TENTS | Tent Perfection, Coleman FastPitch Forest Lodge 4 – Review
Collaboration
I’m going to come straight out and say it. I love the Coleman Fastpitch Forest Lodge 4 tent. From the moment I saw it at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show earlier this year, to my recent camping trip in 45mph winds and driving rain, trust me when I say this is an excellent and extremely capable tent. Read on for my full review.
What is it?
Coleman Fastpitch Forest Lodge 4 Tent
Expect to pay: £299
Overall Rating 
(5 / 5)
Stockists
Specification
- Steel Pole FastPitch Construction
- 3,000HH Waterproof and Windproof
- Weight of Tent 12.5 kg
- Extended Front Porch
- Reflective Guy Lines
- 190 cm Standing Head Height
- Fully Integrated Ground Sheet
- UV Guard Sun Protection
Pitching the tent
Having never pitched a Fastpitch tent before and with an aversion to reading instructions, the moment the tent arrived I set about pitching it in the garden (and promptly slept in it that night). To say this is intuitive to pitch and lives up to the Fastpitch name would be an understatement
For those unfamiliar with the design, it’s a cabin tent style with an all-in-one structure with the poles already attached to the inner tent. The legs fold out from a centre point which sits at the apex of the tent, and the 4 legs fold out. Each leg then extends and clicks firmly into place, creating a surprisingly sturdy structure.
The whole shebang takes minutes to do, and the hardest part I found was reaching to pop the flysheet over the top, which in high wind, done solo, can be a little tricky. Once the flysheet sits over the frame, each corner is clipped into place, attaching it to the rest of the structure, then it’s a simple job of pegging everything down.
If you’re looking for a tent that is quick to pitch, as in, under 10 minutes, then this absolutely lives up to its name. The steel extending tent poles were sturdy enough to stand up to a full 48 hours of high winds which included gusts of 45mph, along with 48 hours of non-stop rain.
Performance
Whilst the weather made for perhaps the least relaxing camping trip I’ve ever had, it provided the ideal conditions to truly put this little tent to the test!
There are a small number of sturdy tent pegs with glow-in-the-dark tops, and the rest are standard pegs. As always, I would recommend replacing the standard pegs with heavy-duty pegs to get the most out of this tent.
Internal space
Size-wise, it was the ideal size for my camp bed and SIM topper combo along with my chair, camp loo, bedside table and all the rest of the random things I camp with. The front porch, meanwhile, was the perfect size for my large ice box, washing up bowl, low cooking table and double stove.
On the second night, with both the wind and rain intensifying and the need to continually re-peg, there was zero water ingress – not bad for a tent with a relatively modest 3,000HH.
Similarly, whilst the sides of the tent were obviously flapping in the high winds, the structure remained stable and strong and at no point did I feel like the poles were in danger of snapping.
This is in stark contrast to my experience of fibreglass pole tents and inflatable tents in high wind – despite the shape of the tent appearing extremely un-aerodynamic, it held up remarkably well.
Inside ,you’ll find plenty of hooks and storage pockets and I love that the door has the option of opening and leaving a layer of bug mesh in place. I also really liked that to the other 3 sides, there are huge windows, with the option of fully closing them from the outside and further options inside.
The tent provides standing height, which makes it extremely practical and the addition of the front porch (with a removable groundsheet) adds to the space and versatility of this great tent.
Could you sleep 4 in it? Hmmm, at a push, but it’s the ideal size for a couple sleeping on a double air bed or SIM provided you don’t have camp furniture. As a festival tent, this would be brilliant too, because no one wants to faff around pitching for half an hour when there’s fun to be had.
The Forest Lodge 4 would also be the perfect size for a single parent camping with a child with the ease and speed of pitching in particular lending itself well to this demographic.
Final thoughts
The performance of this tent surprised me. Not only did I think the shape of the tent would provide stability issues in wind, I also wasn’t convinced that the 3,000HH would be good enough to cope with prolonged heavy rain. How wrong I was and I really needn’t have worried!
The Coleman Fastpitch Forest Lodge 4 is an extremely practical tent, that provides a fantastic amount of space in relation to pack size and carry weight. It lives up to the Fastpitch name as is super quick to pitch, and quality-wise, it’s robust enough to stand up high winds and persistent rain. For these reasons, it can be tent worthy of nothing but full top marks from us.
@campingwithstyle 🫣 I'm back a day early from a solo camping trip that I could easily call a disaster, or I could just chalk it up to experience and feel even more grateful I have a warm home with solid walls to return to 🥰🏠 Despite being quite a dramatic person, I tend to regard most things in a positive light and in the grand scheme of things, returning early from a camping trip that didn't go quite to plan, really is nothing. But when you go away in search of some much needed rest and relaxation but the joys of the great British weather mean you spend 2 days without sleep and on edge instead, sometimes, a swift change of plans is the best thing to do. The tent was absolutely incredible, I was super worried given the decidedly un-aerodynamic shape, that it wouldn't withstand 45mph gusts and 48 hours of relentless rain… but the @colemanusa Forest Lodge 4 stood strong and with zero water ingress. Absolute top marks. 🙌🏽⛺ Despite the hella sketchy conditions, Falls Campsite is cracking and I'll definitely be back 👌🏽💚 My advice? When you arrive at the campsite and realise you've forgotten the kettle and can't make a brew, best view it as a bad omen and turn straight back round again 😂😂😂 #camping #misadventures #solocamping #yorkshiredales #lovecamping #happycamper #coleman #campsite #solotravel #yorkshiredales #tentreview #colemanforestlodge #tent ♬ original sound – Camping with Style Blog 🏕️
Stockists
DISCLOSURE | Thank you to Coleman, who supplied the featured product for us to test. We were not paid to write this review.
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From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.
