Coleman Steel Creek Fast Pitch Dome Tent

I currently own – wait let me count – OK, yeah six tents. Which is overboard and borderline ridiculous, I know. Perhaps you think I should simply give a tent or two away? Well, I have. That’s why the count is only half a dozen. That number of tents is all the more inexcusable given the fact that these days, four out of five times, I only use one: my big ol’ Coleman.

To be upfront, the tent I use is an older version of the one featured here, but the only differences are slight improvements (such as color-coded poles). The fact that I don’t have the exact six-person Coleman Steel Creek Fast Pitch Dome featured here is a testament to the fact that my several-year-old Coleman Carlsbad Fast Pitch tent remains in great shape even after many family camping trips.

Now, a family camping trip: preparing for that is a unique experience, isn’t it? On the one hand, you want to pack as little as possible, because the point of it all is to get closer to nature and to one another, to eschew all the extraneous stuff and all the distractions of everyday life, and to just get out there. On the other hand, woe be to the mom or dad who finds themselves missing this or that critical whatnot while “out there,” said whatnot ranging from a favorite stuffed animal or an acceptable snack on one end of the scale, or a proper first aid kit or backup lighting on the other.

I tend to over-plan and over-pack when it comes to such outings (things are much more streamlined on solo or adult only trips), painstakingly going over gear multiple times even once I know they’re complete, laying things out days before the trip, checking and re-checking batteries, water filters, first aid kits, and so on.

But when it comes to the shelter in which me and my son – and on most occasions, me, my wife, and both of our kids – will be hunkered down, I just toss the Coleman tent in the car and know I’m set.

If you do much camping, you know to shave a person or two of the stated capacity of a tent. So while this tent can accommodate six normal-sized adults lying down in sleeping bags, that would be snug. It is, however, a perfect size for a family of four, and it’s downright spacious for two – which has come in clutch during some rainy days at the campsite, where at least we have had space to stretch out, play some UNO or Spot It, read, relax, and complain about the weather. 

Long story short on the size, if you are looking for the best tent for family camping in terms of size, for a family of up to five people, this one will serve well. Two adults and two kids? It’s perfect, and I say that having used it with a queen air mattress, a cot, and a portable crib all set up at once last summer. The actual interior dimensions of the main “room” are 10 feet by nine feet, and the ceiling is 5’8”, so kids can stand and even jump, and I only have to squat down four inches not to brush my head – not bad for a tent.

Within that capacious space, you’ll find two mesh storage pockets ideal for phones, flashlights, snacks, bug spray, the all-important sound machine, snacks, and whatever else you want close at hand. You’ll also find two windows that can zip open, leaving mesh to block bugs while the breeze comes in to cool you down, or that zip shut to keep things warmer, not to mention darker. There’s also a small pass-through port for a power cable in case that’s something you need while camping.

Moving out of the tent’s interior, you’ll find yourself in a screened-in vestibule that’s a great place to which parents can retreat at night. It’s large enough for a pair of camp chairs or even for a single air mattress if you want to sleep closer to al fresco, and most important of all, it’s completely separated from the main room, so you can sit in bug-free comfort without sharing space with slumbering kids. (Or kids who are supposed to be slumbering, at any rate.) I’ve spent many an evening cozy in this little porch-like space with my headlamp switched to soft red light and a book in my lap, and let me say: that’s a good way to while the hours.

Stepping out of the screened vestibule, you’ll note the large rainfly that covers the entirety of the top of the tent and comes down over much of the walls. Thanks to this rainfly, as well as to reinforced seams and a waterproof floor, the interior of our tent have remained dry even with the rain coming down in buckets, not to mention blown sideways by gusts. And having had a tent completely fail me in a rainstorm before (and in a remote South American rain forest, no less), again let me say something: that’s critical, that weather resistance. Critical.

As for setting this tent up, Coleman’s own sales copy states it will take about seven minutes. That’s just inaccurate. I can get the tent pitched, rainfly and all, in five minutes flat given decent weather conditions (heavy wind or rain = more time. And misery), and even quicker if I have help. The poles are permanently attached and on newer versions are even color-coded, so there is no guesswork and also no chance of you losing hardware. It’s intuitive, easy, and even fun. And breaking the tent down is just as quick and easy. Now, getting it folded up snugly enough to tuck back into its storage bag? That’s a serious pain, but so it goes with all tents. (Pro tip: bring a big black trash bag and jam the tent in there, then clean and carefully fold and stow it at home later when you haven’t also been dealing with packing up the sleeping bags and pads, the grill, the chairs, the hammock, and the rest of it.

Final note: durability. My six-person Coleman Fast Pitch has proved a great family tent not only because it’s spacious, easy to pitch and break down, and has lots of smart features, but because it takes a beating, and not just from the elements. I’ve had kids stomp all over the poles, leap against walls, accidentally poke it with this or spill in it with that, it’s been through storms, it’s sat on rocks and roots, in mud, it’s been dragged past brambles, and on it goes. And so far, not one problem to speak of, even years in and many campouts logged.