Coleman Skylodge 4-Person Instant Camping Tent

May 5, 2023

Crafted for quick trips to the campground with friends and family, the Coleman Skylodge 4-Person Instant Camping Tent is a cabin tent that puts convenience at the front of its design. This tent uses Coleman’s instant-pitch system for added convenience. It features a breathability-focused construction that’s ideal for summertime adventures.

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Comfort and Space

If you’re going camping, you want to be comfortable. Let’s see how the Coleman Skylodge 4-Person Instant Camping Tent performs when livability is a top concern.

Floor Space

The Coleman Skylodge 4-Person Instant Camping Tent is a cabin-style tent with a square-shaped floor plan. It measures 7’6” (2.3 m) by 7’6” (2.3 m), which works out to approximately 56 square feet (5.2 sqm) of floor space.

Inside of the Coleman Skylodge 4-Person Instant Camping Tent — Image: Camping Guidance

Technically speaking, this tent can house 4 adults on their sleeping pads or a single queen-size air mattress. However, fitting 4 adults into the Skylodge is a bit of a stretch. Although 4 adults can sleep in this shelter, this would limit any potential gear storage space inside the tent at night.

As such, the Skylodge is best for use by groups of no more than 3 adult campers or 2 adults with 2 children for maximum livability.

Head/Shoulder Room

As a cabin-style tent, the 4-Person Skylodge offers more head and shoulder room than most other 4-person shelters. This tent has a 5’3” (160 cm) peak height, which is substantially higher than the 4’7” (140 cm) center height found on the Coleman Skydome 4-Person Tent.

While the ceiling of the 4-Person Skylode isn’t quite lofty enough for most adults to stand upright in, it does provide ample headspace for lounging around in your tent. This is particularly true when we consider that this tent also has near vertical walls. These near vertical walls maximize headspace throughout the shelter so everyone in the tent can get a comfortable night’s sleep.

Rooms/Vestibules

Like most other 4-person shelters on the market, the Skylodge is a single-room tent. It does not come with any interior room dividers, but this isn’t generally expected for a tent of this size.

One potential drawback to this tent is the fact that it doesn’t have a vestibule or screen room. Although these features aren’t required on tents, having them can provide extra gear storage space. With a tent that has a relatively small floor plan, like this one does, such vestibules and screen rooms could provide enhanced livability at the campground.

See other Coleman tents with these useful features in our review.

Breathability and Ventilation

If there’s one area where the Coleman Skylodge 4-Person Tent really shines, it’s in terms of its breathability and ventilation.

Windows of the Coleman Skylodge 4-Person Instant Camping Tent — *Image:* Camping Guidance

This tent features a large mesh overhead canopy that allows air to easily filter in, regardless of the weather conditions. Although attaching the rainfly to the tent in foul weather does slightly limit the breathability of the canopy, it’s still a great ventilation-focused design consideration.

The other important ventilation feature of this tent is its many mesh windows. All 4 walls of this tent have a large mesh window that can be zipped open at a moment’s notice to allow for airflow at night.

Weather Resistance

The Coleman Skylodge 4-Person Tent is somewhat of a mixed performer when weather resistance is a concern.

It’s designed with Coleman’s WeatherTec system, which means that its rainfly has taped seams to help keep you dry. Additionally, this tent has a bathtub-style floor with welded corners and inverted seams to prevent water from seeping in if you’re camping on wet ground.

The problem is that the Skylodge doesn’t have a full-coverage rainfly. For excursions in relatively dry environments, a partial-coverage rainfly isn’t a problem. But this fact does limit the 4-Person Skylodge’s functionality in areas where heavy rain is the norm.

Coleman Skylodge 4-Person Instant Camping Tent with a rainfly — *Image:* Camping Guidance

Turning our attention to the tent’s performance in the wind, there are some areas of concern. The first consideration is the fact that this is a cabin-style tent. Freestanding cabin-style tents such as this one are fantastic from a comfort perspective. But their high center heights and flat roofs effectively turn them into a big sail in the wind, which isn’t ideal.

The other problem stems from the fact that this tent uses extendable fiberglass poles. Fiberglass is an affordable and relatively light material for tent poles, but it isn’t as strong in the wind as aluminum. These extendable poles also have multiple weak points in them, which increases their risk of snapping in a gale.

Long story short? The Coleman Skylodge 4-Person Tent is a nice shelter for moderate weather conditions at the campground. But it’s not your go-to for a remote backpacking trip.

Durability

If you’re going to invest your money into a tent, you need to know that it’s going to withstand the test of time. As far as durability concerns, the 4-Person Skylodge performs well in some respects but leaves us wanting in others.

This tent is made with 65D polyester taffeta in the rainfly and the walls. This fabric is standard in the tent manufacturing industry because it offers a decent blend of durability and affordability. Meanwhile, the tent’s 1000D polyethylene floor is a highly rugged fabric. This type of fabric is made to withstand most punctures and tears, so it’s an ideal tent floor material.

We’ve already mentioned the drawbacks of using fiberglass poles in a tent, so we won’t belabor the point again here. The take-home message is that fiberglass poles are nice from a budget standpoint and they’re okay for use in mild weather conditions. But they’re not your best bet for longer camping trips in high winds.

Finally, we should mention that this tent uses a lot of mesh fabric in its canopy and large windows. Mesh is also a great material for breathability, but it’s more prone to tears. So treat this tent with care to avoid rips and tears while you’re outside.

Ease of Use

Coleman specifically designed the 4-Person Skylodge with user-friendliness in mind. This shelter uses its instant set-up system, which has pre-attached poles for added simplicity.

To pitch this tent, you simply need to unfold it, stake it down, and then extend its telescoping poles. The final step is to attach the rainfly, which has a color-coded system for extra convenience.

Instant set-up system of the Coleman Skylodge 4-Person Instant Camping Tent — *Image:* Camping Guidance

Most campers should find that they can pitch this tent in a matter of minutes, especially with an extra set of hands. This shelter also comes with an expandable carry bag to make it easier to pack at the end of your trip.

Packed Size and Weight

The 4-Person Skylodge is a heavy tent for its size and sleeping capacity. It weighs in at 21.4 lbs (9.7 kg), which is substantially more than you’d want to carry on a backpacking trip. As a result, it’s best for roadside adventures where carrying your gear isn’t a concern.

The packed size of this tent also is a bit larger than you might expect. It packs down to around 38 x 9 x 9” (97 x 23 x 23 cm), which is much bigger than other 4-person tents. Much of this additional bulk is due to the shelter’s instant pole construction but it’s still small enough to put in the back of your car for transport.