Tent Question #1: Coleman's "Keeps You Dry, Guaranteed™"?

Yes, that has been bugging me too. I used to sell high-end backpacking tents and worked for outfitters and trekking companies that used and rented a lot of tents. And I have owned everything from Coleman (my first tent), Diamond, Jansport and Eureka, to North Face, Sierra Designs, Marmot, Cannondale and Moss. And I have camped out with buddies in virtually every marque of US and European tent in production in the past 40 years.

The idea that Coleman tents could be somehow more waterproof than (or even AS waterproof as) better tents is ridiculous. And I can't believe any reasonable tent company would make such a ludicrous claim, since there are so many factors of use and situation that can cause leakage. SO many rookie campers don;t know how to set up tents and so frequently mistake condensation for "leakage" that any company making such a claim would probably go bankrupt dealing with complaints and warranty issues.

In fact, in my experience, both Coleman and Eureka tents tend to have earlier failures in waterproofing coating and in construction (seams, pole breakage) than more costly tents. And their designs tend not to be as weather proof in high rain and storm conditions. This is not such a big deal when you figure in the cost -- they are fine for people with tight budgets and for beginners or light users in moderate conditions.

I have no gripe with Coleman and have suggested their products to many family members and friends as preferable to discount store junk, but these are not tents that will perform as well or as long as higher end ones with heavy use and in extreme weather. If my life depended on staying dry and out of the wind in a remote area, I would not be taking any Coleman with me.

I'll be interested to see what the wash brings up on this question.

Wow! You are the kid hitting the bee hive with the stick on this one, lol.

I have generally found that you get what you pay for in tents. Within any price point, the best you can expect with lots of research and brand comparisons is still to hit a (real) close-out or sale.

I have a Coleman cabin tent and use it like most of their customers would, a couple times a year for car camping with the family on a trip that will be postponed for bad weather, or in which we will "Camp" in a motel-room if bad weather hits too far from home.

I worked for the USFS several years, rain hits and the campgrounds empty. Guarantee or not, few people use these tents in the rain.

My Coleman is not better or worse than I expected for a large tent at a low price. It is psychological comfort for my wife (Keeps the bears out, she thinks). The few times it has been used in the rain, it leaks but does not drip. We use cots and are fine.

At nearly triple the price, my 15 year old REI dome 4 season also does what I expected. It can be buried in snow and not collapse, has held in 50 mph winds, and even on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington (a rain forest) I spent a week where the only time I was dry was inside the tent.

I have a total of 4 and also use Kelty tents for our scouts, a very active Troop. From $45 to $600 I have always got what I expected. I have only had contact with two for warranty or repair, Eureka! we were so unimpressed that we no longer do business with them, and Kelty, where I have yet to have been billed for a repair.

I got my Oryx2 in 2006 and it was around $120. The tent is extremely well made and I have been using it for motorcycle camping trips that involve moving every day or two for three weeks a year. I have camped from Alaska to Death Valley in the tent. I have spent the day waiting out rain storms. This year (2015) at the Sturgis rally a severe storm came through that destroyed some tents and most of the tents around me had water in them. I also spent another three nights this year where it rained some. My tent was dry. This tent came with taped seams on the rain fly and floor which has come off over the last couple of years. Due to the construction of the seams they still don't leak. I am planning to replace the seam tape with seam sealer for next year in case I encounter a lot of rain and ground water.

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RE:

Tent Question #1: Coleman's "Keeps You Dry, Guaranteed™"?

Every time there's a discussion of tents on Answers, invariably someone parades this Coleman "guarantee" as the trump card by which one should judge Coleman tents superior to all others. Please don't take this as a personal attack or an impeachment of Coleman's products, but...

I would say coleman tents are about the worst tent out there. The fact that there is only a 1 year warranty supports that.

I bought a Sierra Designs tent in 1994, and the tent screen tore last year. It was my own fault, but they said it was still under warranty and fixed it for free. Not bad considering it saw heavy use for 16 years. Good outdoor products should have a lifetime guarantee not a 1 year warranty.

