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Tent Reviews: Coleman Evolva

Tent and Awning Reviews Index  >  Coleman  >  Evolva Reviews

Current Model?
Berths:
Weight:
RRP on date added:
Bedroom inners:
Living area groundsheet:
Pitching Style:
Yes
3  (more 3 berth tents)
29.70 KG

1
Fully Sewn-in
Fly first
Average User Rating:
8.59/10 from 22 reviews

Viewed: 63572 times

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22 Reviews of the Evolva         Showing 11 to 20          Page:   1   2   3  

By: Uncle Foxy  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2009   Rating: 

We used our Evolva for the first time on the spring bank holiday weekend in May and as a caravanner for the last 20 years I can honestly say I'm well and truly converted. After having a big twin axled Tabbert and huge awning I wanted something with plenty of space and with this tent you get it in spades. My wife and 11 year old daughter were concerned about spiders and wikkies getting in (Ok me too) but with the sewn in groundsheet this was not a problem, even with the annexe attached the seal was excellent and the big zip felt very strong and sturdy.

We only put one sleep annexe up as we weren't sure if we could fit two on the pitch and as my mate had pinched my Landrover for the week we had to use my wifes car which is only a Peugeot 107 so space was a bit of an issue. Pitching was easy once I stopped doing the man thing by insisting I knew better and actually listened to the wife, it took about 40 minutes altogether. During the day it got quite warm but with the two panels zipped out where the other annexes would go the tent kept quite cool with the small breeze blowing through. The tent is very light and airy with nice big windows at the front with smaller ones in the main dome. The quality of the materials feel excellent with big chunky zips to attach the annexes.

All in all I am very impressed with this tent and we cant wait to get away to Pentewan in Cornwall in a couple of weeks to try it out in anger on our monster size pitch.
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By: Hs2395  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2008   Rating: 

We bought our tent last week from JR Leisure in Leicester. (price 289) We were going to buy the Modulous 7 man but with 3 children if it rains there is no room.

We have just spent our first night away. It was great. There is enough space for the children to play in and get the table in if you don't want to eat outside. And have other chairs in as well. We did not take the chef annex as only stopping over night.

The tent was easy to pitch and the colour poles were really easily inserted. One thing you need to check on though is the arches where the tent poles connect to make sure they are the right way round. I would of not been able to put tent up on own - it was slightly easier as hubby being over 6ft, me being 5ft 2. I managed to pack the tent away in the bags on my own. It was nice and light and airy - however also being light I was awake by 6am. The kids slept in. You can see through the sleeping compartments if you really look and see the shadows.

All in all a really nice well made feels quality and looks quality. Just not for a short person to put up.
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By: Nuds10  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2009   Rating: 

Well what can I say, this has got to be the best tent on the market, we have just come back from our 10 day holiday in St Ives, and used our evolva for the first time, we looked at many tents before this one, but the evolva ticked all the boxes.

It took us 45 mins to put it up and it was very straight forward and easy to erect, I had forgotten how big it was when up but luckily the pitch we were on allowed for large tents. It is a very airy and light tent with many windows, which you don't get in other tents, so this is a big thumbs up. The space in the tent is mega and you can have all the camping equipment you want inside. We have the chef annexe so its like having a kitchen.

I cant praise this tent enough, it took us 25 mins to take it down, again very easy and packed away with no problem. Just the one thing we want to purchase the link annexe but cant seem to get hold of one, so if there is anyone out there who knows where we can get one from please let me know.

So all you tent byers out there go for the evolva, you will never look back

Just one more thing we had very sunny weather, and also two days of heavy rain and very windy weather, and the tent was very good in both.
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By: Kath.Hartigan  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2009   Rating: 

We bought our Evolva a few months ago and have used it twice. Each time we have erected it, it has become easier and quicker. There is definitely a knack to it. It really spacious both in width and in height. Its a good tent for longer breaks but you can make the tent smaller by not taking chef/extra sleep annex if you are taking a shorter break. We have a young family so its great because we are not all climbing on top of each other. The only criticism I have is that it takes a lot of boot space, especially if you take the extra sleep and chef annex. The main tent is also very heavy. I am a weedy woman and can't lift it by myself. You have also got no chance of putting this tent up by yourself; it is definitely a two man job.

