Today I would like to share with you some of our favorite choices by Core. If you’ve read some of my other tent reviews, then you’ve definitely heard of them by now and perhaps even come to realize that they are one of our favorites.
It is so important to have a good tent for your camping trip. Your gear should not be what is holding you back from exploring the outdoors or enjoying your trip to the fullest.
So, I’ve got a range of different tents for you, such as cabin tents, dome tents, and with different capacities suitable for as many as 9 campers.
Here with are Core tent reviews, I’m going to let you in on all of the great features each tent has and, as always, any issues I may have had while using the tents will be addressed.
Core Tent Reviews – Top 5
#1 Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent
The first choice in this list of my favorite Core Tents review is the 9-person instant cabin tent.
There’s plenty of space for 9 people with its dimensions of 14’ x 9’ and a center height of 6.5ft, and the tent sets up in 60 seconds.
It comes in the color green with grey and white, or wine with grey and white.
The very first time you set it up it may take around 5 minutes but, once you get familiar with everything, you’ll start reaching the 1-minute mark.
It’s also easier to set up with two people, that way one person holds up one end while the other goes around the tent standing up the leg poles. Then, all that you need to do is extend the six leg poles so that they are fully standing and secure the stakes.
There is an electrical cord access port in this cabin tent, which can be fully closed when not in use so that rainwater can’t leak in.
Included with the pre-attached telescoping steel tent poles, you also get 7-inch steel stakes, a rainfly, and a storage bag. The tent weighs 13.8kg in its carry bag, so it’s not lightweight enough to carry for too long but that is to be expected when you consider the size.
The tent has integrated mesh storage pockets so that you can keep small items organized in one place and not on the floor.
What I love about this one is that it comes with a room divider, so that you can split the tent into two rooms and have some privacy, which is a must-have when so many people are sharing a tent together.
There are ground vents that provide plenty of fresh air, and any hot air escapes through the large mesh ceiling. Together, the vents, mesh ceiling, and large windows offer a draft to ensure you stay cool in hot conditions.
I absolutely love the large mesh ceiling, not just because it helps provide even more of a breeze, but because I can see the sky from the inside easily. If you’re worried about rain, the extra wide, heat-sealed, thick taped rainfly will protect you.
The tent is made out of durable 68D polyester, whereas the floor is made with 125gsm P.E.
Another thing that I love is that there are two doors. One large D-shaped one at the front, and another on the side which is a huge T-shaped door. Both the door and mesh panels can be pulled to the side if you want to leave them open.
A footprint is the only thing that isn’t included, and so if you prefer to use one, you’ll need to get that separately.
- Instant
- Closable E-port
- Mesh ceiling
- Two doors
- Spacious
- Footprint not included
#2 Core 10 Person Cabin Tent
The Core 10 person Cabin tent comes in bright orange with grey and white, or wine with grey and white with a floor size of 14ft x 10ft and a center height of 7ft and 2 inches. This very tall cabin tent has straight walls to maximize space and two queen sized air mattresses can easily fit inside.
When a brand declares the capacity for each of their tents, they have to use the backpacking principle – which just means how many sleeping pads can fit in total on the floor. This is fine for when you use the tent at a beach, or a festival etc. and only spend one night.
For a proper camping trip, this wouldn’t really work though. This is because, since the tent has a floor area of 140 square feet (13 meters squared), that means 14 ft² (1.3 m²) per person. Keeping that in mind, I’d say this tent is better for around 5 people for camping trips that last days at a time.
If this tent had a vestibule, then it would be more likely that 10 people would fit comfortably because there’d be a space to keep your gear besides inside the tent with you.
It weighs around 16kg when packed up, and is made with durable 68D polyester, whereas the expandable carry bag is made of 210D polyester.
The floor is made with tough 125GSM polyethylene which is waterproof but no rating is provided. It’s important to note that the floor is not designed with a bathtub-style, like most tents, but with a catenary cut. Bathtub floors have a rather loose profile around the perimeter, whereas a catenary cut floor has straight edges and this usually provides a better-defined floor area.
