Cabela's Hybrid Cabin Tent

[686davec]

I'm wondering if anybody has experience with Cabela's Hybrid Cabin Tent and/or if anybody can compare one to a Coleman Instant Tent. I'm considering taking my 4-person family on a 2-week camping trip around the western US. We aren't otherwise heavy campers so we won't be using this thing 10 weekends/year. I have been considering getting a Coleman Instant Tent which gets very solid reviews and is quick to set up on a trip like this where we will be moving quite a bit. I get the sense that the Coleman isn't really respected much by tenting elitists but I think it would be okay for us. I saw the Cabela's tent and wondered how it compared to the Instant Tent.

Dave

[MacGyver]

Re: Cabela's Hybrid Cabin Tent

I don't have any experience with either of those two models, but I can tell you that instant tents present a problem that's endemic to all of them - their frames/poles are more difficult to repair in the field in the event of a failure. Should one of the hinged joints fail, they're hard to get any kind of splint around. Traditional fiberglass or aluminum poles are more readily fixed with a repair kit which basically revolves around a tube that goes around the broken section and secured with some duct tape. For that reason alone, I would go with anything but an instant tent.

[a65hoosier]

Re: Cabela's Hybrid Cabin Tent

I also do not have any experience with either of those tents, however...

MacGyver has indicated one potential problem regarding the Coleman Instant tents with the hub structure and the inability to make an easy repair in the field. It also takes up a lot of room when it packs down. Think of one of those portable 10x10 easy-ups, the poles are attached and bend/fold down. It is a long piece of gear to pack away. Also, the waterproof rating of the Coleman is only 800mm...which is barely adequate during a good soaking storm. The rainfly does not come down very far down the tent walls (more like an umbrella style, which further reduces it's storm-worthiness). No vestibule to store shoes or gear overnight or to keep them protected during an overnight storm or dew in the morning. On a 2 week vacation, I would want my tent to be both reliable mechanically and physically no matter what the weather is....one night being soaked can ruin a trip.

My personal opinion...after taking a look at the Cabelas Hybrid tent....is that you can do better for $500. Waterproofing ratings are only listed at 1000mm. Rainfly is not full coverage. The size at 10x14 is a very large footprint...it may not fit on some camping areas "tent sites" (depends on the campground). It also uses a combination of fiberglass and steel poles to support that large tent and with almost vertical sidewalls, the tent presents a large cross section to the wind for those poles to support. No vestibule either just like the Coleman.

Now...Cabelas does sell good models of tents...check out their Alaskan Guide Series in a 6 man format (that size should be good for 4 persons). They come with either fiberglass or aluminum poles...but there are 6 poles interlocked and the dome shape is impervious to bad weather. Great floor and fly waterproof ratings. They also have a vestibule which is a nice feature for taking off shoes (and storing gear, wet items, shoes/boots, etc.) Comparable prices to the Hybrid Cabin tent.

Just my thoughts.

[MacGyver]

Re: Cabela's Hybrid Cabin Tent

^^^Wow! Great wrap up and research on that!^^^

I didn't catch the $$$ issue. I just went to my go-to site and found that REI has a great price on a decent - and huge - tent.
http://www.rei.com/product/869085/ke...scovery-8-tent.
Seems to get high marks on different sites. Do a little seam sealing before you go and I'd say you're good to go.

[actad]

Re: Cabela's Hybrid Cabin Tent

I'm pleased with my Coleman Instant tent. I have had the 4 person version for my solo use since 2012. I resealed the seams last summer at the start of its third season as a planned maintenance, not because it was leaking. It has held up in downpours, the tent poles are fine, I can put it up and down by myself, and it is easy to toss in my car trunk, or the back of my pickup, or inside my trailer to travel under the dinette while underway. I need to sit down to take off my shoes, so the lack of a vestibule is not important - I keep a towel by the door to take up anything that is tracked in on my way to the cot or chair and keep my gear under the cot.

[a65hoosier]

Re: Cabela's Hybrid Cabin Tent

^^^Wow! Great wrap up and research on that!^^^

I didn't catch the $$$ issue. I just went to my go-to site and found that REI has a great price on a decent - and huge - tent.
http://www.rei.com/product/869085/ke...scovery-8-tent.
Seems to get high marks on different sites. Do a little seam sealing before you go and I'd say you're good to go.

