Tent Showcase: Coleman Evolva
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2009
3
29.70 KG
1
Fully Sewn-in
Fly first
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Average User Rating:
8.35/10 from 20 reviews
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User Reviews of the Evolva
By: Debs2000 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating:  Date: 21/01/2010
I just want to add to the fantastic comments, that my husband and I are extremely pleased with this tent, we went for an extra sleep annex and chef annex. Like everyone says it is very large, especially for just two of us, but you do have great flexibility with the modules and I think it is very well made and I would highly recommend it.
By: Kellytrev Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating:  Date: 07/10/2009
We brought the evolva in early may and have used it all over the spring/summer and will continue to use it until mid november, its a great tent it suits every need, large bedrooms with clear windows that can be covered at night, kitchen room with opening or mesh window for ventilation, SIG, EHU access, excellent height, strong poles [not had one snap and have been away in strong winds], water tight now that the issue with my roof poles have been sorted [please see below], light and airy, warm, strong zips, loads of windows, plus the excellent option of having the choice of how many bedrooms/links/chef annexes to add.
Yes there are a few things that I have knocked one point off for but these are not a real problem and can be simply solved: the guys are not visible at night [change or add a strip of glow in the dark tape], the door zip catches in the fabric [sticky back velcro], the height of the sky light can not be reached to open [single out the string pulls that are already on.
Pitching is easy and can be done in stages if you wish, the main dome can be up in 20 minutes, the annexes which are so simple can be added one at a time 10 minutes each. Its all colour coded. Although it is a large tall tent putting the poles in are easy as the poles do not go straight through from one side to the other there is a cluster that the poles slot into so when you push the pole up to put the poles in you are pushing against a solid unit and not pushing it through to the other end/side.
We did find that we got alot of condensation, we now leave a blow heater on low through the night on a timer switch it comes on every hour for 15 minutes its bone dry in the morning that way.
We also have the link annexe which gives us alot more options, the minnesota 6 carpet which is a good fit [it does leave a gap near the front door but this is a great place to put your shoes], coleman platinum windshield is realy good and does stay up without guys being on the inside of it [it does have 12 pre attached on the outside though!] its a perfect match, vango dart 200 pop up tent to use inside the main tent if we have extra people come to stay and it works great [not to big] and also a good colour match which is a bonus LOL.
THE POLE PROBLEM: these are the first green and blue roof poles from the front, they were made that the green pole is to short and the blue pole is to long, this causes the front cluster to sit against the tent and makes a well when it rains heavy the rain sits and makes its way in and travels down the hanging point, it is being looked into by colemans but if you have purchased your tent second hand it can be sorted, search for evolva pole in the forum and its all covered there.
We always use the tent in a diffent way, somethimes having the chef and two bedrooms, or just having one bedroom and chef with the link being used as the main doorway [we close the main door up and do not use it] this is great as we have all the floor space of the main tent we put our table and chairs in the main doorway with all the windows then use the link to enter and put our shoes and stuff on the link floor [we move the door mat to the front of the link], we have also used the tent with the two bedroom annexes and the chef attached but when there is only three of us we take the inner tent out of one of the bedrooms to make it a dining room.
We have put thin black elastic across the center of our windows we just drop the fabric behind them at night now this saves us fastening them all.
We have been away about 10 times weekends and long holidays, and I must say that we have never had a problem with the evolva, I would highly recommend this tent.
By: Camp Run-a-muk Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating:  Date: 02/10/2009
PROS:
Spacious (great party tent)
Adaptable (how many shapes can you make? You'll need a few link annexes)
Good Quality (bullet proof and very high spec. Water proofing)
Modular (use as much or as little as you need)
CONS:
Doesn't like strong wind (pitch somewhere sheltered unless you like being buffeted)
Heavy And Bulky (We're gonna need a bigger truck, and biceps)
Huge Dimensions (a 6x6m pitch won't cut the mustard unless your neighbours don't mind tripping over your guy lines)
Coleman say that production has been halted because of complaints from campsites due to it's immense size. I personally have had no problem finding a suitable pitch. Whether they make a smaller version isn't currently imminent. I'd take 25percent off the dimensions and get the seamstresses back to work. Although I do agree that it's a bit of a leviathan, I do so love the aspect of modularity (is that a word) and still miss my Lego, Meccano,and all the other modular toys that I thought 'When I grow up, I'm gonna have a shed load of this' I now own one hundred and nine Scalextric cars, a childhood dream come true. Pamela Anderson will have to wait.
If you fancy a modular tent, I think it's the only one available, (Can't count the modulus etc. Due to availability of ancillaries) unless of course. YOU KNOW DIFFERENT!
