I haven’t got caught in a strong storm yet in this tent, but I imagine it will be easy for the wind to blow the tent in on itself because of the poles. The Coleman sundome 4 person tent is not just for newcomers looking for a budget beginner model. Even for more seasoned campers, perhaps looking for a second versatile tent for storage space, this Coleman offers amazing value to meet their needs.
While this is advertised as a 4 person tent, realistically if you have someone over 6 feet tall it may be difficult to lay across the width of the tent due to the dome. The base is 7 feet, but the sloped sides quickly encroach on that space. With the air mattress you would only reasonably fit two adults and gear, which made it perfect for us, but perhaps something bigger would be needed for a larger family. The tent also has two small pockets for storing additional items, but adding anything of considerable weight pulls the tent inward, making the space smaller.
If you’d like to ensure even further waterproofing, consider getting Coleman’s seam sealer to spray on the seams of the tent. Also, the design of the rainfly allows wind (and even breezes) to blow right under the rainfly and through the mesh. This caused the fly to flap incessantly in the wind (very noisy) and brought that cold wind stright into the tent. While we were eating breakfast Sunday morning, the winds were picking up, and it eventually fractured one of the poles. I’ve owned this tent for 3 months and have 12 nights of camping in it (including 4 days of rain in this tent with no leaks at all). I have a couple 2-person tents that have a lot of camp time on them but wanted to try something a little bigger.
At almost 10 pounds, it would be too heavy for carrying over long distances. In addition to the various capacities, Coleman also makes the unique and rather intriguing Dark Room Sundome. Built using the same structure as the standard model (it’s only offered in 4P and 6P sizes), the design utilizes a special fabric on the tent body and rainfly that blocks a claimed 90% of light. coleman instant tent For one, it has serious potential appeal among late sleepers or parents that are hoping to enjoy an uninterrupted cup of coffee in the morning. The dark fabric also helps keep the tent cooler, which is a nice plus in the hot summer months. Cost-wise, the Dark Room will set you back approximately $30 more (depending on current sale prices) compared with the regular Sundome.
It’s easy to set up and pack up, and has a few nice features as well. If the Sundome is more of a beginners tent than you want, the Hooligan (also from coleman instant tent Coleman) could be a good alternative. This tent comes with a vestibule for storage and a rain fly which provides much more coverage from the weather.
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. Although we cannot cite any breakages with these poles, we are always hesitant when they are utilized since fiberglass is much less forgiving than aluminum. Whereas aluminum can be bent back into place when sustaining too much pressure, fiberglass will simply snap and be rendered unusable.
With the rain fly off, it will be difficult to maintain privacy since those mesh areas will not be covered. The packed size of the 4-person dome tent would be too bulky for backpacking, but is conveniently sized and shaped for car camping. The 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. Because of the no-frills approach to this tent build, pitching the Sundome only took 5 minutes and 43 seconds.
Sure, there may be better tents out there in this size, but they come at a harder to pay price as well. However, if you are just doing the occasional holiday or one weekend a month type of camping, then the Sundome will serve you well. It also comes with a fantastic vestibule with a door that can be propped up to form an awning. The sheltered living space in this tent is the advantage it has over the Coleman Sundome. This tent can be put up fast and easily thanks to the simple three-pole design.
New, unused gear in original packaging and hangtags can be returned within 30 days of purchase for a refund to your original method of payment or for an exchange. We reserve the right to deny/refuse any return requests. Your return items are subject for a quality review, which may delay refunds.