Columbia Cougar Flats Six to Eight-Person Two-Room Cabin Tent Reviews

• Best tent ever!

  
  By A1D6W9XN09DP4Q on 2005-07-14
  I purchased this tent as we now take many trips to the lake throughout the summer! It is great! It is divided in half and seperated by a zipped divider. The one end is a screened area and can be accessed on both sides. The other end has 2 bay windows and a larger window. This tent can easily sleep 8. There is just 4 of us (2 adults, 2 kids), so we lay 2 inflated queen size mattress on the sleeping side (side by side) and put a table, our clothes, food (no bears at this lake), etc on the screened side. No ants have been able to get in.
  
  I also like the fact that you have to go thru the screened end of the tent before the sleeping part. Reduces the chances of bugs getting into the sleeping end. We only had 1 flying bug on the sleeping side in the 4 days we were camping.
  
  The tent was very easy to put together - literally took less than 10 mins (after the first time). The poles have colored coded dots on them - just match the colors and wah lah - tent is up. The rain fly is also easy to put on. The inner "floor" is very strong. No rock or jagged punctures to tent floor.
  
  Great craftsman ship! Great product!
  
  I definately recommend this tent. This is the 2004 model, there is a 2005 model but I don't think Amazon sells it.
  
  

• Solidly built tent that is spacious and dry

  
  By A973BI9C16LMW on 2005-08-08
  Just returned from a week long camping trip with my family (2 adults - 2 kids) and I must say that this tent was great. I spent a long time analyzing tents from all manufacturers - trying to find the best of comfort, quality and size. I bought (and returned) 2 similarly sized but cheaper Coleman brand tents and was very disappointed with the quality when I set them up in my backyard. Cheap feeling material and broken-out-of-the box poles and zippers caused me to re-evaluate. It comes down to - you get what you pay for. This Columbia tent lived up to all of its great reviews! Materials on this tent feel more rugged that the Coleman brand. In 4 very strong thunderstorms, only 1 resulted in any water within - amounting to just a teaspoon of water during the entire night. It came in through a seam where the label was sewn on. This was trivial to me - some seam sealer will resolve this. Oh, and during at least 2 of the storms, I was able to have most of the windows cracked open for air flow and the dormer windows almost completely open (because of their angle)
  
  The tent is very easy to set up and VERY easy to fold and get back into the bag! Zippers feel solid and I like the many places to "hang things" from the inside.
  
  Highly recommended.
  
  

• Plenty of room and fresh air

  
  By A1T1LULAGIRCUC on 2006-04-27
  I just returned from a camping weekend in VA and this tent took the most severe thunderstorm I've seen in ten years with zero damage.
  
  My only suggestion for improvement concerns the rainfly. Columbia should give it a canopy for the main entrance. It's hard to care that the floor is waterproof if the inside gets soaked because the entrance is poorly/improperly sheltered. There is only about two inches of overhang at the doors, which means slightly sloped entrance can VERY quickly collect far more H20 than you'd care to sleep on. That's a serious design flaw in my opinion, which killed an otherwise stellar review.
  
  The set-up instructions were pretty clear, and that's coming from someone who gets confused putting things together for the first time with only a diagram and blurry photos as guides. When they improve the rainfly design, I'll buy another one.
  
  
  
  

• Confortable for 4 peole

  
  By A1HNT0XP0CE09T on 2005-11-19
  I am from the rainforest of Panama ... and we have rain like no place on earth. The tent passed the test. We did not get water in but it was damp caused by osmosis. Size wise , in my opinion the tent is confortable for 4 people. To accomodate eight people as suggested I frankly find it difficult. The first time we set up, took us more than an hour. Written instructions are poor or my english defficient .. but after we figured out every aspect of the tent, now we can set up in about 20 minutes. I am happy with my tent, however more traveling is ahead and we shall see how it goes under different weather and terrain conditions.
  
  

• This is an awesome tent

  
  By AQ8D86L9MZK4J on 2006-06-30
  I bought this tent after looking around for awhile. This tent had the some of the best reviews of any tent I could find online. I was lucky enough to see one set up as a display at Bass Pro Shops, and after reading the reviews and seeing one in person, I bought this tent. We just had our first child, and this tent has more than enough room for all our gear, a play pen and all of my sons gear too.
  
  I did not have time to apply seam sealer before we left for our first camping trip in this, and I was lucky enough that it didn't rain, until our last day. It sprinkled for 30 minutes, then poured for 30 minutes, and not one drop got inside this tent.
  My last tent was only tall enough to stand up in the middle, this tent is tall enough to stand up anywhere inside. And that was extremely nice!!!
  
  I set it up by myself when it arrived (couldn't wait for my wife). It took me about 45 minutes and I was just taking my time. When we went camping, it only took about 15 minutes in the dark. It goes together easily, and comes down easily.
  
