Like most tents under $100, the coleman ice chest Camping Tent is made out of water-resistant polyester. While it’s not technically waterproof, it does come with two protective awnings that cover both windows, and I’ve never had rain or dew seep in. In terms of wind, I’ve never camped in a tornado, but I have camped in 25 mph winds and had no trouble.
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.
I used duct tape to keep the poles from splintering more. This quick fix bought us one more summer of fun with our old Coleman tent. As I packed our Coleman tent away after our last camping trip I knew it was time to part ways, we couldn’t find any replacement parts for it. 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.
Located on both sides of the tent around waist height, these hanging and floppy pockets are constructed of cheap feeling mesh. To make matters worse, their small size is only able to handle basics like keys, a phone, and a headlamp or two. The 6-Person Sundome® Dome Camping Tent has large windows and a ground vent to help push heat up and out to keep you comfortable when camping in warm weather. You’ll also enjoy plenty of headroom for stretching out thanks to a 6-foot center height.
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 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.
The storage bags for the poles, stakes, and tent are all great. I like the make of the storage bag, it is zippered instead of being made like a stuff sack with a draw string. With the zipper open it is easy to fit the tent, poles and stakes back inside. This is a decent 3-season tent, it’s not great, but it’s not bad either.
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.
For smaller groups or those confined by small campsites, Coleman offers three other size options. For groups in the two to three-person range, we think the Sundome four-person should be just about right. If you are camping solo or with a furry friend, we’d recommend opting for the three-person or two-person models.
Alternatively, you can save a few bucks by opting for a tarp, which can also be cut to size if the measurements aren’t a perfect fit. Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we’ll send you our favorite travel products each week. We independently evaluate all recommended products and services.