Coleman Inyo / Peak1 Cobra

I was quite skeptical when I placed my bid on this tent. $39 for a tent that was less then 4lbs, and is a brand I've seen in Wal Mart. Since I can accidentally blow $39 on a few beers after work I though it would be worth a shot to give it a shot and maybe shave a few lbs from my current pack weight.

My tent was new in the bag with no box or instructions. As with most cheaper tents I immediatly threw away the stakes and replaced them with some high quality Easton aluminum stakes @ .5oz each (hence the weight w/o stakes). I found the stakes that came with the tent quite flimsy and very easy to bend. With the 10 new stakes the weight came in at 3lbs 12oz.

My initial impressions were mixed to say the least. Without ever looking at the instructions I was able to set the tent up in about 3 minutes from start to finish. After staking the tent out tight, there is a single pole that runs through the center of the tent into a mesh sleeve. The mesh sleeve tends to get caught on the pole, but that's just a nit picky irk of mine. After the pole is in place in its retaining holes, you put on the two clips and you have a half finished tent. The fly hooks into the tent at the corners and takes 4 more stakes to keep it from touching the tent.

The materials of the tent felt light and weak. The seams were not impressive and I was worried about pulling too hard on "pull" points of the tent to get it tight. I do not know if my version is considered a "Inyo", but it does not have "Peak1" on it. Instead it was a very nice deep purple and black, and sported a lone Coleman logo on the fly. The tent came with a mesh pocket that attached with toggles and runs horizontally across the ceiling. The body contains an impressive ammount of mesh and is well ventilated with the vestibules open. When you zip the rain fly up (that goes all the way to the ground all around the tent might I add) the little dark purple tent soon becomes a sauna when the sun beats down on the fly. There is zero airflow with the rain fly zipped up. The tent is roomy for one, and very intimate for two. I personally consider this a GREAT large solo tent, and wouldn't want to try to share this with anyone other then a beautiful woman. Room enough to sit up and change easily. I'm only 5'9" but unless I scoot all the way with my head almost touching the front of the tent, my feet can touch the ceiling at the foot of the tent. If you take care and stake the rainfly out at the foot well this isn't a problem. I've never had a problem with water comming though the fly there, but if you are taller then I or have skis for feet the mesh touching the fly might cause a wicking leakage, but this is just a theory.

I was finally able to test the tent in some hard driving rain we get so often here in the spring/summers down here in the south. With my seam-sealed rain fly the tent did not get a single leak during the hard rains. For me comfort in the rain is one of the most important performance aspects of a tent, and for me the Cobra/Inyo passed with flying colors. When the weather is good the tent is well ventilated with the fly open and gives you a nice view of the starts with the fly off.

All in all for the price I paid I think I got a steal. I really do think the VERY nice aluminum pole must be 2/3ds of the cost of the tent. The rest of the tent feels light and weak, so only time will tell how durable the tent will be. So far the tent has performed flawlessly. Overall I'm very impressed with the tent, but if I had to pay full price ($90+) I'd consider spending a few more bucks and stepping up to a better constucted tent from one of the big boys. For the price, even at MSRP I have yet to see a tent a light and offer as much room as the cobra/inyo (Not to be confused with the new Inyo II that coleman has with two poles instead of one).

I picked this tent up on clearance at a department store. I'd agree with most points by the other reviewer who got it for a similar price: it's GREAT for the price, surprisingly sturdy and waterproof in bad weather, but questionable durability in the long term.

I use this tent solely as a (relatively) lightweight emergency shelter, and otherwise I sleep outside in good weather. I've used the Cobra in two separate storms with wind gusts over 75 mph, including a four-day trip in Torres del Paine in Patagonia. It has never leaked a drop and the single hoop has not failed, despite the constant buffeting. It does get very loud inside in heavy wind, though, since the single hoop allows quite a lot of "slack" in the rest of the tent to ripple and snap.

On the third day night out in Patagonia one of the zippers broke on the rainfly (teeth got out of whack and would no longer mesh) and I had to repair with safety pins and duct tape. However, there's the door on the other side and I still plan to use it as long as I've got duct tape and pins to help with any other problems.

I purchased this tent in September 2001 and have used it extensively since. I have stayed bone-dry in extremely rainy and windy conditions on the AT, in Pennsylvania, and the Adirondacks. I think a lot has to do with setup. Making sure the fly is taut is key. For me it's the perfect size (allows me to sit up to get dressed), perfect weight, and I love the all-mesh for stargazing on clear, warm nights. The two doors is a nice convenience and the two small vestibules provide just the right amount of space for boots, etc. I use it as a solo.

It's a great tent for the money, well ventilated being almost all mesh. Kept me dry, warm on cold wet days, and cool on hot ones without the rain fly. I seam seal the rain flys on all the tents by habit so it didn't leak at all. Storage for gear is ample too. Happy trails.