The plan for 2017 was to get out camping with the family, outdoor adventures for all of us. For Zoe and Bubs this would be new experiences, for Tubs a common practice he has with his mum, and for me a step back to when I was under 30 and much fitter, but our tent is to be the Coleman Mosedale 5 a new season tent exclusive to Go Outdoors.
After our first experience camping at the birdfair this is the Coleman Mosedale 5 Tent - Review.
Coleman Mosedale 5 Tent - Review
There were two things we were looking for in our first tent, something light enough to carry without a car, but something that 4 of us would be able to use comfortably (yeah there is little to no hope of my 17 year old son joining us, he HATES camping). At about 17kg the Mosedale 5 fitted the weight description (maybe not that light, I carried it on my back across birdfair and it was quite heavy, but on a small trolley will be OK) and as a 5 man tent we thought it would be fine for a family of 4.
Specifications
Before going on with the review, these are the technical side of things:
- Capacity: 5 person
- Rooms: 3
- Bedrooms: 2
- Doors:2
- Set up: Pitch-in-one
- Structure: Tunnel
- Poles: Fibreglass
- Number of Poles:3
- Groundsheet: PE, welded, fully integrated
- Outer fabric: Polyester PU coated/Fire retardant
- Inner fabric: Breathable Polyester, Polyester PU coated, No-see-um mesh
- Seams: Taped seams
- Carry bag: Included
- Pack size: 68 x 33 x 32 cm
- Pitching Order:As One
- Weight: 17.2 kg
- Height (cm):195.00
- Length (cm):470.00
- Width (cm):335.00
- Inner Height (cm):185.00
- Water column (Flysheet Hydrostatic head): 4500mm
- Tent Features:Blackout / Darkened Bedrooms, Cable Access Point, Internal Storage Pockets, Lantern Hanging Points, Sewn-in Groundsheet, Vents, Windows
Erection (teehee)
Our first attempt at putting the tent up, was at Birdfair, and with two of us, Me + Zoe & Tubs (they counted as one person here), and it wasn't hugely difficult, in fact having not put a tent up in well over 10 years it still took under 30 mins, the three pole set up was easy enough, the only really tricky part getting the metal pins into the end of each pole (well one end was harder than the other).
I have to admit I watched the Coleman YouTube video on how to set up a couple of times prior to actually going away, but that just made sense to me. - You can view it here: Coleman Mosedale 5 Tent on YouTube actual pitching starts at 2.45.
Coleman Mosedale 5 Tent at Birdfair camp site
Blackout Rooms
One of the major features that attracted us to this tent were the blackout bedrooms, in the shop they looked great, cutting out the light nicely, in practice they were equally as good, really dark (I'll try and get a picture next time we pitch). The light is not completely cut out, a couple of air vents let in a little light in the morning, but less than a pair of curtains would at home.
As for space, the bedrooms are separated into two by a thin sheet, hung from the roof, personally I would have liked more connectors and a tighter fit here, but it serves a purpose (and I imagine you could add extra connections without too much hassle?).
Weather resistance
We were able to test out the Mosedale 5 in some heavy rain, hot sunshine and strong winds over our weekend camp at the 2017 Birdfair and it held up well. There were no leaks from the rain (the only water build up due to condensation in the mornings, leaving a few of the vents open would have helped here of course. The wind (18 miles an hour) rattled the outer fabric, but the tent didn't sway or suffer any issues (even the pegs stayed in place, although I may invest in some better pegs than those that came with the tent).
As for holding up to the sun, this links back with the blackout rooms, mentioned above, part of the idea is that the rooms stay cooler in the full heat of the sun, and it is true, there was a noticeable difference in temperatures between the living area and the bedrooms, however the breeze that was obtainable in the main area was lacking in the bedrooms (with the double shell and only a small vent at the rear) so the lower heat wasn't as effective as the breeze cooling us.
Coleman Mosedale 5 Tent at dusk
Family Space
The tent is designed and sold as a 5 man tent, but I would imagine this would be a real struggle, there were three of us on our first outing, and there was loads of room, if we had thrown the little lady in too then things would have become a little tighter, a 5th person would have, in my opinion, been too tight.
The family space at the front was large enough for a couple of chairs and a Freedom Trail Lazi bed, with space in the centre, much more and it would have felt crowded. I think a canopy extension of some kind will help to create more space.
Eagle eyed readers amongst you may have noticed the blue tarp sticking out from under the tent, this was a cheap (£10) tarp from B&Q, to keep the groundsheet clean, currently there is no footprint or carpet designed for this tent (August 2017) although hopefully this will change, especially the latter as a carpet would be nice.
As yet we have found no issues with this tent, but more extensive use will tell if that remains.
Coleman Mosedale 5 Tent in its carry bag
And if you are wondering what Zoe thought of the tent well, she puts it more simply than I
"Tent roomier than expected"
Conclusion
At £239.99 at Go Outdoors (with card discount £330 without), this tent is a great price. It may prove a little small for a two week holiday in France, but shorter periods will cope well. It holds up well to weather and the blackout rooms are a god send, even camping the kids might not be up at dawn then! If you are on the lookout for a new tent then I'd certainly recommend trying the Coleman Mosedale 5 for size.
I'm Walking 2500 miles in 2017 to raise money for Birding For All - Read about it here - Please consider donating through My Donate
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