Anybody fancy an 'EVOLVA-FEST' to see how many we can link together. I've got two 'Link Annexes' but we'd need a lot more. Do the living areas zip directly together? We could make some wicked shapes. A veritable IN-DOOR MAZE. Might even loose the bloomin' kids for a Pimms or two.
7/10 Marked down for Weight, bulk, and aerodynamics.
By: Fathe Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating:  Date: 08/09/2009
I used the Evolva for the first time at the end of August in France during a trip to Lower Normandy.
I had a couple practice pitches before we left so on the day we arrived I had it up and ready in about 45 minutes. Good job I packed a set of rock pegs as the ground was about 90% rock! The pegs that came with the tent went in about 2mm before going out of shape. Without the rock pegs it would have been a disaster! Due to this I couldn’t peg out all the guy ropes but had to make do. Even with this in mind the tent performed well.
Pitching is easy now. After the 2nd pitch the poles are so much more flexible and easier to work with. I lay the tent out, put the roof poles in and the back ones then work my way forwards. I am just over 6 foot tall so this does help.
The zips are well made and boy to you do a lot of zipping so just as well. I think half it comes down to knack. Once up the space inside is huge and the versatility of the tent is well documented.
Granted the other well documented issue in the length of the front set of poles. I have included plenty of pictures of this issue from my drying out pitch once back home. Typically bone dry all week until the morning we left. So had to re-pitch in the garden at home which was a tight squeeze to dry it out. I am sure we can get this issue sorted then the tent will get 9/10 for me.
The tent is very light and airy. However in hot weather it gets oven hot inside. The best way to get air in was having the chef window down with fly screen up and same at the front. If the bedrooms had windows that opened in the same way then I would give it 10/10 (If the poles were all correct too). For a family of 5 the tent is perfect. The chef was used as a dressing room, the 3 boys went in one sleep annex and me and Mrs Fathe went in the other. I could always buy a 3rd sleep annex and put the chef on the link for the perfect cook setup. (The Link on its own is pretty good)
All in all I am very happy with the way it performs. I wouldn’t like to pitch it in heavy rain and driving winds without serious help but that is the same for all big tents. I had to take it down in rain and a bit of wind. I found the easy way was to drop all the 'legs' by one pole section first.
Would I recommend an Evolva to a friend? Definitely! It’s all the tent a family needs.
By: Dazzle69 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: Date: 29/08/2009
My wife and I always look around the new tents on display when we go round the camping and caravan centre in Taunton; usually criticising nearly all of the tents on show. When we had a look at the Evolva, with both bedroom annexes and chefs annexe, we were immediately impressed and started comparing it to our Wynnster Mercury 9 Excel, which we found to be perfect for our circumstances at the time. The Evolva ticked all of our boxes and was so much lighter and airy inside. And the price was a snip. We hummed and arred about it and left to take home our restless toddler. The following day while my wife was at work,I and our toddler went back to have a closer look at the Evolva, zipping annexes off and on, checking out the quality of the zips, how well it sealed out the wind and rain, and all but took it down and re-pitched it. I was sold. Paid for one there and then and we have never regretted it. We now have enough tentage to accommodate 21 persons!
The Evolva, as I have already said is such a light and airy tent that even spending a wet day inside isn't a gloomy affair. The sleep annexe sleeps the 3 of us, and our bags comfortably. The chef annexe houses our cooking table and stoves, kitchen utensils, food, water and all the bits and bobs we have. The second sleep annexe (without inner) houses our dining table and benches, leaving the main area of the tent clutter free.
The pitching is pretty straight forward, with colour coded poles fitting into corresponding sleeves and the ends of the poles either fitting into an apex socket or into an eyelet at ground level. I have even managed to erect it single handed in our garden to dry it out after a wet weekend away. The Annexes then simply zip onto the main section, allowing you to choose your own layout, or saving space if needed.
This really is a great tent. If you arrive on site in the rain, you can pitch the main section and wait for it to stop, or pitch the annexes, and with a quick unzip of the side panel and zip up of the annexe mating zips, hey presto, somewhere to sleep/ cook, without the inside of the tent getting soaked.
We have re-arranged the bags so that the two sleep annexe outers and their poles/ pegs are in the black bag that attaches to the main tent bag. The Sleep annexe inners are rolled individually and packed into the soft stuff sack that the extar sleep annexe came in. The Chef's annexe is still in its original soft bag. This allows us to make sure the inners always stay dry whilst setting up and striking camp.