But with my criticism, I am really happy with the tent and have really enjoyed using it. I would recommend it. We even had other campers coming to look at it on our last break! Just beware if you go on a Haven tourer site with their tent size rule; with everything up, the evolva exceeds this!
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By: Dmmeys  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2009   Rating: 

OK. I've spent over a year trying to work out what to get to replace my Lichfield Arapaho 4. Swung between Cedar Creek, Sector X5 and Evolva. All Colemans but varying sizes/ configuration. Finally plumped for the Evolva last week and got a great deal from Somerset Camping. All (three) packages arrived. Tent and first sleep annexe are in a canvas bag the size of a suitcase. Second sleep annexe comes in a pack larger than my entire Arapaho. As does the chef annexe. I would point out that this tent completely fills the boot of our Renault Clio and struggles at that (if you wanted to take both sleep annexes the second would not fit in a small boot).

Got the tent home and decided this weekend to head to the parents house to put it up in their garden. Cripes. This thing is ENORMOUS. I've studied the photos already uploaded but they simply don't do it justice. This tent is incredibly tall to the point of being somewhat daunting.

I've camped for the last 5 years so the number of poles/ sheer amount of material didn't freak me out. The small instruction sheet on the inside of the main bag to which everyone has alluded previously is not fully comprehensive but it is good enough.

The system of inserting the poles/ matching them with colours and connecting them into the apex plastic pieces is novel (to me) and really very simple and effective. I've seen a few people mention difficulty in getting them into all of the fittings. Not sure if Coleman have improved this with the latest versions rolling off the production line but my father and I erected this tent from bag to having a beer inside, first time, within 50 minutes. The sleep and chef annexes fit on very cleverly and nothing appeared to be strained or warped/ twisted which is a bit of a miracle considering the number of materials and sections from which this tent is cut.

I've never been in a tent that has felt so incredibly large. The roof of the main central tent is very high. I'm 5'10' and had to get a chair to stand on to reach the vent in the roof and open it.

Each of the three vertical sides of the central tent (the fourth being the entrance way) have a nylon panel covering a mesh insert and either or both can be removed to create either an open or a meshed shelter. When you want to zip in one of the annexes you simply unzip the whole side panel and the annex zips straight onto it. The groundsheet of the main tent instantly folds down and matches up with the groundsheet of the annexe and, hey presto, you have a completely flat inner groundsheet fully connected.

The main tent has numerous windows all of which have privacy curtains. The chef annexe has a vinyl window, a privacy curtain and mosquito netting all of which, independantly, can be opened or closed. The chef annexe comes with numerous hooks and rings, a hanging rail along the ridge line, a wall mounted organiser and even a Coleman branded cool box!

The bedroom has a large vinyl window and the internal sleep 'liner' can be zipped down to provide a view. My only concern here is that there is no facility to remove the vinyl window and leave mesh in place to provide ventilation. When the bedroom liner is unzipped to expose the window it completely opens the internal bedroom 'pod' exposing it to any bugs etc that have made it into the main tent. I know the whole thing is as hermetically sealed as a tent can get but it seems an odd choice considering that everywhere else the choice is privacy/ window/ mesh. Even odder is that the entrance door to the bedroom pod has exactly that feature. There is a very clever little ventillation panel in the bedroom outer shell and you can unzip the lower corner of the inner pod to open it up but that suffers from the same issue as above.

In general I'm incredibly impressed with this tent if somewhat daunted by it's sheer size. I think that mostly comes from it's height as the footprint of the main tent isn't a million miles away from the Arapaho. Once you've zipped on a sleeping and chef annexe (or two if you're a family) I'm wondering if you'd struggle to pitch it on some sites.

We'll be taking it to the lakes in a few weeks for a trial and then it's three weeks in the South of France in July. I cannot wait to put it through it's paces.

All I need to do now is work out how to mount the flat screen.
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By: Numbersix  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2008   Rating: 

Initially looking for a weekender to supplement my Vango Aspen 500. Considered a combination of Quechua base units but when space and weight and price was factored together , decided on the Evolva from JR Leisure near Nottingham at the princely sum of £249.99. Had to be ordered in from their Manchester warehouse from their stock of 250 , but arrived within a few days .

