G'day everyone, If you want to know how dark it gets inside the tent, click here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-glEI3yeZt58.html Cheers!
I used a coleman Instant up for 3 years full time as my home ...my advice buy heavier guy ropes and pegs because they do move in heavy winds, take an extra set of fibreglass poles because there impossible to find...added protection put a tarp over the whole tent keeps you much drier, warmer or cooler I prefer silver tarps green backs with d rings in the corners as they dont tear, youll need 6 aluminium poles 2 9ft for the front so you drop the awning down and the rest 7ft plus down spring loaded guy ropes on the corners and singles on the rest that stops flapping and lifting of the tarp ...about to buy my 2 person dark room and move back in as a home...yah loving these tents
How cool. Love all the extra storage and ventilation. I have a Coleman tent very similar but a few years older. I do like to sleep in and yeah it can get a bit warm through summer. The darker tent would be awesome. I'm pretty tall and like to be able to stand in my tent and am liking the style of the tent cause I know what I already have would suit me with this one to. It doesn't look too heavy. Is it ok with a bit of rain and wind? Well is it on a par with similar/older tents?
Rain wouldn't be a problem Danielle, these are made from Coleman's reputable Gold Series fabrics and boast a 3000mm waterhead. As for the wind, I reckon they'd be a tad sturdier than the original Instant Up design. The extended awning creates a longer more aerodynamic shape that may reduce wind resistance, there is also more guy ropes. I think this design is a big improvement on the original. ~ Ben.
The biggest feature/selling point of this tent over the other Instant Up tents is that it has the Dark Room fabric on the fly. It would have been great if you could have shown us how well this feature actually works. Any chance you can do a video to show us this?
Hi Rodney, Coleman have made a video that sort of shows this, check it out here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MA_5LI2go7I.html. If we were to shut all the windows and doors it would have just been a black screen in the video, which woudn't have been for good viewing. We had to open all the windows and doors and even then there was just enough light for the camera. You get some idea of the light blocking ability whilst I'm standing in the tent by comparing the open window with the surrounding fabric, Coleman claim that it blocks 95% of light, and I'd say that this is pretty accurate. ~ Ben.
Yeah, we had some trouble with the audio n this one sorry, FTW Wolf. Can't explain what happened, but the audio is certainly weighted to the left. Funnily enough, if I adjust the audio plug on my PC the audio then goes to both sides. Weird! ~ Ben
Hey Snowys team, The audio on the past few videos has only been playing though the left channel not both. That's for both the backing track and the Ben's audio.
Thanks Lachlan. I had the same problem but it changed once I played with my headphone jack. Interesting that you have the same issue though, something we'll keep an eye on. Thanks for watching. ~ Ben.
We can't work out what happened with audio in this clip, Leon, didn't do anything differently, yet on some devices the audio id only in one ear. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ~ Ben
Hi Anthony, you can, but it's tight. This is actually the older version of this tent but you can see a video on the latest model here in which I actually show how a queen size mattress fits - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dsLWec7vr8c.html. ~ Ben
I can't remember the size sorry, Florence, possibly around 2.4 x 3.6 metres. I can confirm that it is the Oztrail Ultra mesh tarp though, which are great value tarps for use as ground covers, shade shelters and wind breaks. ~ Ben
Condensation is a given in any tent, Sang, if it's warm inside the tent and cold on the outside, and you don't have any vents open then you will get condensation. This tent does have ventilation on all four sides as well as a low level vent at floor level though, so there is plenty of options for airflow. ~ Ben
I don't think this would work if you are talking airbeds, John but you'd probably be right if you were to use self-inflating mattresses such as the Oztrail Leisure Mats. You'll fit a combination of this style of mat inside, just check the mats combined widths to make sure you've got the space you hoped for, you may find a double gives you a little more space to play with than a queen. You can see all the mat dimensions on our website. ~ Ben
G'day Halibut, The beauty of the darkroom tents is that they're cooler on hotter days and that you have the option to sleep in a little longer without being interrupted by the morning light. Laine :)
It's not specifically designed for strong winds, Alfa, but when some commonsense is applied and the tent is pitched correctly is will keep you sheltered in most weather. ~ Ben
It depends on what you want to cover Mattakan Hongin. The total dimensions including vestibule are about 470 x 270 cm so you'll need a single groundsheet or a combination of two to cover roughly this space. Alternatively, if you don't want a floor covering in the vestibule then a groundsheet close to 250cm x 250 cm will be enough to protect your tent floor from rough ground. I hope this helps. ~ Ben
It's not so much the insulation, g bee, it;s more about blocking out the light. This means you can sleep a little longer in the morning, or get a nap during the day. Another benefit to the light being blocked is that it slightly reduces the temperature inside the tent. ~ Ben
Hmmm... maybe. I thought us camping types are meant to be up a the crack of dawn though :). What is it like at night. With a dim camping light I guess you might get the sensation of the tent walls and roof disappearing?