The only problems we have encountered are the guys/ bowsies are too tight and will not run freely to allow you to tension the guys. I've overcome this by inserting a spare peg between the guy and bowsie, creating a round surface for the guy to run over and making it easier to tension. The other is that the two weather flaps that cover the main porch/ doorway zips always seem to catch in the zip pull, meaning you have to undo the zip to free it and sods law says, the worse the rain, the more often it gets caught.
Other than that, it really is an excellent tent, with great flexibility, a very high standard of materials and construction and a reassuring Hydrostatic head measurement of 6000mm (6metres), double most of the other tents we own or have looked at; it is well capable of standing upto the great british summer. And for us to replace our trusty Mercury 9 is no mean feat.
Pitching time is around an hour for the full setup with both sleep annexes and chef annexe, including me pegging and guying while the wife sorts out the inners and gets the kettle/ dinner on.
We used to use our Royal Nevada 4 as an overnight stop quick pitch tent and then the Mercury 9 Excel as our destination accomodation. The Evolva has replaced both these tents as it is easy to pitch in simple 1 bedroom form for the overnight stop and spacious enough for our destination luxury accomodation with kitchen, dining room comfortable bedroom and at a price tomake you think twice about buying any other tent.
I think we paid around £250 for ours, complete with 2 sleep annexes, chefs' annexe and coleman coolbag, that zips to the side wall of the chefs' annexe making sure it stays upright and preventing spillages from untightened drinks bottles replaced by the kids.
We also found that should the water container leak in the chefs' annexe(oh yes, it did), the ability to completely unzip the ground sheet from the annexe, move it away from the tent, pour the water off and wipe it dry was a blessing. Also I have had friends complain about not being able to get water out of a sealed in groundsheet when the kids have been in and out in the wet weather. With the Evolva, it is not a problem as you can create a drain point and dispell the water.
All in all a brilliant tent, and once I have replaced our guys with dayglow ones that run through the bowsies easier, I think I can safely say we need never buy another tent again.
By: Dracoerus Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 27/07/2009
Got the evolva last year and have used it only twice so far, though in varying weather conditions. What an amazing tent this is. As I described to a friend, 'its like camping. Only with style'.
As many people have described this tent can be used as a family tent or for weekend use. The way in which the tent is packed shows this. In that the main tent and one sleep annex fit into the tent bag. With the other annex being in their own separate bags.
The central section of the tent was put up in about 30 to 45 mins of 'great' British weather. It only takes about 15 mins to put up each annex and I can say that the inside of the tent stayed dry, other than where we had walked inside.
The size of this tent gives that extra bit of comfort that I have never known when camping. The size was important as we wanted a good area in which my daughter could play in during bad weather.
The built-in ground sheet adds to the comfort and prevents all kinds of beasts entering the tent as well as water. Which means that if the only available pitch is at the foot of a hill the inside of the tent is going to remain water free, other than what you bring in with you.
The coleman fan was supplied with the tent package and as mentioned by MRSGRUMPY it really seems to be of little use. I use 2 sleep annex and the chef annex when camping and find that you can get ample air through the tent on hot days by opening the chef window and the front of the tent.
To help give a rough guide to the size of this tent we had a 70cm by 70cm table in the centre section of the tent, with 4 fold down camping chairs around it and there was still enough room to get round the sides without disturbing anyone. As for the sleep annex I managed to fit a double airbed along with a graco travel cot for the little one in 1 annex. You would not be able to get 2 double air beds in, but 3 singles or a double and a single, as is your want.
In all this is a great tent, perfect for big family holidays or those lazy weekends away. It will suit whatever type of camping holiday you have. Save maybe trying to conquer Mt. Everest!
The only problem I have had, and would love to know if anyone has had the same problem, is that the poles that make up the back end of the porch section touch on the material of the tent. It seems that either the green pole is too long, or that maybe the area where the blue pole cross in the main part of the tent are the wrong way around. I will try and get in touch with Coleman too see if maybe the tent I have could have had a manufacturing fault.
By: Mibster Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 12/07/2009
Well what a weekend away, so much rain over 12 hours in total and the wind was 30-40mph gusts. Now to the most important issue 'Leaking' Well I have to be honest we did have a small leak, where about a thimble full of water spotted the floor. Now this was under the large half moon shaped vent. Now at first I thought the vent was to blame and I was cursing a design fault, however on closer inspection in the light of day I could see the leak was due to us pitching the tent incorrectly. In the pictures I will post later you can see where we didnt fully zip the spare pod entrance and secured the velcro. So water was in high wind able to get to the large zip we left exposed, water soaked through the zip, ran down to the 'SIG' seam and flowed down under the fan vent, then onto floor. However again the amount of water was minuscule, its a lesson for us to learn.
