This is our review of the CORE 11-Person Family Cabin Tent with Screen Room.
If you’re looking for a great home away from home the campground, then you’ve certainly found it with this amazing tent from CORE.
The CORE 11-Person Cabin Tent with Screen Room is perfect for families with toddlers, dogs, or those who want to enjoy a bug-free campsite.
With a tremendously large 70 sq ft screen room that allows you to create separate sleeping quarters, a playroom for kids, a mud room, a space for dogs, or a screened patio – the options are endless.
Read on for the full review!
CORE 11-Person Cabin Tent With Screen Room: Key Features
Tent Size: 11 person | Seasons: 3-season | Weight: 36.24 lbs | Inside Height: 86 in | Floor: 12 x 10 ft cabin (120 sq ft ) + 9/8 x 7 ft screen room (~70 sq ft) | Setup Time: 20 mins
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Overall, we give the CORE 11-Person Instant Cabin Tent a rating of 7.7 out of 10.
This spacious and easy-to-set-up tent provides comfort and convenience during your outdoor camping adventures and is featured on various of our “best of” rankings:
I’m going to review this tent on a variety of metrics and I know that by the end you’ll understand why we rate it so highly!
Space & Comfort
The tent is designed to accommodate a sizable group of campers, comfortably sleeping 4 to 6 in the main cabin area, while providing a separate living space in the screen room for another 2 to 3 people and/or gear.
Its generous floor plan of 17 x 12 feet, provides 190 sq ft of living space, which is on par with what you see from other 10 to 12-person tents.
The main cabin area is a huge and spacious interior with a peak height of over 7 feet, you can comfortably stand and move around inside the main cabin, making it feel more like a home away from home.
But the main reason to purchase this tent over a standard cabin tent or an instant tent is clearly the screen room, which serves as a bug-free, open-air area for relaxation and enjoying the outdoors without the annoyance of insects.
With an actual door for a room divider, the tent allows you to create separate sleeping quarters, a playroom for kids, a mud room, a space for dogs, or a screened patio – the options are endless.
Quality & Durability
Offering a 1-year limited warranty, when you buy a CORE tent you know that you are getting a quality and well-made tent.
The pole system is quite nice. There are also 6 steel poles to hold the tent up, and another 7 fiberglass poles for the ceiling that are color-coded making it easy to figure out what goes where.
With a CORE tent, you’re not getting YKK zippers, but after owning several CORE tents I can’t really see too many reasons why your average budget camper should turn elsewhere.
Constructed with durable CORE H20 Block Technology, the CORE 11-Person Cabin Tent with Screen Room offers solid protection from the elements.
The tent’s water-resistant 68D polyester fabric, 115 gsm P.E. flooring, and sealed seams ensure you stay dry and comfortable even during rainy weather.
The stakes are on par with other budget tents, and we recommend upgrading them immediately.
Are there higher-quality tents out there? Yes, but for the money this one is pretty dang good!
Value
The big reason to buy this tent is its value. At $229 on Amazon, it is one of the best large family tents that you can buy for the money.
It combines spaciousness, privacy, and insect-free outdoor enjoyment, making it an excellent choice for extended camping trips or outdoor gatherings.
It’s a tremendous value and offers a fantastic camping experience for larger groups or families.
Weather Resistance
The tent’s durable materials, including water-resistant 68D Polyester fabric and 115gsp tarp material for flooring, ensure protection against the elements and keep you dry in rainy weather.
However, as with most cabin tents, you’re going to be potentially vulnerable to heavy downpours and wind-driven rain.
If you’re expecting heavy weather on your camping trip, you’ll want to consider bringing an extra tarp for overhead coverage as rain can potentially pool up in the screen room area.
But ventilation is another really strong point of this tent, with multiple windows and ground vents that help maintain airflow, reducing condensation and keeping the interior comfortable.
Ease of Use
Setting up the CORE 11-Person Family Cabin Tent is a relatively straightforward process, thanks to color-coded poles, color-coded sleeves, and the hubbed pole system with corresponding color markings.
The black fiberglass poles go directly on top of the tent, grey poles on the sides of the roof, the orange at the front, and six thick black steel poles to hold the hold thing up.
It took me about 20 minutes by myself to put up the tent, and an additional 5 minutes for the ranfly.
With a second or third person helping you can easily set it up in half the time.
Takedown took me another 15 minutes, again by myself.
Regardless, you’ll want to practice set up and take down at home in advance of reaching the campsite. It just makes things much easier and less stressful.
Intangibles
The tent’s main cabin features three large mesh windows and a mesh ceiling that allow for excellent ventilation and airflow, keeping the interior fresh and cool.
The adjustable ventilation shafts (standard on CORE tents) on the side of the tent are a really nice touch too.
The tent has multiple storage pockets on each side of the tent’s interior wall, and a gear loft for the main cabin to keep your belongings organized and within reach.
