Coleman Evanston Screened 8 Tent Review

Large and capable of holding up to the elements are two given requirements when looking for a group tent. Well, how about one that affords you another home feature such as a front porch? Allowing you to enjoy your view or to lounge without blood-sucking insects hovering around you is a luxury that a tent with a screened porch buys you.

If this concept appeals to you, then you’re just in time for our review of the Coleman Evanston Screened 8 Tent. This tent is ideal for car camping and extended camping trips. Check out its strengths and limitations before you make that commitment.

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Features of Screened Porch

The Coleman Evanston Screened 8 camping tent boasts of the following features:

• 8-person capacity

This family tent comes with a 15 x 12 feet floor space that’s perfect for big group outdoor adventures. With minimal to no baggage inside the tent, it can fit up to 8 persons depending on individual sizes and the level of comfort desired. As it is, the Coleman Evanston Screened 8 camping tent can easily fit two queen-size air beds.

And with a 5-foot-8-inch center height, the tent lets you stretch and move around with relative ease.

• Separate screened room

If you feel like taking in the view of your environment or sharing a cup of coffee without the need to be hyper-vigilant of bloodsucking mosquitos, then this tent comes with a separate screened room for bug-free lounging. It also makes for the perfect sleeping nook on warm, dry nights.

• Weatherproof system

The Coleman Evanston Screened 8 Tent is built to weather various elements. It comes with a WeatherTec system of patented welded floors as well as inverted seams to keep the water out and protect you from the rain. It is also equipped with Insta-Clip pole attachments designed to hold the tent up against high winds.

And for enhanced air circulation, the tent is designed with extended window awnings that you can keep open even when it’s raining.

Rain or shine, its trusty fly sheet is also there to provide you with an extra layer of protection. The rainfly provides extra weather protection, keeping you and your gear dry during camping trips. And when the sky’s clear or when your tent is nestled under a shade, you can remove the rainfly, exposing the mesh roof of the tent. Perfect for a night of stargazing or just for an overall fresher feel on warm days!

• Continuous pole sleeves

The Coleman Evanston Screened 8 Tent is designed with snag-free, continuous pole sleeves that make feeding the poles fast and easy. With them, the tent is designed to set up in just around 15 minutes. The tent poles are crucial for the setup process, ensuring the structure is stable and secure.

Pros of Extra Weather Protection

• Roomy and well-ventilated

• Front porch works well for lounging, storage, and even sleeping.

• Holds up well to light to moderate rain

• Fits back easily in the bag it came with

• Reasonably priced

Cons of Tent Poles

• Sets up easily

• Back screen window has no zippered cover—expect no privacy without the rainfly on

• When it’s raining, the front porch is sure to get soaked even with the rainfly on.

Comparison

• Wenzel 8-Person Klondike Tent

Love the front porch feature of the Coleman Evanston Screened 8 Tent but wish it came with one that doesn’t easily get soaked under the rain? The Wenzel 8-Person Klondike Ten offers you that and more! First, at 16 x 11, it is almost as big as the product-in-review and again will fit in up to 8 persons. Again, this is depending on individual sizes and the level of comfort desired.

The biggest selling point of this tent, however, especially if you like your tent to come with a front porch feature, is it comes with one that has a zip up walls. So, whether you need a screened room to separate your stuff, for lounging, or for sleeping, the Wenzel 8-Person Klondike Tent is cut out for the job. Simply zip up the walls when it’s raining, and no water will be soaking up the front porch, your stuff, or the campers!

Additionally, just like the product-in-review, it offers good ventilation with the screened porch, side mesh windows, and a full mesh roof. Unlike the Coleman Evanston Screened 8 Tent; however, you’ll find a rear mesh vent instead of a large mesh rear window. If you find the coverless mesh window on the product-in-review problematic, then this one offers a good alternative. Also, the Coleman Evanston 8 tent has an available replacement pole kit, making it easier to maintain and extend the life of your tent.

• ALPHA CAMP 6 Person Cabin Tent

If you don’t mind the lack of rain protection of the product-in-review’s front porch, then the ALPHA CAMP 6 Person Cabin Tent may also appeal to you! While marketed as a 6-person tent, this one is larger with a 17 x 9-foot floor space and an 80-inch center height. So, if you think your group can fit in the Coleman Evanston Screened 8 Tent, then you’ll get more space in this one.

And designed with lots of mesh windows on the sides and at the back as well as a full-screen roof, it’s airy just like our product-in-review. A standout difference between the two is that the front porch for this one is floorless. So, in case of rain, there’s no water pooling inside the porch. However, if you intend to use the front porch area as an alternative sleeping nook, then we understand if you have second thoughts on sleeping on the floorless spot. The ALPHA CAMP 6 Person Cabin Tent is also a tent with screen room, providing extra ventilation and a protected area for storage or sleeping on warmer nights.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a large dome tent with a front porch feature, then the Coleman Evanston Screened 8 Tent won’t disappoint. Surrounded with mesh on all sides and coming in with a mesh roof, the front porch offers you a great way to enjoy your view, to lounge with someone, or to sleep more comfortably on warm evenings without insects bugging you. The screened room can also be used as space for your gear or footwear.

However, the lack of adequate rain protection on this part of the tent is quite limiting. On rainy days, it renders itself useless as water can easily get inside the porch. Whether you intend to use it for lounging, sleeping, or storage, it will have little use—perhaps as a temporary rain shelter. So, if you’re looking for a front porch that you can use even on rainy days, then you need to keep looking.

Nevertheless, for what it can do, the tent offers you good value for your money. It’s got plenty of room inside to fit two queen-sized beds. And with welded floors and inverted seams, it keeps water out in the moderate rain. The screened-in porch is a key feature, providing extra ventilation, covered storage, or an additional sleeping area, making it versatile for different weather conditions.