Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased the Coleman Hooligan 3 for car camping and used it for the first time this past weekend. I did not purchase through Amazon as I found it locally for $20 off, but I feel the Amazon price is fair and would not hesitate recommending it at the current price ($79.99 on 28 Jul 2009).
The first thing I did upon bring it home was un-pack it and set it up, followed closely by applying a silicon water repellant spray to the entire rain fly. This is imperative, especially with a tent at this relatively low price point, since factory waterproofing often leaves much to be desired.
Setup was quite simple and pretty quick. I set it up alone during the at-home shake down, but had my fiancée to help at the campsite over the weekend. It does go a little faster with two, but it's very doable solo. The poles are typical fiberglass with shockcord and insert into sleeves on the tent; I would have preferred clip-on hooks rather than sleeves so the tent can be erected after you bend the poles individually, but for the price of this tent it's acceptable.
The tent itself is composed mostly of screen material with a door on one side and a small zip open vent on the other. If you want any kind of privacy at all, the rain fly needs to be on the tent at all times. The floor of the tent is made up of heavy duty plastic tarp material and looks like it will hold up well if taken care of. The floor of the tent is large enough for a Intex® Camp Air Bed with Pump with about a foot of room to spare on two edges if you push it into the corner. With a smaller air mattress or just sleeping bags you would easily have room for a substantial amount of gear if you kept it to two full-size occupants.
The rain fly goes over the tent and covers it pretty much to the ground. There are no windows, save the entryway and a small ventilation opening opposite, but it's not really big enough to be considered a window. Don't expect to have much of a view from inside the tent. The rain fly attaches by hooks at the corners of the tent (rings where the tent poles attach) and hook-and-loop strips which wrap around the poles to keep it aligned. The system works pretty well, but could certainly be better, though that would raise the price of the tent.
One of the key features of the tent, at least for my application, is the vestibule. This was a rather important item for me as I bought this tent for family camping and wanted to be able to put a porta-potty nearby for my fiancée and three year old daughter to use in the night without traipsing all about the wilderness. I haven't actually used it for this yet, as the campground we stayed at had facilities very nearby, but based on the amount of space it should work out fine. Aside from the potty, it also makes an idea place to store shoes and any wet items that shouldn't come into the tent itself. We had a small (15 gal) tote and a couple pairs of shoes out there and still had more than enough room to get in and out of the tent. There is no floor in the vestibule, but I remedied that by getting a ground cloth that was a bit larger than the footprint of the tent and using the excess to form the floor. Works great and helps keep the inside of the tent free of dirt and mud while keeping your shoes nice and dry.
Our first night out in the tent it thunder stormed pretty hard; we were confined to the tent for almost an hour and were unable to converse with our friends (in their tent no more than 10' away) over the rain, even when shouting. The tent held up to it great, though how much of that is due to the tent and how much the extra waterproofing I can't say. There were a couple of very small drips, but nothing that would have ruined our night had it continued raining. I intend to touch up the waterproofing before our next outing in two weeks and this should solve the drips, hopefully. VERY impressed with this tent in wet conditions, overall.
One thing to be aware of is that the entry into the vestibule is relatively low and somewhat small. I am average height (67" 170 lbs) and had no trouble getting in and out, but someone a bit larger and/or less spry might have problems getting in and out.
A couple of issues:
The stakes are cheap aluminum and will bend if you are trying to drive them into hard soil. I bought a 4 pack of nail-style steel stakes and used them for the corners of the tent and they worked out fine. I will be getting a few more to use for staking out the vestibule and the guy lines for the rain fly as well, but for light-duty camping in good weather and soft soil you might be able to get away with the cheap factory stakes.
There is a small pole that holds the ventilation opening open that I had trouble with as it kept popping through the grommet meant to hold it in place. Not a big deal, and only took a second to fix, but annoying none-the-less. I'll rig something up to prevent this next time we go out, should be a simple matter of a small washer or a swatch of cloth.
Overall I am very happy with the tent, especially since I found mine on sale. It has a few quirks, but will work for me until I save up enough for a nicer tent and probably a while after that too. It sets up and packs away easily and would be difficult to beat for the price. Don't forget to waterproof, it is VERY VERY worth the time and money to keep yourself (and your stuff) dry.
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Coleman Hooligan 3 TentA great choice for casual campers/backpackers, motorcyle riders, RV campers and scout troops, the Coleman Hooligan 3 Tent is designed for easy setup. The Hooligan 3 sleeps 3 people comfortably, with an 8'x7' footprint and center height of 4'10". The full rainfly and dry-entry vestibule provide convenient access and adjustable airflow as part of Coleman's Comfort System; the entirely-mesh inner tent provides maximum ventilation. Continuous pole sleeve and an exclusive pin-and-ring design make setup a breeze with the 8.5mm & 6.3mm fiberglass poles.
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