Coleman Sunlodge 12-Person Camping Tent is a cabin-type freestanding 2-room tent with 2 doors and 8 windows, nicely ventilated, and easy to use.
Key features & benefits
- 2 Doors.
- 2 Rooms.
- 6+2 Windows.
- Tall tent.
- E-cable port.
- Floor vents.
Overview
This Coleman Sunlodge 12-Person Camping Tent is the largest in the series they launched recently. This is a freestanding cabin style tent with a removable divider that can be attached at two different positions so that it creates two asymmetric rooms. See hoe it looks without the fly:
The tent is quite tall, you have an inner peak height of 6.6 ft (201 cm). There are two identical doors on its longer sides, one is visible in the picture above. They write about “large” awnings, but those are just small but useful brims supported by short poles that make a dry entry.
The walls are all in windows, so you have them 6 plus the 2 windows on the doors. All these openings are double-layer with mesh and with zippered inner shutters for privacy and protection. There are several storage pouches on the walls, and you also have an E-cable port available, see the pictures.
This is a collapsible structure and its all elements are shown in the picture below. There are many of them, but the setup is easy, you will see this in the video below.
Materials
They do not provide much information and this is very disappointing. But they use their standard WeatherTec system with welded corners and inverted seams. The fabric is most likely polyester and the floor is the usual polyethylene and it is bathtub style.
Note that the fly attaches to the bases of the leg poles. This is why the tent is fully freestanding and you can rotate it and move a bit even when the fly is on.
The frame includes steel leg poles and fiberglass roof poles. This is all color-coded for easy setup. But plan at least 15-20 minutes for the job. There are 4 roof poles, two long and two shorter, and 8 leg poles. They attach to the tent’s base with what they call fast-fit attachment system, you will see this in the video below, and on the roof you have long sleeves. Elbow plastic connectors are in place to attach roof poles to the legs, see the picture:
With such construction it is always best to start with the roof poles, and then add leg poles one by one. It is easier to do this with somebody, but one person can do the job.
Ventilation
With so much mesh on the windows and the ceiling that is all mesh, you have plenty of air circulation. The fly covers the ceiling only so vapor can easily escape. The mentioned brims play a role here because they lift the fly above the doors and they act like vents.
But they have added two large floor vents on the narrow sides of the tent. This is useful when it is raining and you have to keep the windows closed. So there is not much one could object to this design.
Who is this tent for
Capacity-wise, the tent is large, it offers an area of 166 ft² (15.4 m²). But the official capacity is 12 people, and this only means that you can place 12 sleeping pads on the floor. In the case of 12 users you would have only 1.28 m² per person.
So for real camping, I see it best suited for up to 6 people. It is large enough to place 3 queen size beds inside.
Regarding seasons & climate, they write that it can withstand winds of up tp 35 mph, but I would not go to windy places with such a boxy and tall tent that has such a partial coverage fly.
This is a summer camping tent for quiet weather without much rain and wind. You have plenty of mesh on the ceiling and its numerous windows, plus the floor vents. So the tent is perfect for the warmer part of the year, for summer, late spring and early autumn.
This is a family camping tent, the weight and packed size are such that it is for places with car access.
Specifications
- Official capacity: 12 people.
- Weight: 44.2 lb (20 kg).
- Dimensions: 19 x 8.75 ft (579 x 267 cm).
- Area: 166 ft² (15.4 m²).
- Peak height: 6.6 ft (201 cm).
- Warranty: 1-year limited warranty.
- Made in Bangladesh.
Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons
So this Coleman Sunlodge 12-Person Camping Tent is very tall, large, functional, and pleasant with its 8 windows. It is easy to use in spite of its size. The price is appropriate for what you get. I have added it to my list of best 12 person camping tents.
Please see how I rate this tent against my standard rating criteria:
Coleman Sunlodge 12-Person Camping Tent
Pros
- Tall tent.
- Many windows.
- Reasonable price.
Cons
- Unrealistic official capacity.
- Heavy.
BEST PLACE TO BUY:
If you need more options, check under the category Tents for 11 People Plus, you will find them many and in all shapes. You might want to see also their Coleman Camping Tent Skylodge 12 Person which is with an almost the same floor area.
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Hello… how many interior divisions can be made with the room divider that it brings…
Two bedrooms could be left at the ends and in the central part to leave bags and other things….
Or does it only come with 1 room divider, what would I give to have only 2 rooms?
It should come with one divider which you can attach at two places, left or right. In both cases you have two asymmetric rooms. I do not know if you can order a separate divider to create three rooms.
Thanks for the link to that tent.
I’ve ran across many recomendations for that tent in my searches, and it does look like a nice tent and does indeed have the A/C vents. The only real issue is it’s out of stock on both Walmart and Amazon, on Amazon only some questionable 3rd party sellers have it available and at a marked up price.
What about this coleman tent? Do you know ithe size of the vent holes on it, would an A/C fit?
https://familycamptents.com/coleman-12-person-skydome-xl-tent/
What are the dimensions of the vents on the ends and can they be used for a window air conditioner port?
Thanks.
Hi, they are designed to be used as vents. I do not have the tent at hands now but I am pretty sure they are small for what you want.
Thanks, my concern moreso was are they big enough so it would fit. If they were a little big i could cover part of it somehow if need be, it’s so hard to find a good tent that supports window ACs.
I think maybe i misunderstood your answer, did you mean to say the vents are likely too small for an A/C or that they probably would work.
Either way thanks for the help, i’m having a hard time finding a tent that has something that will work.
I cannot say because do not have the tent at hand to know the vent’s dimensions, and do not know what kind of AC tool you would use.
Are you sure you want to do this? Tents are with more or less open ceilings and cooling it may be useless. Perhaps a ventilator would be more helpful. Or simply go for a canvas tent, such tents are naturally breathable and cooler than any synthetic tent.
Thanks for the reply.
Here in the deep south of the USA, it get’s really hot and humid during the summer, during the day there is really not much you can do, but no one is really in the tent in the day, an A/C only really makes much of a difference at night, to help with sleeping. Basically what i have used in the past with other tents, is a 5,000 BTU window air conditioner. It does make a difference at night. But so few tents have the dedicated port, so unless i’m willing to modify a brand new tent, i need to find one it will work with.
The Coleman Sunlodge looked like it might work from pictures, but there is so little information on this tent out there, in fact your review is the only detailed review i could find, and i’ve seen no video reviews or anything like that to help.
Anyway, i appreciate you taking the time to try and help me out.
Hi
I wonder if you have seen this tent:
https://familycamptents.com/ozark-trail-12-person-instant-cabin-16-x-16-3-room-tent/
If you scroll down, you will see that a cooling system is used at the went. I shall send you the link also through email in case that you miss seeing this reply.