  The only bad thing I would say about this tent is as some other reviewers said about the zipper around the door, it is easy to get the fabric covering the zipper in the zipper. Kinda frustrating at 3 in the morning when you gotta go! It just took a few times to learn to hold the fabric back as you zip, problem solved. Also the zippers have large pulls on them which makes it easy to grab and open/close as needed.
  
  The gear loft is very nice as we had magnetic fans that we attatched to it and it held the weight of them fine. Also the storage bag is nice, you know how you cant ever quite get something packed the way it came out when it was new, not a problem here, the bag unzips around the bottom to expand. I am leaving it expanded to accomodate some extras I bring along. Also it is on wheels, so I just rolled it right out of the back end of my vehicle and straight to our site.
  And it came with "real" tent stakes, not those cheap coat hanger ones that bend easily.
  
  UPDATE (09/14/2007) -- after having used this tent for almost 2 years now, I can say it is as good as when we bought it. I never have sealed the seams, and it has seen its share of rain, and has not leaked AT ALL. After seting it up around 15 times it still looks new, no tears or rips anywhere. A few of the shock-corded poles you can tell the shock cord was getting stretched out, so using a wire, I pulled it out from the end of the pole, tied a knot about 4 inches down and cut the excess off, now they are as tight as new. I am looking forward to having this tent for years to come.
  
  
• Great tent!
  By AIDOXJWKW7B84 on 2005-10-10
  This tent was referred to as the 'condo' on our recent camping trip. Even though we were set up next to motor homes our tent held its own with its great size and look. The tent was easy to set up once we quit looking at the poorly written instructions. Lots of nice storage inside. We were in pooring rain for 6 days and once we figured out we had the rainfly on backwards we stayed completely dry. The tent was so easy to take down and store in its own bag.
  
  
• solid
  By A1T7FYOODKH4PQ on 2005-11-14
  We recently purchased this tent and have been enjoying it. It is a nice solid tent. The fabric feels substantial and durable to the touch. Even the screens feel durable. The zippers are smooth and the flaps all close without leaving gaps at the corners. The bottom feels tough also. We still put a tarp under it but that is just to be sure... Set up isn't too bad. Took about 40 minutes the first time and has been taking about 15-20 on subsequent tries. Take-down takes about 20 min also. The carying bag is excellent. We pack out tent tightly and even have room for our under-tent tarp in the bag. The tent stakes are solid also. The tie-backs for the window flaps inside are convienently located and do a good job of keeping the rolled flaps out of the way. The inside accessories are ok. We haven't used the cupholders, don't know if we ever will. The shelf is small but would hold a few small things. The sewed-in storage bags are nice though. Convenient for wallets, flashlights.... The light inside is a light, what more can you say. Take note, the light reomte takes an unusual battery, like a camera battery so buy one before you go or you might not find it in the wild. If you don't install the rainfly the view of the sky is really good. The ventilation with the windows open is good, of course about 80% of this tent is window, but the flaps do well at providing privacy when desired. Keep in mind, even though there is 150 sq. ft. of floor, the dividev is there so you probably won't get a king size airmattress in here. It will sleep 4 large cots well though, 2 on each side.
  In closing, we have no regrets about buying this tent. It appears that, as I have said in other reviews, you get what you pay for.
  
  
• Great Tent
  By A1W7ZA8Z3BVPCO on 2005-09-13
  This is a big tent! Read the setup directions carefully, and setup is a breeze for 2 people in 15-20 minutes. Make sure you open the windows when you take it down to ease the air flow out as you roll it up.
  Poles are color coded for easy setup, but the stickers may come off, so maybe nailpolish dots would work.
  Quality workmanship is everywhere in this tent.
  Fantastic venting system for good airflow. The pop-out windows are incredible! They provide great ventilation on a rainy day and they look sooooo cool!
  The loft is great, as are the cupholders. Not sure about the hanging shelf. It hangs in an akward place and doesn't work well for us, but might for others.
  Windows and doors roll up nicely and hook up w/ great toggles that are "just right". The screens on the roof are great for venting and stargazing.
  The carrybag is wonderful, with zip pockets for stakes and directions attatched to the inside. The wheels rolled very well at every location we were at, and help with moving this tent.
  The fly is not like those on a backpacking tent, but it should suffice in normal camping conditions.
  This is a great tent for families and those of us who are tired of rolling out of bed on a damp morning. Cots fit nicely in the bedroom area. Being able to stand up and stretch or have coffee inside is great for those of us who have moved to car camping.
  All in all, a great tent for the money.
  
  
• Really held up in tough weather
  By A1MDRKNKPMAK04 on 2005-09-29
  So far so good, we had one day of nothing but rain and the tent only leaked minimally at the seams where the stake loops are sewn on. I am very pleased with the spaciousness and wind blocking capabilities of this tent. I will never buy a tent without a seperate rainfly again, I love it! The double doors also came in handy. The bay windows are great because you can still have ventilation in wet weather without getting the inside of the tent soaked. The gear hammock was a good place to put things up from my toddler and the shelf was nice to keep certain lightweight things up off the floor and possible moisture.
  
