The Coleman Northstar X4 Tent is a hardcore tent that makes you feel like you are at the Marriott. Although Coleman has been known for their family camping/entry level camping and backpacking tents, the Exponent line of products takes them to a whole new level.
This tent is in the 4-person category, but we found it easy to fit 6 people in the tent, so with 4 people, you can spread out plenty. We were able to fit two adults and two 65lbs dogs in one section of the tent to give you the size of one half of the tent. On another trip, we took the Northstar X4 tent camping with 3 people and two dogs and the tent fit everyone and once again, no problem fitting everyone.
For the Northstar X4,Coleman pulled out all the stops and didn’t slack too much when it came to features. One nice feature that we liked was the middle divided, which you could put up just a screen or if you wanted complete privacy, you could zip up another layer that keeps the other side from seeing you (not the shadows though). The tent has plenty of zip up and down windows, which was nice when it was hot during the morning and later in the day, but when it got cold, we just zipped them back up. We mention this, but it is pretty standard on most tents. If you need to escape during the night when nature calls, no need to worry about waking up others, there are 4 doors! This is a little excessive, but for those who don’t like roughing it, 4 doors might be necessary!
Now on to discussing the set up: it took us between 30-50 minutes to set up, but it shouldn’t take you 50 minutes that often, we were in 60 mph winds during that setup. The poles are heavy duty poles that are not lightweight, but do set up pretty easy. Coleman suggest that you use two people to set up, and we would have to agree with them. We were able to get it set up with one person as we wanted to test our skills, but it was much easier with two people. To give you a comparison with regards to normal setup time, it typically takes us 5-10 minutes to set up most other tents.
The Northstar X4 is fairly tall, so one might imagine that it would get blown around in the rain and wind. We had the joy of experiencing 80 mph winds while attempting to sleep and had no worries about the tents durability and structural soundness.
So who would we suggest this tent for? We think that it is an excellent choice for family of 4 (or more with kids) or a group of friends doing a little car camping. The tent, because of its size, does not pack down all that well but comes with a handy carry bag that has dividers to keep the poles, stakes, fly, and body of the tent organized. For the more tech and gear oriented people who like a lightweight and compact tent, you may want to check out other tents we have reviewed on our site and out on the market. For more info on the Northstar X4 Tent and other Coleman gear, visit www.coleman.com or www.amazon.com/coleman.
Details
Four person basecamp tentUses materials commonly found in backpacking tentOffers spaciousness, ventilation, and shelter usually found in a backpacking tentFour large doors with panels for increased ventilationTwo large dry-entry vestibules prevent water from dripping inside tent when opened for ventilationCabin style tentSleeps four peopleWeights 31 pounds, average packed weightFloor dimensions are 12 ft x 7 ftPeak height is 6 ft (72 in)Screen room is 7 ft x 6 ftFour doorsTwo vestibulesTwo awning polesFloor area is 84 sq inVestibule is 18 + 18 sq ftMesh roof with zip panels for ventilation controlFly vestibule design allows various openings for multiple ventilation configurationsTaped, full coverage poly ripstop fly maintains a tight pitch even in wet conditionsNon-yellowing, non-clouding, clear TPI film windows for great sunlight and viewsColor coded, lightweight aluminum poles set up quicklySimple to use, removable pole clips snap quickly into place for ventilation between tent and flyEasily adjust tension between the tent and frame with tension strapsTwo additional poles create convenient side awning for covered entryFly fabric is 75D 210T polyester ripstop• Fly coating is 3000 mm PU/WR/FRInner fabric is 70D nylon ripstop (FR/WR)• Floor fabric is 210D nylon oxfordFloor coating is 3000 mm PU/WR/FRPoles are 6061 T6 aluminum, 16mm diameter (1.15mm wall)Mesh is 50D polyester (no-see-um)Stakes are aluminum, 6mm diameter by 19cm length
