I have an old Coleman 6x9 dome tent I use in cold weather. It's all mesh on top but the fly extends down past the mesh. In cold weather I tuck the fly under the sides. Condensation collects on the bottom of the fly and trickles down below the mesh outside of the tent. Restricting the airflow adds about 10°. Coldest I've used it is 22°.
Our Troop has been using 4-person and 6-person Coleman Skydome tents for the last several years. The boys are rough on tents, so priorities are cost and ease of repair.
Positives:
- The tents themselves are quick to set up and pack away.
- They are well ventilated.
- Inexpensive and reasonably durable.
Negatives:
- They are not especially light, weighting between 8 and 13 lbs.
- Poles are attached to the tent, which makes them easy to pack but could be a problem if a pole needs to be replaced.
- Can handle rain when set up correctly, but may allow in water in a severe storm.
On that last point, it's hard for me to provide a completely objective assessment because we have had Skydome tents become soggy in very bad weather, but this may be because of boys leaving the vent on the door open rather than issues with the tent itself.
We have used a 4-person Coleman Skydome for several years now and dragged it all over the country. It's spacious, and my wife loves it because it allows so little light in. With a dog now ourselves, we are debating upgrading to a 6-man version. Between the dog and a megamat, it's starting to fill up (but still doable). The only thing that gives me pause is that with the 6-man, we won't be able to do ourselves + friend in another tent in many tent pads.
Backpacking-wise, I'd honestly prefer to just not bring the dog most of the time (and I'm usually trying to fly out West/Alaska/Canada anyway)
Sure you could use a backpacking tent for car camping. But car camping is kind of "glamping", so if you really want to be comfortable then cots, and other big items don't fit or might damage that backpacking tent. I use a cheap ~$100 Coleman Skydome 4 person tent for car camping, fits 2 people comfortably with 2 cots and all our gear and I don't care that much about the tent.
Then for backpacking I have several tents I can choose from depending on my needs or use scenarios.
\+1 for the skydome, I have a 4 person Skydome and think it’s great for solo car camping. I can set it up solo, definitely waterproof, and plenty roomy for me, but would happily fit another person and our bags
The Coleman Sundome and Skydome are very easy to set up. I like the blackout variations.
I can set up the 8 man Skydome in about 15 minutes by myself, but a 4 or 6 man would be even easier.
They are very waterproof and there is a reason that they are very commonly used for scouting.
If you buy from Amazon, check for a cheaper “used” version - it won’t be
Top Camping Tents on Reddit
1
The North Face
Wawona 6
86% positive of 132 users
Spacious vestibule, strong in storms, but rainfly tricky solo.
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