HOW do you design a practical and affordable family tent? Let’s follow Coleman’s formula for the Riverside 6. Take a two-pole dome tent and insert an apex roof vent protected by a clip-on external storm cap. Install front and rear doors that can be poled out to make sun porches.

While the back door remains a simple two-zip design you put a window in the front door and back it with a drop-down internal curtain. Place large windows each side of the door to maintain a nice airy feel and provide a room with a view. Sew in curtains – these fold and toggle closed from one side.

Add an extra two poles one side to create a tunnel to house the large four-berth sleeping area – this can be split into two using a hanging curtain. Take another hoop to the other side for a smaller two-berth sleeping compartment that can be removed if you want to extend the living area. Of course, if you want to use this space for living you need another door – and that is what you place in the sidewall. Again, like the one that appears in the back wall, this is a simple windowless door that folds and toggles up out of the way when open.

Protect the whole lot from the damp ground with a fully integrated groundsheet and produce in a nice grey with silver trim. Simple, eh?

Camping says The Riverside is one of a number of new Coleman tents that offer value-for-money comfort sheltered by the company’s respected brand name. There are no frills – just the right features needed to make this a pleasant base for a summer’s camping adventure.

Leave out that second bedroom and you have a practical four-berth with plenty of living space for the small family. Add the bedroom if you need temporary accommodation for the children’s friends.

Although handy enough to tour with – the Riverside 6 pitches relatively quickly and the pack size/weight is suitable for mid-range cars – the headroom, space and that sewn-in groundsheet will appeal to campers staying in one location for a longer holiday. It certainly scored highly with Camping’s Claire Morris and Holly Aspinall – and they have got it for a long-term test.

FACTFILE

Price £299.99
Packed size 72cm x 29cm
Materials Outer PU-coated polyester, 2,000mm hydrostatic head Inner Breathable polyester Groundsheet Polyethylene Poles Fibreglass
Dimensions Outer 595cm x 265cm Inner 575cm x 240cm Height 215cm (inner 170cm)

Sleeps 6
Packed weight 17.5kg
Pitching time 25 minutes
Style Hybrid dome
Electricity port

CONTACT

Coleman
Tel 01275 845025
Web www.coleman.eu


This review was published in the April 2009 issue of Camping magazine. Order our latest issue.

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