But clearly, the main selling point here is the huge 70 sq ft screen room. Not only can it sleep 2 to 3 people, but can be used for so many things from enjoying the outdoors bug-free to a space for your dog, kids, or spouse if things go awry
Warranty
All CORE tents come with a 1-year Limited Warranty
Additional Sizes
CORE also offers this tent in a 6-person size, as well as offering a 10-person Instant Cabin Tent with a Screen Room.
Pros, Cons, & Best Uses
Pros:
- Giant screen room with 72 sq ft of outdoor space
- Huge interior with 204 sq ft of interior tent living space
- Great ventilation with plenty of windows
- The screen room completely seals up, preventing leaks and allowing for a secondary sleeping space
Cons:
- Only one entrance – could certainly use a second
- Flimsy tent stakes will require upgrading
Best Uses:
- Car Camping
- Family Camping
- Group Camping
- Camping with Dogs
Are CORE Tents With Screen Rooms Worth It?
CORE tents with screen rooms are definitely worth the money.
They offer a nice secondary outdoor space that can be used for anything from hanging out to sleeping, from a kid’s play area to a mud room.
It also comes in a few different sizes and models to choose from.
Does the CORE 11-Person Cabin Tent with Screen Room fit 11 people?
No, the CORE 11-Person Cabin Tent can’t comfortably sleep 11 people.
While you can easily fit two queen-size mattresses into the main cabin tent area, and another in the screen room, you’re still looking at sleeping 6-8 in here max.
If you’re looking to fit 11 people into a CORE tent, I would recommend either splitting off into two tents.
Read: Camping Tent Sizes – What Size Tent Do I Need?
Will it hold up to heavy winds and rain?
Standalone, the CORE 11-person Instant tent has pretty solid wind and rain protection.
But if you know that you’re going to encounter heavy winds and/or wind-driven rain on a consistent basis I would either bring a different more weather-resistent tent or bring a tarp to put up and over the tent to provide an extra layer of attention.
How do you set up a CORE 11 Person Cabin Tent with Screen Room?
Setting up the CORE 11-Person Family Cabin Tent is a relatively straightforward process, thanks to color-coded poles, color-coded sleeves, and the hubbed pole system with corresponding color markings.
- First, you’ll put out your ground cover.
- Next, you’ll unpack your tent and roll and flatten it out
- Remove the cover from the tent pole hub connectors
- Put together your tent poles
- Place the grey, orange, and black fiberglass poles through their corresponding pole sleeves and into the hub connector
- Place the larger black steel poles up and into the hub connectors one at a time to lift the tent
- Lock into place and stake out
- Attach the rainfly and stake out guylines
- Double-check your work
As with any tent, you’ll want to practice set up and take down at home in advance of reaching the campsite. It just makes things much easier and less stressful.
Also See: How to Set Up A Tent
What are some comparable tents to the CORE 11-Person Cabin Tent with Screen Room?
Some comparable tents to the CORE 11-person Cabin Tent with Screen Room are the Coleman Skydome Tent with Screened Porch, the Coleman Elite Weathermaster Tent, the Coleman Skylodge 12 Person Tent with Screened Porch, and the Ozark Trail 9 Person 2 Room Instant Cabin Tent with Screen Room.
While all three brands produce nice screen room tents, we’ve found that CORE is consistently superior in terms of quality and durability.
We recommend the CORE version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are CORE tents made?
CORE is based out of Overland Park, Kansas, but their tents are manufactured overseas.
How do you pack up a CORE Cabin Tent With Screen Room?
To take down a CORE Cabin Tent with Screen Room:
- Ensure your tent is dry, and make sure the windows and door are open
- Next, you’ll want to remove the rainfly.
- Then you’ll want to detach the black steel roof support poles.
- Next, you’ll remove the color-coded poles from their sleeves.
- Finally, you’ll take apart each pole, pack it back into the bag.
- Then fold up the tent until it gets down to the width of the poles.
- Place the pole bag within the edge of the folded tent, and begin to roll.
- Periodically, sit on it to remove air. Finally, pack it back into the bag.
As with any tent, it takes practice but isn’t all that hard.
What are the disadvantages of cabin tents with screen rooms?
The biggest disadvantage of this tent and others like it is the extra time it takes to set up.
The second disadvantage will happen when facing inclement weather. Since the rainfly doesn’t offer full coverage, you’re relying on the window seals, seams, and zippers to keep you dry.
No matter how nice these tents are, they won’t perform as well as dome tents.
Can you fit three queen-size mattresses in the CORE 11-Person Cabin Tent with Screen Room?
Yes, you can fit three queen-sized mattresses in the CORE 11-Person Cabin Tent with Screen Room.
This tent fits 6 people pretty comfortably and even has room for a few more if you have smaller kids.
There will be plenty of room for gear and storage even if you pack 6 people in here.
Our Verdict
We love the CORE 11-person Cabin Tent with Screen Room.
Its huge interior and large screen room make it perfect for a variety of campers.
From big families to those who want to bring their dog along, this tent won’t let you down.
With excellent ventilation and great versatility, we highly recommend it!
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