Gear Review: Coleman Darwin 2 Tent.

 

Currently on special offer at around £55 at the time of writing, on Amazon HERE , The Coleman Darwin 2, is a simple dome tent that weighs around 2.8kg. I bought it for the purposes of cycle touring, and camping in friends gardens. I have a long relationship with tents and camping, so have a fair bit of insight into what makes a decent tent. Though I have had a few expensive-ish tents, I'm a sucker for a bargain, and the budget, dome tent market is saturated with hidden gems and lemons. The Coleman Darwin 2 is often cited as the former, as is the Arpenaz 2, so it makes sense to refer to each in this. However, this is really a review for the Coleman more than the Decathlon. 

First of all, I have noticed the similarity between the Coleman and the Arpenaz 2 (recently rebranded as the MH100). The Decathlon models are a little lighter, but are identical in size and pitching style. Also they are half the price of the Coleman. So is the Coleman worth the extra? 

Differences include more ventialtion and porch space. 

Decathlon's water repellency scale is different from most, and less transparent. Their tents claim to have at least a hydrostatic head of 2000mm essentially, but they offer no more info than that. Without wanting to go into the HH debate (the higher the better isn't always the case..but its complicated), on budget tents, it is all we have to go by in order to predict how wet we will get. The Coleman has a 3000mm HH. Having owned both tents, and having used them in bad weather, I would say that the Coleman is more waterproof. It has a smidge more clearance between the inner and fly, which helps, especially in windy, wet weather. That said, the Arpenaz when new was bone dry and reliable, and took a long time (About two years of light use) before it needed reproofing. 

Here's a small tour around the Coleman:

Central lamp hook.

Decent head clearance (100cm). 

Zippable mesh piece in door for ventilation/spying on people.

Small porch area. Size 11 for scale. 

Again, when comparing the Darwin and Decathlon tents, the Coleman feels slightly better in terms of quality...just about. The fly feels more premium, and the groundsheet is marginally less 'crinkly'. Both have similar poles, that don't exactly scream 'indistructable', but are your standard, basic fibreglass. Aluminium poles I guess are not cost effective on tents like these, which is understandable. 

Pitching ease is good. It's a 10 minute job. There is a small porch, which should just about fit a pair of boots. The fly is pegged seperate from the inner, which in my view is an oversight. If the fly hooked into the inners pole rings, as with the Arpenaz 2/MH100, it would save time, pegs and therefore, weight. 

Verdict:

The Coleman Darwin 2 is a tent that I've had my eye on for a while. I'm a sucker for cheap, basic tents, and this has a fair bit of love online. If I'm brutally honest, while not disappointed with the tent, it is not quite better enough than the nearest competition from Decathlon to warrant twice the price.  Having that extra bit of faff when pegging the fly is a little annoying. However, it looks much nicer to my eyes. I'm somewhat of a Coleman fan, and the dark green, lantern logo look is nice. It's definately a bonus that ventilation has been thought about. 

I would say for England weather, it's a good buy. If you're not expecting changeable weather and you're luck enough to live somewhere that usually hot, perhaps the Arpenaz/MH100 will be enough, and you can put the extra £30 towards something else. You can't go wrong with either if you're looking for a cheap, knockaround tent, but if you want a little extra piece of mind re the weather, a bit more ventilation, and the shadow of a lamp adorning your face in the morning, Coleman would be the way to go. 

Support independent content: 

I don't write for money, and I never accept freebies etc. All products and experiences are paid for by me. If you enjoy my blog posts, and you can afford it, please consider buying me a coffee, or exploring the ads (Sorry there are so many. When I graduate, I will disable them). Currently, I am a student and care worker, so pay ranges from nothing to not a lot! A million thanks! 

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Horrorhiker