This Camping Tent Boasts a 1-Minute Setup—Here’s How Long It Really Takes
Updated: Jul. 18, 2023
Camping can be hard. But pitching a tent is easy—and apparently can be done in an instant!
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I’ve been a camper my whole life. Since before I was born, my family has taken camping trips about once a month every summer. As I get older and start dragging my fiancé on these family trips, I decided it was time to invest in a new tent of my own. My family loves a teepee-style tent that’s extremely easy to set up. Determined to find something even better, I settled on the Core 6 Person Instant Cabin Tent.
While my dad and brother usually take over the tent assembly, I was able to build the Core Instant tent in eight minutes with little to no help. It’s one of the best camping tents for any age or experience level.
What is the Core 6 Person Instant Cabin Tent?
The Core instant tent has all of its components built in. What I mean is that there are no detached poles to connect and stick through, a feature that drew me in. It measures about 6 feet tall, enough for me to stand up and move around in. Four windows on the sides and front allow for ventilation, and the ceiling has the same netting.
According to the brand, you can set up the tent in less than a minute. First-timers and camping beginners may need longer than 60 seconds, but from my experience, it’s the easiest tent I’ve put up in years.
Core 6 Person Instant Cabin Tent features
Included with the kit is the lime green and grey tent with pre-attached poles, a rainfly with attached guylines, a wall organizer, a gear loft, tent stakes and a carrying bag. It technically sleeps six inside its 9-by-11-foot surface. But from my experience, three people and some camping gear would fit perfectly (I tested it with my sister).
The best feature of the tent is its pre-attached poles. Almost everything you need is connected to the tent itself. The exterior has H2O Block technology to repel water. Two air intake vents near the bottom of the tent allow for extra ventilation from the ground. Plus, the ceiling has mesh panels for stale air to escape.
Inner organization pouches let you store gear on the tent’s walls and ceiling. An attached mat also serves as a doormat, but I used a piece of cardboard packaging instead as a camping hack.
How I tested it
Over the 4th of July weekend, my family took a trip to our campsite and I was eager to whip out my tent. I kept it in the cardboard box it was shipped in until it was time to set it up. I admit that I watched a set-up demonstration video prior to the trip, so I felt pretty prepared for the task.
Quick Setup
Before even unzipping the carrying case, I laid down a medium-sized tarp to serve as the base for the tent. Once the equipment was out of its storage, I laid the tent on the tarp and set aside the stakes, pouches and rainfly.
Because everything is already attached, save for the stakes and rainfly, all you need to do is start unfolding. The tent is folded like the paper fortune tellers you might’ve seen in elementary or middle school. Once the four corners were untucked and aligned to the tarp, I just pulled each pole until I heard a click.
With the tent popped up, the only extra step is to secure the loops into the ground with the included stakes. Some reviewers suggest investing in stronger stakes for more security. All in all, it took about 8 minutes to assemble. (It would’ve been faster if I hadn’t stopped to inspect my work after each step.)
Rain Test
As luck would have it, it started to pour rain about half an hour after I had assembled the tent. Being that I was surrounded by my stubborn aunts and uncles, they all maintained that I should put a tarp over the tent to prevent water from leaking in. Ever determined to achieve a thorough test, I insisted that the fabric and rainfly would hold up in the rain.
After about an hour of steady rain, I stepped into the tent to inspect the fabric (secretly hoping for the best). The ground and walls were as dry as can be, and I proudly announced to my family that not a drop of water had made it in.
Comfort Level
My sister and I set up air mattresses and our bags and still had plenty of room. While it’s hard to believe six people could fit inside (maybe if half were children), it’s still quite spacious. The organization pouches are handy, and we were able to hang a flashlight from a hook in the ceiling. Overnight, the ventilated windows allowed for a cool breeze. Just keep in mind that someone walking by will be able to see inside.
It didn’t rain again, and temperatures were steady in the 80s. After the weekend, I took down the tent by myself with relative ease. The tarp underneath had small puddles, but overall, the tent held up great. My biggest accomplishment was getting every bit of the tent back in the carrying case without any hiccups. It folds right back up! That means less time stressing and more time doing fun camp activities.
Pros
- Sets up in minutes
- Easy, tool-free assembly
- Includes stakes, a rainfly and organization pouches
- Water repellent fabric
- Fairly easy to repack
Cons
- The zipper catches sometimes
- On the heavier side at 23 pounds
FAQ
Are Core tents good in rain?
Thanks to the H2O Block technology, the Core tent holds up in the rain. It poured for about an hour, and the inside of my tent was completely dry.
How do you set up the Core 6 Person Instant Cabin Tent?
Everything is already preattached and preassembled. All you need to do is unfold, pull the poles until you hear a click and stake the loops into the ground.
What other reviewers had to say
Five-star reviewer Todd and his wife “are just starting to get back into camping.” When trying the tent, he writes, “we had wind, heavy rain and some hail all four nights of our trip, but this tent handled it all. We were concerned when the hail came, but the hail just bounced off the rain fly, no problem—tent completely dry.”
“Please do yourself a favor and get this pop-up tent,” writes verified purchaser Francisco Roman. “We put it to good use not long ago. Traveling to New York, we woke up with it raining and didn’t have any issues with water coming into our tent. Highly recommend.”
“This tent was super easy to put up and take down,” explains five-star reviewer Breanna Howard. “I didn’t realize I would not have to be matching rods and slipping them in fabric when I bought this. What a pleasant surprise I found myself in while putting this tent up, for the first time, in pitch black dark. Definitely worth what I paid for it.”
Final verdict
As someone who has put up hundreds of tents in her lifetime, the preassembled poles alone in the Core Instant Tent make it a worthy purchase. It’s also an amazing camping gift that’s affordable and of great quality.
I also love how spacious it is for two or three people. Camping cots, air mattresses or just sleeping bags can fit inside. It’s so simple to assemble and I’m excited to keep putting my tent to use for years to come!
Where to buy the Core 6 Person Instant Cabin Tent
The Core 6 Person Instant Cabin Tent is available on Amazon from $170-$206. You can also add it to your cart at Walmart, Wayfair and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Can you beat the 60-second assembly record?
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