Coleman Darwin 4 Plus

Coleman Darwin 4 Plus Tent

It's Waterproof!

We have recently returned from three nights away at Hafod Hall in North Wales using our tent for only the second time and can safely say it is waterproof!! 

The Darwin 4 Plus is easy to pitch, two poles for the dome part and one pole for the porch area. The inner bedroom clips onto the main poles with the outer tent over the top, this is then secured to each pole with a velcro loop. There is a sewn in groundsheet in the bedroom area and in the porch the groundsheet has toggles that attach to the outer tent to create a 'bathtub' which helps to prevent water coming in. We are still mastering this area of the tent, as in the heavy rain there was some water that was let in, we think this is due to how we pitched the front part of the tent and are aiming to have this corrected on our next trip in just over a week. 

Plenty of guy lines to help keep the tent secure in all weathers and are in a bright orange colour to help stand out in the dark for other campers. 

We have found this tent spacious inside for the size, the bedroom area has so far accommodated two adults and one child with all of our belongings and we will be using it for two adults and two children next time. The porch area is an added bonus and means we can store our insulated food bags, cooking equipment and muddy walking boots! 

During our last camping trip we had continuous heavy rain for six hours on our second night and four hours on our third night, the tent did not leak once! It is rated as 3000mm Hydro-static Head and definitely lives up to this, our only problem was condensation which dried out quickly once we were able to open the front door again. 

After the rain had stopped it didn't take long for the tent to dry out, great when the next rain cloud could be on its way! 

There are four ventilation flaps that you can open and are held up with a velcro support, these are handy during the day to allow some airflow if you have gone out. 

The front porch also has a window each side, these are covered by a piece of material that you can roll up or have down for privacy. 

The bedroom area has a separate door, this keeps the tent warmer at night and also has a small fly/ventilation flap on. There are also two pockets inside this area to store some belongings. 

This tent is advertised for weekend and festival campers but we think it can be used for much more than this, it is very sturdy and keeps the rain out whilst remaining warm in the bedroom area. Plenty of space for people who pack light and need a quick pitch tent that packs away small and reasonably light - 6 Kg, we can fit this tent in one of our rucksacks and still have space for clothes and a sleeping bag! 

We are still perfecting getting the outer part in the right place so as it comes far enough forward at the front, this will then enable the porch area to be pitched correctly and stop rain coming in onto the groundsheet. 

We would recommend the Darwin 4 Plus for couples or a small family who travel light, we have purchased the tarp that goes with this tent to allow us to extend the porch area and cook even if there is rain! (Review to follow) 

So far we have no negative comments and are looking forward to our next adventure!