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Tent Reviews: Coleman Instant Tourer 4
Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Coleman > Instant Tourer 4 Reviews
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Current Model?
Berths:
Weight:
RRP on date added:
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Pitching Style:
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Yes
4 (more 4 berth tents)
7.40 KG
£140.00
1
Fully Sewn-in
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Average User Rating:8.2/10 from 15 reviews
Viewed: 87530 times
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15 Reviews of the Instant Tourer 4
Showing 01 to 10 Page:
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By: Johnlovesnachos Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2014 Rating: 
My rating and review of this tent are based on my understanding of the design, and limitations thereof, before I bought it. That said, perhaps a better tent for the enthusiast than the casual camper.
We've not long returned from two weeks touring the Balkans with our Instant Tourer, and we're very happy with it. Knowing the benefit of a smaller footprint tent in the wooded campsites of Slovenia and Croatia, I elected to leave the Outwell Nevada M (and countless high end expedition tents)at home, and take the Instant Tourer. It truly is instant, pitching in under a minute (ideal after a cross continent drive), and amazing those on site with similarly sized, or smaller, but more elaborate tents.
An immediate benefit of the tent is that it's fully free standing. Helpful when choosing the ideal pitch, avoiding tree roots and rocks. We used the Hi Gear Zenobia carpet which was a perfect fit (see pics), and looks like it was made for the tent. This certainly makes it feel less like you're sleeping in a plastic bag, which you literally are. A Coleman Maxi Comfort Double Airbed fitted inside, and even with two 90 litre duffles, misc. Coolbags and stuffsacks, still left plenty of space for myself and the missus (both over 5'10'),to get changed and organise.
Any issue with tightness of the fabric causing the door zip to jam, is quickly solved with a bit of basic campcraft, and either leaning or pulling the tent slightly to one side, or pulling the door's stormflap, and pulling the zipper.
Now, the tent is single skinned, and reflecting this, the flysheet is thicker and heavier than similar twin walled tents. If you know and understand this before you use it, then the presence of condensation in the tent will come as no surprise whatsoever. It's simply a compromise you make for the convenience of pitching and simplicity of design. I just have a microfibre pack towel handy, and give a quick wipe down in the morning if needed. I used an Outwell Tarp with the tent, in various configurations, and each allowed ventilation options minimising condensation. A couple of Outwell Rawson low camping chairs, with a Hi Gear Low Picnic table gave a minimalist but comfy seating option outside.
I did discover one leak point, where it appears one of the internal pockets on the back wall was sown on after application of the seam tape, but a 10 second dab of seam seal sorted that right out. I've had similar issues on North Face backpacking tents for the US market, where what I'd consider 'critical' seams have been overlooked in the taping process.
So overall, I'm very happy with this tent. When the weather is to be fine, it's a minute to pitch, and when faced with inclement weather, a competent camper can have a tarp up and over in no time, and doubtless still more quickly than a double skinned tent.
8 from 8 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?  
By: Crispyduck Reason: I've used one Made in: 2015 Rating: 
Very quick n easy to pitch. First nights use we had a 5hr thunder storm and heavy rain. Tent did well but unfortunately it's poor ventilation let it down horrendously. Because of the weather the only decent sized vent had to be zipped up which left the 2 vents top of the tent to vent air but as there was no fresh air coming in condensation built up excessively and the torrential rain hitting the tent dislodged the condensation in a shower instead, saturating sleeping bags n clothes. Thankfully only 2 of us in tent. Shouldn't have to spent another £100+ for a porch/flysheet. Shame on you Coleman. You used to be a brand leader
2 from 2 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Sandpiper96 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2014 Rating: 
We bought the tent at Go-Outdoors last year and used it in mild weather in the garden for a couple of days. We next used it last week, on the hottest day of the year, 32*, in Delamere Forest. It was quite easy to put up and peg out - a matter of 5 or 10 minutes at most. No way is it a four person tent! We had two camp beds with a narrow walk-way between. Fair headroom - I'm 5'8'. We went out for a meal at night and came back to camp just as a thunderstorm started! The door is useless. It's on a slope and as you open it rain pours in onto the groundsheet. The fact that the zip sticks is of no help. No other leaks, but the rear vent/window had to remain closed all night and some condensation appeared. Rain fell for most of the following day and towels were needed to mop up the small pond which developed by the door.It was impossible to use the cooker. The rain ceased about 5 o'clock and again we went out for a meal. It became a beautiful sunny evening, completely clear sky. We sat outside the tent, enjoying a glass of wine and turned in about ten o'clock. We both awoke in the small hours, very cold and wet. Small nylon tent + occupants breath = condensation. It ran down the walls and dripped from the roof. A nightmare. We seemed to have bought a play tent - great for the children to use in the garden so long as they could abandon it when the rain started! Cold and wet - neither use for man nor child. Following morning brought sunshine and a slight drying breeze: Packed up and came home.