Firstly , let me say despite the considerable dimensions, this was the easiest tent I've ever pitched. I had some limited help from the OH but due to a back injury, very limited. Colour coded poles make reference to pitching instructions unnecessary, just start with the roof poles and then insert grey arch poles in sleeves and then raise a section at a time, secure centre dome , pull out porch , guy out, and the hub of the tent is up. Nice feature is the zip on door mat at the front, which can be separated for more stringent cleaning ! This is also gazebo mode and is achieved by zipping out the three side panels leaving net doors which can be tied back . The panels can be stored away in a pocket at the end of the zipper out of the way . Adding the annexes is so easy. The panel and mesh zip out as one , an annex zips in ( bedrooms complete with inner ) the floor zip is also covered by a flap of material so hopefully water ingress should not occur. The sleeping annex also has a built in vent to reduce condensation. Can not comment about the chef annex as I did not have room to put it up and also the second sleep annex . Slept in with my seven year old son and despite the cold temps that night, around 4 degrees, felt that this has the potential to extend our camping season .

Taking it down is straight forward , and providing care is taken to get the width to correspond to the bags , actually found the room over generous . Also note the saddle bag zips in half for ease of transport and packing .

Downsides-none I can see .Sky light cover may be difficult to zip undo if you are vertically challenged !The equivelant of a vaulted ceiling in a tent . The extra height makes the evolva appear larger than its footprint . The grey colour also adds to the illusuon of greater size . It may also aid cooling . The provision of a coolport to place a coleman fan is a good idea as on a modestly warm day , the tent soon got really warm . My advice - buy this and save storage at home as this should be all the tent you need.
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By: Hippo33  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2008   Rating: 

I've Just purchaced one of these replacing a Vango Diablo 600.

The Evolva seems much better made & alot more robust & certainly alot easier to erect, very logical and colour coded, didn't need instructions and took 45-1hr to put up the first time.

It's main atribute to me is its versatility, with some sites in the UK and abroard you are limited on the size of the pitch with the Evolva you are able to configure it to your pitch or just use main tent without any Annexe's attached if you wish.

1. Ventilation is excellent

2. Very light and airy due to its colour and the number of windows.

3. Main tent area is huge and the space is usable.

4. Quality of materials looks good.

I haven't taken the family away in it yet but plan to go to the south of France later on in the year and a quick break at Easter.

If your looking for a branded quality versatile tent for the family I can't see you can go far wrong here,I paid £250 from J R Leisure a bargain.
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By: Mr Bluesky  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2008   Rating: 

Gouldyfish

We used our Evolva for the first time last summer for a weekend in Yorkshire.

Surprise, surprise, it rained very hard and long on one of the nights. So much so that in the morning, part of our tent was effectively floating in a puddle of mud. Walking along the groundsheet felt like walking on a water bed.

I'm pleased to say that there were absolutely no leaks from anywhere on the tent, including the zipped joints of the main tent to the bedrooms and chef annexe.
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By: Gouldyfish  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2008   Rating: 

Hi! Have just bought an ex-display Evolva for a bargain price! I like the idea of the flexibility but have just had a thought. How waterproof are the zips where they connect the annexes? Can anyone comment having used one last summer in the pouring rain? Have noticed that this model no longer advertised on Coleman website. Why? after only one season?
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By: HoneyC  Reason: I own(ed) one  Made in: 2008   Rating: 

Well first thing to say is that this is our first ever tent. Actually never even slept in one before and only stood inside one for the first time about a month ago.

The reason for getting one is that I am in car club and nearly all car clubs camp. I got a bit fed up of being the first ones to leave to get back to our hotel hence the Evolva.

We bought the tent at a local camping exhibition but had spent a great deal of time before hand looking at other options particularly two Vango models. There are just three of us but we carry quite a bit of (light) car gear so needed something reasonably big.

The Evolva stood out in the field immediately. The dome is very tall and once inside I found it bright and airy. The main living space is excellent and the bedrooms seemed much bigger than the tents we had considered. I liked the idea that we could configure it from an overnight stop with maybe even just the main tent to a full two weeks away with the two extra pods that came with it which meant it could go from a three man to nine man tent.