We arrived at the campsite (Anitas Touring Park, Banbury)
At 8:45pm, traffic was awful, M1 a disaster zone. This only gave us about 45 minutes to pitch, some how we managed 30 minutes, quick for a first pitch but badly rushed, hence the leak. On the first night (Friday) it started raining at about 10pm which lasted for about 4 hours, at times it was torrential but winds were light and no leak occurred even by the fan vent. Rained a bit Saturday morning, from about 8-10 am, after that though it was very sunny and hot all the way until wrath God time 6pm. The heavens opened and the wind howled, the rain was now coming in sideways and blasting at the un-used pod entrance, and into the zip we left exposed. In the wind the tent was not in the slightest bit affected, despite us not pegging 2 guys at the wrong angle, on inspection in the morning both had pulled out of the ground.
With reference to problems with leaking in the roof vent, we had no water coming through at all, even with torrential rain and that was also with the tension straps left loose, which was another daft mistake we made in rushing.
All in all a great tent, obscene amount of space Taj Mahal, Cathedral like. Bedroom pod (we only pitched the bedroom, no time for the other or chef pod)was huge large enough for a double airbed, with enough space left over for another single if required. Living area again is huge and easily accommodates a folding table, chairs, kitchen stand etc. The windows are excellent and upon opening all of the blinds the tent seems twice its size, on a hot sunny day these would need to be lowered, as we found it melting hot inside on Saturday afternoon.
Condensation was minimal, only truly evident on the clear windows, quick wipe with a tea towel and all was bright again, certainly none in the sleepeing area which is enclosed within a secondary fly sheet and is elasticated away from the outer skin of the tent. Ventilation is excellent, through the lower fan vent and roof vent although both must be sealed in the event of extreme wet weather.
Thoroughly looking forward to our next trip away, confident that our Evolva can stand up to some pretty nasty weather and once correctly setup will not leak.
Loses 1 point for one minor reason, we managed to break one of the elastic loops for holding up the door, easily fixed and discovered not sewn in correctly.
Will upload my pics asap
By: Mrsgrumpy Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 05/07/2009
I purchased this in June 2009, previously owning a caravan, I wanted something big that could fit in the kids and my 'luxuries'.
It was quick to erect, however the guylines and pegging seemed to take longer. The poles are all colour coded with the tent and are easy to put together.
The annexes are easy to put up and zip into the main tent. Lots of chunky zips and flyscreens.
Only gripe is that the windows aren't 'openable' and the sun can beat through them causing lots of heat! Don't bother buying the 'coleman' fan which fits into the venting area, it doesn't seem to have any effect.
I broke a pole trying to take it out of the plastic frame at the top, but they do supply extra poles.
The groundsheet can be quite noisy/papery either use a carpet or we used a picnic blanket and you can stick it down with velcro spots.
Overall this is excellent value for money (I paid £289 for the main tent, 1 bedroom and 1 chef annex) from Somerset Leisure, Taunton.
I'm also a pessimist and so the above are just my observations . Believe me there are plenty of good bits. Can't wait until my next jolly!
By: Uncle Foxy Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: Date: 28/06/2009
We used our Evolva for the first time on the spring bank holiday weekend in May and as a caravanner for the last 20 years I can honestly say I'm well and truly converted. After having a big twin axled Tabbert and huge awning I wanted something with plenty of space and with this tent you get it in spades. My wife and 11 year old daughter were concerned about spiders and wikkies getting in (Ok me too) but with the sewn in groundsheet this was not a problem, even with the annexe attached the seal was excellent and the big zip felt very strong and sturdy.
We only put one sleep annexe up as we weren't sure if we could fit two on the pitch and as my mate had pinched my Landrover for the week we had to use my wifes car which is only a Peugeot 107 so space was a bit of an issue. Pitching was easy once I stopped doing the man thing by insisting I knew better and actually listened to the wife, it took about 40 minutes altogether. During the day it got quite warm but with the two panels zipped out where the other annexes would go the tent kept quite cool with the small breeze blowing through. The tent is very light and airy with nice big windows at the front with smaller ones in the main dome. The quality of the materials feel excellent with big chunky zips to attach the annexes.
All in all I am very impressed with this tent and we cant wait to get away to Pentewan in Cornwall in a couple of weeks to try it out in anger on our monster size pitch.
By: Hs2395 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 21/06/2009
We bought our tent last week from JR Leisure in Leicester. (price 289) We were going to buy the Modulous 7 man but with 3 children if it rains there is no room.
We have just spent our first night away. It was great. There is enough space for the children to play in and get the table in if you don't want to eat outside. And have other chairs in as well. We did not take the chef annex as only stopping over night.
