Coleman Cortes Octagon 8 Shelter
Summary
Price At Time Of Writing | $374.95
Our Overall Rating | 81 out of 100
Pros - Spacious, comfortable, well-ventilated
Cons - Difficult to store in the bag, single room
Overall - A simple, roomy tent, reasonably priced
Technical Specifications
Packed Size - 33x12x12in
Weight - 45.6lbs
Sleeping Size - 169sqft
Our Analysis & Ratings
If you’re after room for the whole family — it’s an 8-person tent — then the Coleman Cortes Octagon 8 Shelter is the way to go. It’s a cross between a tent and a gazebo, and, while marketed at festivalgoers for its versatility, it’s more suited for family camping getaways.
Comfort - The tent is tall, so you won’t have to bend when moving about. When windy, the ties on the poles can make a tinkling noise, but these can be wrapped around the poles when you close the outside fly sheet. Due to its shape, each corner can be used for storage.
Construction - Set up is easy with color-coded connection points and poles, which are well-designed and flexible. The door’s design means you’re not dragging mess in with you, and it has a hinge assembly that can be controlled with elastic bands or bungees. It doesn’t need perfectly angled guy lines to pitch that other non-freestanding tents we’ve reviewed definitely need, as the structure supports itself without them (we don’t ever recommend not pegging your tent down though, you don’t want it to blow away!)
Features - The Coleman Cortes Octagon 8 Shelter comes with a partition divider but only has two anchoring points, so it limits sleeping options. It also lacks a designated electrical access point. However, we liked the handy door and the relative ease of pitching for a poled tent.
Size/Weight - It comes in a handy wheeled bag to easily transport its 45.6lbs weight. However, we found it difficult to get everything back in the bag, which is quite small.
Versatility - We liked that this tent can be completely opened up like a gazebo for hot days or for events, while the flysheet does a good job of keeping water out in rainy conditions. Of note, it’s also pretty easy to move around before pegging it down, so if you’ve pitched it and decided you want to move camping spots you’re able to do so.
Overall - The Coleman Cortes Octagon 8 Shelter is a big and airy tent, offering plenty of room for families or groups of friends. There is only one space, so it can feel a bit crowded depending on how many people there are and how much gear you have, but on the whole, we enjoyed testing this tent.
