A tent you can put up in a few minutes changes a camping trip, mostly at the end of a long drive when the light is going. The Coleman Instant Up 4P Darkroom is built around that idea: the frame is already attached, so there are no poles to sort out. It also uses Coleman’s Darkroom fabric to keep the inside dark when the sun comes up. It’s quite a budget tent, though: there aren’t many fancy features, and the materials are basic. I paid $399 for it, and we took it to Coorongooba Campground in the Capertee Valley.
One note on buying: make sure you get the Darkroom version. Coleman also sells this tent in the Silver Series without Darkroom fabric, which is what our Amazon button links to. The Anaconda button goes to the Darkroom version.
What You’re Getting
A four person cabin-style tent in grey and silver, with a big blue door panel, blue trim around the base and yellow guy ropes. The label on the side reads “Instant Up, Silver Series, 4 Person, 240”, and a round badge marks it as a Darkroom tent.
What we like
- Set up in about 5 minutes
- Darkroom fabric for later mornings
- Guy ropes on every side
- Big front awning, poles included
What we don’t
- Basic materials, thin floor
- Basic carry bag
- Not many extra features
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Coleman |
| Model | 2126162 |
| Waterproof rating | 1500 mm |
| Sleeps | 4 |
| Frame | Pre-attached hub frame |
| Setup | About 5 minutes |
| Seasons | 3 |
| Darkroom | Blocks up to 95% of sunlight |
| Fits | Queen-size air mattress |
| Included | Carry bag2 awning poles |
Setting it up
This is what an Instant Up tent is for. The frame is fixed to the tent body, so setting it up is a matter of unfolding it, extending the legs until they lock and standing it up. There are no poles to thread through sleeves and no clips to find. Coleman puts it at under two minutes. For us, the core frame takes a few minutes, and the whole job is done in around five, including attaching the rainfly and staking it down. That’s quick for a tent this size.
The guy ropes come pre-tied, and they’re worth using. The walls are tall and nearly straight, which is great for space inside but catches the wind. With every rope staked out, the tent sits firm.
Darkroom fabric
Darkroom is Coleman’s blackout fabric. According to Coleman, it blocks up to 95% of sunlight and brings the temperature inside down by up to 5 °C, so the tent stays darker and cooler long after sunrise. A circle ventilation system keeps air moving through it. If you’ve ever been woken at five in the morning by a tent glowing in the first light, that’s the point of it.
Weather protection
Coleman’s WeatherTec system is about keeping water out at the places it usually gets in. The floor is welded, not stitched, and the seams are turned inward, so rain running down the walls doesn’t find its way through. The fly is ripstop and fully seam sealed, and the fabric is rated to 1500 mm. It’s a three season tent: made for spring, summer and autumn, not for snow.
Shape and space
The cabin shape gives tall walls and a lot of headroom compared with a dome tent of the same size. The big D-shaped front door has a mesh screen, and inside there’s room for a queen-size air mattress. The fly has a large front awning, and two awning poles come in the bag to stand it up; in our photos it’s pegged down at an angle beside the door. There are large windows with roll-up flaps at the back for airflow, and the tent can connect to Coleman’s 2.4 m gazebos for a covered area out the front.
Inside, it’s simple. There are storage pockets on the wall, one with a mesh front, that hold a phone, a torch or keys off the floor. Up at the roof there are hooks where the frame meets, for hanging a lantern.
It’s a car camping tent. With its frame inside, it doesn’t pack down like a hiking tent. It comes with a carry bag, but it’s one to carry from the car to the campsite, not along a trail.
Build and materials
This is where the price shows. It’s quite a budget tent, and the materials are basic. The floor is quite thin, so it’s worth putting a groundsheet or footprint under it on rough or stony ground, and taking care with sharp sticks and stones when you pitch it. The carry bag is basic too.
There also aren’t many fancy features. You get the quick frame, the Darkroom fabric, the front awning, a few wall pockets and lantern hooks, and not much beyond that. That’s fine for weekends and a few nights away; if you camp often or for long stretches, a tent with tougher materials will last better.
Conclusion: Coleman Instant Up 4P Darkroom TentConclusion
The Coleman Instant Up 4P Darkroom is a four person car camping tent with a pre-attached frame: we have it up in around five minutes, fly and pegs included, and Darkroom fabric that keeps the inside dark after sunrise. It has tall walls, a welded floor, a seam-sealed fly with a big front awning and guy ropes on every side. It’s quite a budget tent, though, with basic materials, a thin floor, a basic carry bag and not many extra features. For car campers who want a quick, dark tent for weekends away, it does the job.
A four person car camping tent that’s up in around five minutes, with Darkroom fabric that keeps the inside dark.
It’s a budget tent, with basic materials, a thin floor and few extra features, and it cost us $399.
- Car campers
- Couples
- Weekend trips
For weekends and occasional trips, yes. I paid $399 for a tent that’s up in about five minutes and stays dark in the morning. The materials are basic, so if you camp a lot, a tougher tent will last better.