  
• Columbia Cougar Flats Cabin tent
  By A1N64FZ8XMHNR5 on 2005-06-27
  My husband and I bought this tent as we decided we were getting too old to be crawling into our dome tent. It was very easy to put up and took us less than a half an hour. It took about the same to take it down. We both thought it was easier than the dome tent. And it was so nice to be able to stand up. We use the second room to set up a little table and few chairs and our "stuff". The second room is great for those days you are rained in playing cards or visiting with friends. We are looking forward to enjoying it more and more. I highly recommend it.
  
  
• Leaked everywhere but looks pretty
  By A1R26EIH76J3FU on 2006-12-15
  We have been camping for many years and wish we could have replaced our old canvas tent but it has been discontinued. We put up the Columbia Cougar Flats tent just before we were going to camp out and we are so glad it rained. The first and foremost problem with the tent was that it leaked at all the horizontal wall seams. Even the fly leaked through the seems causing our bedding to get wet. The zippers take a bit of tender care to make sure that they do not snag when crossing a transitional seem. The zipper - pull situation is just plain frustrating. That brings me to the next point of the entrance - Another flaw in the design: The fly overhangs the entrance door so that all the rain rolling off of it falls right inside the tent! Remember comment above (Try to get in the tent quick during a rain - forget it).
  
  I did a lot of research on the Cougar Flats before I bought it and was impressed with all the good comments that I had read about it. I was just a little concerned about the zippers but figured that I am patient (Hmmmn Rain??)
  
  I have to agree with J.J. Kid: "Every time this happens, the door swings inward, and all of the water on the outwardly-sloping door runs all over the floor as the door swings inward; if you try to hold onto the door so that it doesn't swing inward, you basically are "touching the side of the tent" while it's raining, and all of us campers KNOW what that means...if you touch a tent side when it rains, water leaks through the spot where you touched, and it continues to leak until it has had a chance to completely dry-out. All of this is compounded with the major zipper problem at the door...what a pain in the butt! Omigosh! By the end of two and a half days of rain, I was ready to tear the stupid zipper off of the tent. The fact that the zipper got caught unless you used two hands to mess around with it, was only half of the source of my frustration. The zipper pull on the zipper itself (not the cloth-pull, but the metal-pull) kept swiveling in such a way as to make it impossible to zip the zipper at all unless you straightened it out, and then pulled it shut (again, requiring two hands); all of THIS, as I stood hunched over with my back becoming thoroughly drenched and the skies pouring out its rains directly into the tent because the rainfly is deficient in sheltering the door."
  
  Amen to the above statement!!!
  
  I wouldn't buy this tent again unless they redesigned the rain-fly to be some sort of a canopy which shelters the doorway. We were so glad when we set it up and saw how spacious it was. It took my wife and myself 20 minutes to put it up and that was really nice. And the sun was shining and so was my wifes face. After yesterdays rain All day and everything wet I went to the store and bought a Coleman 6 person Denali.
  
  Oh, by the way this is the 3rd replacement tent of the same Columbia model.
  The first one came delivered in a broke open box and had red staining all over the tent(I have the pics for proof)
  The second one had a hole about the size of a dime in the floor (I didn't even take it out of the carrying case. Just unzipped it and called Amazon to replace it.)
  The third one came delivered with the same red staining on the beige areas but we said to ourselves we would just have to ignore it(PS The 1st thing my relatives pointed out to us when the saw it was " Do you realize this tent is stained? Looks like it was wet then boxed")
  
  I don't usually write comments on products actually this is my 1st because of all the frustration and time involved trying to get a tent.
  
  Yes, It's big
  Yes, It's pretty
  Yes, It's quick to set up and take down
  Yes, It's nicely vented
  And for as long as it's nice weather and sunny outside - It's a nice tent
  
  BUT and a BIG But....
  If it's raining outside beware - I told you so! I can't say that to my wife ;)
  The fly is poorly designed - everything runs off onto the sidewalls & inside the entrance door.
  The zippers are poorly designed - they catch when crossing the seems
  The entrance is poorly designed (Door falls inward letting all rain and fly runoff inside of the tent
  Happy camping everyone
  
