Customer Reviews

Columbia Bugaboo II 12-Foot-by-9-Foot 4-Pole 5-Person Dome Tent [Discontinued]

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After receiving this tent we did not have time to do a "dry run" of setting it up before we left on a three week vacation. Of course the first night we got to camp late and had to set it up in Big Bend National Park in near darkness with wind gusts of 35mph. Due to tent being large it was challenging but with the two of us it went quickly.The color coded poles are great help. The tent withstood the winds and light showers throughout the trip through Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. For two of us and our Jack Russell Terrier the size is great for all our gear and the dog to have room to play inside. I would highly recommend this tent for those who want quick set-up and durability.

THE GOOD: This tent design is great. Was able to fit a queen sized double-height air mattress on one side and still leave the center open for standing upright. There are plenty of cargo loops, pockets and lofts included. There are also two small gear doors by the main door that allowed me to access gear without opening the main door. Contrary to other reviews on this tent, my tent withstood winds of 20+ mph with no problem whatsoever.
THE BAD: I camped with a friend who has an original Bugaboo; in fact, I bought the Bugaboo II on his recommendation. I expected the Bugaboo II to be in upgraded, improved version of the tent. However, in every way possible, the quality of materials and workmanship on the BII are inferior. All of the mesh has larger openings (fortunately, we were not attacked by bugs due to stiff breeze). The floor material is the same as the sides, whereas the original has a heavy duty tarp material for the floor. The window flap on the door, the zipper pulls, the cupholders and the craftsmanship is all shoddy. I could go on, but you get the point.
THE POINT: The Bugaboo is a great tent, but avoid the Bugaboo II - try to find an original on Ebay.

First, the good:

1. This is a nice roomy tent.
2. Vestibules are handy -- nice to not have to unzip the whole door to access your gear.
3. Excellent ventilation, which is great when you're camping with dogs.
4. Holds up in the rain really well
5. I like how the rain fly ties back nicely so you can enjoy some air/scenery between showers (with some other tents, the rain fly must be taken off entirely to make use of your tent's windows).

Now, the not-so-good...

1. I dislike the wonky footprint. I know, I know... I just said I liked the vestibules but they make for an oddly-shaped tent; these little "side wings" are kind of a hassle to set up straight -- and when they're a little "off," the zippers don't pull so well, kinda makes me nervous cause the tent doesn't feel particularly sturdy (see #3 below)

2. Tent poles don't clip into grommets like in some higher-end tents, which makes set-up a more difficult. So here's what happens: I stick a tent pole down on one end, and then as I'm stretching the opposite end into its grommet, the first one'll pop out, ugh! Even with a helper to hold things steady, the tent poles pop outta their placements an awful lot as you're trying to get all the nooks 'n crannies even.

3. I purchased my Bugaboo II only 2 1/2 months ago. The fourth time I used it, the elastic in one of the poles snapped. I've been car camping in cheap tents for 20 years but I've never had one break so quickly! Fortunately, replacement wasn't a big deal... wasn't simple, though. I emailed Columbia, who forwarded an 800 number that you need to call for parts replacements (no online service currently). After holding for about 10 minutes, I was told they'd send me a replacement for free, which is nice.

I also bought two extra poles, so that I'm not screwed the next time this happens. Poles, by the way, are about fifteen bucks apiece to replace.

All in all... not a bad tent but if I'd known then what I know now, I'd probably look at higher-end tents for peace of mind. I thought when I first unpacked this tent that it felt kinda cheap, and now I'm just waiting for the next thing to break on it, sigh.

I bought this tent after a lot of research for our first family camping trip... I was a bit hesitant at first since the art of camping was not part of my skill-set. However, I found that the tent was an absolute delight to work with. It is easy to setup, although, it takes two people to do so, and easy to take down. The rainfly leaves enough room between it and the tent to promote air circulation and you actually feel the breeze coming in. We camped at a Florida park and the wind was very very strong at night... our tent didn't budge, while we saw a Coleman tent bending inwards with the strong winds.
The only con I could find is that the tent does not have a footprint available for it. The base (floor) of the tent is made with the same material as the rest of the tent: sides, top, etc, so it is not particularly strong and resistant. When we opened the tent and set it up in our patio before leaving on the trip, a small stone actually made a little hole on the surface. Knowing this, I purchased a blue tarp to lay it as a platform for the tent. This really protected the bottom of the tent and even provided a nice little mat for the entrance.
But if you're struggling to make a decision, be confident that this tent is an EXCELLENT choice.