The tent was easy to pitch and the colour poles were really easily inserted. One thing you need to check on though is the arches where the tent poles connect to make sure they are the right way round. I would of not been able to put tent up on own - it was slightly easier as hubby being over 6ft, me being 5ft 2. I managed to pack the tent away in the bags on my own. It was nice and light and airy - however also being light I was awake by 6am. The kids slept in. You can see through the sleeping compartments if you really look and see the shadows.
All in all a really nice well made feels quality and looks quality. Just not for a short person to put up.
By: Nuds10 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: Date: 20/06/2009
Well what can I say, this has got to be the best tent on the market, we have just come back from our 10 day holiday in St Ives, and used our evolva for the first time, we looked at many tents before this one, but the evolva ticked all the boxes.
It took us 45 mins to put it up and it was very straight forward and easy to erect, I had forgotten how big it was when up but luckily the pitch we were on allowed for large tents. It is a very airy and light tent with many windows, which you don't get in other tents, so this is a big thumbs up. The space in the tent is mega and you can have all the camping equipment you want inside. We have the chef annexe so its like having a kitchen.
I cant praise this tent enough, it took us 25 mins to take it down, again very easy and packed away with no problem. Just the one thing we want to purchase the link annexe but cant seem to get hold of one, so if there is anyone out there who knows where we can get one from please let me know.
So all you tent byers out there go for the evolva, you will never look back
Just one more thing we had very sunny weather, and also two days of heavy rain and very windy weather, and the tent was very good in both.
By: Kath.Hartigan Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: Date: 05/06/2009
We bought our Evolva a few months ago and have used it twice. Each time we have erected it, it has become easier and quicker. There is definitely a knack to it. It really spacious both in width and in height. Its a good tent for longer breaks but you can make the tent smaller by not taking chef/extra sleep annex if you are taking a shorter break. We have a young family so its great because we are not all climbing on top of each other. The only criticism I have is that it takes a lot of boot space, especially if you take the extra sleep and chef annex. The main tent is also very heavy. I am a weedy woman and can't lift it by myself. You have also got no chance of putting this tent up by yourself; it is definitely a two man job.
But with my criticism, I am really happy with the tent and have really enjoyed using it. I would recommend it. We even had other campers coming to look at it on our last break! Just beware if you go on a Haven tourer site with their tent size rule; with everything up, the evolva exceeds this!
By: Dmmeys Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating: Date: 31/05/2009
OK. I've spent over a year trying to work out what to get to replace my Lichfield Arapaho 4. Swung between Cedar Creek, Sector X5 and Evolva. All Colemans but varying sizes/ configuration. Finally plumped for the Evolva last week and got a great deal from Somerset Camping. All (three) packages arrived. Tent and first sleep annexe are in a canvas bag the size of a suitcase. Second sleep annexe comes in a pack larger than my entire Arapaho. As does the chef annexe. I would point out that this tent completely fills the boot of our Renault Clio and struggles at that (if you wanted to take both sleep annexes the second would not fit in a small boot).
Got the tent home and decided this weekend to head to the parents house to put it up in their garden. Cripes. This thing is ENORMOUS. I've studied the photos already uploaded but they simply don't do it justice. This tent is incredibly tall to the point of being somewhat daunting.
I've camped for the last 5 years so the number of poles/ sheer amount of material didn't freak me out. The small instruction sheet on the inside of the main bag to which everyone has alluded previously is not fully comprehensive but it is good enough.
The system of inserting the poles/ matching them with colours and connecting them into the apex plastic pieces is novel (to me) and really very simple and effective. I've seen a few people mention difficulty in getting them into all of the fittings. Not sure if Coleman have improved this with the latest versions rolling off the production line but my father and I erected this tent from bag to having a beer inside, first time, within 50 minutes. The sleep and chef annexes fit on very cleverly and nothing appeared to be strained or warped/ twisted which is a bit of a miracle considering the number of materials and sections from which this tent is cut.
I've never been in a tent that has felt so incredibly large. The roof of the main central tent is very high. I'm 5'10' and had to get a chair to stand on to reach the vent in the roof and open it.
Each of the three vertical sides of the central tent (the fourth being the entrance way) have a nylon panel covering a mesh insert and either or both can be removed to create either an open or a meshed shelter. When you want to zip in one of the annexes you simply unzip the whole side panel and the annex zips straight onto it. The groundsheet of the main tent instantly folds down and matches up with the groundsheet of the annexe and, hey presto, you have a completely flat inner groundsheet fully connected.
