Comet Trail Play Tent with Tunnel — Royal Blue

The box is barely open before the tunnel is up. Comet Trail is a three-section pop-up play tent and tunnel in royal blue, printed with rockets, and it does the thing small children love most: it makes a whole extra room appear on the living room floor in about the time it takes to fill a water bottle. Soft polyester over a steel wire support gives it its shape, so it holds a real crawl-through opening instead of folding in on the first knee.

Why families love it

• The tunnel measures 18.1 inches across with a spacious entrance, wide enough for children of different sizes to crawl through without ducking or squeezing.
• Three sections mean three games: run them in a line for a long crawl, split them into separate hideouts, or set one at the end as a tent with the tunnel leading in.
• Soft polyester fabric over a sturdy steel wire support is tear-resistant, and the maker states it complies with CPSIA standards and has passed CPC certification.
• Bright, vivid color is the point at this age: it pulls a child across the room and turns plain crawling into a launch sequence.
• It folds down quickly after play, and the securing straps and carrying bag mean it travels to grandparents’ house, a party or the park without a fuss.
• Cats and dogs take to it as readily as children do — the maker lists it as suitable for pets to crawl and play in.

Designed for

The maker recommends this one for children 3 to 6 years old, the chasing, crawling, hide-and-seek years when a child wants somewhere to disappear to and reappear from. Indoors it wants a clear stretch of floor with the furniture pushed back; outdoors, a level patch of lawn or patio. Because it is fabric on a wire frame rather than a built structure, it moves with the game — down the hallway on a rainy Tuesday, out to the grass on Saturday — and it packs away at bedtime rather than staying up all season. Toys and playballs can go inside, though they are not included. If you are weighing a pop-up against something more permanent, the rest of our playhouses sit alongside it for comparison.

What’s in the box

• 1 x three-section pop-up play tent with tunnel
• 1 x carrying bag
• Securing straps

Assembly & care

There is no assembly and there are no tools. The sections pop into shape on their own and connect into whatever layout the afternoon calls for. Folding them back down takes one demonstration and then becomes a party trick children want to do themselves; the securing straps hold the folded coil flat so it slides into the carrying bag. Wipe the fabric with a damp cloth and let it dry completely before it goes away, since storing polyester damp is the quickest way to shorten its life. Our assembly and care guide covers storage in more detail, and the playhouse buying guide compares every model we carry by age and footprint.

Measurements are supplier-provided. Allow a little extra room around the footprint for walking space.