Like many campers, I used to struggle with setting up and disassembling complicated tents that even could not give my family and friends a safe and cozy camping place.
So, I was trying to test numerous tents of different brands until I met the CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent – 14’ x 9’. It is a great product that makes me most satisfied.
If you are facing the same problems that I used to encounter, read this CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent Review as it is likely to be your ultimate solution!
Specifications
- Capacity: 9 people
- Tent Fabric: Durable 68D Polyester (600mm hydrostatic rating)
- Floor Material: Durable 125gsm P.E.
- Dimensions: 14 x 9 ft (4.26 x 2.74 m)
- Centre Height: 78 in (1.98 m)
- Pack Size: 48 x 11 x 10.5 in (122 x 28 x 27 cm)
- Pack Weight: 5.15 lb (16.3 kg)
- Tent Stakes: (20) Steel 7in stakes
- Tent Poles: Telescoping Steel
- Set Up: 60 seconds
CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent – 14’ x 9’
The CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent – 14’ x 9’ is one of the best-sellers of the reputed CORE company. This product is an excellent solution for friends and families to stay together on camping trips.
Designed to fight against harsh weather conditions including hard rain and strong wind, the tent can do well in 2 - 3 seasons in a year. I totally feel comfortable in it on my trip to West and South America.
And with the spacious area inside the tent, it is definitely a great temporary accommodation for a group of 8 - 9 people with two separate rooms.
On the 14 x 9 ft (4.26 x 2.74 m) floor, I can place two big air mattresses or air beds, a table, a few pieces of equipment, several personal items, yet there is still enough space for the luggage of my family.
The packed dimensions of the tent are 122 x 28 x 27 cm (48 x 11 x 10.5 inches), which takes up quite much space, so you will need a decent car to transport it to the camping site.
At such a large size, it is not strange that the tent weighs up to 16.3 kg (35.15 pounds). I know it sounds a bit bulky, but an adult person should not meet many difficulties when handling it. In fact, I can set everything up in just several minutes.
However, this tent is more suitable for warm climates and summer camps. It will be rather chilly if you live in cold climates or use this tent in the winter.
Besides, if there are not many people with you, you should also buy a smaller tent to save your money and effort.
CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent Review
1. Spacious Interior
The first thing I love in this CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent – 14’ x 9’ is that it provides a large private world for my family and me to enjoy the interesting experience of camping as a group.
I can also invite a few more friends and store plenty of things inside the tent because there is still a lot of space left if only four people in my family there.
As I mentioned above, I could place 2 big air mattresses or beds for 8 - 9 people, a table, some pieces of equipment and personal stuffs inside this tent. However, there is still sufficient room for storing luggage without affecting the comfort of everybody.
Its ceiling is high enough for most users to move in and out easily as well as make the air more open. As a 170cm tall woman, I have never met any trouble when getting in and out of this 6-foot high tent. If you are taller, you just have to bend your head a bit.
Although camping as a group, you can have your own privacy with the included room divider. You can add this item to the tent to form two smaller rooms when necessary or remove it to create a more extensive open space as you wish.
2. Suitable For All Terrains
The CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent is engineered to be a freestanding tent. In other words, you manage to pitch it on all types of terrain on earth (of course, except for underwater).
For 14 times that I have used this tent, I set it up on the mountain, by the riverside, the coast, and in the forest. The self-supporting structure means that you do not necessarily have to stake it to the ground, but it would be less firm and stable.
If there is no strong wind at the camping site, I can even throw the tent on the flat ground and use it immediately. But I only do this when I just intend to stay for a few hours.
3. Convenient Design
The windows feature mesh screens so that you can enjoy ventilation and observing natural sights outside but are still safe from mosquitos and other insects.
For more rain protection and privacy, the tent has rain panels that you can roll down and fix under the tent's windows.
One wonderful point for those who need electric accessibility like me is the electrical cord access port. It is directly installed on the wall of the tent, very helpful to have in camps with power availability. When unnecessary, you can close this port for safety.
Last but not least, there are multiple mesh pockets hang on the walls for you to store small items. However, for such a huge tent, I think there should be more pockets to take advantage of the redundant space on large walls.
4. Quick to Set Up and Disassemble
Just like its name suggests, this Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent can be set up instantly. I was able to complete the whole set up process in 5 minutes the first time I took it out of the box.
What I had to do was merely taking the pre-assembled components out of the box, placing them over the tarp, extending the poles, then locking them to secure the mainframe of the tent. Done! It is just as simple as that!
I think only one person is enough to install this huge tent, but it should be even much faster if there are two people doing the work.
At present, I can finish the setup process in 2 minutes on my own. And it will take my husband and I around 60 seconds to complete the same task.
In addition, it is not so strange that a quick-install tent can be broken down quickly. After camping, you can disassemble all parts of the tent and pack them neatly into the carrying case with the same amount of time that it takes you to install the tent.
5. High Sustainability
One thing I can be sure of that is the CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent is durable enough to stand firm against some sudden hard rains and strong winds.
Given that nobody will go camping when the weather is too bad, this tent will do well in most cases except for the situation when you go camping in a superstorm.
The stakes are unshakeable and can keep the tent in good shape when aggressive winds blow pass by. And you can attach the fully-taped rainfly when the weather is too windy and rainy, then detach it later when it is getting warm and dry.
Most notably, the manufacturer uses the patented H2O technology so that the tent can be safe during rainy and snowy months.
The technology includes using water-resistant seals on door and windows as well as the whole tent is made from high-quality water repellent fabrics to keep everything dry from inside out.
6. Excellent Ventilation
The CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent features a number of panoramic windows that can be zipped open at ease when the weather is hot.
Plus, the premium ventilation system has the customizable air intake vent that is specially designed to pull in cool air from the ground and the mesh ceiling for hot air to rise and escape out of the tent.
I love the feeling when cool winds on the mountain blow through all the windows, the large main door, and the mesh ceiling (where you attach/remove the rainfly) on the top of the tent.
On hottest days in the summer, I can connect my portable air conditioning appliance to the external port of the tent to reduce the heat inside. However, in most cases, the air inside this tent is cool and mild already without the use of any air conditioning device.
Unfortunately, all of the above characteristics also mean that you ought not to use this tent in the winter. Although it is not affected by snow, the tent is likely to be too cold for you to sleep inside it.
The 68D Polyester fabric is well-ventilated but not insulated. Hence, if you plan to use the tent during cold seasons in the year, make sure to bring some heating devices that are safe to use inside a tent.
Pros & Cons
1. Pros
2. Cons
Alternatives For The CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent
If you find the CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent a bit too expensive, the Pacific Pass Camping Tent is a dramatically cheaper quick-install tent for up to 8 people.
It also features room dividers, weather-proofing characteristics, and good ventilation.
#2. OT QOMOTOP Tent
The OT QOMOTOP Tent is a bit cheaper than the CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent and is available in multiple sizes for 4 to 10 people to be in.
This spacious tent is waterproof, well-ventilated, provides electrical ports, and can be set up in 1 minute!
#3. NTK Cherokee GT
The NTK Cherokee GT is almost the same as the CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent in many aspects, including price, room space, micro mosquito mesh, waterproof fabric, detachable room divider.
Although it has no electrical port and may take some more minutes to set up, its superb durability is a great compensation.
Conclusion
Yes, the CORE 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent – 14’ x 9’ is absolutely a good choice for most campers with a medium budget. If you find its drawbacks acceptable, you will never regret buying it.
Or else, you can also look at the top 3 alternatives of this tent that we recommended above to see whether any of them would suit you better.
Thanks for reading!