I guess the first thing we should have asked the OP is why an 8 person tent for 4 people and what is the overall budget. Appears that the OP will be doing multiple setups/take downs as they travel so that factor may play heavily into their decision. The Coleman Instant Tent's less than 5 minute set-up would be beneficial in that case. Although, after a few times of practice, most dome style tents with connecting poles can be assembled and pitched easily in only a slightly longer amount of time. I always find the clearing of the pitch area of rocks/sticks/etc, staking out the tent, guying out, and proper tensioning to take the longest amount of time during a pitch. The time spent on those tasks doesn't change much regardless of tent style (connecting poles or instant poles)...it will increase, of course, depending on the increasing number of stake/guyout points, poles, and assembly complexity a particular tent requires. But a standard 2 pole X shape dome style tent won't take much longer to pitch than an Instant Tent.

I will throw another possible great tent for someone looking for an outstanding 8 person tent in line with the complexity of the Cabelas Hybrid tent. The REI Kingdom 8. Lists for $529, but by spending $20 on an REI membership, you will get a 20% off any one item coupon (that coupon is coming out shortly for 2015--within a week or so). The REI Kingdom 6 is slightly smaller, but also a great tent. If you have a $500 budget for a tent (like the Cabelas Hybrid Tent), your world of great tent choices is almost unlimited.

REI Kingdom 8P: http://www.rei.com/product/810168/rei-kingdom-8-tent

MacGyver -regarding the Kelty Discovery you referenced on sale. Not feature rich..but that is a decent large 8 person tent at a very reasonable sale price. Waterproof ratings of 1800mm on floor and fly. Almost full coverage fly (not sure why Kelty doesn't run the fly down 6 more inches on the sides on some of their tents) and a nice vestibule. Interior height of 6'4". The 68D polyester floor might seem thin...a poly tarp under the floor and a rug inside would help prevent abrasions/tears.

I'd prefer dual doors, which the Kelty Discovery model doesn't possess, and aluminum poles (altho that raises the price quite a bit--but fiberglass with care and proper pitching and staking should be fine). Kelty does use 4 11mm fiberglass on this model. Those are a decent diameter. 2 long poles in a standard X dome cross pattern and 2 shorter brow poles on top to kick out the tops of the front and back walls, giving more interior volume and adding some headroom for the vestibule. The only issue I have with very large tall dome style tents is the assembled length (and weight) of the 2 fiberglass poles that must be threaded through the sleeves to form the X pattern and the resulting "lift" required to erect the tent. However, that is normal for this size and style of tent with fiberglass. The pitch is probably a 2 person job to safely lift and place the poles into position, esp in any kind of wind.

The Kelty Trail Ridge is similar to my budget priced Slumberjack 6P Trail Tent (I got it on sale a couple of years ago for $83), except the SLJ has 2 doors and vestibules and has a slightly smaller footprint. It also uses fiberglass poles. Kelty also makes a "similar in design" series called the Trail Ridge. Comes in a 4P, 6P, and 8P versions. These have DAC aluminum poles, dual doors/vestibules, and vents on the fly. Same 1800mm waterproof rating.

Visual comparison of the Slumberjack Trail Tent and Kelty Trail Ridge models:

Slumberjack 6P Trail Tent: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003YFXJRO/...I1LZYDN97C5FN1

Kelty Trail Ridge 6P: http://www.amazon.com/Kelty-Trail-Ri...JFTDC48KR5NZSM

Kelty Trail Ridge 8P: http://www.amazon.com/Kelty-Trail-Ri...=trail+ridge+8

It is not surprising that these models share many design features as both Slumberjack and Kelty are owned by the same outdoor products/camping conglomerate...American Rec Products, based in Boulder, CO. They also own the brands Wentzel and Sierra Designs (which can be considered their premium line of tent brand). They also own Serta and Insta-bed.

[686davec]

Re: Cabela's Hybrid Cabin Tent

I appreciate the time everybody took to provide some comments and opinions. I only have a couple of minutes right now but I can add a little additional info on our planned use. We're basically planning on doing a tour of some western National Parks in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana so we would be moving every day or every other day. That was part of my motivation about a quick setup tent.

In terms of why I'm looking at an 8-person tent for 4 people, my plan is to get some reasonable-quality cots and self-inflating pads and not sleep on the ground. I have occasional lower back problems and don't want to sleep on the ground. In any event, to have room for the four of us assuming we all use cots, I assumed the 8-person tent would be a better solution.

I was looking at the cabin tents for the roominess. I have a smaller old Coleman dome tent that we have used a couple of times in the past and it's fairly short which makes dressing and those kinds of things a pain because you can't stand up. I understand the REI tent listed above is 6'4" in the center so it has a lot more height than my old small one.

We're probably only going to use the tent for these kinds of special trips and then an odd weekend trip here and there...probably only once or twice per year.

That's all I have time for now but I appreciate the input.

Dave

[gatordude]

Re: Cabela's Hybrid Cabin Tent

We've got the REI Kingdom 6 and love it. We're starting our 3rd year and (knocking on wood) no problems, and we do have some frog stranglers here in Fl. A great tent for the money.