Coleman - Sundome Dark Room

Coleman sundome 4p with dark room technology is what I used last year. Make sure it have the dark room label! it’s a little more money and a lot more space.

Got my kids a 4 person Coleman darkroom Sundome a couple weeks ago. Love it so far. They are just going to use it in the yard but seems really good. I think I got it for $90 on sale for the 4th.

I recommend the Sundome as well. The darkroom feature is really nice.

Coleman Sundome or Skydome. I leave one in my backyard for years at a time - one eventually failed after 2 years

A Sundome or Skydome is still easier to set up and a lot more waterproof. The fact that they added an extra sold separately rainfly to the Instant shows it’s bad.

Maybe a Sundome? Mine only get condensation on the walls, which is no problem if you don’t touch the walls

Blackout and waterproof. I rock a Coleman 8 man Skydome or a 4 man Sundome

Was your Coleman a Sundome or Skydome? Those types hold up great in thunderstorms.

I’ve used a Sundome and a Skydome through multiple severe thunderstorms, not even guyed out. I have had ONE that would leak in a corner. I tend to leave a tent in my backyard year round to have a bug safe area.

Coleman Sundome and Skydome are both super easy

I like a Coleman Sundome or Skydome better than the Madrone - water came up through the bottom of my Madrone and I gave it away

Yep, Sundome and Skydome are great

I recommend a 6 man (or 8 man) Coleman blackout Sundome or Skydome. Check out Ollie’s if you have one for deals on Coleman

Coleman Sundome or Skydome. Check out an Ollie’s if you have one. The other Coleman tents will probably be just fine too. But I would avoid the instant up - sets up fast but leaks so badly they made an additional rainfly for it.

Try a Coleman Sundome or Skydome from Ollie’s, blackout if you can get it. I’ve bought both to festivals with multiple severe thunderstorms and was much dryer than people who brought much more expensive tents. The bathtub floor will be much better in bad weather than this tent. Sometimes you can get a dud Coleman that leaks in one spot, but that’s only happened to me once. Just set it up and test it in rain before your event. I will say avoid the instant tent, that thing is so bad they sell an aftermarket rainfly to fix it.

If you check out the Sundome on Amazon, I think it’s the most reviewed tent they sell

I'd get Coleman again, so I don't regret if anything happens, and I love having a new tent every couple years sell used on the marketplace so it's light on the pocket. I have tried Coleman sundome darkroom, cabelas. I got Coleman Montana this year 8 person. Easy to set up and kept us dry on a rainy day. It was on sale for 99 cad$ in princess auto. Happy 🏕 Camping

I just spent a weekend camping in the 6 person dark room version of this tent. Friday night it unexpectedly started pouring - like torrential downpour - for about an hour. I was really concerned the tent was going to start leaking, but it held up perfectly. I was very happy with the tent overall, really liked the dark room feature - it was nice to sleep in a bit past sunup. I wouldn't use this tent for anything extreme, but for casual camping, it's very nice. One tip: go to harbor freight and get a cheep tarp that is 1 foot smaller in each dimension than the footprint of the tent as a ground sheet.

Coleman Dark Sky in 2 & 6 person sizes (two for solo camping with the dog, 6 for the fam of 4). Super easy to assemble and pretty easy to get back into the sleeve.

I got one of the Coleman tents with dark room technology 2 years ago and when I tell you it’s so worth the investment! Stays cool/dark enough to sleep in once the sun comes up if you want to.

You’ll definitely want a canopy, I’ve always had my dark room tent partially under one to help protect from the sun even more. You can probably place a pickup order for a canopy at a Walmart in Indio.

I have a Coleman Dark Room that fits 8 and has a rain fly that covers all mesh areas. I use it solo and love having basically a studio apartment to myself. 

I had a sundome for better than 20 years, and the only reason I don’t have it now it because I did something dumb.

It lived a long life of many camping trips and festivals. I tore the bottom when I set it up carelessly and then I should have patched it but figured I’d do it later. Then there was a storm, and a lot of water….and it was still my house for the week with a big silver tarp over it. There was also a dead toad. I recycled it into a truck tarp for the return trip and now I have a Coleman Darkroom.

