Coleman Cortes Octagon Tent – Our Family Camping Tent Review

Camping holidays are as popular as they have ever been and with the modern advent of glamping more people are trying it out for the first time. There are a huge range of opportunities to embrace the outdoors available often just a short drive away from home. Whether you prefer music festivals or family camping holidays then there is no doubt that the equipment you choose to take with you can make or break the trip.

My husband and I (along with our 18-month-old son) trialled the Coleman Cortes Octagon tent and can honestly say it is the best tent we have used among the different type of tents for camping that we’ve tried before. From the very start, it was clear that a lot of consideration had been taken to make sure the tent was very quick and easy to set up and use.

Putting up the Tent

• It had a strong bag with wheels and was therefore very easy to pull along the floor.
• The instructions were sewn into the bag so you can’t lose them – however it was so easy to put up they were barely needed.
• As mentioned above it was really simple to put up – mainly because all the poles are clearly colour coded.
• The tent was very quick to put up. It took my husband less than 20 minutes by himself for the first time. Not to mention the fact that he had a very ‘helpful’ toddler running around, in and over the partly constructed tent.

Using the Tent

I loved camping as a child and have very fond memories of sleeping bags, camp fires and hot chocolate. However, as an adult I have had varied experiences of camping which often ended with a bad back and stiff shoulders. With its full head height throughout, the shape and style of the Cortes Octagon Tent has completely solved this problem and has much more of a glamping feel to it than standard tents.

• The tent looks very stylish and funky in orange and grey with a good range of matching products available including the Kickback Breeze Camping Chairs and Xtreme X5 Tricolour 50 Qt Cooler.
• It has two large doors at either end including one that swing open like a real door. This makes it so much easier to get in and out of the tent which can then be closed and opened without rolling and tying up damp tent fabric every time you want to open the door.
• Comes with 2 door mats which were a nice touch so you can take off your shoes without getting wet feet – this was particularly handy for my toddler who needs to sit down on the floor to take off his shoes.
• It is very spacious inside with loads of headroom which as mentioned before was by far my favourite aspect of the tent.
• All the large windows can be opened, making the tent very light and airy and giving you a 360 degree view of your surroundings. So you can take in the scenery or keep an eye on what the children are doing outside!
• Dividing wall splits the tent in half and is very easy to clip in.
• In typical British style we had a couple of heavy showers in between bright sunshine and the tent stayed dry inside and kept all the water out.
• There were two handy pockets on the walls inside tent to help keep the inside tidy from clutter.
• The only downside we could find with the tent is that because the outer layer does not fully close around the doors then it would not stay particularly warm if there was a cold wind blowing, but in warm weather this also acts to help keep it nice and cool and we have no intention of camping in winter anyway.

Packing up

No matter how much you have enjoyed your stay or how long you camped for, nobody enjoys packing away at the end of a camping trip. A particular pet hate of mine is the wrestling match you inevitably end up having with the tent bag. No matter how neatly you fold or roll the tent it never seems to fit back easily into the bag and after heavy use the zips can often give way. A hungry toddler and some rather ominous black clouds lead to my husband taking the tent down very swiftly and to both of our surprise it sat happily in the large, strong bag without even trying to pack it up tightly. Rounding off our experience perfectly!

Additional Products

Coleman have a huge range of camping products available. Some of our favourites included:

• The Durarest^TM Raised Double Bed which is very comfortable and the double height felt much more like sleeping in a real bed. Inflating it was quick and painless with the Rechargeable QuickPump™ and made it even simpler to pack away vacuuming it right down before using the Wrap ‘N’ Roll carry bag which is attached to the bed so it can’t get lost and is very easy to pack away which was a nice touch.
• The Xtreme X5 Tricolour 50 Qt Cooler which matched the tent with its funky orange and grey design has more than enough room for food and drinks to feed us all and keeps everything perfectly cold. Just like the tent the wheels and extendable handle make it very easy to transport to even when full. Due to its size you can also use it as a small table with built in cup holders or even as a seat.
• The Kickback Breeze Camping Chairs which come in a range of vibrant colours are comfortable, small and lightweight. The bags are strong and can be carried over your shoulder using the handle.

Recommended! We cannot wait to take this tent away and felt at around £200 it was extremely good value for money as it is clear that due to its strong durable build it will last us for many, many years.

Note: Coleman sent us the above-mentioned products to review, however, all opinions are my own.

Amy Howe is a part-time primary school teacher who lives in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside. She spends the rest of her time as mummy to 18 month old Matthew and is due another bundle of joy very shortly. They love to spend their time playing outside, having picnics and visiting animals.

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