Coleman Cobra Backpacking Tent, Black, Blue, 3 Person

Product Information

Erecting: given the condensation issue I was never able to leave it all attached together so putting it up was a bit of a faff compared to other lightweight tents. I also concluded I prefer a semi or fully self standing design. The Cobra features a door on both sides of the tent allowing ease of access to enter or exit the tent! In addition, this means you also get a porch area on both sides providing extra storage space of your camping gear. And if going ‘ultralight’ isn’t even your aim, then I’d even say that the Coleman Cobra is one of the best value tents on the market still. There’s a reason this tent has been around for so long and that the design has barely changed: it just works. Coleman Cobra: The Verdict The Coleman Cobra 3 is a lightweight tent that offers superb value for a budding adventurist; the wedged tunnel design is wind responsive and strong. The tent isn’t warm per se and is more suited to 3-season camping. It can be used in frosty and even snowy conditions, gathered the user has all appropriate cold-weather gear such as a down sleeping bag, insulated sleeping mat, foil ground layer, hat, gloves, and thermals. But the tent shouldn’t be relied upon in isolation to keep you warm during a night’s camping in sub-zero temperatures.

Coleman Cobra 2 Man Tent Review - Thrifty Hiker Coleman Cobra 2 Man Tent Review - Thrifty Hiker

The double side entries are very useful - we tend to use one porch as a store and one as a doorway. Having both sides with zip entries on the 3 person version is best. The 2 person version only has one zipped side, which is a bit of a pain. However, as a tall man, I appreciate the way this tent design makes full use of its length. A small gripe is that there isn’t much room to sit up or move about. Sometimes, even when the tent is taut as can be, the interior sides are loose and can flop inwards with no way of stretching the inner layer out any further. This doesn’t cause it to flap, as the outer canvas stops the wind, but it can be a little irritating. On either side of the tent, there are gaps between the interior module and the outer canvas. If the inner module is full, this requires you to place some of your gear out on the grass where it’s a little exposed. I think it’s this first-timer market that the Cobra still serves best. Seasoned ultralight campers will no doubt squirm at the thought of a 2kg tent. But the fact is that the Cobra is a totally solid and reliable performer for the budget-conscious camper. The fly is made from PU coated polyester and has a hydrostatic head rating of 3ooomm. The waterproofing on the groundsheet is 5000mm. The two poles used to erect the tent are aluminium. Size & Weight Condensation: we had a lot of condensation inside the fly every morning. Maybe I'm not used to travelling with 3 or didn't vent it right but it was a real pain have to separate the fly carefully every time from the inner and spend a while airing and drying it. We used it in a cool August in brittany.When sitting up, the head height of the tent is 87 cm. I haven’t ever found this to be an issue (I’m bang-on 6 feet tall) – in fact I think you’d have to be pretty damn tall to be headbutting the canvas in this thing.

Coleman Cobra Backpacking Tent, Black, Blue, 3 Person

The Cobra 2 is shaped like a structured wedge which provides good resistance when pitched head-on into the prevailing wind. It is squat and can be pitched close to the ground reducing the effect of adverse weather conditions. The Coleman Cobra is a fly-first pitch. This is useful as it helps prevent the inner tent from being exposed if you’re in bad weather. The inner tent will come pre-attached to the outer fly. Assuming you never detach it yourself, this means you can always ‘unroll and pitch’ it, with the inside of the tent never being exposed to the elements. If you keep the groundsheet low to the floor, this tent can be pitched in challenging conditions. In good weather, it can be erected in under 5 minutes. In high winds, a bit more care may be needed but it’s still perfectly possible to do alone. Hey folks. This week on the blog, I figured I’d take a break from reviewing camping gear found on Ali Express. Instead, I’m going to look at the Coleman Cobra 2 man tent. Coleman is a US company that has been providing good value, lightweight camping gear since 1905. Having owned one of their ‘Cobra’ tents for many years, I thought I’d give my thoughts on using it for lightweight camping and hiking. Let’s dive in and take a look! Design & MaterialsWith every gust of wind, rain hammered into my tent and rattled my tent poles. I pulled my sleeping bag tighter to cover my chin and listened to the sound of the storm passing over. I was warm inside my sleeping bag, and the interior of my tent was mercifully dry. I kept expecting water to leak through in the night, but it never did. If any tent was to go through a rigorous in-field test, the Coleman Cobra 2 had passed with flying colours. We've added a Coleman Universal Tarp and a homemade footprint, and found that combo nearly perfect for cycle touring in France. The Universal Tarp isn't really designed for a side-entry tent, but it works pretty well to give extra shade and/or rain protection. (I'll try to upload some photos to show this) With the side-door open, it basically gives you an extra tent. The polyester fabric welcomes lightness without compromising on performance! PU coated and boasting taped seams the Cobra features a 3000mm Hydrostatic Head rating. WeatherTec™+ is the Coleman assessment of how 'weather proof' we gauge our tents and shelters. There are many factors which influence the performance of tent in tough weather conditions. Coleman use the latest technology and a rigorous testing regime to ensure that we keep you protected at all times - whatever the weather. The areas of the tent rigorously assessed within WeatherTec™+ system include: fabrics, flysheet and ground sheet seams and zipper water tightness. Features: To further test its endurance, one month later, I took it to the Pembrokeshire Coast in Wales, UK. I was walking the 186-mile coast path over a period of 2 weeks. The weather was unusually sunny for September and I wondered how it would fare against heat and salt winds. Yet again, it surpassed my expectations. In terms of weight, something a touch lighter would have been great for a hike of this length, but when considering its price point and comfort rating over those 2 weeks, I can hardly complain.