It lived a long life of many camping trips and festivals. I tore the bottom when I set it up carelessly and then I should have patched it but figured I’d do it later. Then there was a storm, and a lot of water….and it was still my house for the week with a big silver tarp over it. There was also a dead toad. I recycled it into a truck tarp for the return trip and now I have a Coleman Darkroom.

Coleman darkroom tents are the best you can get for the price, I think.

I've spent about 50 nights in that tent, including some fairly heavy rain. Never had an issue with it.

Not sure what your budget is. Coleman is ok (we have one) but... I've had this REI Half Dome for *ages* and it has been awesome and a great value. I got a lot more features on par with higher end tents for a lot less. Features; Proper full coverage rain fly, with guy lines galore and decent vestibule. Gear loft. By extrapolation, I suspect their larger tents could be equally good values. At a quick glance the Skyward 6 might be worth checking out. Depends on if you think you're gonna use it enough times to justify the price. Of course something like a Coleman Sundome is less than half the price. The only downside is the lack of a full rain fly I guess. With my REI, I never have to worry about getting wet but with an exposed door like the Coleman or a Kelty Discovery you would probably want / need a tarp. Maybe for light, brief rain it is ok IDK. Seems like the good outdoors stores carry Kelty, Marmot, Eureka, North Face and others. I have no personal experience with them though. But those names have been around a long time.

Idk, my sun dome kept me dry during some pretty big downpours.

Coleman Sun Dome. Be aware that an N-Person tent fit's N people uncomfortably. You should get a 6 person tent to fit 4 people

Several recommendations for the Coleman tents. Of the two models mentioned, Sundome and Skydome, the Skydome is the far better tent in my opinion. The Skydome has an all clip suspension, while the Sundome has partial pole sleeves. An all clip suspension tent is much easier to pitch solo than a tent that uses sleeves. Stake the corners, assemble the poles, insert poles in the corners. Unzip the door, take off your shoes, step into middle of tent, clip the top clip over both poles. Attach the rest of the clips and add the fly. The Sundome, you'll have to raise the tent body as you insert the poles in the corners. That adds weight and resistance. Lastly, the Skydome has a full coverage rainfly, while the Sundome only comes down halfway. Spend a little more and get the superior tent.

Yea I feel quality has degraded recently (like everything) but my first sundome was bullet proof. I also think the made the rain fly smaller

The tent looks exactly like a Coleman Sundome tent. To the point where I'm pretty sure they just stole a picture of one and slapped their logo on it. An actual Coleman tent is pretty affordable and will last a good amount of time for the casual camper.

Coleman. They routinely last longer than I want them to because they keep coming up with cheap better ones. My present sundome is easy to put up and take down. Fits my cot and air mattress, lots of room for my stuff I can’t leave out, works fine for car camping which is all I do.

I have a sundome that I use when space and weight are not an issue. It's easy to set up, roomy, and has held up well so far.

I'd recommend the Coleman Sundome Tent. It's priced under $200, offers ample space for up to 4 people, and is waterproof.

Yup - this is the tent that I recommend for beginners on a budget going car/base/festival camping. It won't last forever or stand up to big storms - but it does the job good enough.

I understand that. I did specifically say 'beginners on a budget' - because OP asked for cheap options. I personally adhere to the 'buy once, cry once' adage. However - the alternative of buying cheap and upgrading later is also valid. I realize not everyone has infinite budget for camping gear - so price does matter. To me - it's not just a $200 jump in budget. The $250 tents are okay, but not the best. To get something quality - I would spend \~$400 on a car camping tent. The difference between a $75 Coleman and a $175 alternative is not massive. If OP is worried about budget - spending that $100 on other things for comfort would go farther. Your advice isn't bad. Worthwhile to add to any thread like this. Different opinions on what tent to go with when getting started is valuable to people like OP. Post up a specific tent if you can.

I have that tent. It works great, was like 50 bucks.

Believe the Coleman I had years ago was same model. Not a fan. If you wake up in the middle of the night after a few beers, tough to quickly find zippers for ‘escape hatch’ and then stupid stepover at bottom tripped me up all the time… even with no beers.

5 year old Coleman Insta-Tent and Sundome are working okay. I'm looking for something lighter and a little better next year.

My sundome has stood up to some seriously big storms and has so far lasted for over a decade...so I disagree on both your points.

