Enjoy easy access in and out thanks to the hinged door feature of the Coleman 8 Person Montana Cabin Camping Tent. The spacious tent also offers superior weather protection with an included rainfly, welded corners, and inverted seams to keep water from getting in.
Manufacturer Specifications
- Extended door awning creates a dry area for entry and storage
- WeatherTec™ system – patented welded floors and inverted seams help keep water out
- Hinged door for easy entry and exit
- Snag-free, continuous pole sleeves for easy setup
- Angled windows keep the rain out when the windows are open
- E-Port makes it easy to bring electrical power inside your tent
- Storage pockets to keep your gear organized
- Durable, Polyguard™ fabric is made to last season after season
- Included rainfly for extra weather protection
- Expandable carry bag lets you tear away the rip strip for easy packing
- Easy setup in about 15 minutes
- Spacious interior has room for 3 queen airbeds
- 16 x 7 ft.
- 6 ft. 2 in. center height
- 1-year limited warranty
Who should buy the Montana?
Families that get out a couple of times a year in fair weather are the best candidates. The tent is surprisingly sturdy in the wind thanks to a number of included guylines for anchoring it down, but its minimalist rainfly and cheaper build is vulnerable to letting in rain (particularly when it’s coming at the tent sideways). In addition, you miss out on a vestibule—the front “porch” provides some coverage but doesn’t hide your gear and isn’t expansive enough to rely on in a storm. In the end, as long as you set reasonable expectations—you can often pick one up for less than $200—the Montana 8P provides a very enticing mix of roominess and price.
If you’re packing up the whole family for your next campout, you want to check out our Coleman Montana 8-person tent review. You’re looking for comfort, weather protection, durability. But, does Coleman still live up to its reputation for quality camping gear?
Design
The Coleman Montana 8-person tent is a modified dome tent, available in green, blue, or black fabric. It uses the familiar system of fiberglass poles that are connected with shock cord. They lock into place, forming long, flexible poles. The tent has a 16 by 7-foot footprint, with a 6-foot, 2-inch central headspace.
Coleman has manufactured this tent with a variety of features to provide protection and comfort for the three seasons which most campers are active.
Configuring your space
An ideal configuration for this tent includes two queen-size mattresses with two or three ground sleepers. You’ll be able to fit some gear indoors, which means six or seven people would fit more comfortably.
Of course, there are many other ways you could set up the sleeping area. For example, without mattresses, you could pack in more people. This makes it a prime choice for a scout troop weekend. With the tent being only 7 feet wide, though, it is more difficult to accommodate larger cots.
In arranging the interior of the tent, you may want to keep the central space open. With a 74-inch center height, the average adult can stand comfortably without stooping down. So, at least you can change your pants without falling over.
Ease of Setup
Will you be able to set up this tent before dark? It seems that we have said good-bye to the old days of complicated tent-raising. We now have an alphabet of labeled poles and a book full of instructions.
Family tents are simple to set up now. This is a large tent, but it’s essentially still a variation of a dome style. If you’re familiar with the typical setup of a dome tent, then this will be easy for you.
Utilizing shock-cord connections, you can easily snap the fiberglass rods together. This results in color-coded poles that slide through sleeves of the matching color. You then secure the poles to pins at each end, forming the arch shapes associated with dome tents. Afterward, attach the clips that are in place along the path for each pole. Finally, secure the tent to the ground with the provided stakes.
You can set this tent up in about 15–20 minutes. One person can get the job done. But of course, two people are best. The most difficult part of set-up is the rain fly. However, that’s not a problem with a little attention to the orientation of the fly. And it helps to have an extra pair of hands at the ready.
Weatherproofing your tent
Tent setup is the critical component to make sure the tent functions as expected and to stay dry. Be sure to stretch those guy-lines out from the tent body. Then stake them to the ground while maintaining adequate tension. As with any tent, expect to take a little longer on setup the first time around.
Taking down the tent is also simple. Make sure you have allowed the tent to dry before unclipping poles. Then slide them out of their sleeves. A durable bag is included to pack your tent back to the car. Remember to store your tent stakes separately.