The main tent has numerous windows all of which have privacy curtains. The chef annexe has a vinyl window, a privacy curtain and mosquito netting all of which, independantly, can be opened or closed. The chef annexe comes with numerous hooks and rings, a hanging rail along the ridge line, a wall mounted organiser and even a Coleman branded cool box!
The bedroom has a large vinyl window and the internal sleep 'liner' can be zipped down to provide a view. My only concern here is that there is no facility to remove the vinyl window and leave mesh in place to provide ventilation. When the bedroom liner is unzipped to expose the window it completely opens the internal bedroom 'pod' exposing it to any bugs etc that have made it into the main tent. I know the whole thing is as hermetically sealed as a tent can get but it seems an odd choice considering that everywhere else the choice is privacy/ window/ mesh. Even odder is that the entrance door to the bedroom pod has exactly that feature. There is a very clever little ventillation panel in the bedroom outer shell and you can unzip the lower corner of the inner pod to open it up but that suffers from the same issue as above.
In general I'm incredibly impressed with this tent if somewhat daunted by it's sheer size. I think that mostly comes from it's height as the footprint of the main tent isn't a million miles away from the Arapaho. Once you've zipped on a sleeping and chef annexe (or two if you're a family) I'm wondering if you'd struggle to pitch it on some sites.
We'll be taking it to the lakes in a few weeks for a trial and then it's three weeks in the South of France in July. I cannot wait to put it through it's paces.
All I need to do now is work out how to mount the flat screen.
By: Numbersix Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 23/04/2009
Initially looking for a weekender to supplement my Vango Aspen 500. Considered a combination of Quechua base units but when space and weight and price was factored together , decided on the Evolva from JR Leisure near Nottingham at the princely sum of £249.99. Had to be ordered in from their Manchester warehouse from their stock of 250 , but arrived within a few days .
Firstly , let me say despite the considerable dimensions, this was the easiest tent I've ever pitched. I had some limited help from the OH but due to a back injury, very limited. Colour coded poles make reference to pitching instructions unnecessary, just start with the roof poles and then insert grey arch poles in sleeves and then raise a section at a time, secure centre dome , pull out porch , guy out, and the hub of the tent is up. Nice feature is the zip on door mat at the front, which can be separated for more stringent cleaning ! This is also gazebo mode and is achieved by zipping out the three side panels leaving net doors which can be tied back . The panels can be stored away in a pocket at the end of the zipper out of the way . Adding the annexes is so easy. The panel and mesh zip out as one , an annex zips in ( bedrooms complete with inner ) the floor zip is also covered by a flap of material so hopefully water ingress should not occur. The sleeping annex also has a built in vent to reduce condensation. Can not comment about the chef annex as I did not have room to put it up and also the second sleep annex . Slept in with my seven year old son and despite the cold temps that night, around 4 degrees, felt that this has the potential to extend our camping season .
Taking it down is straight forward , and providing care is taken to get the width to correspond to the bags , actually found the room over generous . Also note the saddle bag zips in half for ease of transport and packing .
Downsides-none I can see .Sky light cover may be difficult to zip undo if you are vertically challenged !The equivelant of a vaulted ceiling in a tent . The extra height makes the evolva appear larger than its footprint . The grey colour also adds to the illusuon of greater size . It may also aid cooling . The provision of a coolport to place a coleman fan is a good idea as on a modestly warm day , the tent soon got really warm . My advice - buy this and save storage at home as this should be all the tent you need.
By: Hippo33 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 22/03/2009
I've Just purchaced one of these replacing a Vango Diablo 600.
The Evolva seems much better made & alot more robust & certainly alot easier to erect, very logical and colour coded, didn't need instructions and took 45-1hr to put up the first time.
It's main atribute to me is its versatility, with some sites in the UK and abroard you are limited on the size of the pitch with the Evolva you are able to configure it to your pitch or just use main tent without any Annexe's attached if you wish.
1. Ventilation is excellent
2. Very light and airy due to its colour and the number of windows.
3. Main tent area is huge and the space is usable.
4. Quality of materials looks good.
I haven't taken the family away in it yet but plan to go to the south of France later on in the year and a quick break at Easter.
If your looking for a branded quality versatile tent for the family I can't see you can go far wrong here,I paid £250 from J R Leisure a bargain.
By: Mr Bluesky Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 12/03/2009
Gouldyfish
We used our Evolva for the first time last summer for a weekend in Yorkshire.
Surprise, surprise, it rained very hard and long on one of the nights. So much so that in the morning, part of our tent was effectively floating in a puddle of mud. Walking along the groundsheet felt like walking on a water bed.
I'm pleased to say that there were absolutely no leaks from anywhere on the tent, including the zipped joints of the main tent to the bedrooms and chef annexe.