  
• Camping in luxury
  By A20XP7XZEOOPYO on 2005-08-21
  I had been 'eyeing' this tent for quite some time. I finally decided to purchase it in early August. I just got done with a week of camping at Lost Lake in Hood River, Oregon. The tent was well packaged in its carry bag, the instructions were very easy to follow, and the tent was up in about 30 minutes. I think that is pretty good considering it was the first time I had set it up. Columbia's Customer Service was great; I phoned them regarding seam sealer and they recommended a brand and that I seal it as soon as possible. The GoBe Dry System seems very effective, though I must admit we had no rain during our trip. I can testify to the Cyclone Venting System however, it worked wonderfully! The tent stayed a consistent cool temperature during the hot day, and retained a lot of heat at night, it was very comfortable. Columbia's patented bay windows were a nice touch and added a bit of privacy. The remote control light and remote needs batteries which are common to most stores. The light has 3 places that it can be affixed with velcro, 2 inside on the top and one outside by the front door. While the light was not too bright, it was definitely effective in providing enough to get around inside the tent. The gear loft is ideal for wet swimming suits, and the cup holders were very convenient. If there were any drawback to this tent I would say it was the positioning of the doors. You can only enter and exit out of one half of the tent; the side with the bay windows has no door so if you have children or guests staying in the rear half they would have to open into the front half of the tent and then open the door to get out. I would find it more appropriate to have a door for each half of the tent. The tent suited my needs however. I would definitely recommend purchasing this tent, you most certainly get what you pay for. The limited lifetime warranty that Columbia offers is nice, covering things such as faulty seams and zippers. If you get an opportunity to own this tent, leave the rainfly off and gaze out at the stars, the view is magnificent!
  
  
• Pros and Cons - Full Listing
  By A3VWFCRA7VXX9C on 2007-02-09
  Have used this tent for camping 18 times over the past six months: (yes, we go almost every weekend)
  
  Pros:
  1. Very spacious inside.
  2. Great headroom for people over 6 feet.
  3. Ventilation excellent with huge windows front and back.
  4. Bay windows allow ventilation at night when dew is falling. Great idea!
  5. Easy to set up - 2 adults, 20 minutes.
  6. Able to move it after we set it up, without having to take it back down.
  7. Overhead cargo space, didn't expect to use it, but now it's always full, very handy feature.
  8. Heavy duty floor has resisted punctures.
  9. Overall quality is good with some exceptions I will note below.
  
  CONS:
  1. During heavy rainstorm, water pools in the interior seams. If rain stops soon enough seams don't spill over. If rain continues, water starts to come over the seam. Seam sealer did prevent some of this, but we're still finding small spots that weren't seam-sealed enough. (We ended up with small puddles along the edges of the tent in about six locations)
  
  2. Fly is fading to a pink color after 18 uses in Florida sunshine. (six months) I am afraid the fading also means the UV rays are weakening the fabric, which is expected eventually but not within six months.
  
  3. Zippers require two hands to open. A solution that makes zipping easier is to not crossover the seam. Use the top zipper down to the seam, the bottom zipper up to the seam. Still requires two hands, but is easier.
  
  4. Fly does not protect anything but the roof of the tent. Major design flaw here. Entrance is exposed as are all windows. One extra foot of fly on all sides would have made this tent a perfect 5 star.
  
  5. Entrance door soak interior if it is raining.
  
  6. We found the divider to be annoying after a while, so we ended up cutting it out. Didn't affect structure and is more efficient now.
  
  In summary, this is a fantastic fair-weather tent. It's a so-so foul weather tent. Our tent last year was a coleman 3 room and the design and protection from the elements was better. Although it fell apart after one camping season. (UV ray problem again)
  
  
• Great Tent
  By A2OO0ZAPSOZ664 on 2005-09-18
  We purchased this tent after taking back a Coleman family tent since the fabric looked flimsy. We have just finished our first camp out with the Columbia Cougar and are very happy with it. It has plenty room for two adults and two/three kids. My wife & I can put it up in about 10-15 min. But, I suggest a trial run at home first.
  Also, it rained and the tent did not leak. It has a seperate rain fly that sits about 3 inches above the tent roof and the rain just runs off. A lesson learned - don't put up this tent in the rain. The tent (without the rain fly) has a mesh roof in many places. This is great in good weather, but since the instructions say to put up on the rain fly after the tent is up, if its raining when setting up, the inside of the tent gets wet. Other than this operator error, the tent is a good value.
  
  
• My favorite tent
  By A1QC5ADW3DTGQI on 2006-06-30
  I've had several two-person and family tents - this one is my favorite. I've always gotten the dome-style (less embarrassingly huge) tent instead of this mammoth, but I consider this an upgrade.
  
  Quality was very good. I thought I would be spoiled by my L.L. Bean tent, but actually prefer this one for the bells and whistles (included gear loft! and shelves! etc.).
  
  Rain protection excellent.
  
  Some tips for best avoiding problems in the rain: MAKE SURE you use ALL included stakes and lines for the tent -- use the attached guy lines on the windows and stake down all points. I set up the tent in my yard just before 10 days of straight rain and very little got into the tent when it was staked down. Actually, not much got in otherwise, but without the stakes the windows can revert inside the tent and collect a little water.
  
  Also, make sure the rain fly is fairly snug -- if not, it will hold gallons and gallons of water (because it is waterproof!) and eventually be too heavy to stay up properly. When tightened correctly, it sheds water very well. It was up in our yard for a long time (during the rainstorm and after to dry out) and I was glad of a chance to try it out in the worst rain conditions. We wouldn't stay camping in such a downpour, but we could have if necessary (and if set up properly!).
  
