If Carlsberg did tents it would be a Coleman Pinto Mountain 5 Plus XL!
It’s safe to say that if you have been following my stories on Instagram we have thoroughly tested this tent.
After loosing our last tent (not a Coleman’s) to the stormy elements at Camp Bestival last year, we were delighted to be gifted the Coleman Pinto Mountain 5 Plus XL to road test on our various camping trips over the summer and beyond. I’m already quite trusting of Coleman’s as a brand after the handy Party Grill Stove managed to out-do and out-perform its rivals during the same storm. Click the link to see the full review on that essential piece of camping kit.
The First Trip
Our first time out was at Tribe Norfolk Festival in the beautiful Happy Valley Glamping Site. We hadn’t had time for a test run at home so we’re a little nervous. Plus Andy groaned a bit whilst carrying the bag. However as this is a very spacious family tent,. There comes a point where you can’t expect it not to weigh less than Madonna’s wardrobe. And I’d feel quite suspicious if it did.
The tent came well packed with easy-to-follow instructions sewn into the bag. We took a few phone pics just in case they got removed by accident. Assembly is still a two-man job though in my opinion, as it helps to steady the tent whilst it starts going up. The tent poles that form the tunnel frame come colour-coded and glide through effortlessly. Even so, I’ve still got my eye on one of the new inflatable ones that Coleman’s do so I can finally leave Andy to get on with it 🙂
Lights Out
What’s great about the Coleman Pinto Mountain 5 Plus XL, and others in the range, are the blackout bedrooms. These are an absolute game-changer when you’ve got young children. Teenagers can sleep through anything anyway but both mine slept in ’till 8am! It’s brilliant and so dark, it makes for a very cosy bedroom. We even hung a little lamp at night. The bedroom compartment splits into two section with a removable curtain – great for a bit of privacy or easy enough to make a massive bedroom. It’s up to you!
The whole tent comes with the bedrooms and groundsheet pre-fitted inside so there’s no messing around trying to clip in the sections whilst trying to keep them clean. All you have to do is put the poles in, clip them to the fabric and peg it down. There is a little porch area which does have a separate ground sheet so depending on weather conditions you can decide if you use it or not. The porch area is another plus-point too. Great to keep boots, buggies and chairs out of the way but still undercover and protected. Because of the porch we easily had a no-shoe policy in the tent, letting us enjoy the spacious ‘living area’ without getting muck and mud everywhere.
The Worst Trip
Most tents in fine weather do the job. The real test of a tent comes when the heavens open and the wind does it’s best little pigs’ wolf routine. With the British weather being so temperamental this year you need to trust that you and your belongings are going to be safe. A soggy set of socks can easily ruin anyone’s day and just the lightest of showers gets Andy looking for the nearest hotel.
We camped at Boomtown Fair the same weekend as Boardmasters Festival was cancelled due to bad weather. That’s right folks, an amber weather warming and family camping at the top of the hill!
The ground was awful and unfortunately not the best for the standard pegs that come with any tent. We could have done with the more industrial tent pegs you can get which we have subsequently purchased. We erected it in about 20 minutes due to the more difficult wet and blustery conditions. Having already had a few ‘dry runs’ made life that be easier as we knew exactly what to do. Once again the poles glided through the fabric with ease. It was definitely a two-man job this time, with extra help from the kids each time the wind picked up. There’s plenty of guy ropes to help secure it down. But I did spend quite a big of time re-checking and tightening these. But we were in extreme conditions on a poor surface!
No Messing
Because of the integrated ground sheet there was no extra messing around so once the poles and guy ropes were secure the tent was ready. All the wet gear was easily stored in the porch area and the main section was then clean and dry for clothes and food. The rain continued to pour but there was no leaks at all. Everything was dry and we were really warm and cosy. I thought the ventilation was also really good as there wasn’t much condensation.
There’s a good amount of space and no need to crouch whilst walking around. This is an added luxury when you’re confined to the tent due to the weather. The bedrooms still feel snug and the blackout blinds are just amazing. I can’t praise these enough – no more waking up at the crack of dawn! I also think the pockets on the bedroom door are handy for things like torches, milk bottles and wet wipes. All those little things that you need to find quickly and never can.
I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff…
Considering the size of the tent, 21sqm, it stood up to the wind really well. We did add some ballast to the sides in the form of our cases and recently purchased Coleman Cool Box, but that was mostly for our own reassurance. I mean, I think I saw Toto fly past at one point! Even so we made it, and so did the tent. Others on the site had lost there’s but thankfully the Pinto Mountain was a rock!
The bag is quite heavy (23.5 kg) but it’s a big tent! I’d like to compare it to an inflatable tent as without the poles I’d imagine they’d be lighter. In hindsight I think we’d look at a slightly smaller tent for festival weekends and use our Coleman Pinto Mountain 5 Plus XL for more leisurely trips. That said, it does pack down extremely well and isn’t too difficult to get back into the bag it came in.
The Pinto is made from very durable materials with fiberglass poles. There’s plenty of tech built into the tent too, with the aforementioned blackout blinds also absorbing heat during the day to re-distribute at night. It’s also got a crazy-high waterproof rating. I imagine it will last us many trips, especially as Bono the boxer didn’t join us this year and we’d want to see what he thinks of it!
The Conclusion
I would highly recommend this tent. It’s a very spacious 5-person family tent with loads of space to move about in. The blackout rooms are a game changer and 2 double inflatable mattresses easily fitted in the bedroom section with room to spare. You can stand comfortably in the living area and the pockets are great for bits and bobs. It was easy to erect and pack away with no complicated fittings to deal with. If you can thread a pole through the seam you can put it up – that’s all there is to it!
On the downside it is heavy when bagged and the pegs that come with it are just standard, but that can be said for most tents anyway.
Why not get ready for your next adventure with tents and camping gear from Coleman. We’ve got a few bits now and haven’t been disappointed!
We were gifted the tent in exchange for our honest review, and as always these words are my own.