Coleman tent Review

I recently purchased a Coleman Evanston 8. The hinged door is the best thing since sliced bread! No more unzipping and zipping your tent door every time you need to go in or out, and no flap ducking. It's freaking sweet! Also, I was camped out for a solid week during which there were several storms that brought lots of rain. While I slept tight and dry, nearly everyone around me got soaked. Most of them had economy store brand tents. I can't even repeat the string of cussing that came from a tent right next to me, when a young man woke up " sleeping in a bathtub."

However, it was after my return home that I became very displeased with my Coleman tent. I went to set it up to make sure it dried out and wouldn't mold in storage...and the cord in one of the poles broke. This was only the second time setting this tent up! Thank goodness this hadn't happened out setting up for another event! Because it is not possible to set up a dome tent if the cord is broken in a main pole.

I called Coleman and they said they would mail me a new pole. What I actually received was a repair kit. So now I get to thread a tent pole? Oh joy! Not to mention...I kind of have to assume by the wide assortment of parts in this kit that they are having an awful lot of pole issues. Hmmm ya think it could be because Coleman tents are now made in China?! That's right, Coleman may be based in Wichita KS, but the products are now made in China.

So why are their tents still so expensive?! If I had wanted to buy cheap crap that breaks, I could have spent half as much. I am seriously considering returning this tent to Bass Pro. But my delema is, can I find another make of tent that stays dry...but also doesn't break.

P.S thought: I would like to see the trend go back to cabin tents. Cabin tents were better than domes in a number of ways...more head space to be able to move around for one...but most importantly to me after this, even if that cord connecting the pole sections broke you could still set up the tent. It's too bad that these days whatever becomes trendy quickly becomes the only thing most companies produce.