The Coleman Mackenzie 6 Blackout Tent – Review!

We’ve long been fans of a Coleman tent and last year discovered their absolute game changer of BlackOut bedrooms. With small children who like to party hard into the night but then still rise with the lark this is an absolute godsend. Before I even get started on any camping shenanigans I have to say that blackout bedrooms are the way to go whatever you’re doing – frankly, I need them in my home!

This year we have been trying out for size the new Mackenzie 6 from Coleman which of course has their BlackOut bedrooms in full swing – in each of the three ample sized sectioned off rooms the patented blackout technology is in force and I couldn’t be happier! Not just because the children sleep better than anywhere but because I do too!

There are also lots of other little touches, aside from the BlackOut rooms, in this tent which is roomy in the bedrooms but also in the communal area too. This tent has plus points for family camping in abundance. I mean just look at that integrated pocket system in the picture above. Perfect for phones, sun cream, all the little bits which can get lost in the depths of a tent when camping. In our last tent we purchased a separate organiser but it was a real faff putting it up, it always fell down and half the time we forgot to pack it anyway. This one is inbuilt – perfecto!

The other GREAT gadget which comes WITH the Coleman Mackenzie 6 is the hanging rail for clothes which is a genius idea. I actually didn’t take any coat hangers this time (I will next time) although it DID prove to be the perfect place to hang and dry towels so we still made use of it!

As you can see in the picture above, the third bedroom is to the left of the hanging rail and behind the rail is a space perfect for storage. We often just have STUFF on top of us in the tent but this area really makes the middle part of the tent free for us to enjoy as a communal living space. On rainy days we can sit on our chairs and look out of the HUGE doorway watching the children play and it really doesn’t feel like we are on top of each other though the footprint of the tent is not enormous!

It’s a tunnel tent big enough for 6 people with three double bedrooms and a built in ground sheet. It also comes with heavy duty (not weight) steel poles which are very solid so that it can withstand big winds – fortunately we haven’t had to put that part to the test yet but we know from having camped in high winds with other tents that the poles on this one are a lot thicker and feel far more robust!

Un pitched (this is pitch in one and Jonny managed on his own with very little help from me) it IS large, I’m not going to lie to you. The bag is 8 x 40 x 40 cm and it’s heavy (35kg) BUT… It’s worth the extra size and weight trust me!

IN the two bedrooms which are side by side you have the option of taking down the central divider which is what we did and the boys slept in with us while Florence, a little more grown up, took the other room on her own over the other side. This worked perfectly for us and I would imagine when they are older we will swap with Florence, have the boys together with the divide up and she can go next to them. It’s really versatile as to the sleeping configuration and then like I mentioned, there’s a huge communal living space! and with that storage cubby area we managed to fit our surf board, clothes and all the bits and pieces we use for camping like our Campingaz Party Grill, which incidentally is the best camping stove we’ve ever used!

The Campingaz Party Grill is awesome by the way, it folds up quite small and you can cook anything on it, even a pizza when you close the lid. It has a fab grill part which wipes clean and you can also use it as a BBQ!

Now, what would I change about this tent? It’s a short answer and really quite a small point but I’d like to have a bigger porch area. This is fine in good weather but for wetter camping days an area to leave muddy wellies and the like would be welcome! Aside from that nothing!

It’s a great tent for a family trip with an almost one man jobbed pitching – really, my role was very superficial and holding. It’s also easy to get back in the bag (man isn’t that the bane of every camping trip)! It took us one attempt so it gets a massive thumbs up on that front too! The Coleman Mackenzie 6 BlackOut tent is a good’n’ for sure!

So I’ll be talking about this tent more as we plan lots of camping this summer, watch out for it on my Insta stories! I’d also really like to try an air tent as I reckon I could even pitch one of them by myself. I like the look of the Coleman Vlades 6 XL Air Blackout Tent which has an amazing looking porch AND the all important blackout technology in the three side by side double bedrooms. It says it can be set up in ten minutes by one person so definitely sounds intriguing! Anyone used anything like this? How do you think they compare to a more traditional pitch like this Coleman Mackenzie 6 Blackout tent?!

It’s also so worth noting that at the moment you will receive FREE Camping and Caravanning Club membership when you buy any Coleman MacKenzie BlackOut Bedroom or Valdes Air Tent from selected Coleman tent partners. Enjoy Camping and Caravanning Club Membership benefits like over 1,500 exclusive sites to visit, a monthly award-winning magazine, 30% off club sites (with over 60s getting an additional 25% off), exclusive selected retailer discounts of 10%, discounted tailor made insurance and break down cover and more!

And if you’re already a member you can still request the pack and just wait until your current 12 month membership is up then use it upon renewal! See the Coleman website HERE for all the details but wow – what an offer!

I was gifted the Coleman MacKenzie BlackOut 6.