This freestanding tent is in my opinion designed for car camping. It weighs around 22 lbs in the bag so it’s not a tent I would want to have to carry for a long period of time. What differentiates the Elite Model from the regular Sundome is the Elite is a little larger and comes with an LED lighting system and hinged door. The Sundome is a well though out tent with some very nice features, but it also a few shortcomings. After seeing how it performed over a few days and nights, these are my conclusions. We had mixed feelings about the overall durability of this tent.
While we love the idea of setting up a tent super fast, we’re not convinced the Instant Cabin is worth the extra cost and questionable rain protection. Another relatively inexpensive alternative to the Sundome is the Alps Mountaineering Meramac 6. Both tents feature a simple two-pole design, similar floor dimensions and peak heights, and generous use of mesh for airflow.
James has been escaping to the outdoors for as long as he can remember. This first started in family camping trips but soon turned into adventure camps and hiking through the Scottish Hebrides. Now he has turned towards trying to make camping more coleman sundome comfortable and accessible. However, like the Sundome the mesh windows in this tent mean that without the rain fly on, users lose all sense of privacy. The floor is also best used with a footprint or trap underneath to make sure it isn’t damaged.
For groups in the two to three-person range, we think the Sundome four-person should be just about right. If you are camping solo or with a furry friend, we’d coleman ice chest recommend opting for the three-person or two-person models. Keep in mind that as you size down in capacity, you do lose a significant amount of headroom.
The low wide profile and included guylines hold up well in the wind, and the tent floor has a tub design. As long as you can avoid a tear or puncture, you should stay dry. However, it isn’t the design that is at risk — it is the construction. The use of weaker materials like cheap plastic clips, elastic connection points, fiberglass poles, and the tarp floor is where the Sundome could fail after harsh use.