If you are in a hurry and just want to find out what the best cabin tent is, then we recommend the Coleman Tenaya Lake Fast Pitch Tent as the best one.
The truth about camping is, not everyone wants to rough it. There are two different kinds of campers out there-the ones who don’t mind freezing their butt off because they didn’t bring enough blankets and the ones who bring heated blankets and air mattresses.
If you are part of the ladder, then you may want to check out cabin tents. These are much roomier with more headroom and a solid base on the floor.
In this article, we’re reviewing the best cabin tents in 2018. They are the following:
- Kodiak Canvas Deluxe Tent
- Coleman Evanston
- Wenzel Klondike
- Core 9 Person Instant Cabin
- Coleman Tenaya Lake Fast Pitch Tent
Why You Should Get A Cabin Tent
There are a variety of things that separate cabin tents and make them unique when compared to any other tent.
These tents have higher vertical walls which add extra headroom. You should always be able to stand up normally and walk around inside the tent.
In addition to that cabin tents also offer square footage. In this type of tent, you’ll have no issue fitting at least two queen mattresses with room for additional storage or even a few chairs inside.
These often come with room dividers which allow you to separate off portions of the tent if you are in a large group and want privacy.
Some other unique features of cabin tents are awnings, screened in patios, and hinged doors.
The primary purpose of these tents is to make you feel comfortable while you are camping and give you the feeling of having an RV without having a dent in your wallet.
Cabin tents also feature a wide array of weather resistant benefits like solid flooring, inverted stitching, and weather treated zippers.
What To Look For When Buying A Cabin Tent
Everyone has different preferences on what is important or not when deciding on a tent, but we want to offer our opinion on the most important things that the best cabin tents should have.
Optimal Size
Of course, size is a factor but just how much is enough. You want to pay close attention to the square footage of the tent when deciding and do not just go according to the manufacturer when they say how many it can sleep.
You will find that some companies say their tent can sleep nine when the square footage is less than the standard six-person tent.
It’s also important to pay attention to the wall size and shape. When the tent has tall vertical walls, this means that the square footage is better, and you will get to walk the entire tent instead of having to duck down at the edges.
Storage
This plays into square footage as well. If the tent has a nice amount of square footage but nowhere to store anything, then you need to consider how much stuff you are bringing and where you are going to put it.
If the tent does not come with any additional storage holds such as a loft or cabinet, then you need to subtract some area from the tent to compensate for your stuff. I’m sure you do not want to be stuck walking back and forth from the car, or worse, leaving things outside.
Ventilation and Airflow
There are many tradeoffs when deciding what kind of tent to get. If you go for something that is lightweight, you may be getting a tent that is fragile and weak. If you go for something that is durable, you may be getting a tent that is heavy and hard to travel with.
The main thing to look at is the versatility of the tent. Can you cover everything up to keep the rain and cold out if you had to and could you take everything off to let in a lot of air and sunlight if you had to?
You need a tent that has optimal airflow to not only keep you comfortable but to keep the temperature at a reasonable level.
If the tent does not appear to have removable tarps that can offer additional ventilation, then you may want to move on.
Number of Doors
This is something that gets overlooked, but if you are buying a cabin tent, you want something that is comfortable and accessible for everyone.
Some tents come with only one door which is fine when there are only two or three people in the tent but what if you are camping with eight or nine?
Two door tents make a lot more sense for a cabin tent because it improves the quality of living inside the tent and makes it, so no one has to walk over anybody at any given time.
Weatherproofing
This factor is a technical thing that also gets overlooked. Back to the whole “not roughing it” thing. Having a wet floor will put a damper on your whole trip, and if your tent does not have the proper weatherproofing, you will have a wet floor.
Luckily most cabin tents come with a solid stitched floor that prevents any water or moisture from creeping up through any small holes in the floor.
In addition to the flooring, you want a tent that has a high-quality roof with a removable rainfly for extra protection.
Kodiak Canvas Deluxe Tent
This spacious tent is intended to give you all of the comfortability of being at home. It has over a six foot ceiling, an air flow system, temperature management, and its made with “Hydra-Shield” which is 100% cotton duck canvas. This makes the tent waterproof and durable.
