A Nice, Large Tent with a Few Flaws...
934104
The tent is easy to set up and is nice and large.  I can get it up in about 15 minutes excluding the top tarp.  However, it is not a master of weather.  Our last experience using it saw a lot of dew getting inside the tent.  For some reason the top cover got saturated and rained condensation on us.  We also discovered a door zipper sewn into the tent so we will be contacting coleman to settle a warranty for that.  It has the potential to be a great tent if they just paid a little more attention to the details.
3278570
Sturdy tent, lots of space. It is pretty easy to set up. The quality of the materials is good. The bottom is thick enough that I don't worry about rocks or sticks damaging it. Have not tested the water resistance but the canvas has a plasticy coating on the inside which seems pretty waterproof. My only complaint is the zippers for the door are not the best. They are plastic and they get caught on the edges. Not terrible, but you have to be careful. Yes it is made in China and the instructions are worded in an interesting way. If you are looking for a large and comfortable tent, it is worth it. The amount of space and height really make it enjoyable to camp in. Overall a good value.
4706703
Finally got to use this tent over Easter Weekend. I have the 8-person version, and it was just me and my 3yr old son. I took my time and was able to set up this tent and rain fly, fully staked out, within 30 min by myself. Overall I really liked the tent and look forward to our next trip. There are a couple notes on what could be improved, also.

We had more than enough room inside. I kept our bags in the screen area, and also a camp chair, toiletries, and a few other items. The screen area is a great feature, I appreciated it more than I thought I would.

During the day, we stacked our 2 queen air mattresses to free up some floor space. We could move around easily for getting dressed, and I could stand up straight in the center without bumping my head (I'm 5'11"). I could not stand up in the screen area.

At night we put the 2 queen mattresses side-by-side, and still had room in between the mattresses, and a few feet of space by the foot of the beds.

Could be better:
-This tent doesn't have zipper-port. I used a heater inside and had to run the cord out the middle of the tent and screen area. It would be a great addition to this tent, like most of the other Coleman tents I see.
-The rear side of the tent is all mesh. It's great for ventilation and looking out, but it can't be closed. It should have a zipper window just like the other sides. It got a bit drafty at night.
-The U-shaped door inside the tent could be improved. Only the upper half can be unzipped to make a mesh window. I'd prefer the whole panel have the option. Also, it would be great to have a "double-door" on a tent this size.
-The 2 corners on both sides of the screen area, where they meet the tent, had ~1" holes that were not sewn shut. Manufacturing defect? Either way, this allowed some ants access to the screen area. Rather annoying!!

We didn't have "weather" so I can't attest to how it holds up in wind and rain. If you are looking for a good tent to take a small family camping, I'd recommend this tent.
1407925
Nice and big and durable.  I sprayed tent to protect against elements.  We went through heavy rains and 30 plus mile an hour winds and it stood strong.  It is important to stake down with heavy duty stakes and set up the rain fly properly and stake the guy lines properly.  One thing I do not like is the divider.  You can tie each side of the divider back to the inside walls of the tent but since the divider is sewn on top all the way across, you cannot push each side away from each other.  It is annoying since we use the whole tent and have two oversized cots that are seven feet long  and moving around the tent we find ourselves ducking to avoid the side of these dividers. Also, when we first got the tent and were setting it up in the back yard to spray sealant on it, the corner plastic connector popped right off.  Since we needed the tent that weekend and didn't have time to send it back and wait for another tent, we sewed it back up with fishing line and a heavy duty needle.  After a couple uses it popped off again and we sewed it again.  Oh well.  Generally speaking we think the tent is great. Since the top is mostly all mesh, you have to use the rainfly if there is a chance of rain or cooler weather at night.
267443
I purchased Columbia's North Rim on a hunch. At the time, there was not a single review of the tent anywhere on the Internet. Being newly released, this is the first review to report on the merits and issues with this tent.

The Good . . .
The North Rim is outstanding in many respects. It is a roomy four person tent. The use of space is efficient in terms of design elements such as shape and profile. There are few dome tents of this large a size; most tents in the four person and up range often choose comfort (straight walls) over designs that would better enable a tent to withstand harsh weather (dome). The North Rim has all sorts of nifty features like drink holders, pockets, fabric shelves and a port that can be used to channel an electrical cable. The zippers are supposed to be self-correcting. Relative to the set-up size, the packaged tent is surprisingly light and compact. Taking around ten to fifteen minutes, it is also easy to set-up and take down. That written, two people will make the job significantly easier. The poles are color coordinated to make assembly easy. Recent Columbia tents have received a good deal of criticism for coming with cheap bendy stakes. The North Rim comes with sturdy stakes that actually work. The tent is also attractive in terms of design and color. In all of the official pictures, the tent's green looks like an ugly lime. In real life, it's darker and more pleasing to the eye.