I purchased the original version of this tent. About the only difference I see is that the rain fly covers the windows whereas the version I have does not. I would say this new version with the larger rain fly is a big improvement as it will cover the windows and further insure that water does not penetrate the windows seams or zipper.
I must clarify one point here. I have used my tent many times and almost always it has been used during rainy conditions. In some cases the rain was coming down sideways. Each and every time I would sit and wonder when the water would start to make it's way in through the window seams or zippers. Never Happened!! The only time water has made it into the tent was when a downpour blew from the back side of the tent and water seeped in through the seam where the "instructions" where sewn into the seam on the back window. Water came in and dripped off the instruction label and puddled on the floor. Not much water but enough to make a few things damp.
I have since removed the label and applied a liberal amount of seam sealer. This has solved the problem.
If this new tent fly covers the windows (as it appears to in the picture) then this problem is likely solved. If this is the case then I can highly recommend this tent to any family camper.
It has survived downpours and very strong winds with myself and my two young daughters. I would pitch it anywhere at any time (winter excluded)and feel confident we will get through the night.
Update: One of the other reviewers mentions that the Bugaboo 2 uses inferior quality materials and workmanship. This is something you should consider before purchasing this tent especially now that the "bathtub" bottom is not made from tarp material. I felt this to be a testament ot durability.
Again, the only obvious benefit I saw to the Bugaboo 2 over the original Bugaboo is the larger rain fly. If Columbia is now using inferior quality materials and construction then the rain fly may be a mute point.

Easy to assemble, very roomy inside. I haven't been dissapointed with a Columbia product yet, and this tent is no exception. A great value!

I set this tent up on a trial basis before I went camping and it's a good thing I did. About 6 inches of seam was ripped out near the bottom of the front door upon set up. I thought, "Okay, I love the design of this tent: the 2 small side doors for storing or getting gear so you don't have to enter the tent, the great venting for warm weather camping, the size, the ease of set up; so I'll assume this rip is just an anomaly and I'll order another one to replace this defective one. When I packed the tent up {carefully, mind you} , the seams of the carrying bag ripped out having withstood very little pressure. I'd have to say this tent is a great design for warm weather camping but the sewing workmanship is extraordinarily shoddy. I am disappointed not to be able to comfortably invest in this tent.

We purchased this tent based on the good reviews for rainy weather. We followed the instructions and seam sealed, and had the tent on a tarp that was not larger than the tent bottom. The bottom of our tent was soaked with rain after one rainy night. The side green poles were also too long, causing the front door and side areas to not lay flat on the ground. North Pole customer service said the fabric just needed to "stretch". We returned this tent to Amazon, and are looking for something else.

We bought this tent and was pleased with how fast it came (within 5 days).. Without time to set it up we headed to Jacksonville (in March)to camp... The set up is very easy,directions easy to understand (the only complaint about the directions is it gave no detaled direction about the cargo pockets, cup holders or dividers (and with this being our first tent that would have been helpful)... The tent is large enough to hold our oversized pillowtop queen air mattress three suitcases and a twin air mattress.. We did get rain one night we were there and were very pleased at how well this tent held up (no leaks at all).the temperature during the day was in the 80's the tent had very good air flow.. at night the temps were in the 50's and we were very cozy.... the electric port is conveniently under the rain flap to avoid getting wet...... we are very happy with this tent.....

Purchased this for a camping trip through national parks. First night in Grand Canyon North Rim it hailed like crazy. Didn't know what was hitting us till we stepped out when it stopped and the ground was white with ice. Tent held up BUT the flooring is paper thin, if I hadn't laid down a tarp we would have been soaked. Not that the tent leaked per se it just does not keep the water from seeping in. If you decide to buy this tent I would spend 20 bucks on a heavy duty tarp to lay on floor. Coleman tent I own has much thicker flooring, look into those.