I've had a Coleman Sundome and a similar Coleman Long's Peak. Both had premature (Sundome in year 3) door zipper failure. I just bought a very similar design Kelty and the quality of the materials is noticeably better.

I’ve had one stand up to VERY strong winds too. Not a drop of water got inside. One of the poles got a little fucked up, but that’s it.

When I take my two kids camping we use to use a Coleman Sundome for a couple years but I got so tired of having to set it up and tear it down that I got a Gazelle T4 tent and I've been very happy with the ease of setting it up alone in under 90 seconds

I've had that Sundome and it's fine for a budget car camping temp. Real nice for two people and a dog. Will fit a queen air mattress and still have room at the foot for a dog bed.

I've never had a problem with decent full fly tents leaking. Partial fly tents like this Coleman have worked pretty well for me but what touches the walls tends to get damp.

Cheap and great for the price: a Coleman Sundome. Get a 3-person for every 2 people. We've had far fancier and more expensive tents, and the sundome just keeps going and going. It's not what you need for camping in a blizzard, but for family camping it's really amazing bang for the buck.

This tent is going to be a pain the the butt. Get a large Coleman sundome.

The short answer is yes, car camping creates unnecessary wear on your backpacking tent and so it's more expensive in the long run to use the same tent for both and most car camping tents aren't well suited for backpacking. I don't know what Walmart tent you have so I can't look up the weight, but most of them are ridiculously heavy for backpacking. My current car camping tent is a Coleman sundome that weighs around 8 pounds. That doesn't feel that heavy just holding it but it's 3 pounds heavier than an REI 2 man backpacking tent and 6 pounds heavier than a Durston X-Mid 2. But to hit 2lbs you're using super thin materials, which means it's going to get worn out super fast if you're car camping on gravel. The other side of this is that a decent backpacking tent will run you $250-300, I bought my car camping tent on sale for $30. It has a heavy polyethylene bottom that's going to last much longer than the ultra thin silnylon they use on backpacking tents and even if it didn't last longer it's 10% the cost.

I love my sundome. I spend time caring for it but I've had it almost a decade. Been camping all over America with it from the desert to the snow. People say ita a budget tent but price doesn't necessarily mean quality...this thing is pure quality imo.

Sundome has been my go to for over a decade for car camping, I’ve never had any leaks and they’re easy to set up and pack away.

I am finally retiring my sundome that I got in the mid 90s. It served me well and I’d definitely recommend them!

I have three tents. The Coleman Sundome happens to be one of them. I found it at a thrift store for $10 and the poles were still in the plastic. It’s the most convenient and easy to set up tent that I own. It’s a four man tent, but it’s perfect for one man and three dogs. My girlfriend and I have used it with two dogs and we still had room. I hope it works for you.

I love my sundome. Perfect for a little weekend or overnight trip for one to two people. Very easy to set up and tear down/pack away.

I've got the same exact tent. Used it at least over 30 times in the last year. It's got a few small holes that I put gorilla tape on but it's still kicking. Also I got a couple tarps from harbor freight for it to put underneath & over as a rain fly with some extra tent stakes rope I bought from Walmart. I believe the bottom tarp was 7' x 9' or something & I bought a 15' x 20' tarp to put on top.

pretty decent, it won’t last you years or stand up in huge storms but it’s a good cheap beginner:)

My son and I just went camping in this tent. I've some experience camping and this is a solid tent. It's nothing fancy and there's not much room to move around in it, but it's sturdy. Pitching and striking it is a cinch too.

Mine let me down once, beach camping when the latter half of a typhoon blew down the coast, wind pulled the stakes and sent me and the tent rolling, great other than that.

Used this same tent for a trip in New Mexico back in May. Held up just as well to high winds as my brother's $1k North Face.

Bought it 3 years ago, it’s been from TN to WY and still looks brand new. Easy to setup and take down, works well in the rain. Great value

Coleman Sundomes have been pretty reliable for me. It’s not a full rainy but isn’t just a hat. Not sure where you will be camping but the bigger the tent, the harder it will be to find level spots or campsites big enough (YMMV depending where you go).

Coleman Sundome provides good bang for your bucks. They go on sale often too. Definitely get a bigger tent than for the people listed. That number is for the people right next to each other and no space for anything else. Do you like what you borrow from family? If so use that tent style, size and brand as your starting point.