 . . . the Bad and the Ugly
Okay, so after writing about the merits of the North Rim, why the three star rating? In a word: poles. I went into this assuming that the technology behind fiberglass poles had recently made great advancements, thus making fiberglass a viable design choice for a tent of this size. In the first night that I used the tent, two poles shattered. (Check out the customer images for photos.) While I didn't have an anemometer to measure the exact wind speed, it just wasn't that windy. It was a typical night in the Sonoran Desert. In fact, out of our camp, the $20.00 five and dime store tent had no problems. So while the North Rim appears to thoughtfully balance inside comfort with an overall sturdy design, it is not enough. Keep your receipt handy; it will be essential in getting replacements under warranty. Columbia was very cooperative in sending out replacements.

In addition to the initial camping trip in my home state, I've now used the tent quite a few times in Colorado, Nevada, Utah and California. On the nights when the weather was cooperative, the tent did well. After a couple of additionally windy nights, the tent has shown significant distress. A clip on the fly broke. (see picture) From chafing due to wind, the pole sleeves have worn through. (see picture) I wanted a high quality, larger sized tent and I was willing to pay for it. I figured that by getting a tent with Columbia quality, I would be safe. The North Rim is a beautiful tent with many special features. In the end, the tent seems to be made to keep an easterner dry and not help a westerner outlast the wind. This is a fantastic tent  . . . provided that it doesn't get windy where you camp!
4791882
The tent itself isn't too bad, considering how cheap it is. The only problems I had were:
1) Not much ventilation, but then again, I was using it while camping on a beach in Costa Rica, so it might just not be very suitable for that hot, humid climate. It was so hot that I opted to sleep my friends hammock instead.
2) since it does require the stakes to be anchored about a foot from the actual tent, you may run into problems like I did- namely people tripping over the rope, yanking your tent down. I was in a very cramped, crowded festival with not much room, so people were squeezing between my tent and others and (especially) at night it would suddenly get yanked and knocked over.
2832124
I like the design. You can stand in it and the door has a covering so you can remove wet gear before entering.

Mine leaked in a heavy rain. I'll be using seam sealer and scotch guard before it is taken out again.

Cold...brrrr....even with a small heater, we could not stay warm when temps were in the 40-50 range. Large tent...2 people...good ventilation.

Warm weather...I'm looking forward to trying this out in warmer weather. It has great ventilation.

The tent is fairly easy to set up for how large it is.
2055131
This tent was initially pretty great. I love the front "porch" area. It is a very convenient space to have. We set up the tent right away when we got it to see the size and were so excited to use it (this was from our Amazon Wedding Registry). About a month later we used the tent for a weekend and it was almost perfect, except my husband noted he wished there was a section in the middle to stake down. We also notices the stakes included with this tent were quite flimsy, and bent without much force at all. Overall though, we still were liking the tent.

Then we used it over Labor Day weekend....as we were putting the tent together, we noticed decent sized rips in the material where the poles go through. At least one section of the poles must've had a jagged edge or something because we put this tent together carefully, and this was only the THIRD time putting it together! Almost all of our camping equipment is by Coleman, so we were both VERY disappointed in this tent. Then, to add insult to injury, I noticed some stitching near the bottom was coming undone, and that the stakes were even worse this time. I am actually surprised they didn't snap in half as we were putting them into the ground. I absolutely want to return this tent and hope it was a one time error, but I am not so sure.
2244629
I really like the roominess.  The door works better than any I've ever known.
The accessories seem over the top but may come in handy if really needed..that is, the pocket system that needs to be hooked in and stringed across the window, also, I'm not so certain that I'd ever use the inside light reflectors. .  Grommets in the middle of the long sides would be useful as they did have them on the older models.
I'm glad I purchased this tent as I expect to get a lot of good years out of it as I have with many other Eureka products.
85064
I did a few hours of research before I decided on this tent. I like the design, and it was easy to set up solo. The materials seemed up to par, and the assembly/fitment was great. The ball-end poles and the clips functioned well, including the hoop snaps from the rain fly. I have not used it outdoors yet, but I purchased it last weekend and set it up indoors today.(winter)

I think the packaging/size is a bigger than I would like for backpacking, but I guess that would depend on the length of your trip. I only really intend on using it for weekend festivals, concerts, family events, etc.

