We are huge fans of the Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent. Personally, this is my absolute favorite of the larger family camping tents. In fact, this is the exact model that my family and I use on our own camping trips. The tent is spacious, extremely easy to pitch and set up, and has an awesome mesh ceiling that is perfect for sleeping beneath the stars. Let’s take a look at the rest of the Instant Cabin Tent’s features and see what makes it one of the best family camping tents on the market — and my own personal favorite.
Tent Size
The Core Instant Cabin Tent is one of the most popular family camping tents. It’s a cabin style tent with straight walls and a very high center height of 78 inches (6’6”). Because the tent has straight cabin walls, that height does not shrink too much as you navigate away from the center of the tent. In fact, most people will be able to stand up straight and walk around throughout the entire interior of the tent.
Dimensions of the tent are an impressive 14 x 9 feet. Such a large space provides room for 9 people in sleeping bags to comfortably fit at once. Obviously, with gear and luggage, that capacity will decrease a bit. Two queen air mattresses can easily fit inside.
When folded up and packed, the Instant Cabin Tent measures 48 x 11.5 x 11.5 inches. It fits right inside of the included carry bag, which makes transportation and storage a breeze. When packed, the weight is about 30.5 pounds.
Weather Resistance
Generally, Core tents are very effective with weather proofing and weather resistance. This is especially true with the newer models produced over the last few years, which use Core’s “H2O Block Technology.” The Instant Cabin Tent is no exception, and truly holds its own in tough climates and wet situations.
“H2O Block Technology” refers to the way Core waterproofs the seams of the tent. Every single seam on both the tent itself and the rainfly are heat sealed. Heat sealing prevents any water from seeping in through the seams and making its way into the tent. The fabric is 68D Polyester, which is really great at keeping water out and does not tend to sag when wet.
With the rainfly attached, you can rest assured that you and the family will stay nice and dry.
Rainfly
The ceiling of the Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent is mesh. So in the event of rainy weather, you simply attach the included removable rainfly. The rainfly itself is waterproofed with heat sealed thick tape, which will absolutely keep you and the family dry throughout the stormy weather.
Features We Love
Instant Setup
The absolute best feature of the Instant Cabin Tent is that it is, in fact, instant. The setup time for this huge tent is only 60 seconds. Yes, only 60 seconds! It can even be pitched alone by one person, which is rare for these larger cabin style camping tents.
Through some truly innovative engineering, the instant setup works by utilizing telescoping tent poles. Essentially, this means that each section of the tent pole slides inside of the previous section. When setting up the tent, the sections slide out of each other, similar to how a telescope extends. This is an awesome feature that truly makes setting up the Core Instant Cabin Tent a breeze.
Mesh Ceiling
I love the ceiling of this tent. Nearly the entire ceiling is mesh and see-through. When the weather is nice, you can stargaze as you lay in the tent and truly take in the breathtaking night sky. When you’re camping far away from cities and light pollution, the night sky is the best part of the trip. The Instant Cabin Tent lets you really take that in, while also protecting you from insects and mosquitoes.
In the event that the weather takes a turn for the worse, you simply pop on the attachable rainfly and you’re good to go.
Adjustable Air Vents
A few inches above the floor, the walls of The Instant Cabin Tent have adjustable air vents. Cool air is pulled in through these lower vents, which pushes the hot air inside the tent out through the mesh ceiling. This isn’t a common feature in tents, but it truly should be. As of right now, I’ve seen it in several models of Core’s larger, family tents.
The vents do a great job of lowering the temperature inside the tent and keep the air circulating. Because the vents are adjustable, you’re able to control how much the air circulates and how much the temperature is effected.
Room Divider
Inside of the Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent, you’ll find a removable room divider. This is a great feature that is slowly becoming more common amongst these larger style tents. Room dividers are perfect for providing privacy or getting some peace and quiet from your children.
What’s Included?
The Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent includes a large cabin style tent, a rainfly, a carry bag, and a set of 7 inch steel tent stakes.
Specifications
- Capacity: 9 people
- Size: 14 x 9 feet
- Height: 78 inches (6’6”) at the center
- Weight: 30.5 pounds
- Packed size: 48 x 11.5 x 11.5 inches
- Fabric type: Polyester
- Also includes: Rainfly, tent stakes, and a carry bag.