After several more tours of the field and two phone calls to friends who are seasoned campers we ended up back in the Evolva.

The thing that it did best was the thing that was holding us back. It is huge with a footprint fully configured of 7.1 metres by 6.4 metres. (Measured from pod to pod) I knew that some sites wouldn't entertain it not to mention how heavy it would be to cart around but in the end the fact that it could be erected with just one or no pods at all won us over.

The main tent comes with one sleeping annexe in one bag which can be unzipped into two. The main tent is so heavy we did this immediately. The second sleeping annexe and 'Chef' annexe come in two separate large draw string bags. The whole lot just fitted into my wifes Astra.

Once home we decided to put up the tent almost immediately. As mentioned earlier this was our first tent so the one page sewn in diagram is not aimed at newbies. However after two hours we had the main tent up. Should mention that we studied the diagram sometimes 20 minutes at a time to try and fathom it out and took some poles out a few times to make sure we'd got it right. In actual fact it's probably one of the easiest things we've ever done because it was very logical and just as I was thinking there should be some kid of zip, strap or whatever here one appeared from the material. I think we could easily put the main section up in 45 minutes now between the two of us although it might be a different story on a very windy day.

Once the main section was up and we had worked out how the guy ropes worked we stood back and our worse fears were confirmed. It's massive! We have quite a big back garden but were still only able to fit one annexe to the tent before running out of room. The annexe attaches by some very strong zips and again was very easy to put up. The poles and pockets on the tent are all colour coded so in fact you just need to remember that all grey poles go into the ground, the one red one supports the annexe roof, two blue ones support the main tent roof and one green one supports the roof at the front of the tent. Red, Blue, Green. Everything else into the ground. Easy.

So with the tent up in three man mode we went inside for a look and liked it so much we pumped up the airbeds and spent our first ever night under canvas.

Our son (12) slept in the Annexe whilst my wife (ah yes should have mentioned she created the logon name here!) and I slept in the main tent.

The following day we took the whole tent down in less than an hour with an inordinate amount of time spent trying to get it back into the bag. I guess this is standard incompetence for a newbie. Then we erected the Chef Annexe which can either be free standing or can attach to the tent. Again simple to put up with a yellow pole for the roof this time.

So in summary it's probably too big for most people. We'll never use it in more than 6 man mode but even then we'll be checking ahead that the site will take it. The quality seems fine and as newbies the Evolva will lessen the shock of not having a hotel to return to each night. First outing is at a local site this weekend. Well we need the practise!

Some measurements I took for the Evolva in metres measured from the two furthest points.

1 Main tent. 5.0 x 2.5

2 Main tent + SA attached to the side 5.0 x 4.6

3 Main tent + SA and CA either side 5.0 x 6.4

4 Main tent + 2 SA and CA (Everything!) 7.1 x 6.4

SA = Sleeping Annexe

CA = Chef Annexe

Thanks for the two previous reviewers for their insight and to this site without which we would have probably ended up with a wigwam
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22 User Reviews of the Evolva - Showing 11 to 20          Page:   1   2   3  

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Manufacturer's Description

Specious tent including central shelter and a separate inner room for 3 persons. Modularity is key on this tent as the inner room can be zipped on any of the 3 vertical sides ; Ideal for a week end or short stay camping stay, no sites are a problem for this tent since you can set it up according to your needs. Central shelter can be used by itself (without inner room) as a summer configuration. Fully insect proof thanks to the mesh doors.


• Flysheet fabric: Polyester, 6 000 mm PU coated, taped seams
• Inner tent fabric: Polyester breathable and no-see-um mesh
• Inner room groundsheet: PE 110 g/m², welded
• Living area groundsheet: PE 140 g/m², welded fully integrated
• Poles: Wrapflex™
• Carry bag type: Modular carry bag
• Carry bag dimensions: 65 x 50 x 45 cm
• Headroom: 235 cm
• Cool Air™ Port
• Entrance mat and wings
• 1 set of awning poles included

... there may be more info on their website

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