  Most amazing is the customer service of Columbia -- five stars right there. We had one small problem and they corrected it immediately, with no hassle at all on our part. Good move on their part, as we will be repeat customers as a result.
  
  Setup was fairly simple, with the exception of the very first step -- we had to guess at where the first poles went. (They go across the short ends of the tent, at the ends.) After that, piece of cake.
  
  I really like this tent and would buy another if it weren't so huge that my whole family and the neighbors could fit in it. It's very heavy but worth hauling around the extra weight. Doors and screens are all very well thought out.
  
  
• Is it a tent or is it a condo?
  By A3V1W4NV6WO4XT on 2006-09-06
  Just received the tent last week, and took it for a test drive this weekend in the back yard.
  
  Folks, I will tell you that all you've read about the directions being obscure is true. The roof "trusses" are the most confusing part ... I tried to put the bay window poles in as the "short" roof poles (heck, how was I to know the difference?), and worried and fretted over it before finally seeing that there were other short poles available. And it took me a while to figure out what "sleeves" on the roof were to hold which poles.
  
  I put it up by myself; it's not impossible, and next time it'll go much more smoothly. Once I had the roof together, the side poles and rain fly were no problem. There's tons of clever ingenuity and engineering that went into this monster. It's supposed to sleep 8, but I'm afraid 8 would redefine "family togetherness." Two adults, four kids sounds more reasonable, and a family of four would have space galore.
  
  So, when my wife came home and saw it in the yard, she said, "I see the circus is in town." The high ceiling is a definite plus. And I was also intrigued with the cyclone venting ... I could feel air moving in the tent even with no breeze.
  
  Oh, yeah ... I did break one of the skinny bay window poles on my first setup. One phone call took care of that, at no charge. How's that for service?
  
  I think this one's a winner. A more accurate rating would be 4 1/2, because of the goofy instuctions, but it tilts more toward a 5 than a 4. Hence, my rating.
  
  
• You won't be disappointed!
  By ABAL91AOWO9NW on 2005-09-21
  went camping over labor day weekend and this tent was fantastic! I loved looking out the sky lights in the morning, you could see squirrels in the trees to seeing the stars by just laying in bed! The height is perfect because you can stand all the way up in this tent, no bugs, and a lot of room. Easy to get up and a breeze to bring down. It comes with a nice canvas bag with wheels and the tent fits back into the bag very easily. I love the remote light that you can velcro to the tent, just enough light in the dark. I love the colors of this tent and the bow windows! It is nice to have a tent where you can be comfortable in, do it right the first time, you get what you pay for! and after all this is so worth the money and more. Choose the cougar Flats Tent, you'll be stylin! trust me!
  
  
• Space galore & rainproof!
  By A21IXGXKPPM37I on 2006-09-07
  We just took this tent out camping last week for the first time. We are renters and have no yard to practice putting this monster up so we went to a park and scratched our heads trying to figure out the roof poles. To try to help, there are three size flexible poles(2 each size), the two smallest are for the bay windows. the middle size go in the red roof sleeves and the largest go in the black sleeves. Once you solve this problem, this tent goes up in a snap! I really don't see how one person can possibly put up this tent. Some of these reviewers must have eaten their Wheaties!
  
  We left for our vacation to camp in Michigan during a monsoon. My biggest complaint about this tent is simply that if it is raining out, unless you drape the rainfly over it while elevating it...it is impossible to keep the inside dry. Having said that, we did just that and draped the rainfly over it after we got the roof poles in.
  
  It rained for over 24 hours straight and not a drop got in the tent brand new out of the box. No seam sealer required. Once the weather cleared up, we were able to play with all the bells and whistles and were blown away at how cool and large this tent really is. For two people we loved how we could use the front half for chairs etc to hang out in playing cards, and use the other half for sleeping.
  
  This tent easily folds back into the nice storage case. Even though the poles are color coded with stickers, I brought a silver sharpie to mark the poles in case the stickers fell off with all the rain. (Which a few did).
  
  I wish that the tie down ropes were not black. In the pitch dark silly me kept tripping over them. I will say even tripping on them, they stayed sturdy and messed me up more than the tent.
  
  The biggest thing I can say about this tent is that...even during a 24 rainstorm I felt safe and dry. This tent does have alot of windows so I was pleasantly suprised at this fact.
  
  No tent is perfect, but this baby sure comes close! I can't wait to go camping again!
  
  
  
  
  
• Lots of room and fresh air
  By A267HXET69JV1T on 2005-09-08
  We've taken this tent on only 3 trips so far but love it already. It has enough space for even someone 6 1/2 feet tall to stand up comfortably, plus plenty of space for our dog and to store our belongings without having to trip over things. The ability to zip down all the windows to screen is a great feature. Even when it's hot out it stays cooler inside than any other tent I've ever had. We've only had it rain once but not a drop of water got in the tent.
  
