Dark Room™ Skydome™ 6-Person Camping Tent

I have a Coleman Skydome 6 with Darkroom and it has been pretty good for the price. The skydome has mesh across basically the entire ten body while the sundome has fabric across most of the body with mesh at the top. The skydome also has a larger rain fly and seems to hold up well to rain. I have also heard good things about the Northface tents. There stormbreak 2 is supposed to have stronger poles than the typical fiberglass. Check out campingguidence on youtube to see reviews of several smaller tents.

I have a coleman 6 person dark room tent and my buddy liked it so much he bought an 8 person version of the same tent. There is enough room to stand up and it worked well for me, my wife, and dog. We use a double high queen size air mattress in the tent. However if you are camping 60+ nights a year I would not expect a coleman tent to hold up for very long. We only camp a few times a year and the stake out points for the rain fly have started to tear. I have heard very good things about the REI tents like the wonderland and the Base Camp. I have also heard good things about the North Face Wawona tents. There is a woman on youtube that goes by the handel Camping Guidance who has done detailed reviews on quite a few different tents. I would take a look at some of her videos to see if there is anything that looks like it would fit your use case well.

Coleman 6 man Darkroom Skydome I have it, it’s a great tent.

Well, it’s probably not a “tent house” but a 6 or 8 man Coleman darkroom Skydome is a good tent, easy to set up, and durable and waterproof through storms. The Boy Scouts often use Coleman Sundomes because they are so durable.

It’s decent, but you might consider the blackout version. Even without the “full fly” it’s still waterproof and the blackout feature helps me get more sleep

you don't really need a 4 season tent unless you plan on camping in high winds/heavy snow. a 3 season tent should be enough to suffice as the intent of a tent is to protect from wind/precipitation and the poles/fabric can withstand regular rain and wind. i bought the coleman skydome 6-person screenroom tent with darkroom tech for a recent camping trip but haven't yet taken it out during rain/wind. pros: it was dark enough inside the tent to need to use a lantern during the day, vestibule with tub floor was actually super nice and comes with extra pocket storage cons: i struggled to fit the tent back in the bag even with the tear allowance, the attached poles made it difficult to clip tent to poles ( i am very short so this may not be a problem), the only windows are in the front so air circulation to cool the tent down on a hot day would be limited i used this tent in 30-50F degrees in sunny conditions it was pretty enjoyable and i was able to sleep in. it comes with a lot of ventilation on all sides but i could definitely see overheating from the sun before the light wakes you up so not sure if i would recommend this temp for sunny summer days

I just finished my first cub scouts campout in a Coleman Skydome tent, the kind with the "Dark Room Technology" which I \*highly\* recommend if your child is on the younger side (mine is 7) because it really does stay nice and dark in there, great for kids being able to sleep even with late sunsets and early sunrises. We were not the only Coleman "Dark Room" tents in our pack. We have a 4-person and we fit two cots in there with some room in the middle, but if you go with [the 6-person version](https://www.coleman.com/camp-sports/tents-by-size/skydome-6-person-screen-room-camping-tent-with-dark-room-technology/SAP_2206907.html) you'd absolutely have plenty of room - it'll be downright spacious if you get the screen room. Setup is a breeze. I've only ever set this thing up by myself or with the help of my 7-year-old, which probably makes it take a few minutes longer but it's good for him to help. ;) I do have the one with the screen room, which is great for extra storage and keeping the sleeping area clean (our system is shoes don't go past the screen room), and the Skydome model has zip-up panels so the screen room stays dry even if it rains (which it did this past trip). The Coleman Carlsbad Dark Room has a fully mesh screen room which I'd imagine would basically trap water along the floor when it rained. Honestly the WeatherMaster pictured in your post looks like it would also let rain inside the screen room area, I'd make sure it has panels to zip up behind the mesh. I \*love\* having that extra screened in area though so I do recommend that.

Ozark Trail is gonna be your friend for getting started on a budget but still using reliable gear. Coleman has really good sales too, and dependable stuff. Tents will do you just fine to get going. It won't have the fanciest features or be the lightest but it'll be plenty sturdy. If you'll often have 4 people in the tent, get a 6-person tent. If you can budget a little more or stalk for some sales, a Coleman 6-person Sundome or Skydome is going to be a super reliable and easy tent. If your kid ever gets into scouting, those are really common tents to see on their camping trips (we have a Skydome ourselves!)> I have the Coleman Flatlands sleeping bags, and I got them on sale last summer for $35/each. They're really big and puffy, suitable for car camping. Good starter bag. Get a sleeping pad and/or (for summer trips if you don't really need insulation) a cot. I got Ozark Trail ones at walmart, again stalked sales, and they work just fine. I actually really like the cots. (I got the [zipper cots](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-Zipper-Cot-Adult-75-5-x26-x-5-5/1494929280).) For cookware and stuff - honestly for starting out on a budget I'd probably look for local state or NPS sites where the site has a grill but to be sure you're in line with any fire restrictions you can get a little pocket stove on Amazon or (sturdier/bigger) a one-burner propane stove. For cookware - on the one-burner stove just bring stuff from your house at first if you're car camping. Definitely recommend starting out in your backyard. That was like magic to my son and so much fun for him and let me figure out what I was missing that I really wanted before our first time actually being in the woods. Have fun!

HikerDirect member? I generally use a Coleman Sundome 6P Darkroom. It is what my cot fits in and I can stand up. I joke with the other leaders that I camp like a Cub Scout leader. A few times I’ve gotten much better rest due to the Darkroom and ear plugs. Occasionally another adult will share with me, but depends on the location and which troop I’m with that weekend.

I use my Darkroom Sundome 6 year round in all kinds of weather. About wore the first one out after 7 years of scout trips. Next one is ready to go when it dies.

Coleman Sundome 6 Dark Room

I mean, it isn’t anything super fancy, but I’ve had it since 2018. First few years were family campouts/Cub scouts 1-2x a year. The last 3 have been an average of 1 weekend a month. I have replaced 4 pole sections after they cracked and have 1 more remaining, then I have a newer one to start using. The current one has also been set up and played in by Cub Scouts a good dozen or so time. The skin is greeting worn, but still waterproof. My daughter’s scout troop has been using 4 person ones exclusively for a few years. A bunch got flattened in a wind storm, but it was like 80mph gusts. Coleman replaced most of them and we repaired the rest. They are not ALPS or REI, but for low cost simple tents, they will last a long time if you treat them properly.

I’ve used a 6P Darkroom year round, including in/on snow, including an 8” overnight drop. I do use a cot and either alone or with 1 other person, also on a cot.