Opened up UKCampsite to write this and discovered that a front porch is available for this, this sad attempt at a tent. Advice, Oh Wise Ones - will the addition of the porch for about £100 transform the sad bundle of cloth and poles into a decent holiday home for two aging pensioners seeking to re-live their youthful adventures under canvas? Help!We honestly do not want a caravan!
7 from 7 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Yankibri Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2014 Rating:
I have the Coleman Instant 4 and find it great for easy set up. I keep the vents open at the top and have had no problem with condensation. Also, no leaks when it rains as the first thing I did was treat the whole tent with tent waterproofing (as I do with all tents I've owned). As the one for the European market is different from the American model (The American one is rectangular instead of square) the 'Rain Fly' that is sold over here does no fit our model, so beware of that! Also, I would recommend buying a form of carpet for the tent. I purchased the woven variety that caravan shops supply. It can be bought by the metre so is no too expensive. This saves tearing the gound sheet that is sewn into the tent. Now, Coleman has introduced the Coleman Instant Tourer 4 Front Extension. It is about £100 delivered. I just received mine today. Fantastic. So easy to erect. One pole to thread through one small sleeve and then just peg it out. It gives 1.65 metres of extra space in the front with two triangular windows with curtains and a zipped front door! Brilliant! I set it up in my garden, put a camping chair in with a small table and had a cup of coffee in pure comfort leaving the door to the main tent open and did not block the tent door! Would recommend to anyone. Bit expensive but when one does as much camping as I do, well worth the money (I'm 65 by the way and takes me 6 minutes to put up the tent and extension). Thank you and hope this helps.
8 from 8 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Debsido Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2014 Rating:
I used this for a solo 3 night trip and almost managed to erect it myself, however clicking the brackets into place needed a 2nd pair of hands for a couple of minutes as I wasnt quite strong enough. Other than that it went up in 15 mins including pegging. It says its 4 berth but I would say 2 people plus a bit of storage, as it measures around 6'6' square. It was great for me, space for my camp bed, chair, storage etc and full head height which is the main reason I bought it - being able to stand not stoop was perfect for my middle aged knees & hips! Ventilation isn't great so it did get unbearably hot in the July sun- getting dressed in morning was awful, but if you were camped without neighbours you could open door and rear window for air. On my 1st day I returned at 10pm to discover every wall, and roof were dripping wet with condensation, the worse I've ever experienced, however it was a 26 degrees day. As others have mentioned the door zip was a bit fiddly around the top curve, it was like trying to zip up a pair of too tight jeans, but it wasn't a major issue. As I had 3 days of glorious sunshine I have no idea of its wet weather ability. Its a shame the door opening didn't raise to form a shelter/porch area,getting in and out wasn't the easiest. Night time was chilly inside despite the warm weather, I needed a blanket over sleeping bag, as I had to leave a tiny bit of open door to help prevent the excessive condensation. Taking it down took under 5 mins and it easily folded up and back into its spacious bag, no forcing needed. Overall it was an ideal tent for me as a lone woman camper, would be perfect for a couple but a family would need the larger delux family version - don't be fooled by Colemans pictures which make it appear larger than it is.
