Coleman
Coleman Sundome
No citable rating — see why we hide some.
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.
Floor area per person
15.8 sq ft
Standard — 14 to 17 sq ft each — the normal two-pads-and-no-spare-room fit
Weight per person
38.8 oz
from the packed weight of 9 lb 11 oz
Peak height
59 in
Approx. price
~$118
Pads: 21.0 in of floor width each — 4 × 20 in pads fit, 25 in pads do not.
Length: a 108 in floor leaves room for a sleeper up to about 8ft 6in once you allow six inches for a foot box and a pillow.
Best for
Settled-weather campground trips and a first tent that nobody will be precious about.
The size run
One design, 3 capacities. The numbers at the top of this page describe the 4-Person; every size has its own figures below.
| Size | Sleeps | Floor area | Sq ft each | Vestibule | Trail weight | Packed weight | Floor L × W | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Person | 2 | 35 sq ft | 17.5 | 0 sq ft | — | 7 lb 6 oz | 84 × 60 in | — |
| 4-Person | 4 | 63 sq ft | 15.8 | 0 sq ft | — | 9 lb 11 oz | 108 × 84 in | ~$118 |
| 6-Person | 6 | 100 sq ft | 16.7 | 0 sq ft | — | 16 lb | 120 × 120 in | — |
Specifications
- Type
- Car camping
- Rated capacity
- 4-person
- Floor area per person(estimated)
- 15.8 sq ft (standard)
- Floor area
- 63 sq ft
- Vestibule area
- 0 sq ft
- Peak height
- 59 in
- Packed weight
- 9 lb 11 oz
- Weight per person(estimated)
- 38.8 oz (packed weight)
- Packed size
- 23.8 x 4.5 in
- Interior floor length
- 108 in
- Interior floor width
- 84 in
- Pad fit(estimated)
- 4 × 20 in pads fit, 25 in pads do not
- Fits sleepers up to(estimated)
- 8ft 6in tall
- Doors
- 1
- Vestibules
- 0
- Freestanding
- freestanding
- Poles
- fiberglass
- Wall type
- double wall
- Season rating
- 3-season
- Floor fabric
- Polyethylene
- Approx. price
- ~$118
Features
- 63 sq ft across four people — 15.75 sq ft each
- Partial rainfly with a ground vent
- Fibreglass pole structure
- Polyethylene welded-corner floor
- Sold in 2, 4 and 6 person on the same shape
In its favour
- 15.75 sq ft per person at the 4-person size beats most backpacking tents costing four times as much
- About $118 makes it disposable in the best sense — nobody worries about the floor
- 9.7 lb for the 4-person is light for a fibreglass-poled family tent
- The 6-person's 10 x 10 ft floor takes a queen airbed with room around it
Against it
- Partial rainfly leaves the upper walls exposed in driving rain
- Fibreglass poles splinter rather than bend, and are not field-repairable the way aluminium is
- No vestibule at all in any size
- Coleman publishes no hydrostatic head figure for the floor or fly
- Field measurement of the 6-person found the floor a few inches under the advertised 10 x 10 ft
Written from the published specification sheet, not from owner reports.
What owners report
Drawn from archived owner discussions, not from a test of our own.
What owners like
- Eight years of two-to-three-trips-a-year use with no complaints is a real owner report, not a hypothetical
- Seven or more years before the poles cracked and the fabric started leaking is the typical service life owners describe
- The 2-person takes a queen air mattress, which owners confirm from use
- The bathtub floor is a specific reason owners pick it over similarly-priced rivals
- It is bought for $20 secondhand and used happily, which no other tent in this catalog can claim
- It is the most-recommended cheap tent in beginner discussions, and owners who moved on still say it got them started
Common complaints
- Poles crack and the shock cord inside them disintegrates — both are reported by owners and both end the tent's life
- The fabric starts leaking after several years, which is when owners replace it
- It is a fair-weather tent with a partial fly, and owners describe not trusting it in rain once it has aged
- Seam sealing is a question owners ask about, which suggests it does not arrive fully sealed
- Older models with built-in lighting are loved but do not hold up in the rain, according to their owners
The Sundome is the tent people learn on, and the reports are warmer than a $118 tent has any right to expect. Eight years of occasional use with no complaints. Seven or more years before cracked poles and a leaking fly retired one. A 2-person bought for $20 secondhand and used without regret. It is the tent nobody is precious about, and that is its actual value.
The failure modes are consistent and boring: poles crack, the shock cord inside them disintegrates, and eventually the fabric stops keeping water out. All three arrive after years rather than months, and all three are the point at which people buy the next tent rather than repair this one.
Weather is the honest limit. It has a partial rainfly, fibreglass poles and no vestibule, and owners describe not trusting an aged one in rain. In settled weather at a campground with 15.75 square feet per person in the 4-person — more than most $400 backpacking tents give you — it is very hard to argue with.
Questions people ask about it
How long does a Sundome last?
Owners report seven to eight years of occasional use before poles crack and the fly starts leaking. Used every weekend it will be faster; used two or three times a year it lasts most of a decade.
Is it waterproof?
When new and in normal rain, yes. The fly is partial rather than full coverage, so driving rain reaches the upper walls, and owners describe aged ones leaking. Seam sealing it before the first trip is a question owners ask, which suggests it is worth doing.
Will a queen air mattress fit in the 2-person?
Owners confirm it does. The 2-person is 7 by 5 feet, which takes a queen bed with a little room around it — one of the reasons the small Sundome is popular for car camping couples rather than backpackers.
What breaks first?
The poles, and specifically the elastic shock cord threaded through them, which perishes and lets the sections fall apart. Replacement shock cord is a few dollars and an evening, and it is the cheapest repair in camping.