  
• Very good Quality
  By AWB9RIN3XY91M on 2005-09-07
  We bought two tents before this one and returned them for poor construction and design. We purchased ours at our local Dick's store. We had a Coleman before, used it one week camping and returned it after our trip for poor design. My husband and I were able to stand up in this tent compared to the Coleman. We also liked all the windows and doors and the split rooms. One night we slept seven people in the tent with room for one more. The gear loft was great for placing the kids PJ's. Did not use the cup holders or shelf, but with less people next trip we may. Great quality material. We had bought the Eddie Bauer cabin tent from target and returned it immediatelty upon opening and attepmting to put up. The Columbia tent is up in less than 10 minutes. One person could put up if needed. Great tent!
  
  
• First trip with this tent and it gets high marks!
  By A39I97EBZ56MX1 on 2006-06-07
  My wife and I usually camp 3 or 4 times per summer and we decided it was time to retire the old tent and buy a new one. Based on reviews here, I purchased the Columbia Cougar Flats tent.
  
  My previous tent was a Hilary and I could set that thing up in under 10 minutes in the pitch dark. I set this one up in the backyard before our trip and it took me about 25 minutes the first time (alone). I found the directions somewhat vague and at times confusing, but ended with a more thorough knowledge through trial and error.
  
  Fast forward to this past weekend and our first camping trip with both boys (18mths and 6yrs). Mother Nature did not want to cooperate as they were calling for showers most of the weekend. Against our better judgement, we went anyway. My wife and I set the tent up in under 15 minutes and it looked great. Soon into our trip, the skies opened up and it rained off and on through the evening and all night long. We left the bay windows open the whole time and cracked the others at the top. With the exception of some condensation on the inside of the end windows that were zippered down 8-10 inches, everything remained dry. We did have a tarp under the tent and put seam sealer on before we left, but this tent gets high marks.
  
  My only complaint (and it is minor) would be with the zippers on the doors. They tend to get stuck because of the 'crossover' half way down. I'm sure this design is to keep the rain out, but the time it takes you to get past this you tend to let more rain in.
  
  One more note: The carrying case is wonderful. I've unpacked and packed that thing 3 times now and each time it goes back into the case with little difficulty. The wheels are great for moving it and it feels very sturdy. Oh and the remote light was my son's favorite feature.
  
  Good work on this fine tent!
  
  
• A Great Car Camping Family Tent
  By A8SX9XF0O12ZH on 2006-12-28
  This is a great tent to buy IF you have a family, are car camping, and don't want to spend an 'arm and a leg' to get a good quality tent. To find this tent I had researched much by asking many questions of retail sales persons, reading many manufacturers descriptions of family car-camping type tents, talking to friends and aquaintences of types of tents they would recommend, narrowed down a few selections to my price range, and read comments from owners who had purchased tents that they valued as worthy for others to consider buying, like this one. I have to say that this tent is pretty much as others have described it to be. It is very roomy and has plenty of (height)head room. There are only two minor complaints that I have. First, the room divider does not come out, meaning it would be better if it was velcroed to the exterior walls as opposed to sewn to them. But part of the wall can be rolled vertically to create an opening. Second, the light that comes with the tent does not come with a battery to run it. And the type of battery needed is not to be found in any store I have gone to that sells batteries. This is a frustration since the remote controlled light was a selling point. Neither of these issues detracts from the condition of the tent itself, however. The tent is constructed well and it does take about 20-30 minutes with two persons to assemble it as others have said. But once it is up, it is nice! I had read from one pleased owner that their tent leaked ever so slightly in a rain storm. So I applied seem sealer right away to make sure I wouldn't have a similar problem. I think it is worth the precaution no matter what tent is purchased. My family and I love the second door on the tent as well as the ventelation system for great air circulation. The construction of the tent, poles, zippers, straps, and even the tote with wheels are excellent. A great tent for the car camping family!
  
  
• Very comfortable with a lot of space
  By A2H121AS76JS70 on 2005-07-23
  I am very happy with this tent. It is roomy with enough hight for an adult to stand up, and its ventillation helps maintain decent temperature even in extremely hot days.
  
  
• Great Quality
  By A1IJCNF8QNCOIK on 2006-05-02
  I did a lot of research before buying this tent (too much actually). I was looking at the one Sam's club sells, but North Pole, the people that make Columbia's tent under their private label said it is a lower grade. When I first received this tent, I was impressed with the quality of it, the stitching, the thickness of the fabric, etc.
  
