Review: Backyard Camping Fun With Coleman Gear

With today’s unpredictable economy, more and more families are trading in their luxury vacations for fun and exciting vacations at home. A camping-themed “staycation” is a great way for families to escape the everyday stresses without breaking the bank. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for young children to get in touch with both nature and their imagination.

The Coleman Company provides outdoor gear such as lanterns and stoves, coolers, tents, sleeping bags, airbeds, backpacks, furniture, and grills to help people all over the world have fun and make lasting memories while partaking in their favorite outdoor activities.

Interested In Having Your Own “Stay-Cation”? Here’s What You’ll Need:

A good tent is probably the most important piece of backyard equipment you will need for your vacation. They come in various sizes, shapes and price-points. A great tent to begin with is the Coleman Sundome 6 Tent.

The Coleman Sundome 6 Tent includes just two shock-corded fiberglass poles for easy set-up. It’s designed to comfortably fit 6 people in its 12' x 10' dome structure. The Sundome 6 Tent includes a 72" center height and features adjustable Variflo ventilation, 2 interior gear pockets, 2 doors, an electrical access port, a privacy vent window, and a vented Cool-Air port.

Other Features Include:

• 6 person/2 room tent
• Dome structure, easy to transport & simple to set up
• Exclusive WeatherTec System
• Durable carry bag with separate storage bags for tents, poles and stakes
• Control airflow with adjustable Variflo ventilation
• Rain fly included
• Easy set up with continuous pole sleeves
• Easy to follow instructions sewn into durable carry bag
• Pin and ring design and InstaClip attachments make tent simple to set up

Materials Used:

• Fly: Polyester taffeta 75D
• Mesh: Polyester 68D inner tent
• Floor: Polyethylene 1000D-140g/sqm floor
• 11mm fiberglass poles

At $149.99, the price is just right for this 6-person tent. It’s a wonderful value for all of the features included. However, if you are looking for a smaller or larger tent, Coleman has them as low as $49.00 and up. It’s the easiest tent I have ever pitched. It took my husband and I just under 15 minutes to setup. The 2 door feature creates a nice airflow and I love that you can close the “doors” and still have the mesh net closed to keep the bugs out.

The next two items you’ll need to make the most from your backyard vacation are, of course, a sleeping bag and an air mattress. I received the Willow Creek Sleeping Bag as well as the Extra High Queen Airbed. 

The Extra High QuickBed Air Bed includes a 120V built-in pump, and zippered carry bag storage system. It measures 78" x 60" x 10" and features 48 coils, heavy-duty PVC construction and a soft suede top for luxurious comfort. I love this airbed! It was surprisingly more comfortable to sleep on than my own mattress. It fits standard sized sheets, although the suede top was so soft that we decided to skip the sheets altogether. The cord plugs into an electric outlet and takes just a few minutes before it’s fully inflated. The Coleman Airtight System guarantees a leak free mattress and in fact, the mattress stayed fully inflated during our entire staycation. This mattress offers versatility because it can be used in the home when guests stay over!

The Willow Creek Adult Sleeping bag has a unique contoured design which helps keep your head on the bag and off the ground. The patented zipper offers a no snag feature and the QuickCord feature allows for easy closure- no ties required! This Coleman warm weather sleeping bag is made for camping temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees. Since the weather in Texas is still in the high 90’s, we were not able to truly use this bag.  It does feel incredibly soft, almost like a down comforter. It measures 33” x 78”, and claims to fit adults up to 5’11” tall. Personally, I like to be completely covered when I sleep outdoors. I am 5’9 and found this bag to be a bit shorter than I would have liked. My head extended past the contoured headrest even though my feet were pressing firmly against the inside of the sleeping bag. I would recommend the Willow Creek (Adult Regular) sleeping bag to adults 5’8 and under.

Whether you are going on a backyard vacation or a far away camping trip, a lantern is a must have. The Coleman Quad Lantern is the best lantern ever! I think it is so neat! First, it is battery operated and has a run time of 75 hours. The part that is really neat is that it has four detachable panels! How cool is that?! Each panel detaches so that each member of your family or group can carry theirs around with them using the convenient handles. The light range is 26 feet and operates using eight D cell rechargeable batteries. There is a master switch on the top which will turn on all panels at once. Additionally, each panel includes its own on/off switch.

The cost of this lantern is $69.99 which is a great price. I am what you would consider a girly-girl. I typically like manicures, shopping for clothing and home decor. But this is the coolest product I have seen! I never thought I would have any thoughts regarding a lantern, but Coleman has outdone themselves. My father, who is an avid fisherman, asked if he could have my lantern. I told him “no way!” The next day he went and purchased one for himself. If you are looking for a great lantern- try this one. You won’t be disappointed!

Finally, the last items you will need to complete your ultimate backyard vacation are coolers. Coleman has a huge selection of coolers to choose from. Certainly, they have something for everyone. I received the 50qt Extreme Cooler along with two smaller beverage coolers.

The 50qt Extreme Cooler features a retractable handle and large durable wheels. The lid includes for cup holders to conveniently place your beverages. The design is rustproof, leak resistant and includes a drain for easy, no-tilt draining. Insulated with environmentally friendly Thermozone insulation, this cooler is designed to keep ice up to 5 days at temperatures up to 90°.

I like that it has the ability to hold 84 cans. However, it did not keep ice for 5 days. We recently moved and for the time being, we are without a refrigerator. We have been using our cooler to keep our perishable food cold. This cooler kept our ice frozen for 3 days at temperatures up to 80°. It is quite possible that my husband did not fully close the lid after every use, but we have refilled with ice numerous times, which keeps for 3 days. Regardless, this is still the best cooler I have ever owned. I told my husband that the only thing preventing this from being the ultimate cooler was a radio. He said “Coleman does have radio coolers”, and in fact, they really do!

The 2 gallon Party Stacker Jugs are great for any occasion. The spigot easily twists off which makes it simple to clean using either tap water or the dishwasher. This jug includes an easy to grip handle and an innovative stacking design which allows the jugs to stack directly on top of each other. These are great space-savers!

They are perfect for family functions, school events, luncheons, camping trips, tailgating and much more. My husband uses one to fill with water or Gatorade while working. My husbands son had a football game last night and we brought ours along with us to help keep us cool and refreshed.

Backyards are a great place to vacation with your family, especially when you’re on a tight budget. Coleman brand products make the best of outdoor life whether you are on a far away camping adventure or a backyard staycation!

A huge thanks to the Coleman Company for providing the “stay-cation” review package and giveaway.

PURCHASE INFORMATION: Coleman products may be purchased online, at local Coleman Factory Outlets as well as most mass retailers and sporting goods stores.

WIN IT: Enter my Coleman Giveaway!

Connect: with Coleman on Facebook and Twitter! 

*Disclaimer: The opinions and thoughts expressed are my own. The sample products mentioned in this review were provided to me in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation for my review nor was I under any obligation to give a positive review or host a giveaway.