Our Tent Review
Setting Up/Pitching
The Coleman Weathermaster Elite 6 person tent is simple enough for most people to set up although your going to find it much easier between two people.
Poles and sleeves which are color-coded to guide users to put each pole within the correct sleeve will offer some assistance with setting up.
Like all tents the best way to get used to the set up is to do a back yard trial. We would say 20-30 minutes should have the Weathermaster set up for most users following the instruction manual provided.
The tent also needs a rain-fly attached which is only an awning type rather than a full-rain-fly which would take longer.
The flimsy stakes may need to be exchanged for some better quality ones if you find after doing the back yard test they’re not suitable.
Do pitch up with all the stakes and guy-lines in case you may get high winds as the Weathermaster is not the strongest shelter when it comes to weathering storms.
Size/Roominess
The two rooms provided when the divider is attached provide great space for 2 double air mattresses. This tent is not going to sleep six unless your all using sleeping pads and not mattresses or if squeezing in is OK for you all.
The screened room offers useful storage space and can be used for a lounge in warmer weather conditions. There’s no flooring provided for the screened room so a buyer would need to provide a tarp or some kind of carpeting if they needed it.
I would say the Elite is best suited for 2 adults and 2-3 children maximum, although there’s room to work around depending on what your all planning to sleep on.
Weatherproof/Ventilation
This type of cabin shelter is not designed to get people through the worst of storms although some users have been through poor weather conditions and it’s stayed put.
Coleman have ventilation covered well with the interior meshing between the fly and tent that provides air flow and meshed windows that can be opened. The vent at the bottom of the tent that Coleman call the cooler access may help to improve air flow and keep condensation at bay although at that height it won’t help much.
Plenty of users have never had their tent leaked, however, there are also a fair few that have. Our advice would be to test it out properly within the first year of purchase within the warranty period in case it does leak and has to be returned.
Durability
The Coleman Weathermaster Elite 6 if taken care of will last a few years of use. We would question how long the tent light would last as some users have had problems with it, although this is an additional part that wont affect the structure materials.
All the parts which could fail are available from Coleman which includes the poles, light and springs for roll-up windows.
It’s fair to say only normal wear and tear should cause a problem with Elite which is fine for a shelter within this price range.
Value For Money
The Elite is around $40 more than the standard Coleman Weathermaster 6. For the added cost buyers get the roll-up window, tent light and its different in color, so a potential buyer would need to decide if they want or need these features.
Shopping around could pick on of these up for $230 or a bit less which is much better than Coleman’s asking price of $349.99 which gets the vote from us based on value for money.
Summary – Verdict
Small families needing a well ventilated shelter to protect them on summer vacations will love the comfort and room that the Elite Weathermaster offers.
We’re not sure how useful the tent light and roll-up windows are and how long they would last, however, this is something each buyer needs to consider for themselves.
Overall its price tag makes it worth considering and comparing to other 6 person tents or cabin style shelters.