Coleman Cobra Tent, ultra-light compact man tent

Product Information

With a maximum head height of 82 cms, you’ll probably find it most comfortable sitting in the doorway with your head outside, but for what is essentially a luxury bivvy tent, the space inside for one isn’t that bad. It also needs a bit of effort when bending the longer pole to get into the designated eyelet. But once done, the tent becomes firm and taut. Who Should I Buy the Cobra 2?

In hot weather, the breathable nature of the tent comes into its own. It is dark coloured which does absorb some of the heat, but there are pegs above the tent door which allows it to be rolled up and pinned open letting a draft of air into the tent. 3 Season Use MATERIALS Outer 15D silicone nylon ripstop, hydrostatic head 3,000mm Groundsheet 20D polyurethane nylon rip-stop, hydrostatic head 3,000mm Poles Air and alloy micro pole Pegs Alloy Y pegs All that mesh is obviously great for camping in hot temperatures, but not so brilliant if you are pitched up in howling winds on the side of a Lake District hill. And for that reason we’d suggest this is a good two or three-season tent, but not one for winter trips. The tent is also free from PFCs and instead uses specifically-developed durable water repellent coating that is much kinder to the planet. Sierra Designs says the fabrics used through the Meteor 3000 now come from recycled sources as well.The Halo is just right for me, as I say it has two entrance/porches with enough room for cooking if raining. Coleman Cobra 2 comes with a bathtub floor, and it curves into the sides of the inner wall to provide superior waterproofing. It’s important to note that you can sit up without much bending for people as tall as 196cm. And, you’ll have no issues with toes poking the canvas at the end. If the interior vestibules are full, you’ll have to store your gear in the two exterior porches on both sides of the tent. The Cobra features a door on both sides of the tent allowing ease of access to enter or exit the tent! In addition, this means you also get a porch area on both sides providing extra storage space of your camping gear.

MATERIALS Outer 68D poly taffeta, hydrostatic head 3,000mm Groundsheet 68D poly taffeta, hydrostatic head 3,000mm Poles DAC Pressfit Aluminum Pegs 10 For lightweight campers more used to cramped conditions, the amount of space will be the thing that immediately jumps out – at 1.85m, there’s plenty of headroom inside for most people to stand upright without stooping and that makes a huge difference.The Cobra 2 is shaped like a structured wedge which provides good resistance when pitched head-on into the prevailing wind. It is squat and can be pitched close to the ground reducing the effect of adverse weather conditions. Fire retardant fly-sheet** will self-extinguish if exposed to flame and will not flare dangerously out of control. As is the way with most tents that originate in the USA, the inner has a lot of mesh, which is great for ventilation in hot weather, but not so good on a blustery night in the Highlands. So, while it should be sturdy enough to cope with fairly unpleasant weather, bear in mind that the design might make it more suitable for spring and summer camping only. Putting the Helm up is straightforward, with the flysheet and inner pitching together. The alloy poles slide into sleeves to create a dome shape. And as it’s freestanding you can shift the tent easily to get it into exactly the right position, before pegging it down and guying out.

The tent has a single main pole, which forms an arch towards the front, while two short, upright poles create the rigidity at the front and rear. Both the aluminium poles are strong but flexible. The flysheet and inner go up together, and after a practice run in the garden, I found pitching straightforward and really easy. For an igloo-like tent, we’d have expected it to self-support. This feature is necessary if you want to install it on reasonably hard ground. I can't afford the hundreds of pounds you can spend on really light gear and to be honest I've always been a fan of Coleman tents. They seem to be built to last.

Coleman has a very European approach to the design of their tents as they sell to all major European countries. They place great emphasis on quality features which means that while Coleman Tents may not always be the cheapest tents, they certainly manufacture quality tents. As you would expect from Wild Country – the same people behind Terra Nova lightweight tents – the materials and manufacturing are of an exceptionally high standard. First of all, it’s really easy to pitch. Inside the large bag are two poles – one long and one short – which slide into the colour-coded, mesh sleeves to form the structure. The main centre pole clips onto the flysheet to make it taut. The aluminium pegs supplied with the tent by Coleman are surprisingly strong and easily pushed into the hard, dry ground where I was camping.

This is an adventurer’s tent and it’s designed to suit all the elements one might face. As mentioned, it is wind responsive and sturdy, even in storms. It is waterproof and can withstand a significant beating without letting much, if any, water through. Wet Weather PerformanceA small gripe is that there isn’t much room to sit up or move about. Sometimes, even when the tent is taut as can be, the interior sides are loose and can flop inwards with no way of stretching the inner layer out any further. This doesn’t cause it to flap, as the outer canvas stops the wind, but it can be a little irritating. On either side of the tent, there are gaps between the interior module and the outer canvas. If the inner module is full, this requires you to place some of your gear out on the grass where it’s a little exposed. The Zoic is a range of solo, two and three-berth lightweight tents from American outdoors company MSR. It’s designed to keep you cool in warmer weather camping, and after last summer, that’s probably not a bad starting point.