The Columbia Cougar Flats II Family Cabin Dome Tent Review

The Columbia Cougar Flats II Family Cabin Done tent comes in a wheeled carrying bag which makes it easy to transport, although it is a little on the bulky side. The frame itself is made of hybrid steel/fiberglass. The rainfly has a 800 mm waterproof coating. Well now that you know a few facts about the tent let's get right down to the main review of the tent. The price of the tent is currently $279, which is pretty reasonable for the type of tent that you get.

The positive side

The inside of the tent is very roomy and offers plenty of space for your average size family. If you wanted to you could probably fit several air mattresses inside of the tent. The windows are very large, and I like the fact that you can easily zip them up. Also having doors on both sides of the tent is an added plus. At night the zippers on the doors glow so you can easily see them to open the tent door, which is a nice added feature. Inside you will also find a room divider which can easily be zipped up on one side, or both sides for added privacy. I have to say that the room divider is one aspect of the tent that I really like. It allows you to put the kids to bed and the adults can still come in and out of the tent without stepping over them. Under each window they have nice sized ventilation pockets. If it gets too warm in the tent you can open them up to let the air flow through without having to open the window. It also comes with great little accessories like a gear holder that you can hang up inside of the tent. It is strong enough to hold a small light or flashlights, just in case you have to get up in the middle of the night. The floor of the tent is made out of tarp material, so it is a lot stronger and durable when compared with other tent floors. One thing that we were really looking for is a tent that did not allow the moisture to come in from the ground. Early in the morning the dew can seep through and you end up with wet or damp gear. I have to say that there were no signs of moisture inside of the tent after a night of camping. The ground outside of the tent was a little wet, but it did not seep through the floor. Although we did not have any rain during our camping trip, I am confident that this tent would hold up to it. We did however have wind, and I have to say it did really well. You could not feel the wind blowing inside of the tent, so it provided good protection if you did not want to be in the breeze.

The negative side

After unpacking the tent, we had to read the instructions carefully the first time around to really understand how to put it together. I have to say that it did take a while to get it put together the first time. The second time, we really did not need the instructions since most of it is color coded, but it did take just as long to put together. There are a lot of poles and strings to attach with this tent, and it is best if put up by two people to save some time. As with most tents it can not stand up to a cold night. We went camping during the Fall season, and at night and as the temperature dropped it was very cold. In my opinion this tent is best used during the spring, and summer seasons only. Unless of course you upgrade your sleeping bag.

The bottom line is that this is a great family tent. You will have plenty of room for a family of up to six. During the spring and summer months, you can be comfortable, and have the space you need. This tent can also comfortably fit several cots, and an air mattresses. For more pictures of the tent you can visit amazon.com.