Columbia Timber Butte

I got this tent about a month ago from Sportsman's Guide. Apparently it was some new-old-stock clearance as this model is not available anymore that I can find but this was brand new in the box at a good price.

In any event, if you can ever find one grab it! We have taken it out twice now for a total of five nights camping at two different campgrounds. It is exceptionally easy to setup for a tent this size.

When I first got it I studied the directions for about 15 minutes and then labeled the poles with a sharpie marker what order they were to be put in and that is basically all the instructions I needed after that. The poles color coordinate to the fabric so that makes it even easier. I set it up for a dry run by myself in about 15 minutes for the first time (not including staking) and all went well. Very easy to setup for such a large tent.

At the campgrounds each time it was totally set up, including staking the corners and two side guy lines, in under 10 minutes with the assistance of a camping mate. Everything appears to be very sturdy.

Everything worked as it should have. The zippers were smooth and I really have no complaints at all. We got hit every single day with moderately high winds here on the Colorado Front Range and it didn't blink with what I estimate were maybe 25-30 MPH gusts and some steady 10-15 MPH winds for a couple hours each day. I do use my own 12-inch tent stakes always and know how to properly stake and tie down though. I think it came with some 9-inch steel nail types that I disregarded in lieu of my own stakes.

We also got a significant amount of rain in the evenings when the wind died down, just straight down and not driving rain though so take this with a grain of salt, and no leaks whatsoever. Bathtub floor was great and we had it on a ground-cover tarp as well. Based on what we did get I believe it would do well in a heavy longterm downpour or serious wind-driven rain, but have not experienced that as yet.

Overall I think it is a great tent. So far as it has ample room for our family of four and sets up easily and performed as it should. I am exactly 6-feet tall and was able to walk around the entire tent without crouching as well which was very nice.

Only things that could make it better would be an electrical pass-through (though there are other easy ways to accomplish the same thing of course) and maybe a more privacy oriented center divider as what this comes with is a curtain divider that just hangs down rather than zips anywhere. If you really want/need a higher level of privacy then it might be insufficient.

Others bells and whistles might have been an awning and a floor mat for wiping one's feet too I suppose. How about a built in stove and coffeemaker? Anyway, overall I am very happy with the price to value ratio I was able to get this tent for and it has exceeded my expectations thus far.

The storage bag it comes with is like a piece of luggage as it is really well made and even had wheels. Even better, the "luggage" case has a zipper to expand it if you need to which was great and was used to get it all back in there.

First piece of Columbia equipment I ever bought and I will certainly buy more if this is an indication of their quality. It is a heavier tent at about 45 pounds including the poles but that is actually fine for car camping and should make for greater stability in bad weather. Great tent!