While both the Sundome and Skydome have just 1 door each, I love the extra big door in the Skydome Tent. The 4-Person Skydome Tent’s door measures a whopping 4 feet in length, making it really easy to walk in and out of the tent. I really wanted to recommend this as an affordable entry level tent. Outside of dry weather campouts in the backyard, there are better alternatives to be found. Plan C was to venture out beyond the bounds of our campsite for a little stealth camping and maybe some smoother ground. The same day I planned to find a place to pitch the tent, a norovirus hit 13 of our 53 scouts, so the remainder of the day was spent making rounds checking on the kids.
We fit a full and twin air mattress with a little room to spare, but that didn’t leave us much extra space for bags and storage. And with only one interior pocket, be prepared for someone to lose their keys or phone. From the netting to the poles to the rainfly, many of the main components of this tent are not built to last. For example, the string that connects the pole sections together broke on our first pitch. Long story short, if you do decide to go with the Sundome, just be sure to have a pole patch kit available. Weighing in at 16 pounds 10 ounces, the Sundome 6 is easy to haul from the car to the campsite and store when not in use.
The Sundome is freestanding, so you won’t need to stake anything out while getting the tent erected, and you can take your time between setting up the tent and adding the rainfly. The exclusive WeatherTec system is guaranteed to keep you dry. Inner tent has a mesh vent for increased ventilation as well coleman ice chest as a rugged floor with inverted seams. Unfortunately, the lack of storage options continues to the exterior of the Sundome 6. Unlike most other camping tents, such as Kelty’s popular Discovery 6 model and its full-length rainfly, the Coleman’s partial design does not create any vestibule space.
While we love the idea of setting up a tent super fast, we’re not convinced the Instant Cabin is worth the extra cost and questionable rain protection. Having tested a number of six-person tents of late, we’re happy to report that the Coleman Sundome 6 was among the easiest to set up and take down. The two simple and identical poles were quick and painless to put together, and the lack of color coding between them and the tent body minimized any type of confusion or missteps along the way. Further aiding to the straightforward set up was the relatively small rainfly, which was easy to toss over the tent.
The 4-Person Sundome® Dome Camping Tent is ideal for camping in warm weather with large windows and a ground vent that help push warm air up and out to keep you comfortable. Enjoy superior weather protection thanks to an included rainfly, welded corners, and inverted seams to keep water from getting in. Although it has a relatively durable floor and a decent choice of materials for the canopy and rainfly, the fiberglass poles cause concern. For occasional use, this tent should serve its intended purpose, but we’d recommend you prepare yourself for potential issues down the line. For its reasonable price, Coleman does a respectable job in this department. Although it can’t be set up in the rain as easily as their single-layer tents, the same can be said for many of the camping tents in this year’s review.