Customer Reviews

Coleman Tucana Tent - 16x10'

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I decided to upgrade to a large family tent for a 2 week road trip and I had some important criteria in mind when looking for a new tent:
1. Quick set up and tear down.
2. Ability to set up solo.
3. Free-standing (no stakes).
We're going to be moving to a new campground every couple days so ease of setup was most important. I will likely be doing most of the setup myself while my wife tends to the kids, so solo setup was key. The freestanding bit is personal preference: i just don't like to have to stake down the ends to keep it up and like to be able to move it into place after it's set up.
I did a trial-run in the backyard last night (with a helper) and I must say this tent was a breeze to set up. I don't know what that other reviewers deal was. (2 hours? no way. 20-30 minutes tops). It sets up exactly like any other dome tent with the 2 main support poles criss-crossed across the top then 2 shorter horizontal ones. The rain fly is kind of a pain (and does require staking in the front), but mainly because this behemoth tent stands over 7 feet tall, and I am a mere 5'6" . I mean, you could park a car in this sucker. I was almost thinking it is TOO big. It's almost embarrassing.
Other than that, seems like a well-made tent. Meets my criteria. Plus, couldn't beat the price (just over $100). I will amend review after trip if anything changes.

Although only my wife and I will use the tent, we went for the largest we could find in this price range. Last that we camped, we used a two person tent and vowed to never go with anything that small again.
We always had another small tent to keep our supplies and gear dry, now it can all come inside with us and still have lots of space left over.

This unit comes with everything except a hammer to drive the stakes...

Setup is pretty straight forward AFTER your first time, full instructions with photos sewn inside the carry bag where they can't get lost. Some things don't sound quite right as you read them the first time, but common sense will get you though in short order.

Perhaps they really should have done a diagram with all parts having reference numbers in the text so people could find things right off.

Still, no real problem. No mention of the 7 ropes that come with it for example, however you'll find that they attach to the loops on the fly and hold the fly down better if wind is expected. Easy enough to just use them all the time.

Large screened vents are in the roof and make for great airflow.. even with the rain fly on, they designed it so the vents get air inside.

Two easy to add/remove room dividers if you need them, makes three rooms with the two on the ends about the size of a two person tent, which is fine for sleeping. Using these dividers means you don't have use of END windows in the center area when they are up. But front and back windows are more than enough for center area.

The new hinged door is a real treat, works great and has velcro to keep it closed when you don't want to zip it shut. nice design, simple but functional.

We bought stronger replacement stakes as the ones supplied are the single wire type that bend first time if they hit a rock. Cheap upgrade.

Believe it or not... it all went back into the bag on our first try, that was nice. Just be sure to roll the package back the way you see it when new, and roll slow to let the air escape, and don't forget to leave the window covers unzipped a bit to let the air escape, pretty tight seal if you don't. Oh, and pitch the cardboard box it ships with, all fits nice in the canvas bag and the cardboard will just get wet anyway.

As with any tent you might use, I advise that you don't walk on it as you are setting it up or taking it down. Not even on your knees etc. You are only asking for leaks if you do. Also, you might want to use some padding under the feet of folding chairs if you want to sit inside, putting all your weight on 4 square inches of the floor can cause more leaks up from the ground. Something like a square of old carpet stuck on the chair feet will help with this.

Also, remember when using the shock cord rods, only PUSH them through the various sleeves in the fabric, pulling will only make them come apart and cause you grief and waste time correcting it. And don't bother putting them all together before you start... just add one at a time as you slide them in place, they are much too long to deal with if you don't.

We knew it was 84 inches tall at the center, but one really nice surprise was that it's still 72 inches high even over to the end windows and only then starts to taper down to the ground. Feels like a room in a small house.

At this price level, I don't think you could do any better... I sure shopped all of them before I bought the Coleman Tucana.

Keep in mind that every time you use a tent like this you are putting some strain on the seams in places. can't be helped, but be prepared to use a little seam sealer on the outside now and then to keep things dry.

Don't forget, better tents this size will cost you at LEAST 5 times this amount, but if you are going to camp a lot and in every season, you'll want something more in that upper price range I'm sure.

See the Coleman web site for better photos all around the tent.

Update;

For those that have to worry about critters making holes when in storage, we found a Sterilite 90 QT 85L plastic storage container that the whole carry bag will fit in and seals it up. Also room enough to hold the queen size air mattress and pump. Good insurance for low price.

We decided to take our two little boys camping this summer as a cheaper vacation option given the excessive cost of everything out there today. We did a ton of research on tents given we did not want to have to buy another one again for some time and given that I was very concerned that we would get wet if it rained. We wanted to be able to stand in the tent and it had to be at least large enough for 8 people to fit the 4 of us comfortably. After about 7 days of looking, we were about to give up because we could not find anything with all the options we wanted for under $250.00 which was over our budget. We ended up locating this tent and it seemed to fit the bill so we bought it, came home, set it up and sealed the seems and water proofed it. The first time we set it up, my husband did most of it on his own and had it done in under an hour. We were impressed with the size, the door, windows, and the rain guard but none of that mattered if it could not stand up to a Massachusetts summer thunderstorm. We left for our big one week camping trip and when we arrived at the site, it took about 30 minutes for my husband and I to put it together (we added an extra ground tarp purchased from our local hardware store) and we comfortably were able to fit two twin and one queen size blow up mattress. More than that would have been tight! The second night of our week long trip it began to downpour and when I say downpour, I mean torrential downpours - we're talking huge cats and dogs! I could not believe it when we awoke the next morning to a completely DRY tent with the exception of one area where we accidentally had a canvas bag pressed up against the tent wall which wicked the water in... that was our fault... anyone who camps knows that you can't have anything touching the tent wall to ensure water is not wicked in. I was sold at that point and very excited with our purchase! We love this tent and would recommend it to everyone! We had a ton of compliments as well!

