The Coleman Octagon is a popular choice for glampers and family campers everywhere, thanks to its spacious interior and livable design.
But is it right for all your camping excursions?
Buying a tent is no small investment. Therefore, getting a tent that's suited for your preferred adventure style is essential.
For that reason, we’ve created this in-depth Coleman Octagon Tent review to get you off on the right foot. While we haven’t personally camped in this shelter, we have extensively researched it and we’re ready to explain the nitty-gritty details using our camping expertise.
Coming right up, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of this fan-favorite Coleman tent so that you can spend less time researching and more time enjoying the great outdoors.
Let’s get started!
Coleman Octagon Tent Review
Who Is This Tent For?
The Coleman Octagon Tent is designed for family camping and large-group glamping trips to designated campgrounds and other easily accessible areas.
Due to its spacious interior, it’s a solid choice for groups of up to 8 people, though its heavy weight and bulky packed size mean that it’s best for roadside campsites.
Additionally, the Octagon’s affordable price point makes it a nice option for families and groups on a budget. It’s also made with durable materials and has a rugged construction, so it’s designed to last throughout years of use.
Design, Material, & Performance
If you’re in the market for a tent like the Coleman Octagon, you must have a solid understanding of all its features before you buy.
Here’s what you need to know about this unique camping tent.
Design & Materials
Right off the bat, the Coleman Octagon is designed to impress. It features a unique octagonal shape (hence, the name) that helps to maximize comfort and livability while you’re outside.
Perhaps the most impressive part about this tent’s build is its quality materials. In fact, when constructing this tent, Coleman included the following key materials in its design:
Stainless Steel
The primary poles in this shelter are built of solid stainless steel. As a result, they’re rugged enough to withstand nasty weather, even if that durability comes at the expense of portability.
Fiberglass
In addition to stainless steel poles, this tent comes with fiberglass poles for the awning and hinged door. Fiberglass is a strong but lightweight material that’s popular in many modern tent designs for non-load-bearing features.
Polyester Taffeta
This shelter boasts a rainfly made from 68D polyester taffeta. Polyester is popular for its affordability, breathability, and durability, though it’s a bit heavier than its nylon counterpart.
Polyethylene
For the floor of this tent, Coleman opted for a 1000D polyethylene fabric, which is about as durable as it gets. While fabric this thick certainly isn’t lightweight, it’s designed to keep you dry, even when camping on wet ground.
No-See-Um Mesh
The last major component of this tent is its no-see-um mesh, which is found on the canopy and windows. No-see-um mesh is more or less the standard in the tent world for canopies and windows because it's highly breathable.
Weather-Resistance
When it comes to weather-resistance, the Coleman Octagon does a reasonably good job for a budget-friendly tent.
Like most of the shelters in Coleman’s line-up, this model uses the company’s proprietary WeatherTec System, which integrates inverted seams and welded floors to help keep out water at all costs.
Moreover, when it comes to real-world performance in foul weather, we like that the tent comes with an extra-thick 1000D polyethylene floor. This bathtub-style floor extends about 6” (15.2 cm) off the ground, providing plenty of protection from inclement weather as you camp.
The tent’s rainfly also provides full coverage, which can be tricky to find in a family tent. A full-coverage rainfly like this is especially helpful in heavy rain when storm flaps on windows might not cut it.
That being said, one area where this tent does struggle is in terms of wind-resistance. Due to its high ceiling height of 6’10” (208 cm), the Coleman Octagon isn’t as great in the wind as a shorter, dome-shaped model.
Breathability & Ventilation
As far as breathability and ventilation go, the Coleman Octagon is a bit of a mixed bag.
While the tent does have plenty of mesh in its canopy, as well as 6 extra-large windows for breathability, its lack of vents in the rainfly is a bit concerning.
On a sunny day, opening up all the tent’s windows will certainly offer plenty of airflow, but if you have to close them during a storm, you’re left with few alternatives for ventilating your tent.
As a result, condensation is quite likely with this tent during periods of extended rain and humid weather.
Comfort & Livability
Coleman built this tent with comfort in mind, so it’s no surprise that the tent ranks high in terms of livability in our review.
Because we generally encourage campers to budget about 20 to 25 sq. ft (1.9 to 2.3 sqm) per person of floor space for a family camping tent, the Coleman Octagon’s 169 sq. ft (15.7 sqm) sleeping area is perfectly sized for up to 8 campers. However, it’s more comfortable with no more than 6 adults.