  I have been using it since Oct 2005. Last weekend we had a strong thunderstorm, but it kept us completely dry. I used the seam sealer Walmart sells on what seams that are not already sealed by the manufacture - not sure if this helped or not. The pole for the window was broken, which we must have done the previous camping time as we were in a hurry to beat the rain that was coming (taking it down). I called their cs people and I didn't even have to ask for a new one, he just asked a few questions and took my mailing info. They are shipping me a new one! Talking about service from the manufacture! The only problem I have is the zipper on the door (the side we use all the time) has a tendency to skip the track all the time unless you close it a certain way. I'm not sure if it is just my tent or what, but that isn't that big of a deal. Other than that, I am very happy and that was a well $230 spent. Like they say, you get what you pay for!
  
  
• Huge, but flimsy. Difficult to set up/take down. (very) heavy
  By ANEXTNB6KT4QV on 2008-01-22
  As a fmr. Boy Scout (Eagle), I have a some experience with tents. I bought this one for car camping to compliment the Mountain Hardware tent I have for backpacking.
  
  This tent is HUGE. I mean really large. The usable space side to side and standing up is startling to those to visited. "The Taj MaTent" it was called. We could put a table, chairs and a queen air mattress inside. Amazing.
  
  Then the winds started.
  
  The first time we pitched it was in Big Sur. Big Mistake. The design of the half rainfly and high walls makes for superior venting and superior space, but in a strong breeze, this thing will flap around so badly that you will not be able to sleep. It continued to scare my wife into thinking that it was going to collapse. All night. Very little sleep.
  
  This is either a design flaw or a poor choice of tents for car camping with a chance of strong winds. The video embedded in Amazon's review suggests that the tent survived the wind. It did not suggest the decibel level inside during the onslaught. A tent with slides that slope more is all I will ever buy from now on because I might pitch the thing in an unprotected environment susceptible to strong winds.
  
  The next time I pitched the thing, it was destroyed by wind. More poles were broken than I thought that this tent had (8). Columbia will replace these for $10 each, but the flimsy tent stake loops also ripped in two places. The hooks that attach to the poles ripped in four places. Used steel reinforcement bars and duct tape to hold the tent together until the end of the trip. The rainfly ripped from its attachments to the base.
  
  We threw the tent out, but kept the functional wheel-away bag. That thing by itself probably weighs five pounds. This tent is heavy.
  
  Regarding setup, I have read the reviews saying it is easy. I didn't think so after two outings. It isn't terrible, but by the standards of other quality brands, it is below par. I found it to be impossible with only one person and still nontrivial with two. The labeling on the polls themselves make it more complicated than that it has to be.
  
  In summary, I think that this tent is like many of Columbia's products: practical in design and appropriate for the most mild of circumstances (anyone want to camp in the backyard?), but completely inferior in quality to brands like Mountain Hardware, Northface, and Marmot. I don't like the feeling of being not being fulling protected (OK, I don't like the feeling of my family not being protected) from the elements. I am going to reluctantly pay up for my next tent.
  
  
• Great choice!
  By A3EGVRWH3J13T4 on 2006-03-22
  Highly recommend this tent! First-time setup is slow because instructions are poorly written with inadequate illustrations. But subsequent setups were a snap ... didn't even need directions. The color-coded side poles and obvious placement of flex poles on roof make it easy for me (female) and 12-year-old daughter in about 15 minutes (staking takes a bit longer). Plenty of room for small family and could sleep eight easily, but wouldn't leave much room to move around. Our queen size airbed took half of one room leaving other half for clothing and supplies. We used the screen room for food/cooler storage, small table and a couple of chairs. Passed rain test with flying colors and great to be able to leave canopied windows open. Remote light was another nice feature as well as plenty of standing room. Threshold is a little high because of offset bottom seam. I tripped several times before finally wiping out. But haven't tripped since! haha See our beautiful Lake Martin pictures. Happy camping!!!
  
  Addendum 7-27-06: Just returned from a trip to St. Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach, FL where we experienced a storm with such tremendous winds that awnings were torn from travel trailers next to us. Our tent stood fast although she was a dancin'! Never got around to sealing the seams but even with 1.5" of rain, we had only a small spot of wetness in the floor when water ran under the tent and a hand towel took care of that. Note to self: seal seams!!! I still love this tent!
  
  
• This tent rocks!
  By A370JM3Q3T5W06 on 2006-04-25
  This is a tough, well-made tent with great ventilation and no leaks. My husband and I just returned from an extended camping trip to the mountains of north Georgia, and we weathered a some roaring thunderstorms and all-night rains without the nightmare of seeing our gear floating in the tent the next morning.
  
  Being baby boomers who are past the point of being able to pull on our jeans while lying down in a backpacking tent, we decided to invest in the Cougar Flats for our car camping. Great decision! The tent is roomy - we use one side for sleeping on a double-height queen Aero bed, with a couple of feet clearance on either side of the mattress. The other side of the tent is given over to gear storage, chairs, and being able to get dressed standing up! My 6'2" husband has head room to spare.
  
