To start, the Instant Cabin’s speedy set-up time is a standout feature and impossible for the Sundome to match. Second, the Instant Cabin doesn’t include a rainfly, although the tent body is said to be waterproof without one. And finally, the robust and quick-deploying frame of the Instant Cabin adds significant weight—it clocks in about 10 pounds heavier than the Sundome. 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.
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Most tents are pitched with a ground cloth underneath to protect the tent floor and keep things extra dry. If you’re looking for the best tents for a variety of conditions, or you don’t know where you’re going to camp, a full-coverage fly is a good insurance policy. Even in a screened tent with mesh windows, condensation is likely to form with six people in a tight space. This can happen in any weather conditions, regardless of a tent’s weather protection. If you plan to be camping with people over 6’ or so, check the dimensions and floor area of a tent before purchasing it.
Put the kids to bed early or sleep in past sunrise with the Coleman Dark Room 6-Person Dome Camping Tent with Fast Pitch Setup. The Fast Pitch system sets up in minutes with preattached poles and hub, fast fit feet, and snag-free Insta-Clip suspension, so you can spend more time enjoying the great outdoors. The room-darkening technology blocks 90% of sunlight and reduces heat inside (vs. a comparable Coleman tent), so you can catch some sleep ozark trail 10 person tent in comfort no matter the time of day. WeatherTec system keeps water out with patented welded floors and inverted seams. Our main issue with the integrated rainfly is that we lose all ventilation when there’s risk of rain, but there is a slight solution to this. For an additional $28, Coleman offers a secondary rainfly accessory made of Polyguard 2X that straps to the top and allows you to have open vents without getting your stuff soaked.
Setup is simple with the continuous pole sleeves, patented pin-and-ring system, and Insta-Clip suspension. When it’s time to break it down, the tent easily packs up into its carry bag. The spacious 10′ x 10′ interior has room for 2 queen airbeds and a 6-ft center height, as well as interior storage pockets and an E-Port that lets you run power into the tent.
The peak height is 6’2”, which will allow most hikers to stand up without needing to crouch. In addition, this cabin-style tent has excellent verticality of the walls, so you shouldn’t need to crouch if you’re anywhere but in the direct center of the tent. This will most certainly be a tight squeeze for six people, but it could more comfortably accommodate two parents and two children. In addition to the various capacities, Coleman also makes the unique and rather intriguing Dark Room Sundome. For one, it has serious potential appeal among late sleepers or parents that are hoping to enjoy an uninterrupted cup of coffee in the morning.
The floor size of 10 feet by 10 feet as well, tall campers should have plenty of sleeping space in this tent. 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 .
Like conjuring up something from The Matrix, you will be transported into another world upon stepping through the door. This is beyond novel for most tents any time after the sun comes up. This tent has a footprint of 10′ x 10′ so there is plenty of room inside the tent for sleeping as well as some extra gear.
If you want more space, convenient entry/exit and the feeling of a hotel room in the outdoors, this would be a better choice than the 6 Person Instant Tent. It comes with an optional divider to separate the tent into 2 rooms to create more privacy. The product description states the capacity for 4 people but some users argued that it just fit 2 people nicely.
If there is one area where the Coleman Sundome 6 let us down the most, it certainly would be weather protection . The rainfly only extends about halfway down on all sides, leaving the lower portion of the tent body exposed, and you won’t find any sealed seams to help keep water out. While the tarp-like material on the bathtub floor didn’t allow water to soak through, the rest of the tent’s construction was a major let-down.