It even includes a removable room divider, should you want to divvy up your sleeping space at night.
The shelter’s high center height also makes walking around your tent a much more comfortable affair. Meanwhile, its hinged door is particularly convenient if you find that you enter and exit your tent frequently throughout the course of a day at the campground.
Of course, there are some aspects of this tent that didn’t quite live up to our expectations in terms of livability. We were a bit disappointed to see that it has only 2 internal pockets for gear organization (which isn’t enough for 8 campers) as well as no vestibule for external gear storage.
Portability
One area where the Coleman Octagon doesn’t exactly impress is in terms of its portability.
At 45.6 lbs (20.7 kg), it is by no means an ultralight tent, so it’s not going to do much good for you outside an organized campground.
Nevertheless, despite its bulky packed size of 33.5” x 11.8” x 11.8” (85 x 30 x 30 cm), we do have to give Coleman some credit here, as the company included a wheeled carry bag for easier transport to and from the campsite.
Ease of Set-Up
Coleman tents tend to be quite easy to set up, and this model is no exception. It comes complete with a color-coded pole attachment system, which helps to alleviate any tent pitching frustrations when you arrive at camp.
That being said, most campers find that it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to pitch this tent, especially if one is alone. As a result, if you’re looking for an instant or pop-up tent, the Coleman Octagon probably isn’t for you.
If you want to see how long it takes to set up this tent, check out this real-time video showing just that:
Pros And Cons
Pros:
- Durable materials and construction
- Spacious interior for up to 8 campers
- Waterproof design for foul weather
- Included room divider creates extra privacy
- Lots of windows for breathability on sunny days
- Hinged front door for easier access
Cons:
- Very heavy
- Takes a while to set up
- Bulky packed size
- Tall height isn’t great in the wind
- Limited gear storage options
- No vents in the rainfly for airflow
What Do Users Think & Say About the Coleman Octagon Tent?
Generally speaking, campers have positive things to say about the Coleman Octagon Tent.
They appreciate its comfort, weather-resistance, and ease of set-up, even if it does take as long as 20 minutes to pitch this tent.
Moreover, while most campers agree that the tent is a bit heavy and bulky, the included rolling carry case makes transport a breeze.
What We Love About the Coleman Octagon
Overall, the Coleman Octagon is a sure bet for family camping and glamping trips at the campground.
Some of the many things we like about this tent include:
Durability
We particularly like that Coleman crafted this tent with extra-rugged materials that are designed to last a lifetime.
Comfort
We love the large open floor plan, the high ceiling height, and the ability to create 2 separate rooms with the included divider.
Weather-Resistance
As always, we appreciate Coleman’s proprietary WeatherTec system when it comes to staying dry in the great outdoors.
What We Don’t Like
Although we’d argue that this tent is a fairly reliable choice for car camping, some aspects of it didn’t quite impress.
Perhaps the biggest drawback to this tent is its heavy weight and bulky packed size, though this issue is partially alleviated by the included wheeled storage bag.
It’s also not ideal in very windy conditions, nor does it offer much ventilation during a rainstorm.
Alternatives
If you’re not convinced that the Coleman Octagon is the tent for you, don’t worry. There are plenty of other options.
In particular, if you’re looking for a model that offers a bit more in terms of gear storage and ventilation in the rain, the Wenzel Klondike 8 is a solid choice. We especially like that the Klondike 8 has a built-in screen room, which makes for a nice place to hang out on buggy evenings.
Additionally, the Klondike 8 is substantially lighter and more packable than the Coleman Octagon, so it’s nice if you’re interested in a more portable tent.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, the Coleman Octagon Tent is a family-friendly option for car camping adventures.
It puts comfort, weather-resistance, and durability above all else, which makes it ideal for frequent glamping trips for years to come. While we wouldn’t recommend it for backpacking, it’s sure to impress at the campground.
We hope you enjoyed our Coleman Octagon Tent Review and we look forward to seeing you on the trail!
Gaby
Gaby is a professional outdoor educator, guide, and wilderness medicine instructor. She holds a master's degree in outdoor education and spends most of her time hanging out with penguins and polar bears in the polar region. When she's not outdoors, you can find her traveling, reading Nietzsche, and drinking copious double espressos.
