Coleman Coastline 4 Deluxe

Review Score

Price Guide

Coleman Coastline 4 Deluxe Photos

Our Review

The Coleman Coastline 4 is a good basic tunnel tent for the family that wants to get away at the weekend.

Our Opinion

The Coleman Coastline 4 Deluxe is a good choice for 2 adults and 2 children, with two bedrooms and a good sized living area.

Tent Bedrooms

The bedrooms are arranged next to one another.  The divider between the two areas can be unzipped.  We find this useful if you need to comfort a young child in the night as you don't need to get out of one sleeping area and into another.

The size of each sleeping section is only really big enough for a double camping air bed, and perhaps a small bag.

There are a few pockets sewn into the side of the inner tent for torches, etc.

On the outside of each sleeping area is a vent that can be opened and closed, enabling a bit of air flow on warm summer nights and reducing condensation (seen in the top right of the photo).

Tent Living Area

We have used the larger Coleman Coastline 6 Deluxe for a number of years, and the additional bedroom that provides is not that practical.  However, the living area is great, accommodating both the bags, kitchen, cupboards, toys, and all the other stuff family camping brings.

In our living area we purchased the Coleman Carpet and would recommend.

If you don't have a carpet in your tent it sounds a little over the top (that's what we thought too) but if you are staying more than a night I would recommend it for family camping, as it transforms the tent and makes it much warmer in the living area.  (Take a dust pan and brush, and try to enforce a 'no shoes' policy - I know, sounds too much like home, but it will be worth it).

Coleman Coastline Porches and Extensions

The Coastline range has some other useful accessories such as the extended porch and the side porch.

Both of these extend the living area outside. (The side porch is not really appropriate for the Coastline 4 though).

As we have the 6 person version we didn't use the tent extension (as there is a bedroom in the way of that tent opening).  These extensions are very good and zip right onto the tent.   You may want to get some windbreaks though to prevent wind and horizontal rain entering into the tent.

Our option was to use the side porch.  This essentially has two tent poles and a large canopy and line that you pass over the top of the tent.

To be honest, this configuration has proved difficult to put up when windy (mind you, most things are when windy), however it provides an excellent shelter:

• A completely dry entrance to the tent.  Wet things can be left in the porch.
• Large enough for our big kitchen cupboard unit, and to bring chairs in for the night on when wet.

As the porch extends from roof to ground there is very good protection from wind and horizontal rain.

We live outdoors a lot with campfires, so we still erect a tarp shelter.

Pitching the Coleman Coastline

Pitching the tent is very easy.  I often put up the 6 man version single-handed in the wind.  A tip is to leave the door open when putting away as it will reduce the vacuum effect the next time you put it up.

• Lay out the tent and position where you want it to go.
• Put some tent pegs into the corners (these can be moved later).  If windy, angle the tent so that the back end is facing the wind and put the pegs into those corners.
• Insert all the tent poles, starting with one end first.
• Grab some more tent pegs and ensure the lines on the end are unravelled.
• Bring the arches up one by one.
• Stretch the tent out (some help here can be useful).
• Take the guy lines from each end and peg into the ground to hold the ends up.  These can be re-pegged later.
• Tweak the positioning if needed and peg.
• Put up the inner tent.  This is also very easy as it toggles into loops inside the tent, with the apex colour coded.  Start with that one, attached the corner clips, and toggle the rest.

Other things to note

The Coastline's are well known for the window blinds that roll up.  However, when unpacking keep an eye out for a couple of strips of metal.  These need to be inserted into the window blind to make that work (we lost ours).  They are similar to the snap-on reflective cycling wristbands.

Spot the semi-circular opening close to the ground in the picture.  That's an air vent that can be opened, enabling good airflow through the tent and out through the vents above the bedroom area.  (It comes with a bug screen built-in).

You also have a small zipped opening (at the bottom near the first tent pool) to run a power lead for an electric hook-up if you need it (such as for running a heater if you are camping in the cooler seasons).

Alternatives to the Coleman Coastline 4 Deluxe

The Coleman Lakeside 4 is very similar in layout but in the cabin style of tent. It doesn't have the porch and extension options.

If you want something with a larger living area, then have a look at the Coleman Fremont 4, which has a completely enclosed porch extension that zips onto the tent.

More Information

A full specification can be found on the Coleman website.

Details