The Kodiak Canvas Flex Bow Tent is one of the best designed tents I’ve ever camped in. My friend bought one of these and I was skeptical because of the high price, but after spending a stormy camping trip in it I can honestly say that it was worth every penny and then some. It is a four season tent that will last for decades.
Kodiak Canvas Sizes
The Kodiak Canvas I stayed in was the eight person variety. It is also available as a 6-Person Tent and a 4-Person Tent. Both the eight person and the six person have a lofty six foot and six inch height. I believe the four person is six feet and one inch. We never had to stoop or kneel while inside the Kodiak. The eight person’s footprint measures ten feet by fourteen feet giving plenty of space to sleep the eight people that the manufacturer claims. I have no doubt that the other models measure appropriately for the amount of people they are supposed to hold. The awning is four feet by seven feet providing plenty of shade to hide from the sun.
Kodiak Flex Bow Weather
The Kodiak Flex Bow features the best weather resistance of any tent I’ve used so far. The Flex Bow Canvas is made from one hundred percent cotton duck Hydra-Shield canvas. The custom woven canvas has a silicone treatment that keeps the water out while allowing the tent to breathe. We managed to keep dry in some pretty heavy rains. There wasn’t even a drop inside the tent. The treatment used on the Kodiak is superior to synthetic fabric tents or lesser treated canvas tents, as it lets the water vapor escape. Which means there is no condensation on the inside of the tent and humidity is reduced greatly. The odds are that the Flex Bow will never need to be retreated. This tent will last years longer than most. The frame is made of one inch galvanized steel, so you know that it is very strong and sturdy. There are two well placed vents that provide good air circulation to help minimize stuffiness and cool things off a bit. There are four huge meshed windows as well. The mesh is made so it is hard to see though from the outside similar to car tint. This tent was made with year round use in mind. The windows easily close to keep in the warmth.
Setting up the Kodiak is very simple. It can be accomplished easily by a single person. Although a second person may make it just a little easier. Putting the tent away is my favorite part. Sounds weird I know but instead of trying to stuff it into a bag the bag that holds the tent lays out flat and you place the folded tent on it and then roll the bag closed around the tent. This is genius!
The large doors make entering the Kodiak a bit less hassle than most tents. There are small hooks throughout the interior for hanging items, hanging the gear loft, or even putting up a divider. This tent actually comes with high quality stakes which is quite rare these days.
The Kodiak Canvas Flex Bow will have all the other campers envious. It will stand up to bad weather throughout the seasons and will last for decades. Pick one up from Amazon today! Free shipping is available.
Setting up the Coleman WeatherMaster Screened 6 Tent was quite an easy task compared to most 6 person tents, and I did it alone. A much shorter person could also set it up solo, although an extra set of hands would make the process a little quicker. Color coded poles and the continuous pole sleeves are a couple of reasons for the simplicity of the set up. The pin and ring design and the Insta-clip attachments also simplify the process. The instructions, sewn into the carry bag, are as easy to follow as they could possibly be, but we here at Family Tent Reviews are rather experienced in tent assembly. Those inexperienced in tent set up should have few practice runs in the backyard to make sure things will go smoothly on camping day. Dis-assembly was simple as well. The real shocker was how easy I got the tent back into the carry bag without even folding it up very neatly.
Weather Resistance of the WeatherMaster
You can be assured with a name like Weathermaster that this tent will hold up to the elements. On a recent camping trip I set this Coleman up for some young relatives, it rained for nearly the whole week and not a drop made its way inside. I did use an extra tarp under the tent as I always do, although the waterproof floors probably would have held up on their own. Made of weather resistant fabric coated with polyester and webbing and zippers designed to keep water out you are sure to remain dry during rainy weather. The rain fly is large enough to cover the doors and windows. The wind strong frame was engineered to hold up to pretty strong winds. The screened room and all mesh ceiling greatly increase ventilation helping to cool down the tent,which are my favorite features while camping in South Texas. An air flow port is also built into the tent, but most tents have these now days. There are lots of windows to help keep you cools as well.
Size of the Weathermaser 6 Person Tent
The Coleman Weathermaster 6 is designed for sleeping six people. It can do this , but it will be rather tight. five will fit more comfortably. When set up it measures seventeen feet by nine feet. At 36 pounds it is rather heavy if you plan on backpacking it very far. The tent has two interior rooms which is good for privacy or having a recreation are for cards, eating, etc. There is one outside screened area that is great for getting away from the bugs or just getting some shade.there are two doors, one of which is actually hinged. The ceiling is rather high at over 70 inches in center.
Additional Features
The air cool port is a cool feature for running extension cords or reaching outside of the tent to reach the cooler. The all mesh ceiling offers a nice view if you have the rainfly off. There is a loop on the ceiling for hanging lights.
Cons of the Coleman WeatherMaster
The stakes are not the best quality. They never are anymore regardless of which tent you buy. I always recommend buying additional stakes, preferably some made of steel instead of plastic. Also the rainfly doesn’t cover all of the porch room. This isn’t really an issue unless you plan on sleeping in the screened porch room or storing something there that could be damage by the rain. Probably shouldn’t store that kind of stuff in the screened room anyway.
Summary
The Coleman WeatherMaster 6 Person Tent is one of the better weather resistant tents out there. If you don’t like or need the screened porch feature you could just pick up a Coleman WeatherMaster 8 which is basically the same ten except with a closed in room where the screened room is on the weathermaster 6 person. The screened porch is a great feature in my opinion though, but I can understand why some might not want or need it. This is a good Family Tent. Click Coleman WeatherMaster Screened 6 Tent to check if it is still 36% off and to see if free shipping is still available from Amazon.
was quite an easy task compared to most 