The tent fits eight people and is 10 by 14 feet.
The primary advantage of this tent is the sheer fact that it is a luxury tent. You get everything you need to be comfortable and enjoy yourself out in the woods with this one.
Pros:
- Luxurious high-end tent
- Durable and waterproof Hydra-Shield
- 6’ 6” inch ceilings
- Two airflow systems
- Customizable organizers inside with loft system
- Double doors for easy access
- Durable frame
Cons:
- This tent is heavy so it would be difficult to use for backpackers
Coleman Evanston
This Coleman cabin tent is one of the finest you will find. All of Coleman’s top of the line tents offer WeatherTec technology which includes a polyester material that is resistant to sag and has protection from UV rays.
The WeatherTec base on the tent prevents any moisture or water from getting in through the floor of the tent because it has solid support with inverted floor seams.
One of the coolest features of this tent is the screened in patio on the front. Both sizes of this tent from Coleman offer the screened in patio, and it adds some square footage and makes it feel like there is a nice separation between the two spaces.
Pros:
- WeatherTec Technology
- Screened in patio
- Coleman Reputation
- Fits two Queen mattresses
- Inverted seams keep moisture out
- Rainfly fits nicely over the tent
Cons:
- Does not fit in the travel bag easily
Wenzel Klondike
This tent provides more of the traditional cabin feel with 90 square feet and over 6.5 feet of headroom the Klondike is highly desirable by camping enthusiasts.
The interior area of the tent sleeps eight while the outside patio area can sleep an additional three, so you get the most out of this tent.
As for durability, you get Wenzels Weather Armor polyester fabric and a polyurethane coating throughout. This keeps you protected from rain and extreme wind.
One of the more interesting things about this tent is that they treat all their zippers and webbing with a water repellency blend which is somewhat unique and a slight overkill, but it’s still beneficial to you of course.
Pros:
- Serious square footage
- Nice headroom
- Sleeps 11 people total
- Weather Armor polyester
- Everything gets treated with a water repellency
Cons:
- It would be nice if the screened in patio had the same headroom as the rest of the space, you lose quite a bit there.
Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent
My first opinion of this tent was that its overall size is similar to a six-person tent so I was a little bit concerned whether or not it would sleep, nine people.
Due to the cabin design with high vertical walls and 6.5-foot ceilings, the tent can fit nine but not as comfortably as they might claim.
Some of the great features of this tent are individual room dividers, storage pockets, and electrical cord access ports.
Another disappointing thing about this tent is that it does not offer any form of water protection. The floor is thin and similar to a standard two-person tent.
Pros:
- Sleeps nine and fits two queen air mattresses
- High ceilings
- Adjustable ground air vents
- Convenient wall storage pockets
- Room dividers
- Can be set up quickly
Cons:
- No weather protection
- Thin flooring
Coleman Tenaya Lake Fast Pitch Tent
This tent is flat out awesome. It has a variety of unique features that do not come standard with most tents.
The Tenaya Lake can be set up in under five minutes using the quick fastpitch setup, the tent features a couple of cabinets which extend beyond the tent’s standard square footage, and it features a hinged door that swings open and closed.
In addition to that, the tent has an optional “lighted” feature which offers reflectors that do a pretty excellent job.
One of the greatest things about this tent in addition to all the unique features is the fact that it lives up to expectation with size and headroom. You can comfortably sleep eight people here and have plenty of room for all your stuff as well.
Pros:
- Shelving and storage space
- Hinged door
- Waterproof flooring
- Rainfly fits nicely
- Sleeps eight comfortably
- Good ventilation
Cons:
- Does not have the durability for extreme weather
Conclusion
There are so many types of tents and so many brands to go along with it that it can be an overwhelming decision to choose just one. Hopefully, this article has helped ease that decision a bit for you.
For us, one of our favorite tents that we have ever reviewed, and the winner of this roundup is the Coleman Tenaya Lake Fast Pitch Tent.
This is one of the coolest tents we have ever seen; it offers so many features for people who want to be comfortable while they rough it.
Storage space galore, optimal room, and a ton of other cool features are the reasons why we picked that tent as the winner.