Head to head
Coleman Sundome vs Coleman Skydome
The Coleman Sundome gives each person more floor — 15.8 sq ft against 14.0, which is the difference between standard and standard. The Coleman Sundome is the lighter carry at 9 lb 11 oz, and the Coleman Sundome is the cheaper of the two at ~$118.
Coleman Coleman Sundome | Coleman Coleman Skydome | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Car camping | Car camping |
| Rated capacity | 4-person | 4-person |
| Floor area per personestimated | 15.8 sq ft (standard) | 14.0 sq ft (standard) |
| Floor area | 63 sq ft | 56 sq ft |
| Vestibule area | 0 sq ft | 0 sq ft |
| Peak height | 59 in | 55 in |
| Packed weight | 9 lb 11 oz | 13 lb 11 oz |
| Weight per personestimated | 38.8 oz (packed weight) | 3 lb 7 oz (packed weight) |
| Pad fitestimated | 4 × 20 in pads fit, 25 in pads do not | 4 × 20 in pads fit, 25 in pads do not |
| Fits sleepers up toestimated | 8ft 6in tall | 7ft 6in tall |
| Doors | 1 | 1 |
| Freestanding | freestanding | freestanding |
| Poles | fiberglass | fiberglass |
| Wall type | double wall | double wall |
| Season rating | 3-season | 3-season |
| Packed size | 23.8 x 4.5 in | — |
| Approx. price | ~$118 | ~$140 |
Coleman Sundome
The Sundome has been the default American camping tent for decades, and the reason is the per-person floor: 63 square feet across four people is 15.75 each, more than most $400 backpacking tents manage, for about $118. It is a fair-weather tent — a partial fly rather than a full one, fibreglass poles, a polyethylene floor, and nothing covered outside the door. In settled weather none of that matters. In a two-day storm all of it does. Coleman's own site blocks automated requests, so the dimensions here come from retailer and review listings.
Best for
Settled-weather campground trips and a first tent that nobody will be precious about.
Coleman Skydome
The Skydome is the Sundome with the walls pushed out: Coleman quotes about 20 percent more headroom from the near-vertical profile, and the poles arrive pre-attached so the whole thing goes up in under five minutes without threading anything. It trades seven square feet against the Sundome 4 and adds four pounds. The 6-person at 85 square feet and 72 inches of height is the one that makes the most sense of the range — it is the only size in the family where an adult stands up.
Best for
Campers who want the tent up before the car is unpacked and will not be out in real weather.
Rows where the two differ are tinted. Specs are the makers’ own; floor area per person, weight per person and pad fit are our arithmetic on them.