There was a great segment on The Weather Chanel where they compared a Coleman to a Marmot tent. Of course they blocked out the names, but the Coleman tent had 4 inches of water in it, and the Marmot was totally dry.

i'm just gonna say it's all in how you take care of what you've got. I do agree that the high end tents will handle more abuse better, but brands like coleman will perform just as well as long as you don't treat them carelessly. I've got a coleman tent that's been my dad's since he was young and i use it now. Never leaked before.

Ok I read Colemans weathertec system guarantee;

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/weathertec.asp

And I’m here to inform you, that despite that guarantee or any claims by ANY tent, that if you pitch one up in the rainy season here in south east Alaska its going to leak!

Ketchikan Alaska can get well over 150 inches of rain a year.

I live in the northern most part of SE Alaska and I have seen it rain so much over night it filled a wheelbarrow. I have tried every tent on the market. And while the higher end tents are made better they still leaked after steady rain for a week straight.

The solution is to use a quality tarp over the tent and one under the tent.

Here is how I stay dry, I place a 6 x 6 foot dome tent between two trees on top of a 8 x 8 foot tarp and then run a rope over the tent to the trees. A large tarp is them laid over the rope so its held above the tent, with the sides of the tarp held down to form a A frame that extends over the tent far enough to provide shelter around the tent. This provides and area to remove rain gear outside of the tent and hang them up off the overhead rope.

I have camped this way for several weeks at a time and stayed dry. I also have a small fire just outside of the tent sometimes, to dry out my gear but not so big as to reach the rope above. If the rope is at an angle sloping up from the back of the tent to create a high sheltered area in front of the tent, that also helps. And if the back of the tent faces the prevailing wind the smoke from the fire will go away from the tent with just the radiant heat from the fire reaching the tent. That helps reduce condensation of moisture in the tent.

That may sound like lots of work and extra gear but I don’t like waking up wet and miserable. When I was a hunting guide I used the same procedure to keep my clients dry. And two tarps and a rope do not add that much weight to your gear.

The problem is that a tent needs to breathe to let moisture escape. If its 100% waterproof water will build up inside. I have seen puddles an inch deep develop overnight in such tents from the breath of the campers. A tent that “breathes” to allow that moist air to escape will allow water to enter after hours of rain swept wind. The only answer is another covering not in contact with the tent that is 100% waterproof. This way the moisture escapes the tent’s roof and collects on the inside of the tarp where it runs down to the earth and away from the tent, if you have things set up right. It helps if the tent has a screened roof and you leave the rain fly off so it can breathe better.

Anyway that’s my 2 cents from my 50+ years experience in the outdoors.

Coleman Seam Sealer

I found the guarantee the first click on their web page so it seems you are a bit misleading.

As for Coleman products reputation I put them up against any tent maker on the planet. They make designs and styles to suit every need and at affordable prices. Do they make the "best" tent in every category? yes and no and at times I recommend other tent products when I know they would be more suitable to "fit the need". Their (Coleman) equipment is notably heavy in comparison to many others and that is because they use heavier durable materials knowing full well the type of use they get. Their Tent designs are what make them well suited for inclement weather with tub floor designs taped and sealed seams and water resistant materials. Have their guaranties for stay dry been challenged? I am sure they have, they would not be able to advertise them legally if they didn't.

As for their manufactures warranty a year is standard for the majority of tent makers. Some high end tents I know of are but 90 days in comparison and I only know of a couple of others with better ones. But you can put a lot of things on paper to attract a buyer and still own junk.

As a Scout master and Scout camp Director, now retired, I have used every tent brand there is and have been given and thrown away more junk tents then anyone I know. Those that lasted the longest performed the best I kept. The vast majority of, you know it, Coleman tents.

@ I neither work for nor do I represent the Coleman company in any way my opinions are my own based upon a lifetime of experience.

@Note also that a warranty is different than a guarantee read your legal jargon books to understand the differences.

@Words are words if your not happy with your product challenge the products with action and take it back and see what results you get. I have never been disappointed with mine.

@Tim's and Cody's example is not a fair comparison. Had the testers used the Hooligan a similar design to the Marmot in the test I am sure the results would be the same for both tents. Just the same Marmot makes a similar tent used in the video against it which is not a Coleman but an imitation of the Sundome models that would have the same results, a total failure. Truth be known you guys, all tents like apples and oranges are fruit but absolutely not the same, don't deliberately mislead it shows you lack the knowledge to back up your statements.

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