By member:
Fofiddy
- Oct 7, 2007
Nicest tent I've ownedStrengths: Quality materials, great ventilation, Dry floor, and plenty of creature features. Weakness: At 56lbs it's not going too far out from your vehicle without an ATV strapped under it Great tent, has lots of room and a room divider that offers as much privacy as one could ask for in a tent. 100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
tstockma
- Aug 24, 2009
Design flaws spoil likely great tent.Strengths: Big windows, ventilation probably excellent--but I don't know, mine went back to the store after 2 days. Weakness: Fatal, for me--weak fiberglass poles that break every time, bad workmanship on sewing the tent. Ran into an apparently common problem--lousy quality on some of the poles, which break with first use. A phone call to Columbia might've gotten sturdier replacements, but I bought this ready to go camping, not to discover design flaws for Columbia then wait for new parts in the mail. More poles appear to also be made of the same poor quality material. Also a couple small manufacturing glitches in sewing a pole-sleeve in the tent, and in a window tie-down, complete the picture of a company mass-marketing a not-ready-for-prime-time product. Thumbs-down to Columbia, and also to Bass-Pro for poor customer support once the issues were uncovered. 100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
Reply by member: dbmeyer2
Oct 8, 2010 I have had my Cougar Flats tent for over a year. I have used it many times. I have even washed it in a super capacity front loading wash machine at the laundry mate and it came out of the experience in excellent condition, just cleaner. As for the broken poles... no problem here. The design and materials are superior to every tent which I have owned.
By member:
jugdish69
- May 28, 2005
Columbia Cougar Flats tentStrengths: Very easy 2 person set-up (20 minutes), 1 person set-up a bit more difficult but fair (35 minutes). Quality materials, rolling bag that actually fits everything it comes with. Weakness: Heavy, so the rollers on the bag are needed, difficult to roll over rough terrain. Rain fly could be larger on entry end of tent. For the money spent, this is a very nice family tent. It is easy to assemble, has a huge interior with a room divider, has quality sewn seams and is solid in the wind. I have not had a chance to camp in the rain, but with any tent, seam sealer would be advised to truly water proof the tent. The rain fly is short on the entry side to preserve the opening on the large screen wall, could be a source of water entry in bad weather, but haven't tested that yet. Overall, a good tent. We returned a similar sized tent (Gander Mountain brand) because after an hour with 2 people we still didn't have it up. 96% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
bobb_topgun2004
- Aug 4, 2005
Columbia Courgar Flats tentStrengths: Relatively easy two person set-up (recommend reading instructions first several times), quality workmanship, spacious interior, loads of windows. Weakness: Nothing major to date. Rain fly could be a little larger around exterior door openings. A competitively priced, cabin style tent. Quality workmanship, design and materials. Loads of windows on all sides for both ventilation and views. Two room design with a fixed partition with two zipped interior "doors". We use the back area for sleeping, and use the front area with floor to ceiling windows for gear storage and as a "screened covered porch" in bad weather and to get away from bugs. 95% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
scottjohns13
- Jun 11, 2006
Cougar Flats-best tent I have ownedStrengths: windows everywhere, unique cyclonic vents, room divider, easy setup, pop-out windows alow for ventilation with less sunlight Weakness: None-honest I have owned several tents and this is the best, hands down. One person CAN set this tent up. You do not have to fight with the tent to install the poles. The two pop-out windows allow for some privacy and reduce sunlight. Cyclonic vents allow for closing all windows and still having adequate ventilation, taking the cool air from near the ground, forcing the warmer air out through the roof. This tent ACTAULLY GOES BACK IN THE BAG IT CAME in, which is very nice, canvas, and even has wheels to make it a little easier to carry/tote. The spikes are metal and thin, making them easier to drive into the ground. The fly installs easier than most. People who complain about "zippers" apparently arenot aware that you must use care whenever using the zipper onm ANY tent, or sleeping bag, or anything else for that matter. The zippers are fine, you just have to use your HEAD and not get in a hurry. There are a few gadgets that are neat. There is a hanging 3-tier shelf that is handy, and a remote controlled light that is also nice to have. There are two hanging can holders that actually are not that well designed, but I didn't buy the tent for this feature. There is another "junk shelf" that is suspened across the ceiling, butmost tents have one. However, this one is a little larger than most. 94% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
Lmorse
- Sep 3, 2006
Columbia Cougar Flat TentStrengths: Quality workmanship and material. Very spacious with 2 rooms, lots of windows, and good ventilation system .Easy to assemble (after putting it up once ), with 2 people . Weakness: The set up instructions are vague. Needed to study them with the set up operation .After one time putting it up , it was easy .Recomend to set it up prior to your camping trip . This is an excellent tent .I am very impressed with the quality and workmanship.It has 2 rooms with lots of windows We used one to sleep in and used the other to store our gear.This tent has a canvas storage bag , with rollers that everything fits back into.It has metal spikes that easy to drive into & remove from the ground.It has 2 large doors , and 2 large windows. A very roomy and comfortable tent. My family has enjoyed camping with this tent.The set up is easy after the first time with 2 people. 75% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
username1965
- Jul 4, 2008
one bad issueStrengths: held up very well in downpours and high winds, impressive. Easy to assemble, very roomy.Good air circulation. Weakness: The fiberglass poles break way too easily. I love the size and the shape of this tent. There is a lot of windows making it quite comfortable. We used the back room as our bedroom ... we had a double high Queen sized air bed and still had room on each side for our luggage and room for a big dog to sleep beside.....and the front was used as a dining tent/sitting ara when bugs were too bad or when weather wasn't nice enough to be outside. It did not leak at all and we weathered some heavy rains and winds. 75% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
By member:
boating4ever
- Sep 26, 2005
JunkStrengths: None Weakness: Broke after second time setting up, zipper gets caught in the flap Worst money I ever spent. Thought Columbia was supposed to be quality, this tent proved me wrong. Bought it because of the 2 rooms which one could be used for a room when raining. Now can't even use it cause it broke after the second time using it. 13% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
Reply by member: scottjohns13
Jun 11, 2006 I know the writer of this review will probably never read this, but people need to understand that CARE is needed with zipping or unzipping ANY tent, sleeping bag, and many other products. This is a fact KNOWN to people who have any experience in camping. I can SEE this person unzipping his tent door at the speed of light, and now blaming Columbia for his failure to use proper care. The flaps around teh door are designed to protect against leakage. You have to use your EYES and HEAD when using the zipper to make sure you aren't doing what THIS person apparently did. I would suggest this person is amoron, but I probably shouldn't use such harsh language here, so I won't. I wonder how many tents he has gone through thinking he can just zip and unzip the windows/doors in such a careless manner?
By member:
texascanoeist33
- Nov 18, 2010
Love it for car camping with the family, but the...Strengths: Roomy= Camped during a tropical storm, and as long as the door was closed, we stayed comfy. Weakness: Overall heaviness; poles over the pop-out windows break under normal use. I love my tent, but it is heavy and requires time, care, and patience to set up by yourself. (It can be done, even in the wind, but it's much easier with a partner. The pop-out windows are a great feature, but the poles used need to be cut into more segments because they are under too much stress during set up. I've broken and replaced three of them in two years. Camped in a Texas tropical storm and in a minor snow event and the tent remained intact and everyone was happy as long as no one had to enter or exit. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful? Top
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nice tent
Strengths: solid quality, looks cool, roomy
Weakness: a little heavy
It has 2 rooms with lots of windows; has a canvas storage bag with rollers; has metal spikes that easy to drive into & remove from the ground; has 2 large doors , and 2 large windows. A very roomy and comfortable tent. Overall, a good tent.
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