By: Gouldyfish Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating:  Date: 07/02/2009
Hi! Have just bought an ex-display Evolva for a bargain price! I like the idea of the flexibility but have just had a thought. How waterproof are the zips where they connect the annexes? Can anyone comment having used one last summer in the pouring rain? Have noticed that this model no longer advertised on Coleman website. Why? after only one season?
By: HoneyC Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 13/08/2008
Well first thing to say is that this is our first ever tent. Actually never even slept in one before and only stood inside one for the first time about a month ago.
The reason for getting one is that I am in car club and nearly all car clubs camp. I got a bit fed up of being the first ones to leave to get back to our hotel hence the Evolva.
We bought the tent at a local camping exhibition but had spent a great deal of time before hand looking at other options particularly two Vango models. There are just three of us but we carry quite a bit of (light) car gear so needed something reasonably big.
The Evolva stood out in the field immediately. The dome is very tall and once inside I found it bright and airy. The main living space is excellent and the bedrooms seemed much bigger than the tents we had considered. I liked the idea that we could configure it from an overnight stop with maybe even just the main tent to a full two weeks away with the two extra pods that came with it which meant it could go from a three man to nine man tent.
After several more tours of the field and two phone calls to friends who are seasoned campers we ended up back in the Evolva.
The thing that it did best was the thing that was holding us back. It is huge with a footprint fully configured of 7.1 metres by 6.4 metres. (Measured from pod to pod) I knew that some sites wouldn't entertain it not to mention how heavy it would be to cart around but in the end the fact that it could be erected with just one or no pods at all won us over.
The main tent comes with one sleeping annexe in one bag which can be unzipped into two. The main tent is so heavy we did this immediately. The second sleeping annexe and 'Chef' annexe come in two separate large draw string bags. The whole lot just fitted into my wifes Astra.
Once home we decided to put up the tent almost immediately. As mentioned earlier this was our first tent so the one page sewn in diagram is not aimed at newbies. However after two hours we had the main tent up. Should mention that we studied the diagram sometimes 20 minutes at a time to try and fathom it out and took some poles out a few times to make sure we'd got it right. In actual fact it's probably one of the easiest things we've ever done because it was very logical and just as I was thinking there should be some kid of zip, strap or whatever here one appeared from the material. I think we could easily put the main section up in 45 minutes now between the two of us although it might be a different story on a very windy day.
Once the main section was up and we had worked out how the guy ropes worked we stood back and our worse fears were confirmed. It's massive! We have quite a big back garden but were still only able to fit one annexe to the tent before running out of room. The annexe attaches by some very strong zips and again was very easy to put up. The poles and pockets on the tent are all colour coded so in fact you just need to remember that all grey poles go into the ground, the one red one supports the annexe roof, two blue ones support the main tent roof and one green one supports the roof at the front of the tent. Red, Blue, Green. Everything else into the ground. Easy.
So with the tent up in three man mode we went inside for a look and liked it so much we pumped up the airbeds and spent our first ever night under canvas.
Our son (12) slept in the Annexe whilst my wife (ah yes should have mentioned she created the logon name here!) and I slept in the main tent.
The following day we took the whole tent down in less than an hour with an inordinate amount of time spent trying to get it back into the bag. I guess this is standard incompetence for a newbie. Then we erected the Chef Annexe which can either be free standing or can attach to the tent. Again simple to put up with a yellow pole for the roof this time.
So in summary it's probably too big for most people. We'll never use it in more than 6 man mode but even then we'll be checking ahead that the site will take it. The quality seems fine and as newbies the Evolva will lessen the shock of not having a hotel to return to each night. First outing is at a local site this weekend. Well we need the practise!
Some measurements I took for the Evolva in metres measured from the two furthest points.
1 Main tent. 5.0 x 2.5
2 Main tent + SA attached to the side 5.0 x 4.6
3 Main tent + SA and CA either side 5.0 x 6.4
4 Main tent + 2 SA and CA (Everything!) 7.1 x 6.4
SA = Sleeping Annexe
CA = Chef Annexe
Thanks for the two previous reviewers for their insight and to this site without which we would have probably ended up with a wigwam
By: Mr Bluesky Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 05/07/2008
Like Treehugger, I did a lot of deliberating before choosing the Evolva, after a bad previous experience with a cheap and nasty off ebay.
I bought mine from Go Outdoors and although I got it nice & cheap thanks to their price match - 10% offer, I have certainly earned my discounted price. I would not buy from Go Outdoors again.
