I’m not a big fan of Coleman, however they do create some pretty good tents. This Coleman Elite WeatherMaster Tent review will help you make the right choice to fit your needs.
But is this tent any good or going to blow over in the slightest wind conditions and/or going to leak all night, resulting in you and all your gear being soaked?
There are a lot of questions to find out, so I will do the groundwork and find out if this tent is worth buying or just a waste of money. Keep reading if that’s also what you’re here for.
Product Overview?
The Coleman Elite WeatherMaster Tent contains a built-in lighting system, a screened porch as well as a hinged door. This tent includes a lot of features, mostly to help with comfort and convenience while out camping.
The center height is 6’8″, so if you’re under that height you can easily stand up straight, while this tent is also capable of fitting 6 people.
The lighting system is bright enough to read a book by at night, and with 3 modes (high, low, nightlight).
This tent is also designed for complete luxury, and I find that it does just that, perfectly.
What Makes This Tent Unique?
I do in fact, enjoy the lighting aspect that this tent includes, that is rare to find in a tent. The porch area is also something that popped out at me, these are awesome to do for the tent trick.
Use the front porch for storing dirty laundry and getting changed, while keeping the inside of the tent dirt and dust free.
For a tent with this many features, you would think that it would be a small tent, however that is not the case. I’m glad to see that it can hold 6 people very comfortably.
What Are Its Specifications?
Product Name: Coleman Elite WeatherMaster Tent
Cheapest Place To Buy: Amazon.com
Weight: 42.31 pounds
Floor Area: 39.65
Pole Material: Fiberglass and Steel
Occupancy: 6 person
Maximum Height: 6.8 feet
Guarantee: 30 day return policy
Who This Tent Is For
A Glamper (glamorous camper), because this tent is designed for total luxury, if you enjoy glamorous camping then you will like this tent.
A family that wants to go car camping will also find this tent to be very useful. It is 42.31 pounds so it will not be easy to haul around.
You and you friends will also find this tent to work amazingly well, considering you know what you’re doing out in the wild of course.
I also find that this tent will make a good choice to newbie campers, because of the great features, someone who hasn’t been camping before might find this tent more enjoyable, helping them ‘break in’ to the camping life.
Who This Tent Is NOT For
This tent is NOT for anyone that’s wanting to go backpacking or hiking. It is just too heavy and not going to work very well.
Even if the tent is split up between a number of you, it will still not be enough to go light.
Pricing & Purchase Details
This tent is now available on Amazon.com, while including a 30 day return policy, where you can send the tent back for a repair (if it gets damaged), OR send it back for a full refund if you decide you don’t want it anymore.
The price of this tent also varies between $180 to $200.
See What The Current Price Of This Tent Is
Pros and Cons
Pros
- I really like the lighting system, these are hard to find in a tent
- This tent surprisingly fits back into the bag
- I also like how anyone that’s tall (6’6″) can easily stand up straight without being hunched over
- This tent has a bunch of features that other tents don’t have. This includes a zippered electrical access, self-rolling windows, screened porch, hinged door, and more
- Capable of keeping the rain out (use seam sealer though) and holding up in strong winds
Cons
- The front porch doesn’t have a floor area
- I find that it will only fit 6 people IF you are all laying on the floor all in mummy bags
- Can take a while to set up, roughly 30 minutes to an hour depending on your pitching skills
Do I Recommend This Tent?
It’s an OKAY tent, it isn’t the best and it’s not the worst either.
Coleman are really known for bad tents and good tents, but does this one actually stand up to all the good feedback it has received? I’m going to go with “meh”.
Why? There’s a slight chance you could get a bad one, where it will not keep the rain out, in that case I would suggest you seam seal this tent before using.
Actually, to be on the safe side I would seam seal this tent as soon as I get it and also give it a test run in the backyard to make sure it keeps the rain out for sure.
If you are willing to do that then this tent is highly recommended!
Alternative/Similar Products
If you aren’t a fan of seam sealing your tents and you want something that’s factory sealed (roughly the same price), however it’s not going to contain all the features this tent includes, you might want to read my review of the CORE 6 person tent.
There’s also a higher quality tent that will last you longer than both of these, it’s also a cabin-styled tent (similar to the CORE) and slightly more expensive. If that’s what you are after, then see my review of the Coleman 8 person instant tent.
My Final Opinion
I find that the Coleman Elite WeatherMaster Tent is actually a good tent, mostly because of the hidden features that it includes.
However, most people that are giving this tent bad feedback is because they don’t realize that it will need additional weatherproofing first before being taken out.
Other than that, there aren’t really much complaints about it.
If you don’t mind pitching this tent a couple of times (will help with pitching speed later on, I would say 15-30 minutes to set up after some practice) and if you are going to seam seal it before using it, then this tent is highly recommended for you.
Otherwise if you want an out-of-the-box tent, all ready to go as soon it arrives, I would rather you choose the CORE 6 person tent.
I LOVE camping too! Very informative review. I did not know it was possible to have a lighting system in a tent. There is nothing more aggravating then trying to dress or eat in the dark. When I go camping I usually invite family and friends so the 6 person aspect would be perfect. They usually don’t have their own tent to bring. Although I have never heard of having to seam seal a tent. That’s good info to know! Thanks for being so honest about this particular tent.
Haha, that is so true Rina. A camping trip out with the family is a wondrous activity and should be done at least once a year, mostly to get the family together. Because they aren’t around for long and we are not young for long either. Glad you liked my review 🙂
Take care,
Brandon
I have been using Coleman products for years and I am very satisfied, although it is time to upgrade my 2 man to something bigger and more family oriented. I like the one you reviewed. It has most of the specs that am looking for. Thanks for the post 🙂
Well if you don’t mind doing some additional weatherproofing to it first, then go ahead buddy. It might surprise you 🙂
Kind regards,
Brandon
As a keen camper living in a very wet country – keeping rain out was always a priority so we needed good tents. Any idea what the Hydrostatic Head is on this tent is?
A name like the Coleman Elite Weathermaster does suggest that it should be more than adequate in poor weather conditions.
It does look nice.
I am not sure Eoin, however with a name like Elite WeatherMaster you would THINK that it would be good for wet weather, but after reviewing this tent I found out that some additional weatherproofing would be needed to do first, before it can be taken out on a camping trip. Personally, I just think that it’s not worth it – especially when it’s an expensive tent already, the CORE 6 Instant Cabin Tent is more recommended.
Wow, 3 mode lighting and a porch, camping has really moved on since my Boys brigade days trying to earn my Duke of Edinburgh’s award. This looks like a pretty impressive tent to me!
Haha, it is a good tent indeed. But only if you’re willing to seam seal it first, because it isn’t the best in wet weather.
Kind regards,
Brandon