The tent is also very affordable when you consider the size.
Included with the tent you get 6 vertical steel poles, a rainfly, a carry bag, and a room divider so that you can create two rooms out of the tent. What’s great is that there are two doors as well, so that each room has its own door and two windows, which is fantastic.
There’s enough space in both rooms to fit a queen-size bed in each, but this would take up the majority of the area.
The room divider also opens and closes from the center, allowing easy access in and out if need be. Even better, if you have no use for the divider and prefer to keep it open, the material pulls back from both sides and can be tied to keep it out of the way.
There are adjustable ground vents so that you can adjust as need be for the perfect amount of air flowing in, and there’s an E-port that can be fully closed when not in use.
Other features this tent has are a lantern hook, gear loft, and storage pockets to keep small items in one place and off of the floor.
Setup is straightforward and can be done in around ten minutes thanks to the color-coded poles and sleeves.
Without the rainfly on, the mesh ceiling is exposed and lets lots of ventilation flow in. With the rainfly, you don’t have to worry about rain water getting in because the rainfly extends over the windows and doors to add some extra protection.
This tent is not suitable for cold conditions and is best used in late spring, summer, and early fall. This is mainly because there’s so much mesh and the tent can easily stay cool inside but not warm. It also doesn’t help that the rainfly only covers the top and that the waterproof rating isn’t clear. I would not trust this tent in strong winds and rain.
- Tall
- Great ventilation
- Affordable
- Heavy
- Not for cold conditions
#3 Core 6 Person Dome Tent
The Core 6-person dome tent is made out of durable polyester and comes in the color bright orange with a grey rainfly that fully protects the windows and some of the door.
Pitching this tent is really simple and it can be done by one person in just a couple of minutes.
This is a freestanding tent, which means it can be pitched anywhere no matter the type of ground you’re on. It is better to stake the tent anyway though, for more security, and guy lines and stakes are included.
Dome tents are great because they are usually lightweight, pack nicely, and remain stable when it’s windy, but you get less space inside, compared to cabin tents, because there’s less headspace in a tent like this one.
The tent weighs around 7.26kg and has fiberglass poles.
The floor has dimensions of 9 x 11 feet (W x L) and a center height of 6ft. When packed up the size is 26 x 8 x 7.6 inches, which is pretty good.
Core have something they like to call H20 Block Technology which means that the tent is made with water repellant fabrics, sealed seams, a fully taped rainfly, and rain-resistant seals on the door and windows.
There is an adjustable ground vent so that you are able to get the right amount of ventilation coming in. Also, the ground vents are great because they are able to draw cool air in from the ground while hot air rises and escapes through the large mesh windows and ceiling.
Moreover, this tent has a gear loft, so that you can keep small items organized, an E-port which is closeable, and a lantern hook. There are also integrated interior pockets on the tent’s walls so that everyone has a chance to store their small items.
Included with the tent you get the rainfly, stakes, and a carry bag.
This is a 3-season tent but, like most tents that have this much mesh, it’s best to use it in warm conditions. It should be fine during late spring and early fall, but I would not risk being in this tent when it’s cold because I’d freeze.
The only thing I didn’t like about this tent is that there’s only one door – when as many as five people are sharing a tent it really helps to have two doors for when multiple people want to get in and out at the same time. Also, there’s no vestibule. Vestibules are a great addition because you can store gear there and have more space inside of the tent, and you could even sleep in the vestibule on a particularly hot night.
- Plenty of ventilation
- Lightweight
- Easy set up
- Closable E-port
- Only one door
- No vestibule
#4 Core 9 Person Extended Dome Tent
The Core 9-person Extended Dome Tent comes in bright orange with grey, or wine red and grey. With a roomy interior of 16 x 9 ft, and a center height of 6 feet, it’s very spacious and can easily sleep 8-9 people.
