The weight spec on the Coleman 4-person tent made me change my mind about car camping

I always thought heavier gear was just better for durability, but last week I saw a post on a gear forum breaking down that the Coleman Sundome weighs 18 pounds and a comparable REI tent is under 10. That extra 8 pounds adds up quick when you're hauling stuff from the car to a walk-in site a quarter mile away. Has anyone else switched to lighter tents just to avoid that extra strain on your back?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowan22mo ago

Carried a 15 pound cooler a quarter mile to a walk-in site last summer just for the ice to melt before dinner. Now I just bring a soft cooler and buy bagged ice at the camp store.

victorb742mo ago

Dude, exactly. I humped a 40 pound monster cooler half a mile to a backcountry spot last fall and by the time we got there the ice was already half melted. Switched to a soft cooler with frozen water bottles and just grab a bag of ice from the gas station on the way in. Way less hassle.

jordan_anderson9029d ago

Oh man @rowan2 I feel this so hard. I did the same thing last year with a 20 pound cooler, thought I was being smart packing it full of ice packs, and by the time I got to the site everything was warm and the food was basically a soup. Now I just grab a soft cooler and a bag of ice from the camp store too, its so much lighter and I dont have to worry about lugging that heavy thing around. Plus soft coolers pack down flat when youre done, which is a game changer for the drive home.