2 from 3 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Wiggy25 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2014 Rating: 
I've just recently bought one of these to use as my weekend quick pitch set up.
As a service engineer I can get home at at sort of time so the idea of this was to be able to throw everything in the car and shoot off for a weekend as the pitch time would be really quick.
I also bought the footprint and carpet just because the deal was so good.
The first one I set up in the garden and it did go up very fast, it did rain and it highlighted that the seam all the way round the tent where the side walls were sewn on to the ground sheet all leaked!
I checked this and this is the only seam that isn't taped, which to me is very odd!
I did send it back and another turned up, again the seam is not taped, as I like the idea of the tent I bought some seam sealer and sealed this seam all the way round the tent.
It also showed the need for a porch area for somewhere to cook/and cover the doorway when getting in/out.
For this reason I bought the Quecha tarp as shown in the photos.
This gives me enough room to cook under and sit without getting wet when it rains.
On its first outing this proved vital as it did rain although light showers I was able to cook and the wife and I had somewhere to sit without getting rained on.
My seam sealer also proved itself as there were no leaks, although the Tarp does go over half of the roof.
We had 2 SIMS in there along with a bag of clothes we could if we moved things a round a bit have both had room to sit inside on normal height chairs.
It did rain throughout the night and in the morning condensation was really quite bad.
All the interior was wet with condensation and droplets could be seen running down the seam tape.
There was the wife, the dog and myself. Both of the roof vents were left open.
The back window with mesh is a good idea but you can't leave it open if it rains everything inside will get wet.
The second night there was no rain and the condensation was a little less but still bad even the front wall which is covered by the tarp was very wet inside so I know its not leaking.
Ideally it really needs some more vents each side which can also be left open all of the time but covered to help with the breath-ability.
I have given the tent a score of 8 as I don't think a new tent should require seam sealing.
Like others I also have the issue with the Zip sticking when closing it around the curve.
It also should have more ventilation, it looks to me the design was thought out for it to be used somewhere hot and then just bought over here not really thinking that there needed to be some sort of porch area and cover for the ventilation window at the back of the tent.
The concept is brilliant and it does go up very quickly, it's just a shame it wasn't thought through a little more.
I'm going to see if any repair centres could possibly put some extra vents in each side which may help to reduce the condensation problem but not too big make it always cold!
I think this would be well worth the money to have done and make it that much more comfortable.
Its a great tent for short breaks, or touring where quick pitching is required.
In the photos I have shown it against the Hi-Gear Rock 4 tent, it's not too much bigger and it is lighter.
Overall not too bad but could have been better just for a little more thought and better quality control.
4 from 4 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Mike Warren Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2013 Rating:
Bought one recently after reading reviews and constantly getting beaten by a Quechua 4.1 pop up!
Coleman is by far the easiest tent I have used,little bit low at entrance but more than made up by ease of use. Roomy enough for just me.Having read various comments regarding getting wet through front door if wind and rain in 'wrong' direct I am using a Quechua tarp (see photos). Provides nice outdoor space and shelter from wind and elements, does not interfere with ventilation of tent. Only drawback is that it takes much longer to put up tarp than the whole tent!
4 from 4 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Bowies Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2013 Rating:
Bought as I had seen other UKcampsite members with them and the ease and speed of pitching (along with a dose of tent envy) made it perfect for me as I tend to have trouble with the usual ring and pin systems, this was ideal, I pitched and pegged in about 2 minutes.
I used it in Glencoe dry cold and a bit breezy but tent, pegs and guylines held up well, we had 2 campbeds in it so could store other equipment under them, plenty of space for 2.
Would benefit from a wee porch/awning at front for shoes but managed fine without one. Also had same problem with zip sticking at the bend, but managed.
All in a great easy to pitch tent and would recommend to anyone looking for a quick getaway tent.