As usual with Coleman it is very thoughtfully constructed. Continuous pole sleeves make inserting and removing the poles easier but the tension of the poles could be tighter, an easy adjustment. The hinged/poled door is fabulous and the fly design allows air circulation even when it is raining. It is heavy to transport. It did take a bit longer to set up the first time. I have now set it up numerous times all by myself and can get it up in about 30-45 minutes. I recently weathered a major storm with wind, rain and even small hail and stayed dry and comfy because I took the time to locate it properly, stake it completely, and fasten all velcro. After seeing my fabulous new tent a number of my friends got one for themselves! We now have a Tucana village at our campouts.

We got this tent as a wedding present. I had registered for it. It was MUCH bigger then we had expected (but if you notice it is an 8 person tent, then the size makes sense. I would say it would comfortably fit 5 adults.

It has a great 'cooler access' door on it that we used for a dog door. As well as some 'cheapo' divider curtains, but they were fun and convienient.

The directions STUNK because there were so many poles and it was hard to figure out which one went to the tent and which one went to the 'flyer' on top of the tent. The directions with the 2 pages of black and white didn't help to figure out anything really at all. I'm pretty good at setting up tents usually with no directions necessary, however this one took probably 2 hours for my husband and I to setup. I would say though that now that we've got an understanding it should take us about 30 minutes next time... providing we don't screw up at all..

The hinged door is my favorite part! I love not having to zip and unzip each time! And the fact that it is huge and tall enough to stand up in and 'live' in. It's basically enough room for a queen bed in the middle and a twin in each 'wing'. Once you have 'bags and supplies' in there as well. You could pack 8 couples in there if they snuggled. We loved all the 'little extras' that we found in that tent that I've never seen in any others!

Also we had no problem with the wind and it seemed like decent wind and waterproof tent. The bottom is made out of the 'tarp' and not the nylon, and it goes up high with no bottom corners to make sure they dont leak in!

As a very seasoned 21 year old camper this tent is everything I need and more.

Set up is simple with two people... the first time you should pay close attention to the directions, but once you have a feel for the construction of the tent it all falls into place. I took down the tent alone in roughly 15 minutes. Also I was able to fit everything nicely back into the bag, which in the past has been difficult for me with other tents.

I go on two or three week camping binges and I never find myself missing home... between the covered hinged door, the e-port and roomy layout camping truly feels like a vacation in this tent.

If you will be camping for more than a weekend at a time I do suggest having the seams sealed and placing a tarp of the same dimensions under the tent. If you take these extra precautions you will extend your tent's life span and staying dry in rain won't even be a question. Also you have to stake it down, use all the stakes and strings it comes with and wind won't stand a chance.

This tent is worth every penny and more.

We've owned several Coleman tents, each one progressively larger for our family. The Tucana proved to be an awesome tent for semi-rustic camping in a dense forest/sand dune area. It provided enough space for a queen air mattress, a cot for our toddler, a Pack N' Play for the baby, 6 bags of gear and a queen size quilt laid out for playing on. The large windows and vent provided plenty of fresh air and the rain canopy was ample. The entryway also served as a cozy "porch" for our potty chair and the hinged door made it easy for everyone to enter - no tugging on the fabric with one hand while unzipping with the other. I'd recommend it to anyone.

This tent is just what you want for a family tent. We only are a family of 3, but it handles all our camping cots, clothes and my 5 year old's toys/ books etc, with ease.

The tent took a long time to put up the first time (we did a trial run), but the next time was only about 20 minutes for my husband and I. Take down time is about 15 min.

The tent is very airy and vents well. In fact so well we had to close the windows during the night (in August in New England). It survived a rainstorm with decent wind and kept us nice and dry.

This tent is just fine.

Three rules to follow and this tent will treat you right:
1.. Set up for a trial run before your trip, and SPRAY SEAMS WITH SILICONE
2.. Use the directions that are sewn into the carry bag, and LABEL ALL YOUR POLES
3.. Get heavy duty stakes to replace the flimsy ones it comes with

This tent has been the easiest tent to setup that I have owned. My wife and I set it up in less than 30 minutes. Either one of us could have easily done it on our own. It's spacious enough for our large family. Love the door. Very good overall tent.

Coleman Tucana Tent - 16x10'
I just received this as a gift. I was so eager to see what this looked liked in person I assembled the tent in the evening by myself by the light of a propane lantern.
I do not understand some of the other reviewers comments about a hard set up. Total set up time for me was about an hour.
During the set up I was also sealing my tent with a single coat of silicone on both sides of tent walls and rain fly.
I have owned several tents and this is bar none the simplest of the lot to put together of this size.
The thing that I noticed after it was all put together, this thing is huge. i mean really big and roomy. While it is a dome tent, in the majority of the interior, I was able to stand upright.So you end up with a lot of usable room. Really nice since trying to change in most dome tents always ends up uncomfortable. In the future I see set up time being within 20 - 30 minutes. A lot less after my wife puts it up once and we put it up together.
As a side note I suggest that regardless of manufacturer or their claims to take the steps to water proof on your own. That's at least two coats of silicone and sealing the seams with a tent seam sealer. I have done that on all of my tents except for my first one. Have never had any leaks on any of my tents...except for that first one.
Any way have fun camping. I already have no doubts that this is going to be a welcome addition to my families adventures.