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Coleman Tacoma 13' x 9'

rated 2.5 of 5 stars

The Tacoma 13' x 9' has been discontinued. If you're looking for something new, check out the best tents and shelters for 2024.

This was a tent Coleman sold exclusively through Walmart. It cost less than $100 almost 15 yrs ago. It was spacious and fairly durable, except the fly "brow" poles broke and were replaced and broke again. This was not a tent for seriously wet weather as there was no closure to protect the door. (It did have a closeable nylon panel that did zip open and closed.)

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Spacious
  • Tent body and main poles quite durable
  • Some ventilation

Cons

  • "Brow" poles were incredibly flimsy and had to be replaced numerous times
  • Fly did not cover all around tent to the ground
  • Needed upper fly vents to improve airflow
  • Needed more mesh lower down for airflow on muggy nights

This tent was made when Coleman seemed to be transitioning from a fairly serious maker of reasonably priced family tents to the tent makers they are today. I grew up in scouting in West Virginia, and was using Eureka "Scout" tents when they were still made of canvas.

When my wife and I married and we began having children we began taking our daughters camping. We always look for camp areas that are more primitive, preferably with no RV's nearby. We went through a few tents that were horrible, then found this tent on sale for , if I recall, $79. This was nearly 40% less than most of the decent Coleman tents of that time.

Pro: With our very limited budget, this tent was a Godsend. It was very inexpensive (however it would  cost about $130-$150 in today's dollar).

Pro: It allowed us to sleep the 4 of us, then when our youngest came along, the 5 of us, in relative comfort and safety. (Fortunately, I am in the habit of carrying huge tarps with me when car camping, so if storms came through I could add the necessary rain protection this tent lacks.)

Pro: The tent is spacious and had some nice storage in the way of mesh pockets along the sidewalls. (The tent is not square, but an odd rectangular-ish shape, with 2 corners cropped off on opposing corners. The shape is, however, useable, and interior space does not feel wasted.)

Pro: The tent floor is incredibly durable, but also quite heavy. As this tent is not designed for backpacking the weight is an acceptable trade for such a bullet-proof floor.

Con: The biggest problem with this tent is the poorly made "brow" poles. This tent does not have a vestibule on either side (although it does have two full sized doors). What it does have is a "brow"  over each door that is to provide some protection from rain and is necessary to maintain a taught fly.

The poles are thin and flimsy, and I was replacing them often. Each replacement seemed even more poorly made than the last. When a brow pole broke, unless I still had a spare, the fly would not remain taught and ventilation got even worse. Oooh! and the flapping if there was any wind would deafen you. Gotta have those "brow" poles!

Con: Secondly, the tent did not really allow much in the way of ventilation. It made sticky nights very uncomfortable. (If you have never been to Minnesota in the summer, it is just as moist during the summer months as any state in which I've lived, and I lived in Mississippi before moving to Minnesota. Honestly, this is not as much of a problem in the Smokies.)

This tent had great potential for a workable long term family tent. If Coleman had married their tent body with a fly similar to Kelty's Vista tents, (if that indeed were workable) they might have still had me liking this tent for larger family outings. These days we just pitch the body and use a large tarp with many guy out points and a few adjustable poles. This helps all of the above, but is very cumbersome and not terribly pretty. It is also very susceptible to any winds, as the tarp likes to sail.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: aound $80

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Price Reviewers Paid: $80.00

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