Skydome Camping Tent

My first tent of my own was a coleman Skydome 5 and it lasted about 7 years with about 5 trips per year. It was great size, had a good fly (that i waterproofed once). I replaced it with 6p and 3p tents, but i would not change a thing - my Coleman sundome is a solid starter. But if you want middle ground between Coleman and the Marmots or MSR brands, [the Woods line](https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/all-brands/woods/tents-shelters.html?_gl=1*sxdgpg*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjws83OBhD4ARIsACblj1-yz7dsPCj1rqyQgGDD4D0kB-H-xzX4M7JcRQem02eV2PmFV-wLB4IaAlMBEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&gbraid=0AAAAADojZpjsjxs4ZMXYXhj9sWZEqyGSV&store=368&sort=ratings+desc&x1=ast-id-level-4&q1=DC0002209) or Decathalon are good places to look. I have several Woods items (pots, powerlight cot, etc) and am impressed at the value.

Annoyingly, they are holding back on the useful spec. Which might be concerning. Anyway. For its price, it's a great starter tent. We all start with a starter tent, learn what it lacks and then upgrade at some point. It's not designed for storms, and most people are not like me and purposefully camp during a storm. If I were you, I'd buy it. Hey, when you have your first camp, post pictures and I hope you have an amazing time.

I have the 8 and 12 person version of this tent, no issues, and pretty sure I paid more than that for the 8 person. Just be aware that not all tent pads are longer than 8 to 12ft so this may not fit all campsites, which is why I have both.

I just bought the 8 person version this year. Have set it up and taken it down 3 times so far, no issues getting it back in the bag. There's also a strip on the bottom of the bag that can be cut to make the bag larger that I still haven't cut, but in theory will solve the issues you're describing.

I have the 8 and 12 person version of this tent, no issues, and pretty sure I paid more than that for the 8 person. Just be aware that not all tent pads are longer than 8 to 12ft so this may not fit all campsites, which is why I have both.

Hot take, but one big tent is the right choice. The tent I grew up camping with was a 10 person dome tent from Cabela's. It was huge, a pain to set up and tear down, and indestructible. Fond memories of putting that tent up with my dad from a very young age, and it was very novel to sleep in one giant space with my parents, brother, dog, and whichever friends came along. It definitely taught me how to set up basically any tent without instructions and with an abundance of patience. Pick a dome tent without pole sleeves, only clips. The hardest part of large tents is getting the poles through any sleeves at the top of then tent, then making sure nothing snags as you're lifting it. Clip pole attachments don't have that problem, and you can lift the bulk of the tent in stages, which is convenient if you're setting up alone or with a tiny helper. The Coleman Skydome 12 person tent is currently available at Sierra for a good price and only has clips.

Honestly, my backpacking tent is only for backpacking. The #1 criteria for backpacking tents for me is lightweight. I have a 1- person REI brand lightweight backpacking tent that works just fine for me and my large dog. I'll never use it for car camping at campgrounds. For non backpacking - i have a 2 person Sierra designs tent, a 4- person made by Taurus, and a new 12- person made by Coleman. They are all for different types of excursions. I wouldn't use any of them backpacking unless my spouse were going with me, in which case we would share the weight. Or if I were just going out for one night and back the next day. A 25-50 mile backpack trip is no joke. Having a pack that's too heavy isn't great. Good luck!

I just got the Coleman instant 5 minute setup. Pretty easy but a little heavy.

Really? I've never had an issue. I actually fold up my base tarp with it. My bag came with a white tear-away lining on the bottom that expands the bag.

Honestly, people recommending $300+ tents for simple car camping are nuts with money to burn. Used a 12 year old, $60 coleman this year in the rain, was fine

A lot of people in these subs are either unlucky or spoiled. I just gave my 3-person, $60 Coleman tent I bought roughly 12 years ago to my sister to use, as I needed to upgrade to a 4-person now that I've got a toddler. It rained when we went out this year, and it didn't didn't leak. I waterproof sprayed it about 10 years ago, so I doubt that even did anything other than permanently stain it a bit as I can still where I went over the seams with the spray lol People preaching "you get what you pay for" have to say that to justify spending $800 on a tent when their doing the same kinda camping I'm doing (car camping) with less space than me lol