The CORE 9 Instant Cabin is a budget-friendly tent with tons of living space and lots of large windows, making it perfect for a whole family and a few pets.
Tons of space makes the CORE 9 Instant Cabin a great option for families or groups. It even has a room divider if more privacy is needed. Its 14'x 9' floor space (126 square feet) is large enough to sleep nine people (if you cram everyone in), but if you hope to also store basic supplies or gear, we feel there's enough floor space to sleep six adults on mattresses or cots. That's still a lot of space.
This tent is a mesh palace! We love the Instant Cabin tent's ventilation. Nearly every square inch of this structure is lined with large panels of mesh, making it one of our favorite warmer weather tents. Even better, when we camped with good weather, we removed the CORE's rain fly and enjoyed a full view of the nighttime sky — sleeping in the outdoors at the highest level.
We didn't like some aspects of this tent's weather-resistant system. For average everyday camping, the Instant Cabin is certainly enough, but when it comes to more inclement weather, we wouldn't want to hunker down for extremely long periods of rain or wind. We don't feel the rain fly extends far enough down over the top of the tent. Since the main roof of the tent is mesh, heavier winds could easily push rain or dust underneath the edge of the rain fly, allowing it to enter the tent from the mesh roof.
The Instant Cabin doesn't have much of a door canopy over either entrance. We really didn't like this, especially during inclement weather. During rain and wind, the Acacia provides zero weather protection for campers who want to take off their shoes or boots before entering the tent, leaving them literally out in the rain. Likewise, if you need to enter the tent during a rainstorm, water collected on the rain fly can easily cascade directly onto the interior tent floor. A roof awning that extended farther over each doorway would help eliminate this problem.
After our initial attempt at setting up the Instant Cabin, we almost threw in the towel and gave it lower grades. However, once we conquered the learning curve, we changed our mind and upped our scores for this metric.
This tent is big and has a lot of moving parts. The entire frame of the CORE comes pre-assembled. All you have to do is place it on the ground and unfold it — or so the instructions say. Instead, what we actually experienced was a bulky web of poles and hinges that didn't make a lot of sense (even with neatly drawn diagrams). In the end, the process wasn't that difficult, and it got easier with experience. However, one thing is for sure, the manufacturer suggests two people for setup, and we agree. We learned that deploying this beast with just one set of hands is certainly possible, but it's not nearly as easy.
Breathing space was the key feature that influenced our scores for this metric. The CORE 9 Instant Cabin is one of the largest tents we've tested. And, anyone who's camped with family can agree that space is king.
In addition to its floor space, we also loved this tent's large windows, smooth zippers, great views, and overall lounge-ability. In fact, there's enough space for a family of four or five to hang out inside the tent to play games, nap, or just chill (provided the weather is cool enough). We also loved the CORE tent's tarp floor. It's super tough, tear resistant, and it handles spills and cleanups like a champ. However, we didn't like this tent's interior storage. For being such a massive tent, we were surprised to find just a few small pockets. We tend to prefer tents with large mesh pouches for campers to shove hoodies pillows, or other items that they want to keep up off the floor.
We loved this tent's steel poles. They're reasonably tough and sturdy, but we weren't as gung-ho with some of its other components. In the end, we opted for slightly above-average scores for this metric.
The CORE 9 Instant Cabin has a lot of moving parts that are made of plastic. Most of these parts are connected to its pop-up design. For basic use, we don't see much of a problem, but some of our crew expressed durability concerns if the Instant Cabin is extensively used or not handled with care. In fact, since this tent's pre-assembled setup is a little confusing, our experience showed that campers could easily damage the structure by accidentally bending poles, hinges, or joints in the wrong direction.
The sheer size of the Instant Cabin requires it to be firmly staked to the ground (including the guylines). Given this fact, we were quite disappointed when we saw the thin, cheaper aluminum stakes in the tent kit. We feel a tent this large should be held down with more substantial anchors. Additionally, we feel this tent is well-suited for general camping. Overall, we found it to be sturdy and protective; however, we do feel the fabric for the tent walls and the rain fly is a bit thin when directly compared against other tents in our grouping.
If you want to save money on a large, family-friendly tent, the CORE 9 Instant Cabin is something you should consider. Likewise, if you enjoy sleeping out on clear nights, this tent could be your new “fair-weather” friend. Although it's perfectly capable of handling the odd rain or wind storm, we think it's particularly well-suited for warm weather camping or desert camping. The Instant Cabin is chuck full of mesh panels that allow for both nighttime cross breezes and stargazing. However, if you need a structure that defends a little better against blowing dust and rain, you might want to consider one of the other options we've tested.
The Coleman Skydome XL 8 is another massive tent we've tested. It also offers a ton of space, but has a more traditional setup process. The Zempire Evo TM V2 Inflatable Air Tent is the largest and most expensive option in our lineup. It sets up with air and is super robust. The REI Co-op Base Camp 6 is another fan favorite. It has a lot of space, plus an optional extension awning that can attach to your vehicle.
| Awards |  Best Value in a Bigger Tent |
|---|---|
| Price | $290 List Check Price at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
|
| Star Rating | |
| Bottom Line | A spacious option with a built-in setup and tons of ventilation |
| Pros | Pop-up setup, roomy, tough flooring, lots of ventilation, room divider, optional sitting-room vestibule, good price for size |
| Cons | So-so weather resistance, lots of plastic parts, no porch covering over doors, bulky to tear down and pack, assembly learning curve |
| Rating Categories | CORE 9 Instant Cabin |
| Space and Comfort (35%) | |
| Weather Resistance (25%) | |
| Ease of Setup (15%) | |
| Family Friendliness (15%) | |
| Quality (10%) | |
| Specifications | CORE 9 Instant Cabin |
| Measured Weight | 37.1 l bs |
| Measured Max Inside Height | 6' 5" |
| Measured Floor Dimensions | 14' 1" x 9' |
| Floor Area | 126 sq ft |
| Number of Doors | 2 |
| Windows | 7 |
| Pockets | 4 |
| Room Divider | Yes |
| Vestibules | 0 |
| Measured Vestibule Area (total) | N/A |
| Measured Packed Size | 48.5" x 11"x 12". |
| Floor Materials | P.E. Sheet |
| Main Tent Materials | 68D Polyester |
| Rainfly Materials | 68D Polyester |
| Number of Poles | Multiple |
| Pole Material | Steel |
| Seasons | 3-season |
| Extras | Fully assembled, adjustable air-flow vents |
