I remember in the early 90’s getting our first tent. It was one of those dome tents that took way too long to set up. The tent would cause those erecting it to question their beliefs and make good with their maker prior to bending the potentially explosive fiberglass rods into place. A lot has changed in tent technology since George H.W. Bush sat at the Resolute Desk. A few years ago, my travel companions and I got our hands on a Coleman Sundome four person tent and it owes us nothing.
Dome tent pole technology
The Coleman Sundome is a stark departure from that first tent we had decades ago. While at first glance, they’d look like they’re pretty much the same beast, they are not.
For starters, the material composition of the poles is certainly different. The fiberglass poles from the 1900’s versus post 2020 fiberglass poles are dramatically different. Old school poles seemed to have a lot less spring in them and they tended to splinter quite a bit at the joints. The poles that came with our Sundome did not make me feel like they were going to spontaneously explode in my face while setting it up. Nor have the poles splintered in the several years we’ve had the tent.
Easy to erect
This tent is a breeze to set up. You don’t need ten people to do it, and you don’t need a full set of safety apparel to protect you from what you might do in the process.
Another technology change from the days of yore is how the poles interfaced with the tent. My old school tent required the tent erecting engineer to have to carefully slide it through undersized loops in order to allow it to act as an exoskeleton.
The Sundome does not make campers have to do what amounts to stuffing a pull cord back into the hood of a hoodie sweatshirt while in the bush. Rather than that, there are hooks that users are able to easily hook onto the poles once they are inserted into the corner pins. Poles tensioned into arches when installed in the pins make setting up easy using the hooks.
Features
The tent is advertised for “warm weather” use. That being said, we had no issues using it in the fall in the north-east.
The Sundome comes equipped with an electrical cord access. Depending on where you are camping or erecting your tent does depend on your level of access to creature comforts. Have electricity nearby? There’s a handy spot where you can run an extension cord right into your tent.
Also included with the tent is a rainfly, which is also easy to install. A third fiberglass pole is included which is used as a ridgepole to create a dorsal on the tent, allowing the rainfly to protrude over the front and back of the tent. Using “s” hooks, the fly’s four corners are affixed to the same rings that house the main pole pins. This sounds complicated, but it really isn’t. Guylines are on the fly which pull it away from the sides when staked down.
The tent is alleged to be a four person tent. Like most tents, that’d be on a good day. The Sundome can easily house a queen-size inflatable mattress, leaving a little room for gear on the sides. If you’re getting four people and their stuff into a queen-size bed, then there’s your answer on how many people can fit inside it.
Our experiences with the Sundome tent
After taking out our Sundome on several camping adventures, we’re pleased with it. We were not going bushwhacking, deep into the unknown. However, we were semi-roughing it at locations where you have to walk a good distance to the bathroom facilities and there might be no showers available.
The bread and butter of using the Sundome was during scouting activities with our little adventurer. We pretty much sized ourselves out of using it for the three of us, however the tent is more than adequate for two people on a casual weekend camping trip. Our Sundome has accompanied us on several Akela-led trips on scout adventures.
Our last trip where the tent was used to house a party of three was a week-long summer camping extravaganza in Pennsylvania. While we were hardly roughing it, living in the tent for a week when it poured nearly every day was taxing. The tent sufficiently housed us – not really comfortable though – and only on a couple of really rainy nights did we wake to some puddles in the corners from the pitch of the area.
The quick and dirty
Pluses: Super easy to set up. Affordable. Durable.
Minuses: Like most tents, you’re going to want to go bigger than advertised. Four person really means two comfortably.
Our overall experience with the Sundome is super positive. If you’re breaking into any number of the youth groups such as Cub Scouts, Scouting America, Girl Scouts, or just looking to get out there and camp, this is a perfect affordable starter tent for you. The tent is durable, easy to set up and won’t break the bank.
The Coleman Sundome can be purchased from Amazon or from the Colemen site directly.
Heading into some outdoor adventures soon? Have a scout in need of a gift? Make sure you check out our reviews on flashlights! A quality light is important for all your camping, hiking, and other “ing” adventures!