  In addition to the obvious space and protection, I was pleasantly surprised by a couple of extra finishing touches: the zipper pulls with the Columbia logo on them gently glow in the dark, and the guy lines that are attached to the rain fly have reflective fibers woven into them - you won't trip over a line when the light from your lantern bounces back at you!
  
  The one option we wish were available on the Cougar Flats is a vestibule to attach to the entrance. During a downpour, you have to conscientiously open the door flap to the outside when entering or exiting the tent. Otherwise, you end up with water dripping from the flap onto the floor. A minor annoyance, though - you learn quickly to guide the flap outside.
  
  I strongly endorse this tent - can't wait for Memorial Day weekend to go out again!
  
  
• Torrential Rain No Match for Cougar Flats
  By A2ZACG4MPGSQHF on 2006-07-09
  I took this tent to eastern Pennsylvania and camped for 5 days. My camping trip coincided with the torrential rains and flooding experienced all over the east coast in late June of 2006. Although it's never any fun to camp in the rain, my Cougar Flats tent kept me and all my gear thoroughly dry. Not a single leak anywhere. What made this tent particularly nice was being able to move about inside without having to stoop. When I camp, I take *everything*, and arranging it all for comfort and efficiency was absolutely no problem. The "cyclonic" venting system really made a difference in keeping the air moving inside the tent. All the components worked beautifully, from zippers to guy lines to corded poles. No problem setting up or taking down, even in a downpour. One thing I really appreciated was the gear loft -- a great place to spread wet towels to dry when hanging outside isn't an option. I didn't find much use for the corner shelf or the cup holders (nor the remote light) but overall, I'm thrilled with this tent package and can't wait for the next trip out.
  
  
• Very impressed
  By ADHRW7OXPDVW1 on 2007-06-07
  Shopped around a lot and the reviews here helped. Was looking for a large tent to go car camping, so weight wasn't an issue. It had to have room to spare for a queen air mattress and tall enough inside to be able to stand. It also had to have great ventilation since it will be used in warm weather. I have a Eureka 4 person tent I use for hike-in camping, but that is tight to try to live out of for more than one night, so we needed one we could pitch at a drive-in campsite and use as a basecamp. This is VERY simple to put up, the poles are all bungied together and most are color coded with rings of tape. This color coding is essential for quickly sorting the many poles. I am planning to enhance the color coding somehow with more substantial markings as finding the smallish colored tape can take time, especially in the dark. It would have been nice to have a more rugged way to color code the poles besides tape which I am sure will eventually fall off. The first night we used it, we had a steady rain, not a drizzle, but a rain. I had added more seam sealing to the seams around the doorways and large screen windows. The seams were already taped and seam sealed, but I added more anyway. To my amazement, we had very few (2 small) leaks. One was on the windward side of the screen door. I agree with reviews here -- the overhangs on the screendoors could have been larger (that would have helped with the one leak), BUT, that is why there are 2 doors, you can use the opposite door that is downwind when needed. The other leak came down through a seam on the rain-fly and through the screen roof. I admittedly did not add any seam-seal to the rainfly and should have -- (I did afterwards). I was amazed at how leakproof the rainfly was right out of the box, especailly considering that the entire ceiling of the tent is a screen (great ventilation). The side "bay windows" and ground vents provided great drafts so we never felt damp and clammy inside.
  We didn't have any issues with the zippers getting snagged or stuck. The zippers they used are not the cheap ones used on inferior tents that I have had snag. You just have to realize that this a door to a tent, not a screen-porch, and it needs to be treated as such. I'm sure I could have ripped or snagged it if I impatiently muscled them.
  Love the fact that this is free-standing. After removing the rainfly and stakes, we were able to carry the whole intact tent to a dry area and let it air dry and even shake off debris and brush any loose sand/dirt off quickly. Rolling up was a snap. We did find that rolling it up how the instructions suggested made it difficult to fit into the carry case. We have now adopted an easier method. First fold the long side of the tent in half -- this is where it is seamed. Then fold again. You should end up with the TENT LABEL (sewed onto the side) at one end of the resulting rectangle of tent fabric. We then roll from the opposite side of the label so that when you end up, the roll of tent had the label facing out.
  The only reason this didn't get 5 stars is because the previoulsy mentioned "limited" rainfly covering the doors. I will need to work on extending that in a fashion similar to the extended rainfly of my Eureka tent. Overall it is of exceptional quality for the price paid.
  
  
• Wonderful Quality! Wonderful Space!
  By ALFHTHOLQB6RU on 2005-08-31
  Every inch of the Cougar Flats has been constructed with top notch quality. We have owned several tents and none compares to the attention to details such as the snap lock fasteners for the rain fly. The bay windows allow you to partially unzip the window covers even in the rain (makes nice ventilation along with the vortex vents).
  The best feature of all is the height. It is great to be able to walk all through the tent without hitting your head on the top!
  It took a couple of set-ups to become familiar enough so we did not need to refer to the directions. But taking it down was a breeze the first time.
  
  

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