Weathering the Elements
Next to size, protection from uncomfortable weather is really the most important aspect of your tent. You probably aren’t planning to take the kids to Everest. But you’re probably looking for reliable three-season camping comfort for your family.
Staying Dry
Will you stay dry in this tent? This is the big mystery when you purchase a new tent. However, Coleman has high standards with a great reputation. They only give passing grades to tent designs that let in less than two tablespoons of water during rain tests.
With this model, Coleman has done its best to include some great water-stopping features to help you stay dry.
The tent has a tub-floor. This is common for most dome tents and refers to the way the floor of the tent curls up the sides. It rises several inches above ground level before stitching is done.
WeatherTec system
Speaking of stitching, anything that is fabric must be stitched. All those little needle holes are normally the real culprit behind waking up in a puddle. Coleman has addressed key problem areas to prevent this. It uses inverted seams, which tuck the stitching into the interior of your tent. This protects needle holes from exposure to rain.
The zipper around the door has a sizeable cuff of fabric protecting the zipper from rain. Additionally, the corners of the floor are reinforced so no needle holes exist in these typical problem areas.
Design upgrades
Coleman has also constructed the windows of this tent at negative angles. This makes it more difficult for rain to come in while vented.
Last but certainly not least, a large and sturdy rainfly keeps you dry. And a sizeable vestibule that helps keep rain well away from the door.
The key factor in staying dry is the proper setup of your tent and rainfly. Make sure you stretch the guy-lines taut so the fly doesn’t rest directly on the tent fabric.
And although the manufacturer doesn’t require it, you should always take the time to treat the seams before you use the tent. You’ll appreciate the extra protection when the downpour begins.
Temperature and Ventilation
As for ventilation during warm weather, you can skip the rainfly and enjoy the large mesh ceiling and three additional windows. End windows are set at negative angles to help you keep the air flowing during rain.
If the weather is a bit colder, you can rely on the tent to withstand winds of more than 35 mph. And using the rainfly and zipped windows also helps add warmth.
One thing you can count on is that Coleman has been in business long enough to know how to solve problems. Quite often, you’ll run into a host of small, nagging inconveniences. This is especially true when you’re camping with kids. Thankfully, Coleman has already come up with design features to address them.
Hinged Door
The most loved feature mentioned in any Coleman Montana 8-person tent review is the rigid, hinged door. Instead of a zipper, Velcro closures work to keep the door secure. Now you can avoid the incessant, repetitive sound of zipping for every entrance and exit your kids make. All they need to do is pull and push the door.
This is also a huge convenience for large groups. And it makes it easier for small children, who may have difficulty with zippers. The door works by using another set of rods that slide through a sleeve of fabric around the door. This gives it enough rigidity to move with ease.
Front Porch
One outstanding feature we need to point out in this Coleman Montana 8-person tent review is the front porch space. Unlike other modified dome tents of this size, the Montana 8 is constructed with a fairly large, open vestibule. It’s like a porch for your tent, providing enough cover to change shoes or to store some gear.
It’s also very convenient that the vestibule doesn’t have another zipped door. So, you won’t have that airlock-like inconvenience of having to go through two sets of doors to get in or out of the tent. This is a nice compromise.
Interior Conveniences
Say what you will about using technology when you’re out enjoying the great outdoors — most families appreciate the peace of mind that comes with keeping a phone charged while in your tent.
Many tents are including a cord access port now. This allows you to pass an electrical cord through a tent wall. One of the best features we discovered while researching this Coleman Montana 8-person tent review is that the access port in this model zips closed when not in use. This, again, helps you keep your tent and your gear dry.
Some more typical interior features include a ring at the center of the tent roof. This is a useful option for hanging an LED lantern. You also get several mesh pockets for storing small necessities, like a phone, flashlight, or pair of glasses.
Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent Review and Comparison
While researching this Coleman Montana 8-person tent review, we found comparable models from both Coleman and other reputable manufacturers. Considering their features and benefits side by side has helped us decide whether the Montana is the best family tent on the market.