The tent only weighs around 8kg, which is amazing when you consider the size.
This is not a freestanding tent, which means that you can’t just set it up anywhere. Non-freestanding tents tend to be more weatherproof and lighter, but they usually take more time to set up.
Everything you need is included with the tent; fiberglass tent poles, a rainfly, steel stakes, and a carry bag.
Made with polyester, this tent is very durable and weatherproof. It’s equipped with water resistant PU coated fabric, and its taped seams help keep moisture out.
It has an adjustable venting system so that you can get the perfect amount of fresh air.
Other great features this tent has are an electrical cord access port, which closes with hook and loop strips around the power cord giving it water-resistant protection. When not in use this port can be fully closed. There’s a gear loft with a lantern hook, and mesh pockets so that you can keep small items organized.
There’s a mesh ceiling so that you can have more ventilation and enjoy stargazing before falling asleep. Just in case it rains you’ve got the rainfly which has extra wide, thick tape that is heat sealed to the rainfly’s fabric.
There’s only one door and one window, although the entire ceiling is mesh so that does make up for it. However, this means that there isn’t much air circulating in when the rainfly is on, so I don’t like using this tent unless it’s warm out and I’m confident it won’t rain.
- Lightweight
- Lots of mesh
- Spacious
- Limited ventilation with rainfly on
#5 Core 6 Person Instant Cabin Tent
This green and grey 6-person instant cabin tent by Core is fantastic. It has a floor plan of 11’ x 9’, has a packed size of 8.25” x 8.25” x 48” and 24.5lbs in weight.
It has a center height of 72” and two queen-sized air mattresses can easily fit inside.
The tent itself it made with durable 68D polyester, whereas the floor is made with tougher 125gsm P.E. and could handle being trampled on by my dogs’ paws.
Since the telescoping steel poles come pre-attached to the structure this tent provides a time saving setup.
Set up consists of simply opening up the tent on the ground and raising the poles. Start with one side, raise halfway, and then move on to the other side and rotate again. It can be done by just one person, so long as you inch the poles up little by little and one at a time.
The first day I had the tent set up, I didn’t have the rainfly on, and I did notice the tent swaying a bit in the wind, but nothing happened. The next day I decided to put the fly on and stake the tent and it made a huge difference.
This tent’s seams have been heat sealed to ensure rainwater can’t make its way inside.
There’s an adjustable ground vent so that you can regulate exactly how much air you want coming in, and the vent does have no-see-um mesh so you don’t have to worry about bugs getting in from there.
The mesh ceiling contributes a lot to ventilation as well, and also enables stargazing at night when the rainfly isn’t on.
All of the windows and the large T-style door also have a mesh screen for protection from insects. The mesh at the door can be pulled away to the sides and tied back to keep out of the way if you want to keep the entry open at all times.
T-shaped doors and much better than D-style ones, I’ve noticed, because they provide more room and make it even easier to get in and out even if there’s more than one person doing so.
The removable rainfly has a slight awning to add some extra weather protection on the door and windows.
Inside the tent, there’s also a gear loft that has a lantern hook and you can install a large wall organizer by attaching straps at the four loops along the rear wall to fill with small items and keep them all in one place.
The ceiling gear loft actually has dual hooks, and this is so that you can balance the weight and prevent the loft from sagging.
You can easily run an extension cord through the e-port access port, which fastens securely around the cords with a hook and loop closure.
Included with the tent you get the fly, steel stakes, an awning pole, and a carry bag.
The awning pole is small and slips through the awning sleeve and it stops rainwater from hitting the door.
The only complaint I had on my camping trip was that I remember wishing this tent had a vestibule. Despite how spacious it is, it makes a huge difference when you take pets along too and it did feel a little cramped mainly because of our gear. So, a small vestibule would have been the cherry on the cake for me. Other than that, my camping trip was absolutely perfect.
- Steel poles
- Lots of ventilation
- T-shaped door
- Adjustable mesh ground vent
- No vestibule
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