Coleman Instant Screen Skylodge Dining Tent Full Review
Perfect Bug Screen Dining Tent for Camping/RVing
Pros:
-Very Fast Setup & Takedown
-Keeps Bugs Out
-Offers UV Protection
Features:
-Includes guy lines & stakes
-2 Zipper Doors
-Doors can be tied open
Cons:
-A bit bulky to store
-If someone disassembles, it's hard to reassemble
Full disclosure: we bought this tent with our own money, and this review is our honest opinion after 4 years of ownership. At 15 X 13, the Coleman 15 X 13 Instant Screen Skylodge Canopy bug shelter is the perfect size to fit over campground picnic tables--both the small and larger size we have in Ontario Provincial Parks. It does a great job keeping the bugs away while also offering some UV protection. It comes with pegs and guy lines, and it has two zippered screen doors. Coleman also claim it filters UV rays, but I wouldn't use it instead of sunscreen personally! I should also point out it is NOT a dining tent for rain storms, which is not an issue for us as we'll eat in the trailer when it's raining. It does provide enough protection to allow me to BBQ in a light rain however.
What we really love about this Skylodge tent is the quick setup and takedown. In Ontario, parks allow you to check out at 2PM, so we typically do something fun in the morning, then come back to the site, eat lunch, and then pack up. Therefore, we try to choose gear that is super quick to pack up, and this tent fits the bill, at around 2 minutes for both setup and pack-up. Watch the Youtube review to see the full opening and closing process, as well as to find out how it’s performed for us, but I'll also try to describe it here.
Just remove it from the bag, and unfold it over top of the middle of the picnic table. Then unfold the legs twice (accordion style) so it looks like a huge wagon wheel over top of the table. Extend each leg until it snaps locked, and then lift the tent up from the middle. It's that easy! Take down is the reverse!
One word of warning: don't disconnect the tent from the tent poles. It folds and unfolds completely assembled! One of our trailer renters disconnected the tent from the poles, and it was incredibly difficult to get everything reconnected correctly. The good news is that as long as you never disconnect the tent hooks from the poles, you'll never have this issue!
So what is our verdict on the Coleman 15 X 13 Instant Screen Skylodge Canopy bug shelter? We recommend it, with one caveat--make sure it fits your use-case. If you camp in a place like Ontario where the bugs can be really bad, and you don't intend to use it as a dining shelter in heavy rain, it's the perfect dining tent. It keeps the bugs away (as long as you take care not to let them in when entering and exiting), and it is very secure in strong winds provided you stake it well. It is fairly large when packed away in the included bag, but it still fits width-wise in our Toyota Venza, so it's perfectly reasonable for car-camping. Most importantly, it sets up really quickly and takes down just as quickly. After 4 years it's still completely functional, and we (and some of our trailer renters) have used it heavily.
To see this tent in action, check out our Youtube video review (linked near top of this article) where we fully demo setup and takedown. While you're there, please don't forget to give it a like and subscribe to our channel as it really helps us out!