The Coleman sundome is suitable for a family of outdoor enthusiasts who want a spacious hassle-free tent that doesn’t break the bank. It’s durable and easy to set up, providing comfortable shelter that’s big enough to keep everyone happy. Sundome tents have one door, which can be a little restricting, especially if more people are spending the night in a tent.
The tent has large windows and vents on the built-in rainfly which provide a lot of areas for the air to flow in and out of the tent. However, because of the thick fabric, there coleman 6 person tent might not be much air coming through. The built-in rainfly is an interesting add-on as you don’t have to spend extra time pulling a separate rainfly over to cover the tent.
As a 6-person tent, this tent is lightweight, but these tents are not designed for backpacking. Two people can share the weight of the tent’s components if they need to carry it for a long distance. The case is a modestly-sized, rugged, rectangular zippered affair with two handles and a lovely expandable section you can unzip on the bottom to make more room. Because, just like you’ll never get any foldable clothing item back into its tidy package, you’ll never really get this tent back to its original factory-packed size.
The compact dome shape stands up to wind, and you’ll get extra weather protection from a door awning and an included rainfly. Inside, there’s enough room to stretch out on two queen-sized airbeds, and storage pockets help to keep small items organized. When it’s time to head home, the tent easily packs up into an expandable carry bag with a rip strip until you’re off on your next adventure.
Coleman also offers the Sundome 4, which we think is ideal for two campers and a dog. With enough floor area to fit two queen-sized mattresses, 6 feet of headroom at the center, and good ventilation, it checks many of the boxes that people are looking for in a tent. It’s not the most weather-worthy or well-built design, but it’s an excellent value for what you get. To see how it stacks up against the competition, see our article on the best camping tents. Last but not least, Coleman offers another intriguing budget option in their Montana tent. Stacked up against the Sundome, the Montana 6P is smaller with 84 square feet of floor area, shorter with a 68-inch peak height, and costs a little more at $117.
This 6-person capacity tent uses a WeatherTec™ system to protect against the elements, and it’s built with a frame that withstands winds up to 35 miles per hour for stability. The wide door makes it easy to place and remove gear, while the mesh pockets and gear loft provide plenty of storage space. The Instant Tent 6 is also lacking a couple of other features that would help it compete with several similar tents. For one, there are only two mesh storage pockets, which seemed to be a fairly large oversight; we would have hoped to find at least double that number . There’s also no room divider, but this was less of a priority given the lack of entryways.