Coleman Signature 9 Person Prairie Breeze Cabin Tent Review

The Review

Camping can be an incredibly enjoyable activity, provided you have the right tools. One of the most important items to have while camping is the tent. A tent that performs poorly in the wind and rain can ruin a trip faster than, well, lots of rain and wind. The Coleman Signature Prairie Breeze 9 person cabin tent tries to solve this problem by offering plenty of weather resistance and enough features to keep everyone happy.

Coleman is well known for making high-quality camping and outdoor products. They have been a leader in the outdoor equipment industry for over 100 years. Their experience shows in almost every product they make, as evidenced by their popularity and highly regarded reputation. The Coleman line of cabin tents seek to carry on with this tradition by providing campers with numerous convenience features, roomy interiors, and well-crafted materials. Read our Coleman Prairie Breeze 9 person cabin tent review below to see if this camping equipment will work for you.

Weather Resistance and Ventilation

The Prairie Breeze performs very well in windy and rainy conditions to keep campers dry if the weather does not cooperate during your trip. Numerous weatherproofing features do an excellent job at keeping the water out. The WeatherTec system Coleman uses for this tent is better than most other tents that claim to be weatherproof. The inverted seams and protected zippers ensure that water does not seep through any of the needle holes or zippers. Furthermore, waterproof floors are in place that do a good job at keeping the rain out. It is recommended to still use a tarp or bottom layer to further protect the floor of the tent from water. Strong poles and guy lines give the tent added durability during windy camping. The tent can easily withstand winds of 20-30 mph, without much worry. This should be fine for most campers, but if you are expecting stronger winds, you may want to look for a tent dedicated to extreme winds.

If you plan to camp in hot weather, you will be pleasantly surprised at how well the tent is ventilated. Several large windows and a mesh ceiling work in tandem to ensure the air is always moving through the tent. Sleeping in temperatures in the 85-95 degree range is fairly comfortable, provided you unzip the windows an inch or two to help with air movement. One downside to the improved ventilation is that camping in cold weather may not be as comfortable. The mesh roof allows heat to escape the top, although this can be remedied (mostly) by attaching the rainfly to the roof.

Comfort and Features

Camping in cramped quarters with few of the conveniences of home may not be exactly what you’re looking for on your trip. Fortunately, this tent provides plenty of both to make your camping experience as enjoyable as possible. Cabin tents, by their straight wall nature, offer more interior room than most other types of tents. The Coleman 9-person tent has plenty of interior space (128 in X 120 in X 84 in) to accommodate numerous campers. While sleeping 9 people is possible, it may be cramped. It is suggested to maximize occupancy at around 6 campers to maximize comfort. The tent works better at housing fewer occupants and having the extra room to move about. For example, the tent is great and almost provides the feel of home by allowing enough room for 2 mattresses, a table, shelf, and end table. Or maybe you want somewhere for everyone to gather at night? This tent comfortable fits 8 adults with chairs for that hanging out time. In addition to the spacious interior, the tent is tall enough that all but the tallest of campers can stand at their full height. The tent’s height reaches 7ft, so no need to worry about bumping your head.

Other features include a convenient E-port, interior lighting, room divider, and a fan to help with air circulation. The E-port is very handy at running electricity to your tent to conveniently charge electronic devices, power a lamp, or dry your hair with a hair dryer. The E-port eliminates the need to have extension cords running throughout the tent as possible trip hazards. The interior lighting emits a soft glow that helps with navigating the tent at night without bumping into other campers. While the light isn’t as bright as a normal household light, it does a good job at giving some illumination during those dark nights. The room divider also comes in handy to break the tent into compartments. The divider is easily put in place and works well. Finally, a ceiling fan is in place for circulation, but don’t expect hurricane winds while it is on. Unless you are standing directly underneath the fan, you most likely won’t feel the wind. The primary use of the fan is circulating the air in conjunction with the mesh roof and windows.

Durability and Setup

The Coleman Prairie Breeze also offers quality construction materials at an affordable price and reasonably simple setup and tear down time. Finding a high-quality tent can sometimes be pricey, depending on the type of tent. This tent is very reasonably priced, considering the number of features and strength of the materials used. You can expect the tent to last several years, provided proper care and maintenance. Setup is easy, after the first couple of times setting it up. Expect to spend approximately 30 minutes the first time and about 10-15 minutes on subsequent attempts. Setting the tent up the first time is hampered by subpar instructions (more below). Once you have figured out some of problem areas, assembly is a simple task. Although a helper is nice and speeds up the process, setup can be accomplished by one person quickly. Taking the tent down is similarly simple and all the parts easily fold up and go back where they belong.

A Few Issues

Although this is a very well-made tent, there are a few problems buyers may come across. The most annoying issue is that the instructions are poor in describing the setup process. Due to this, plan on having a helper for the first time you are assembling the tent. After you have learned the ins and outs of setting it up, one person can set it up without many problems. Another issue is that the tent pegs are substandard. These should be replaced with solid steel tent pegs to enhance performance in the wind. The provided pegs are easily broken and will need to be replaced anyway at some point. Finally, the air movement provided by the fan is underwhelming if you are expecting to be cooled off by the wind. The primary purpose is to move the air, which it does, but it just doesn’t put out much cool air, unless you are standing directly underneath it. It is a nice feature, but a higher setting would have been nice.

Final Verdict

The Coleman Prairie Breeze 9-Person Cabin Tent is a very good value buy due to a wide range of features, quality and durable construction, and affordable pricing. The high-quality materials used during construction ensure it will last for years and easily outperform most other tents in this price range. Furthermore, the features and spacious interior add to the appeal of group camping. If you have a large group, this tent can comfortably accommodate numerous campers. The tent has enough room to allow multiple campers and other furnishings (tables, storage, etc.) to make it a great “hub” for the entire group. The interior lighting, E-port, fan, storage pockets, and divider are just a few of the features that gives the tent a high-quality feel. The tent also performs very well in inclement weather, provided you aren’t camping in the extreme cold. The WeatherTec system is best in class at preventing water from entering the tent and keeping campers dry. While there are some annoyances, it will be hard to find a better balance of quality, features, and pricing.