Coleman Vail 4
Summary
Price At Time Of Writing | $339.95
Our Overall Rating | 77 out of 100
Pros - Lower-cost, built-in awning
Cons - Fragile mesh, poles annoying to thread & pitch
Overall - Lower-cost, easier-to-pitch tents are available
Technical Specifications
Packed Size - 26x12x11in
Weight - 34lbs
Sleeping Size - 63.5sqft
Our Analysis & Ratings
The Coleman Vail 4 is a ventilated tunnel-type tent with three separate rooms, lots of space and versatility to use in different conditions. It’s good for families looking for a classic poled tent or those who are just starting out their camping adventures.
Comfort - It’s listed as having a 4-person capacity, but it has a huge living room, so if need be, you can sleep a couple more, especially since it’s fully sealed and protected. At 78.7 and 70.8in26x12x11in for the majority of the tent, you can easily stand up in most of it. The wide gap between the inner tent and shell offers great air circulation and fights condensation. On the whole, for this type of tent design and size, it was relatively comfortable.
Construction - The Coleman Vail 4 is not self-supporting in that it needs guy lines to hold the arches up. It has two doors and four solid PVC translucent windows, which have zippered panels inside for privacy. The inner tent is the sleeping area — it has a dual-layer floor — with a living room in the front. The poles are fiberglass shock-corded with pre-bent sections on the roof, but for a tent of this price, better poles would have been preferred. The shell fabric is durable, fire-retardant 68D polyester - again, we would expect a more durable fabric for this price.
Features - The tunnel-style design of this tent makes it annoying to set up, with the time taken to thread the poles and balance and peg in the archways — definitely at least a two-person job. However, we liked the large windows in the living room, which made it pleasant to sit in even in the rain. It also has a removable divider for more privacy or different configurations, numerous lantern hanging points in the living room as well as a cable entry pocket.
Size/Weight - At 34lbs, it’s not the lightest pack, but the packed size of 26x12x11in isn’t too bad for the relative size of the pitched tent.
Versatility - It’s great for kids running around as, at the large front door, there is a drop-down groundsheet that can be staked down, meaning kids won’t trip over when coming in. It also means people in wheelchairs can stay in the tent, too. It offers great protection from the elements and is ventilated, but is probably better for cooler and rainy conditions than warm and dry ones — we found it could get a bit hot.
Overall - The Coleman Vail 4 is a very decent tent that’s quite versatile and offers good living space. We’d love to see better-quality materials at this price point, and would probably choose a tent that was easier to pitch.
