Trangia for cooking,mine is 20 years old at least and probably the best piece of equipment I have. just splashed out and bought the 'multi-disc'for it.So i shall see if that lives up to its reports.
i do have relatives in the US so perhaps they could buy the us spec Tourer 4 and send it to me as a gift!
Have a great time Mike! Hope the tent lives up to your expectations and by the way, I too have a Trangia that I use for weekend camping. fantastic piece of equipment and worth every penny!
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