Coleman Montana 8 Person (Open Box)

As an adult who has just recently returned to the world of camping (I am a leader in my son's cub scout pack), I looked at LOTS of tent options before choosing the Coleman Montana 8 person tent. I checked out reviews on Amazon and CampMor, and talked to as many camping enthusiast friends as I could. My first year in scouting, I borrowed a Eureka 2-person tent from our local boy scout troop, which came up to (maybe) my waist, and just barely fit my full-sized air mattress. After struggling to change clothing while lying down (I could barely kneel, let alone stand), and suffering through a fairly sleepless/stuffy night in the Eureka tent, I decided that the following features were necessary for comfortable camping:1. The ability to stand up fully. This meant that any tent I chose had to have a center height of at least 72", preferably more (my husband is 6 feet tall, and if I ever want him to join us camping, the tent needs to work for him too. The Montana 8 has a center height of 84" (7 feet).2. Room for gear and at least two full/queen sized air mattresses. Although the Montana 8 states that there's room for 8 people, the diagram shows these 8 people sleeping in mummy bags very close together. From a comfort perspective, this tent will hold 4-5 people (and their gear) at a maximum, without feeling overly crowded. For the three of us, this fits the bill nicely.3. Intuitive and easy to set up and take down. While I like camping, I am not an avid camper. Finding a tent that can be set up (and taken down) with only help from a 9 year old was key, and this fits the bill nicely.4. Good cross-ventilation. After sleeping in a stuffy tent once, I didn't want to repeat the experience. Three windows (the two side windows and the door window) can be rolled down to allow for good air flow and ventilation. We rolled the windows down 1/3 of the way, which provided a very comfortable cross-breeze while sleeping.5. Waterproof with a bathtub floor. Many of the reviewers stated that they had no problems with leaks along the seams without using any waterproofing sealant. After talking with others and reading some recommendations, I used the Kiwi Camp Dry Heavy Duty Water Repellent to spray the seams prior to our first use, as added protection. We had some light rain during the evening, and much heavier rain the next morning, and the inside of the tent stayed bone dry.6. Quality. I wanted a tent that would stand up to occasional car camping trips, without having to be replaced on a regular basis. Coleman is a recognized brand, and after talking with folks who own Coleman tents and reading the reviews, I was convinced that this tent would be a good one for our family. So far, I'm pleased!6. Price. Given that we don't do a lot of camping, I didn't want to spend hundreds on a tent. I purchased the Montana 8 in Blue (not the Elite) from Amazon in mid-May 2015, and paid $136.48; a surprisingly low price for this particular tent model/size.Some nice features that this tent offers (that weren't on my list of must-haves):1. A port for electrical/extension cords. While this tent does not have electricity, it does include a port near the door that allows campers to run an extension cord into the tent (for use with lanterns, fans, etc.)2. A covered entry area. I looked at tents that had screened in areas, but opted for this one instead, choosing to have the extra room inside the tent rather than in a screened area. I had two camp chairs outside - in the evening, when it started to rain, I placed the camp chairs under the front rain fly "awning", on either side of the door. Despite the rain, the chairs stayed mostly dry, with only a few drops of water on them.3. A "D door". This door has a pole that threads around the D curve, and another one at the hinge axis, which means that the door can function as a real door in terms of opening/closing, rather than a door that must be zipped open and closed. While there are Velcro closures around the D curve, we found that to keep insects from getting in we still had to zip it shut. However, we liked the easy entry!All in all, my family and I are very pleased with our new tent, and look forward to many years of use!