Eureka Copper Canyon 4 Person Tent Review

Eureka Camping has been making tents for over a hundred years out of their Binghamton, NY workshop. The company has a diverse history, including making wagon covers and storefront awnings during the westward US expansion, and was even a major supplier under contract with the United States military during World Wars I and II.

Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person documented to summit Mt. Everest, would later take a Eureka tent on his Himalayan expedition to Nepal. Now, the tentmaker sells an array of outdoor goods, including tents, cookware, outdoor furniture, and sleeping bags.

The Eureka Copper Canyon 4 is a roomy, freestanding, three-season, four-person, cabin-style tent. 

Here are the specifications  and features of the Copper Canyon 4:

• Minimum weight 18 lbs, 10 oz
• Package weight 19 lbs, 9 oz
• Assembled size 8’ x 8’ (64 sq. ft.)
• Interior peak height 7’
• Near-vertical walls
• Pack size 26” x 7”
• Steel/fiberglass 6-pole frame with clips, pole sleeves, and ring/pin assembly
• Pole width 12.7mm (fiberglass), 19.5 mm (steel)
• Storm Shield fly
• Fly guy out pockets to store guy lines during setup and takedown
• Roof vent
• Yellow-to-yellow color-matched web for easy setup
• Four windows with “Quick Stash” flaps
• Single door with E! Power Port
• Bathtub-style floor
• Two storage pockets
• Gear loft

What we like

The Eureka Copper Canyon 4 is the epitome of a cabin tent. At roughly 19 pounds, you can’t possibly mistake it for a backpacking tent. It’s a weekend tent, a road trip tent, and a car or motorcycle camping tent. It doesn’t need to be lightweight or ultralight for any of that. The above-average weight here indicates solid, durable construction, and a roomy interior.

The Copper Canyon has 8 feet by 8 feet of floor space, no vestibule, and an interior peak height of 7 feet. That’s 64 square feet of usable floor space and about 400 cubic feet of total interior room. The Copper Canyon’s walls are very nearly vertical, meaning that cots or air mattresses fit no problem.

We can’t remember the last time we saw a four-person tent this roomy. You should be able to stand up and walk around the entire floor area. The pack size of the Copper Canyon is 26” x 7”, which is impressive given its large size when it is set up.

The tent’s frame is a 6-pole design, with 12.7mm fiberglass roof poles and 19.5mm powder-coated steel vertical support poles. The shock-corded poles, tent body, and Storm Shield fly go together with clips, pole sleeves, and ring/pin type assembly. For easy setup, the attachment points are color-matched: yellow goes with yellow.

We didn’t get a chance to use it in heavy wind, but we have no doubt the design can stand up to gusts and other adverse weather as well as any other tent on the market. The fly is 75D polyester taffeta with a 1200mm PU waterproof coating, meaning it can withstand 1200mm of water over 24 hours without leaking.

Guy points on the fly allow you to attach guy lines directly to the fly during windy weather. The fly also features guy out pockets to store the guy lines during setup and takedown of the tent.

The Copper Canyon 4 has just the right number of features without becoming overly complicated. There are no gear vestibules, and only a single door (“D”-style, and plenty large). The door has an “E! Power Port,” which allows you to run an extension cord to power appliances or devices with the door shot.

The tent features four windows with “Quick Stash” flaps that you can stow without loops, toggle, or velcro. The 68D polyester mesh roof has a vent for additional ventilation.

The inside of the tent offers two storage pockets, a gear loft, clothesline loops, and a flashlight/lantern loop. If you don’t need these features, it’s easy to forget about them; nothing gets in the way or clutters the layout of the tent.

We always appreciate bathtub-style tent floors. Bathtub floors are the best floor design for rainy weather: the sides of the floor join the walls of the tent higher than conventional tent floors, which helps to keep water out. The floors and walls are all made of 75D polyester taffeta with 1200mm waterproofing and sealed and taped seams.

What we wish was different

While we liked the twin-track entry zippers (which allow you to open the window to the tent door separately from the door itself), some users reported zipper problems or even zipper failure with the Copper Canyon. However, these same users also said that Eureka was helpful in resolving their issues.

With a max width of 8 feet, it is technically possible for four adults to sleep in the tent. Unlike most four-person tents, with the square design (8’ x 8’) there’s also room for additional gear by your feet.

That said, the entire tent industry tends to exaggerate the capacity of their tents – four people rarely means four adults. While this tent is roomier than most four-person tents, if you need to sleep four normal-sized adults, you may want to look at the Eureka Copper Canyon 6 (10’ x 10’). 

What other customers say

Katharine G. isn’t sorry she bought this tent. She can fit two people, two dogs, a queen air mattress, a small table, bags, shoes, and more. 

Clyde C. appreciates how easy it is to set up his Copper Canyon, and that it has more headroom compared to other four-person tents.

Ann D. is 5’10” and can stand straight up and hang a lamp using the included hook; she likes to sleep without the fly to stargaze at night.

Wrapping up

The Eureka Copper Canyon 4 is everything a cabin tent should be. It’s no lightweight backpacking tent, but if you aren’t backpacking, it’s a much better choice. The vertical walls, rugged structure, pole design, just-right features, and bathtub floor make it a top choice for weekenders, road trippers, and car campers.