If it’s leaking at the seams, it needs to be seam sealed. Tents are coming with that done already but it needs to be reapplied. Sometime there isn’t enough put on, other times it deteriorates based on how it is stored (before and after sale) and sometimes it eventually just wears out. Edited to add: Ollie’s has had a lot of Coleman tents at great prices. I bought a Sundome there to have something smaller for solo camping.

I use a Coleman Sundomes tent (4 person for just me). The Sundome offers a lot of value for the money but I don’t expect it to last as long as higher priced tents so I would go with a better tent if it’s in your budget. You can’t go wrong with a Coleman stove. Have you considered the Dual Fuel version? Those are bullet proof (with proper maintenance). I haven’t used the propane version but I’m sure they are easier than fussing with fuel (my friends have their family heirloom Dual Fuel stoves that they bring, I bring a pocket rocket to boil water for tea). The nice thing about the 2 burner stoves is you can regulate the heat better for cooking and use pots/skillets from home.

What are you using it for? Backpacking with family? I have Durston and Big Agnes UL tents. Car camping? I have a couple of Coleman Sundomes. Backpacking solo? I have a tarp and hammock setup for some place and others I take my Durston. Depends on the availability of trees.

I had 2 colemans, and the latest that I have is Nature Hike 4P. Love it cuz of the two doors, airflow is alright, definitely better than my Coleman Sundome.

Got my 2-person Coleman Sundome for $40 on sale, it literally survived a tornado while set up. I just had to stake it back down.

Mine did too. That thing was reliable for several years.

This (Coleman Sundome) was my first tent, as well. It was a great tent and the only reason I upgraded was because I wanted something bigger.

Sure, I get where you are coming from, not really an advantage but better experience, at least for me. My personal experience is with one of my older tent coleman sundome, where the fly kind of goes just below where the screen material is. In windy conditions, the, due to the gap, the wind finds its way in and make the fly very flap around a lot and hence its very loud. My experience with a full fly tent, I have a marmot limestone, I can pull the fly tight and low to the ground which minimizes the wind going under the fly and therefore the wind noise due to the material flapping around. YMMV

Dude, my first two tents were coleman. Shit man, I still got them and they still work great. Oldest one close to 15 years. I went from a 4P Coleman to 6P Coleman when I had kids. So if you can get one in good condition or buy it.. go for it. I got my coleman sundome for like a 100 bucks. If you don't want a coleman, you can sang one of these from costco for a 100 bucks - https://www.costco.com/core-6-person-lighted-dome-tent.product.100892929.html Now a days I have a Marmot 6P, recognize that this is 500$ tent. Don't spend this kind of money for your first tent unless you have money to spare or plan on going a lot of camping. The difference between a 100$ tent vs a $500 tent are: - More indoor pockets - High quality tent poles - No snag YKK zippers - Easy to pack bag - better ventilation But from a core tent/sleeping POV, its the same. IF and WHEN you are ready to go backpacking, it would be good to invest in lighter smaller gear. A decent backpacking tent is pretty expensive.

Agreed. While it is very dependent on your local climate the combo of a partial fly and woven poly floor on the sundome would mean I'm waking up in a puddle in my neck of the woods. Ideally I look for a full fly with vestibule and a fully taped tub floor. I'm pretty cheap and not too concerned about brand names but I'd pass on the sundome. Everyone suggesting it's perfectly fine must live and camp in very dry climates.

That’s the one I have and it’s been great. Stood up to a hail storm in Idaho. Pretty good for standard camping

https://preview.redd.it/0gw70sr19sed1.png?width=506&format=png&auto=webp&s=d7dcacd775e0c94bee2bb3be285df2fd2bfc12d9 When I went to bed that evening, none of the snow was there. The Sundome is an incredible tent for its price point. I told myself when I bought it that it was just gonna be temporary until I could get something nicer but I still haven't found the need to replace it a year later.

I’ve had instant tents from core and Ozark Trail and a Coleman dome tent. Any will do fine for getting into camping. I always stress not spending a lot when you get started. I’ve known people to start camping then quit after a few times or decide to buy a camper or get into back packing inside. Go budget amid use as much stuff that you already have to start out