Coleman Sundome 4 Tent Assessment

Backside Line

The Coleman Sundome 4 prioritizes affordability above all else. Nonetheless, it nonetheless presents a very good worth for these seeking to discover a no-frills tent. The Sundome 4 lacks trendy options, makes use of common supplies, and has an outdated design. That mentioned, we have been pleasantly shocked by how purposeful it’s, particularly given its budget-friendly worth. It additionally fills a distinct segment that’s turning into more and more uncommon within the out of doors business – good $100 tents.

The Sundome 4 is simple to arrange, packs away with out problem, and presents ample area for 2 campers, with the power to squeeze in 4 if wanted. Regardless of its restricted rainfly protection, the tent performs admirably in numerous climate situations. Nonetheless, it’s not constructed for heavy or frequent use. 

This tent is greatest fitted to occasional campers who need an reasonably priced choice for a couple of household journeys a yr. If that sounds such as you, the Coleman Sundome 4 might be simply what you’re in search of.

To discover extra of our top-performing tenting tents, try our gear information for the Finest Tenting Tents of 2024.

Consolation

The Sundome 4 is marketed as a four-person tent. Though it could technically accommodate 4, it’s a decent match. At 9′ x 7′, it really works higher as a roomy two-person tent with area for gear. Should you do match 4 folks, count on minimal room and no area for tools inside. When Gear Analyst Ben Dawson examined this tent along with his spouse and two younger youngsters, it felt cramped, they usually needed to retailer gear exterior to avoid wasting area.

With a peak peak of 4′ 11″, most campers can sit up comfortably however received’t have the ability to stand. Nonetheless, there’s sufficient room to kneel and transfer round with out feeling overly restricted.

The Sundome 4 is greatest fitted to delicate climate. Air flow is proscribed, even with its home windows, and it could get uncomfortably scorching inside.  If tenting in heat situations, set it up within the shade to maintain the inside from turning into stifling.

Sturdiness

The Sundome is a light-duty tent, and there’s no denying that. It’s not low-quality, however Coleman made it with lower-cost supplies that aren’t designed to face up to heavy or frequent use. That mentioned, we haven’t encountered any main points with the standard of our tent, apart from a couple of bent stakes. Nonetheless, that is frequent when tenting on rocky Colorado soil. Should you’re in a campground and take care when pitching your tent, you possibly can doubtless keep away from bending the stakes regardless of their lack of sturdiness.

The weakest level of this tent is its skinny fiberglass poles. Fiberglass has its place in tenting tents, however we’d prefer to see thicker poles included with the Sundome. Utilizing an excessive amount of drive throughout setup or teardown can simply lead to a damaged pole.

General, in the event you deal with the Sundome with care and restrict its use to occasional summer time weekends, it ought to final for a couple of seasons.

Climate Resistance

Once we first examined the Sundome 4, our expectations for its efficiency in a rainstorm have been fairly low. We even introduced a backup tent, anticipating the Sundome would possibly flip right into a swimming pool when the rain hit. With unsealed seams, seen daylight via the nook stitching, and minimal rainfly protection, it didn’t encourage a lot confidence.

Then the rain got here—and the tent stayed dry! Even after one other wet day, it nonetheless held up, which was truthfully shocking. We assumed water would seep via the corners, however one way or the other it stayed utterly dry. Effectively, virtually.

It’s not all sunshine, although. The small rainfly left the home windows weak to blowing rain throughout wind gusts, forcing us to shut them solely and sacrificing the already minimal air flow. Talking of wind, the Sundome doesn’t carry out effectively. The skinny fiberglass poles wrestle in opposition to even average winds, inflicting the tent to flex and the fly to whip noisily. For windy situations, it’s greatest to pitch this tent in a sheltered spot.

Ease of Setup

The Sundome 4 is among the best tents we arrange throughout our facet by facet assessments of the most effective tenting tents. It options two most important poles that join on the corners and slide via pole sleeves close to the highest of the tent. Plastic clips then safe the tent physique to the poles. The rainfly is small, with minimal materials, making it simple to connect as effectively. A 3rd, smaller cross-pole matches into webbing on the fly to maintain it taut. Moreover, two guylines might be staked to additional safe the fly. The fly attaches on the corners utilizing giant plastic hooks, finishing the setup course of.

At a comparatively low peak, this tent can simply be arrange by a single particular person in about 5 to 7 minutes, and even sooner with a associate. Its easy design and minimal parts make it a superb choice for these searching for simplicity of their tenting gear.

Options

The Sundome 4 isn’t precisely full of options like a few of the extra premium tents we’ve examined. One space the place it falls brief is storage. Should you’re tenting with 4 folks, discovering a spot to retailer your gear inside might be a problem. Like us, it’s possible you’ll find yourself holding your gear exterior, but when so, be ready for good climate. The tent lacks vestibules, and we’ve needed to transfer our gear into the automotive greater than as soon as when rain rolled in whereas tenting in Colorado’s foothills.

Contained in the tent, you’ll discover two small mesh pockets, every simply sufficiently big for a headlamp, telephone, and perhaps a charger or two. There’s one pocket on all sides, together with a single loop on the tent’s peak for hanging gear or a light-weight. Air flow comes from two half-moon-shaped zip-down home windows—one on the door and one on the rear wall reverse it.

The Sundome’s most unusual characteristic is Coleman’s E-port, a flap within the nook of the tent that means that you can run an extension wire inside in the event you’re tenting close to an outlet. Though the options are first rate for the worth, we’d like to see extra inside storage choices.

Ought to You Purchase the Coleman Sundome 4 Tent?

The Coleman Sundome 4 fills a selected area of interest that not many tents cater to. It’s a light-duty choice, that means it’s not designed to face up to heavy use or harsh situations. Should you camp incessantly or in difficult environments, this isn’t the tent for you. Nonetheless, for infrequent campers who plan to enterprise out a couple of instances a yr to campgrounds or well-established backcountry websites, it might be a superb match.

For summer time tenting and rare journeys, there’s little have to spend some huge cash on a tent that may spend most of its time in storage. The Sundome 4 is right for 2 campers however can accommodate a household of 4, offered two of them are young children. Should you’re seeking to benefit from the open air a couple of instances a yr with out breaking the financial institution, the Coleman Sundome 4 is likely to be the right selection for you.

What Different Tenting Tents Ought to You Take into account?

For extra choices, please see our full information to the greatest tenting tents.

Kelty Wi-fi 6 – The Wi-fi 6 is a superb various, providing more room and higher-quality supplies. Though it’s costlier than the Sundome, it’s a superb selection in the event you plan to camp extra incessantly or want further area and twin vestibules for gear storage.

Marmot Tungsten 4 – Should you want a four-person tent with an identical footprint to the Sundome however need higher-quality supplies that may higher stand up to the weather, the Marmot Tungsten 4 is value contemplating. It options absolutely taped seams, 7000-series aluminum poles, and two vestibules for gear storage.