Coleman Tent Vail 4 Person

The Coleman Tent Vail 4 Person is a ventilated tunnel type tent with 3 separate rooms, lots of space, and it provides full protection from elements.

Key features & benefits

What this Coleman Vail 4 person tent is about

Actually, they have two tents in the Vail series, the 4-person that is in the focus here, and a larger Vail 6 person tent. The tents are originally built for the EU market. Perhaps you do not know but Coleman has its EU branch, and tents they have there are usually very different from those on the US market.

So being built for the EU market, it has all the features that are typical for the European tents. This means multiple rooms, a huge living room, huge waterproof rating, etc. 

This is a very typical tunnel-shape tent supported by 3 main loops. You have an inner tent that is a sleeping area with two separate units and a removable divider, and a living room in the front. The picture below shows view inside through its main door, so you can see the inner doors on the sleeping area. 

Note that the inner tent has its own floor, but the shell tent is also with a fully sealed floor, so you have two floor layers in the sleeping area.

The floor plan and the most important dimensions are shown in the picture below. You can see its 3 separate rooms, and note how tall this tent is, you have a stand-up height in most of it.

There are two doors here, the large front door is with a full-size zippered mesh. One nice detail here is that it has a drop-down door groundsheet for a barrier-free access, see the picture. This is achieved by small zippers on the sides, so you unzip them and then stake down the floor as in the picture. This is useful when you have kids running around, and for people with wheelchairs.

There are 4 large windows and they are with solid PVC translucent material, and from inside you have zippered panels for privacy.

Other features

• There is a lantern hanging point in the living room.
• The front door is partly protected by a small brim that is supported by a short pole. This design is similar to their Coleman Tent Pinto Mountain 5 Plus and Coleman Rocky Mountain 5 Plus tent.

Materials

The poles: You have fiberglass shock-corded and color-coded poles with pre-bent sections on the roof. They attach to the tent through pin-and-ring elements at the base, and higher you have clips and sleeves on the roof.

Fiberglass is commonly used in budget tents, but this tent’s price is such that I would not put it in this group. So I would expect to have a better material for a tent with such a price.

The shell fabric is a durable and fire-retardant 68D polyester and here you have enormous waterproof rating of 4000 mm. All seams are factory taped. They claim that the tent has a certified laboratory testing that proves the official Coleman UVGuard protection with an SPF50 rating against the sun’s ultraviolet rays. 

The inner tent is a breathable polyester. The floor in both inner and shell tents is a durable and fully waterproof plastic polyethylene.

Ventilation

There is not much to object here. The tent has all necessary features that you would expect in such a type. So the inner doors are with mesh on the upper sections. The inner tent hangs attached to the shell, so there is a wide gap between the two layers, this is to enhance air circulation and to fight condensation.

You have a huge double-wide front mesh door. But for situations with rain you would keep it closed and for such occasions you have integrated vents. One vent is in the living area located under the large side window, and one is a high vent behind the inner tent.

Please see a bit more in this video:

Who is this Coleman Vail 4 tent for

Regarding the area, you have 3 rooms with an effective area of 116.2 ft² (10.8 m²). The official capacity is 4 people. This gives 29 ft² (2.7 m²) per person, and this is a true luxury. Note that the living area is fully sealed and protected and it can easily accommodate two people more.

Regarding seasons & climate, this tent comes with huge waterproof rating so you have full protection from elements. It is ventilated and with mesh areas. But I see it better suited for a cooler and rainy environment than for a warm and dry area. You have a great living room which is suitable for periods of extended rain.

Regarding the weight, the tent weighs 33.7 lb (15.3 kg) so it is far from light. The packed size is not bad, it measures 26 x 11.8 x 11 inches (66 x 30 x 28 cm) in its carry bag. All in all, this is a car camping tent.

Specifications

• Official capacity: 4 people.
• Weight: 33.7 lb (15.3 kg).
• Dimensions: 12.8 x 9.8 ft (390 x 300 cm).
• Total floored area if used without inner tent: 125 ft² (11.7 m²).
• Area per person: 31.4 ft² (2.9 m²).
• Actual area with inner tent in place: 116.2 ft² (10.8 m²).
• Peak height: 78.7 in (200 cm).
• Packed size: 26 x 11.8 x 11 in (66 x 30 x 28 cm).

Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons

The table below summarizes my rating and pros and cons. As you see, the tent stands great against my standard rating criteria.

Coleman Tent Vail 4 Person

8.6

Area per person

9.0/10

Weight

7.6/10

Packed size

7.6/10

Protection

9.4/10

Ease of use

8.5/10

Features

9.3/10

Pros

• Multiple rooms.
• Huge waterproof rating.
• Great windows.

Cons

• Expensive.
• Heavy.
• Bulky.

BEST PLACEs TO BUY:

Amazon

For more options in this official capacity range, please check under 4 person tents here in the site. You might want to check also this impressive Snow Peak Entry 2 Room Elfield.

Let me know if you have questions, there is a comment box below. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter and stay informed, the subscription form is below. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.