Family cabin~$250Core
Core Instant Cabin
No citable rating — see why we hide some.
A hundred and twenty-six square feet, 78 inches of ceiling, two queen airbeds and a room divider, up in about two minutes because the steel poles never leave the tent. Core's own listing is unusually honest about capacity: it prints "9 (Industry Standard) / 4 + Gear (Most Comfortable)" right on the spec table, which is the clearest statement of the tent-capacity problem any manufacturer makes. Thirty-seven pounds is the price of the steel, and it is a two-person carry.
Floor area per person
14.0 sq ft
Standard — 14 to 17 sq ft each — the normal two-pads-and-no-spare-room fit
Weight per person
4 lb 2 oz
from the packed weight of 37 lb
Peak height
78 in
Approx. price
~$250
Pads: 12.0 in of floor width each — even 20 in pads overlap.
Length: a 168 in floor leaves room for a sleeper up to about 13ft 6in once you allow six inches for a foot box and a pillow.
Best for
Big-group campground trips where the tent is a room, not a shelter.
The size run
One design, 2 capacities. The numbers at the top of this page describe the 9 Person; every size has its own figures below.
| Size | Sleeps | Floor area | Sq ft each | Vestibule | Trail weight | Packed weight | Floor L × W | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Person | 9 | 126 sq ft | 14.0 | 0 sq ft | — | 37 lb | 168 × 108 in | ~$250 |
| 10 Person | 10 | 140 sq ft | 14.0 | 0 sq ft | — | 39 lb | 168 × 120 in | ~$350 |
Specifications
- Type
- Family cabin
- Rated capacity
- 9-person
- Floor area per person(estimated)
- 14.0 sq ft (standard)
- Floor area
- 126 sq ft
- Vestibule area
- 0 sq ft
- Peak height
- 78 in
- Packed weight
- 37 lb
- Weight per person(estimated)
- 4 lb 2 oz (packed weight)
- Interior floor length
- 168 in
- Interior floor width
- 108 in
- Pad fit(estimated)
- even 20 in pads overlap
- Fits sleepers up to(estimated)
- 13ft 6in tall
- Doors
- 1
- Vestibules
- 0
- Freestanding
- freestanding
- Poles
- steel
- Wall type
- double wall
- Season rating
- 3-season
- Floor fabric
- Polyethylene sheet
- Approx. price
- ~$250
Features
- Pre-attached telescoping steel poles, roughly two-minute setup
- 78 in ceiling across a 14 x 9 ft floor
- Room divider and a rainfly with attached guylines included
- Fits two queen airbeds
- Core's own spec table states both the rated and the comfortable capacity
- Sold in 9 and 10 person on the same steel frame
In its favour
- 126 sq ft for $250 is the most floor per dollar in this catalog
- 78 in ceiling means everyone stands up
- Setup really is two minutes, which matters arriving after dark
- Core publishes the realistic capacity alongside the marketing one
- Sold in 9 and 10 person on the same steel frame, 126 and 140 sq ft
Against it
- 37 lb is a two-person lift from car to pitch
- Steel poles rust at the joints if packed wet
- Polyethylene floor with no published hydrostatic head
- No vestibule — wet boots come inside
Written from the published specification sheet, not from owner reports.
What owners report
No owner discussion has been collected for the Core Instant Cabin yet. Rather than summarise sentiment nobody expressed, this section stays empty until there is something real to read — the methodology page explains where these come from and why some tents have none.