I like the vestibules, they need to be staked out, or they rain fly will just drape over the edge of the tent and the zippers are harder to operate. Interior size is adequate, it's not very tall. The entryway is less than 3ft tall, I'm 6ft tall and I cannot fit upright when on my knees inside the tent. I can lay "starfish" and touch all four corners of the tent. The overhead net is convenient, but I wish it came with 4x hooks/clips instead of just ties. The tent has enough room for two people, but you're going to be cozy like a full/twin bed.

Set up was easy, all the clips and ties are self explanatory. The instructions weren't the best, and were printed monochrome. Poles seem to be well made, and the slip joints feel like quality.

Overall I really like the tent and look forward to using it for years.
2077397
I have officially spent the night in this tent in rain, snow, and wind. If you guy it out well, it stands up in the wind just fine, though you will want to really pay attention to how you anchor it and what pattern of guy lines you use. It has a huge profile in the wind, so this is important.

Pitching the tent is really easy. There's only the five poles, really, and the two connecting rods. If you're short, it will be a little bit of a challenge, but my wife is only 5'6" and she can pitch it by herself, with some stretching. The thing that will take a while when you pitch it, but will really make your tent bullet proof is the guy lines. Order 100 feet of paracord with this tent for something like 7 dollars and make your guy lines ahead of time, and pay attention to the patterns suggested in the instructions that come with it. They are well thought out, and will anchor the tent in strong winds. Without the guy lines, the tent will probably blow over and bend your poles (which, fortunately can be re-purchased from Eureka, as they are an awesome company like that).

Inside, the tent is almost ridiculous in its vast size. I can stand up in it just fine, and there's enough room for two queen air mattresses if you want to camp that way. We use two thermarest 30 inch pads and the rest of the tent for our clothes and shoes and gear.

The way the rain fly anchors to the wall of the tent, and pulls the walls out is a brilliant idea, also--it adds another two feet of horizontal space, something to appreciate in an A-frame tent.

I can't think of a single complaint after camping in it all summer, except that it's heavy to lug around. Really, for a full size tent like this, what would you expect? The bag it comes with is amply large enough to fit the tent back into easily, with poles, guy lines, and tent stakes.

Oh. Buy some good tent stakes--the plastic ones really are useless, but that's something that is common with all tent manufacturers--included stakes are low quality. Also, make sure you bring a tarp to put under the tent--manufacturers now avoid using tarpaulin as a base for tents, to save on weight and packing space, and I think that's a great idea, but it requires you to put something between your tent and the ground to avoid punctures. Since this tent is only good for car camping anyway, throw a tarp in to use as a foot print.
691771
My 2 year old loves this tent, but it does have a couple problems.  First, it will fall over or partially collapse sometimes because the structure is given by just a few plastic rods which aren't ridgid enough, and it's a bit too top-heavy.

Could be improved by weighing down the corners with bean-bags or such, and by putting a more ridgid plastic frame at the bottom, which would help it keep it's shape better.

But I'm still happy with the purchase, as even when it falls over, it's not a hazard, and my toddler loves to lay in the tent to watch a movie on a portable dvd player before bed time!
1412396
I have owned this tent for exactly a year and have used it for about 8 trips that usually lasted on average about three nights.  I have used it in the Olympic National Park in Washington state, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and around the treeline in Colorado.

I enjoyed this tent.  The tent was long enough and wide enough for me.  I am a 5'5 female weighing 160 lbs.  I had ample room for myself and my gear.  When it rained, the tent was waterproof.  When packed, it wasn't tiny, but it was lightweight.  Putting the tent together was easy.

I did find some things about the tent annoying.  Probably the biggest annoyance is that you cannot sit up in the tent.  You have to either be in a laying down position or on you hands and knees.  You can sit in the vestibule and and take your shoes off, but everything becomes super messy when it rains.  The second biggest annoyance was that there wasn't enough air flow to prevent condensation.  I recently bought a down sleeping bag and I hate getting it wet.  Also, when it rains, the raindrops will hit the top of the tent
and then the condensation will hit you.

On the last trip, the netting got caught on something and started to get "runs" like pantyhose.  Also, the back pole broke.  I think it may be time for a new tent, and I will try something different this time.

I have a tip regarding how to stake this tent.  In order to get a smooth look for the rainfly, you must stake the front part of the rainfly further out from the front floor of the tent.  To get the tent to stand, you need only four stakes.  To prevent ripples in the rainfly, you need one extra stake in the front, so that would be five stakes.  To stake out the sides of the rainfly to help prevent condensation, you need an extra four stakes, making nine total.

Anyway,  I enjoyed this tent, but I think I am onto the next one!
2786429
I just returned from an extended trip with this tent.  First the good news:  it's huge, it's easy to set up, it's very comfortable inside, and the price is definitely right.