3 from 3 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Digiphil Reason: Other Made in: 2013 Rating:
Best tent I`ve had so far, and I`ve had plenty from pop ups to family size. Same small problem with zip as others. In heavy rain had small drips coming from door zip area which was annoying. Have bought Nikwax to solve the problem. The tent seams were no problem at all. As I`m partially disabled ( back problems )but the simplicity of erection and packing up made it a great tent for my problems. Tested the tent twice in Glencoe in good weather and the back window was a great idea for helping to keep the tent cool. Two weeks ago I camped in Killin when we had heavy rain and thunderstorms, that`s when the drips appeared so it was a good test. Overall a great tent. 69 yr.Old male.
3 from 3 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
By: Borwick Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2013 Rating: 
A neat tent. Easily pitched and struck in minutes. Roomy inside and nicely made with good materials. The bathtub groundsheet is a little thin but I had the deal from Halfords with an extra footprint groundsheet and a 'carpet' - well picnic type rug really, which doubles as a big picnic rug.
Halfords were good to deal with. I never anticipate getting bargains there but this time they had some good deals. Our local store did not have one pitched but there was a sign inviting customers to ask a member of staff to demonstrate the 1 minute pitching. I asked and even found myself drawing a finger under the text of the invitation but my request was obviously thought so bizarre by the assistant that it was not even met with a shake of the head, just sullen, silent refusal. That's my Halfords!
We took it for 3 days in Cornwall in hot dry weather. It was breezy but the tent stayed put. We had a windbreak to make a bit of an enclosure and overall it felt like staying in a bigger tent. There was plenty of room for 2, any more would not be comfortable. I agree that a tarp to make an awning would have been an improvement had the weather turned.
Despite the hot daytime temperatures, it was cool at night. There was condensation, but not a problem.
The tent has, however been returned, I hope not unfairly. That is why I give only 5/10 for an otherwise well-made and designed tent.
I would welcome comment on my finding as I may buy another. The tent hangs from fasteners attached to an external frame. The weight is designed to be taken by 8 of these hangers. However, on our tent, most of the weight seemed to be taken by just 2. The others were relatively slack.
After a couple of days, the seams on the tight hangers were strained so much, we could see daylight through the stitching. I returned the tent because had it rained, water would get in and I could anticipate failure of the seams shortly after.
I don't think the problem with tensioning was mine. The pitch was fairly level and I tried everything by way of moving the frame legs, adjusting the guys and so forth. Oddly enough, lots of people have commented on the zip to the door and how it sticks at the curved part of the 'J'. Our tent did that too and care had to be taken. However one of the hangers taking the weight was directly above that point(the other was at the opposite corner).
Perhaps I had a bad tent with shorter hangers, perhaps it is a design flaw. I think I may wait for the 2014 version before buying again.
Thinking about it, the attachment at the very centre of the legs was very loose, perhaps tightening that would help. Had I kept it, some spacers between the slack hangers and the frame might have equalled out the weight.
One unrelated recommendation to report, we took a Kampa high-backed low chair - a beach chair, which was very comfortable indeed and I can give a strong recommendation to that.
We bought Vango self-inflating matresses from Halfords. These were a great success and every bit as comfortable as a bed and much superior to lilo type inflatable beds.
Halfords were very good about it and took the tent back without question for a full refund.
3 from 3 people found this review helpful, was it helpful to you?
15 User Reviews of the Instant Tourer 4 - Showing 01 to 10 Page:
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Manufacturer's Description
The Coleman® Instant Tent™ introduces a revolutionary technology with sturdy steel poles already connected to the tent. This spider-like structure helps to make pitching extremely fast: the tent is up in just 1 minute!
The Instant Tent™ Tourer 4 Coleman offers enough room to sleep for 4 person but without extra living space. This Instant Tent™ Tourer provides the incredibly fast pitching technology also for more active campers who seek a reliable, small but convenient and comfortable tent. Ideal for weekend get-aways and festivals.
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