The full tent package comes in three separate bags: Main tent + 1 bedroom in main canvas carry bag + 1 bedroom in separate nylon bag + 1 chef annexe in separate nylon bag. This in itself is a minus for the tent. It's a gigantic package size for a tent of its size. And no wheeled carry cases here! I've just had to buy the mother of all top boxes to carry all our camping gear because the tent's going to fill my boot.
The first delivery from Go Outdoors brought me only one package (the main tent). They forgot to send the extra bedroom and chef annexe. Then when I opened the main tent, I discovered that the shock cord joining the main pole sections was snapped on one of the poles and severely frayed on the others.
After a total of about an hour and a half trying to get through to Go Outdoors, they eventually replaced the whole tent.
The replacement arrived (all three packages this time) and , you guessed it, the shock cord was badly frayed again.
Go Outdoors were willing to replace the poles again, but were not keen when I suggested that this was a manufacturing fault and we should get Coleman involved. I didn't want to go through the mess of waiting for more replacements, so agreed for Go Outdoors to send me new cord and I will replace it myself. Shouldn't have to do this on a £430 tent!
Anyway, having test erected the tent on the open ground in front of our house, I am very impressed with the quality of the rest of the tent.
The headroom is fantastic. It makes the tent look and feel much bigger than its 7 ish metre footprint. I have to say I've never seen a tent with so many zips! The bedrooms and chef annexe zip on really easily and the zips look to be good quality (although the demo tent at Go Outdoors in Loughborough had a broken zip, which did put me off a bit).
The headroom comes from the 'cathedral arch' design of support poles, which instead of being single-piece semi-cirular arches, have a rigid plastic (or some other resin-type material) joint piece at the top. This gives an apex at the top. I found getting the poles into some of the joint pieces a bit difficult in places, but I think that will become easier with practice.
Practice is definitely needed, since the erection instructions included with the tent consist of a plastic printed sheet sewn to the inside of the bag. The instructions are pants! However, between three of us, we managed wot work it out eventually.
The main reason for choosing this tent was the ability to configure different layouts, according to the pitch size and shape and the duration of the camp. Can't wait to try the tent out in anger.
The chef annexe can be used standalone and this in itself is an advantage. The ventilation looks to be really good, with side vents in the bedroom fly sheet to give airflow through the bedrooms.
Loads of clear windows and the light grey canvas colour make this a very light and airy feeling tent inside.
By: Treehugger Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2008 Rating: Date: 04/06/2008
Not sure where to start, so first off best to say we are newbies to the tenting world, never thought I would ever go camping, now cant wait for our first trip, 6 weeks and counting!
So to the Evolva - We had a good look round before purchasing this fairly big tent! since getting it home we have had it up twice, Mr Bean would of been proud!
I should add at this point it a bit misleading to say its a 3 berth, its actually a 3 to 9 berth, it initially comes packed with the main living area and a separate 3 berth, the package we bought also came with an additional 3 berth and a Chef Annexe.
Basically with the little knowledge I have its a big dome tent, head height is excellent all round, you actually pitch the centre 4 sided section first 5m x 2.5m, then you choose where you want to put the add ons, add ons being the bedrooms and chef annexe, any combination is good, you could just have the single bedroom attached or the whole sherbang!
Having never erected a tent in my life I found it to be ok, some more directions would of been nice instead a 6' by 6' plastic slip with some pictures was as good as it gets.
Once up it seemed very light with lots of windows, the annexe has a big zip off window and full length hanging rail (walk in wardrobe if you like), only one door way officially although if you choose not to join all bedrooms on you are then free to open another doorway.
All in all it seemed good quality but then it was not cheap, £400 which was for 6 berths and the chef annexe as well.
Will report again once we have actually slept in it.
Hope the above was not to newbie and some of it made sense to the more experienced amongst you.
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Manufacturer's Description
Specious tent including central shelter and a separate inner room for 3 persons. Modularity is key on this tent as the inner room can be zipped on any of the 3 vertical sides ; Ideal for a week end or short stay camping stay, no sites are a problem for this tent since you can set it up according to your needs. Central shelter can be used by itself (without inner room) as a summer configuration. Fully insect proof thanks to the mesh doors.
• Flysheet fabric: Polyester, 6 000 mm PU coated, taped seams
• Inner tent fabric: Polyester breathable and no-see-um mesh
• Inner room groundsheet: PE 110 g/m², welded
• Living area groundsheet: PE 140 g/m², welded fully integrated
• Poles: Wrapflex™
• Carry bag type: Modular carry bag
• Carry bag dimensions: 65 x 50 x 45 cm
• Headroom: 235 cm
• Cool Air™ Port
• Entrance mat and wings
• 1 set of awning poles included
... there may be more info on their website
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