This may not seem like a big issue as your car likely will be parked nearby, but we appreciate a good vestibule and it’s an unfortunate omission here. Are you struggling to decide between the and Skydome tents? This comprehensive guide will break down the differences between these two fantastically popular camping tents to help you decide which is best for your next outdoor adventure. We’ll begin which a quick look at each tent’s key features and capabilities.
Long story short, if you do decide to go with the Sundome, just be sure to have a pole patch kit available. The low wide profile and included guylines hold up well in the wind, and the tent floor has a tub design. As long as you can avoid a tear or puncture, you should stay dry.
The Coleman Sundome is a basic dome tent, not intended for camping in extreme weather conditions. If you’re heading into heavy winds and rainy nights, you’re best looking for something else. We found plenty of reviews from users online emphasizing the value of the Coleman sundome 4 person tent, particularly for car camping.
If one of my poles breaks I could spend $36 dollars on some aluminum poles and still only have a hundred dollars invested and even at that price this tent’s still a bargain. Even though Coleman uses an inverted seam to sew coleman screen tent the tent body to the tub floor I still went around all four sides with seam sealer before I took it out on its first camp. So I’ve spent 12 nights in the tent and with a good steady rain on 4 nights and no leaks yet.
Even without gear, it’s going to be a fight for floor space. Groups of four or families would definitely be better off investing in a larger model – like the 6 person model. Unless you are planning to use the tent just for sleeping (and keep your gear stored somewhere else) it’s going to be too small for a family of four.
We had mixed feelings about the overall durability of this tent. This did not raise any alarms since these sections of the tent shouldn’t be taking much abuse. What did give us cause for concern was the fiberglass tent poles.
So, keeping in line with what Coleman calls a four person instant tent, I went along the same lines once again while choosing our new tent. I’m not quite sure of what four people the company was referring to when they say it ‘sleeps four’. The upside, it still looked brand new and cosmetically didn’t really show any wear at all.
However, it isn’t the design that is at risk — it is the construction. The use of weaker materials like cheap plastic clips, elastic connection points, fiberglass poles, and the tarp floor is where the Sundome could fail after harsh use. This tent can be put up fast and easily thanks to the simple three-pole design. Two poles run diagonally between corners to give the body of the tent it’s dome-shape.
Most campers will find themselves hunching over when traversing much of this tent. There are four rather simple pockets lining the inside of the tent, which is far from ample but still double what you’ll get from Coleman’s Instant Tent 6. There’s also a bit of ventilation thanks to a ground vent at the back that you’ll need to stake for it to remain open. At only $136.99, the coleman instant tent 6 offers a budget alternative to its high-end competitors, while still managing to squeeze in a few bells and whistles.