As for comparisons to other modified dome-style family tents, all include tub-floor construction and similar pole systems. Most also include standard interior pockets and storage, with cord access ports. The Montana stands out as being the only tent with a hinged door and sizeable front porch. A few models do have an added intake vent to draw in cooler air from the ground.
CORE 9-Person Extended Dome
The CORE 9-person Extended Dome tent is about the same price. It includes two more feet of space on the width but provides slightly less headspace in the center. The CORE also has a vestibule but only has a very small awning for rain protection at the door. It does provide an intake vent for improved airflow. Check out the Core range at https://amzn.to/3FAvUxs
Wenzel Great Basin 10
The Great Basin 10 is roomier, with an 18-by-10-foot design and 78-inch height. The main differences for this tent are the divider curtains. These allow you to create separate rooms and privacy on the interior of the tent. One exciting feature is the mesh pocket in the overhead gear loft that allows you to add any flashlight or LED lantern. With this, you can brighten the whole tent by means of the special reflective material overhead. This tent is slightly more expensive. See the Wenzel Range here.
Timber Ridge 8-Person Family Tent
The Timber Ridge 8-person tent is about the same price but is larger. It features a 14-by 8-foot footprint and the same 74-inch headspace in the center. The interior space is divided into two rooms and includes plenty of organizational pockets. You’ll also get a gear loft as well as a cord port.
Coleman Red Canyon 8-Person
Coleman has another modified dome family tent with a larger footprint of 17 by 10 feet, with a 72-inch center height. The 8-person Red Canyon is slightly less expensive than the Montana 8. This model includes removable curtains for privacy, which provide up to three separate rooms. It includes an intake ventilation panel, but this model doesn’t have a cord access panel.
Another Reviewer
ANOTHER REVIEWER switchback travel – What we like: Spacious interior at a great price.
What we don’t: Weather protection and build quality come up short.
Many budget-oriented tents compromise interior livability, but that’s certainly not the case with Coleman’s Montana 8P. This model stretches a substantial 16 feet in length, has a tall 74-inch peak height (the side rooms are shorter), and includes near-vertical walls that maximize the usable space. A single side door is placed right in the center, which does limit ease of entry/exit, but the sheer size of the thing makes it a nice match for groups of four to six people.
Coleman Montana 8 Person Tent: Consumer Ratings
A professional Coleman Montana 8-person tent review can provide additional insight when shopping. However, consumer reviews and ratings can go a long way in making a buying decision. After all, it’s the frequent user who gets an accurate feel for a product’s quality over time.
Amazon buyers have awarded their own Coleman Montana 8-person tent review rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars. Most positive reviews mentioned its generous proportions. And while many buyers said it was quite spacious, many conceded that fitting in eight people was a bit of a squeeze.
Complaints about the Coleman Montana mainly focused on its permeability. Many consumers fail to seal their tents before using them, which often leads to dissatisfaction.
The Montana 8 Person Tent: Pros and Cons
This generously oversized family tent sounds like the perfect fit. However, a quick summary of its advantages and disadvantages makes it easier to come to a decision.
Pros
- Hinged door for easy entrances and exits
- Rain-proofing design
- Undivided, spacious interior
- Tall enough at the center for the average adult
- Zipped portal for electrical cords
- Large, open vestibule for storing additional gear
- Well-constructed and tested for durability
- Established and reliable manufacturer
- Low cost and good value
Cons
- The floor plan does not work well with large camping cots
- Ventilation is inadequate with rainfly attached
- Rainfly is slightly more difficult to set up
- There are no interior privacy divider curtains
Verdict
For more than 117 years, the Coleman company has been in business. Coleman continues to make quality products. Its wide range of gear enables everyone the opportunity to experience the outdoors with comfort and convenience.
With a well-established organization like that, you can count on quality innovation, design, and testing. The Coleman Montana 8-person tent is perfect for your family now and as the kids grow. This a solid choice when you are looking for something big and comfortable for the whole family.
Have you been shopping for a family tent for long? What models have impressed you the most? Tell us about your favorite picks in the comments.