I probably could put this together by myself if I had to (although it's nice to have help with the rain fly and the two big poles that go over the top...nothing wrong with the design, it's just a BIG tent, so it's good to have two people).  My 8-year-old and I got it pitched in about 20 minutes without any hassle at all.

We had some moderate wind, and the tent held up fine.  It was pretty well staked and we had a lot of stuff in the tent to hold it down.  If you didn't stake it well (or if you were pitched on loose soil), I could see where you might have problems.  That's not specific to this tent, though -- any other tent of this size will necessarily have a big wind profile, and there's really no way around that.  When you camp in a giant tent, you have to pick a spot with shelter from the wind, and you have to stake it really, really well.  (The tent comes with heavy duty plastic stakes, by the way.)

We also had a bit of light rain, and the fly kept it out of the tent just fine.  The fly only covers the smaller screened sections of the tent, though, so there is a lot of "water resistant" (read: not waterproof) wall space that would be exposed in a big rain.  The waterproofing on the floor of this tent doesn't extend above the ground (as it does on more expensive tents), so I wouldn't expect this to keep me 100% dry through a major deluge of rain. To be fair, though, I haven't experienced this tent in heavy rain, so I can't say for certain -- maybe the tent will surprise me.

My only complaint is the zippers.  They are average quality at best, and they often get stuck in the nylon cover material.  You have to be careful opening and closing the door, or you could easily wind up ripping out the zipper.

Overall, though, I think the tent is great.  It's going to be awesome for family car camping in good weather. If you are the type of person who camps in more challenging situations, you might want to invest in something more rugged.  But for my purposes, it's a great big tent at a very reasonable price.
1617971
Well, I give this tent 4 stars because of a few minor issues, but overall I am pleased with it.  I have used this tent a few times now, including one night where there was a massive thunderstorm that poured on us.  We did stay dry, although one corner of the rain fly where the pole connects had a minor leak.  I had not used any water sealant or anything though, and it was only a few drops getting through out of a massive downpour.  Those drops fell onto the main tent and didn't get in, but they did get the door on that side a little wet.  If I use a spray seal on that corner I'm sure it won't leak anymore so that is easy enough to fix.

Now the tent was a bit confusing to setup at first.  This is the first tent I've had where the rainfly is significantly larger than the main tent.  I recommend you set it up in your backyard on a nice clear day when you are not rushed to become familiar with it.  Don't try to set it up in the middle of the night, or when it's raining, if you've never set it up before.  I set this up with two people always, it could be possible to set up solo, but it wouldn't be easy.  The tent is roomy enough for 2 people, and an inflatable air mattress for two people, but there isn't room for much else.  However, there is a lot of covered area to store shoes and other items under the rainfly.  I do recommend getting a tarp of some kind so that the area you set out of the tent onto is clean and dry.  Also if you set out a tarp before you lay down the tent it helps protect it from sharp rocks and sticks, etc.

We call this tent "the boulder" because when it is all closed up it has a very strange looking profile, like a low lying rock or something.  Also, the picture for this item is inaccurate, it does not have poles to support the rainfly extension, that is some other tent, the next larger model up I think.  I'll try to add a photo of this tent set up after I finish this review.
1796492
This tent is large, roomy, with plenty of screen for air circulation and a large fly for protection from the rain. Two doors are an added plus. One complaint, the doors do not unzip across the bottom, so it should be unzipped completely to enter and exit the tent. One person set this up fairly easily. Not complicated at all. I slept in it alone but two people with twin size air mattresses and gear could sleep comfortably in it.
It rolls up surprisingly compact for its size and is easy to transport and store.
4831035
I ordered this tent based on an extensive search of midweight backpacking tents suitable for heavy weather and muggy conditions, but light enough for backpacking and modular (with the fast-fly setup approach) for camping in climates less storm-and-bug plagued. The tent meets all my requirements, is easy to set up and take down, and was a reasonable price.

However, on initial setup I did note several differences from the tent described here and on the Big Agnes website. First and most noticeable, the rainfly is a bright yellow rather than the neutral grey shown here. Secondly there are two additional flaps on the main tent which I initially couldn't figure out.. but the instruction sheet in the main stuff sack explained it:

The tent you have purchased is sold exclusively by a limited number of Big Agnes, Inc. dealers and is not included in our regular product line. it is not featured on BigAgnes.com but information will be available directly from the store where you purchased.

The tent is actually named the seedhouse with cross-over pole 2. It has an additional setup pole in the center which provides additional structure, but probably adds a few ounces of additional weight. If you're looking to save every possibly ounce, you'll probably want to save up for a lighter tent anyway. The tarptent series or possibly the superlight version of the seedhouse tent would be good options.