Coleman Sundome Camping Tent with Rainfly

My tent just arrived yesterday. I struggled on what to give this tent for a rating because I just got it. I was thinking about giving it a 3 for average which seemed fair to start with. But after seeing how it handled the wind without breaking or tearing, I decided to give it a 4 because it surpassed my expectations. I plan on using this tent quite a bit this summer so I will update my rating and review as I go. I found the assembly instructions to be very basic but adequate. Anyone who has put up a tent like this before will have no problem. It took me about 15 minutes. Anyway, I set my tent up in my back yard yesterday to see how it looked and how it took on the elements. My first test was wind. I have a weather station and the average wind speed was 7 to 8 mph with gusts up to 17 mph. The back of the tent was torward the wind and when the gusts would come, the back of the tent would bow it quite a bit. I have read the reviews some people have written and see some have had problems with the poles breaking. This is what I was afraid of as I watched the back of the tent bow in. I wish I had taken a picture because it was substantial. Anyway, the poles did not break and the tent returned to it’s original form when the gust passed every time. I have seen the video on Amazon of the testing process Coleman puts their tents through. Not sure how much wind this tent is rated for but I’m pretty sure 17 mph is close to it’s max. The tent looks to be made very well for the price I paid for it. There are only two guidelines that come off the rain fly on the sides of the tent. The tent is staked down on all four corners of the floor plus a floor vent in the back of the tent. In all, there are only 7 stake down points that I could see. I feel if the tent had some guidelines higher up on each of the four corners of the main body of the tent it could withstand more wind. The stakes are ok but bend fairly easily if the ground is too hard or you hit a rock when pounding them in. I will be buying some better ones before I go camping. I left the tent up over night and checked on it this morning. It held up very well and only one of the stakes for the rain fly guidelines had twisted in the ground causing the guideline to come loose. I left the tent up because it was going to rain today. I need to know if I have any leaks before I take it out camping. It has been raining lightly for two hours now and my weather station says I’m getting .05 inches of rain an hour with a light steady wind of 2 to 3 mph. Far from what I would consider a hard rain but it’s still rain. I went out and looked at just the outside and the water seems to be beading up and running off the rain fly and tent very well. It is supposed to rain until 9 or 10 o’clock tonight so I will check for water on the inside in the morning. I’m hoping not to see any with such a light rain. If there is, I will definitely be spraying the tent down with a waterproofing spray before I take it out camping. Now for the pro’s and con’s.Pro’s:1). Great tent for the price. If your on a fixed budget or are looking for a good starter tent you will not beat this one.2). Very roomy inside. I plan on using this for two people, a shepherd and, all our gear.3) There is an eyelet at the top of the tent so you can attach a lantern and two side pockets for stowing smaller needed items like a headlamp, cell phone, keys and, so on.4). There is a small zipper in the bottom front left side of the tent for running wires. See my picture. It is covered by a little yellow strip of material to protect the zipper from the rain. You do not see this feature on most tents. I plan on using it with my solar panel so I can charge my power core, headlamp, cell phone and, other gear from inside the tent out of direct sunlight.5). I was surprised at how much give the tent had at 17 mph gusts and did not break any poles or tear. It bounced right back to it’s original form.Con’s:1). You may want to consider buying stronger tent stakes.2). I wish there was a high point on each of the four corners for attaching extra guidelines. Although it handled 17 mph gusts very well the tent did bow in quite a bit. If I had to guess, the tent was reduce by almost half it’s size. If I was inside the tent I know I would have been annoyed being hit by it every time a gust came. I really don’t feel the tent as is, could handle much more then that. I’m thinking about how to attach extra guidelines in the corners without effecting the structural stability and elasticity of the tent. Make sure you pitch this tent in a sheltered area out of the wind if your expecting bad weather.Update 04/30/18I went out the next morning after the light rain and the inside was dry. The following day saw more rain showers with substantially more rain. Checked the tent again today and it is still dry. After reading some of the reviews I really thought this tent would leak. Because this tent has preformed better then expected I have changed my rating to a five. I am going to seal the seams and spray waterproofing on the tent anyway because I would rather be safe then sorry. For the size and price of this tent you will not find a better deal. Just remember to pitch your tent in a sheltered area in you are expecting winds and you will not be disappointed. I think I have figured out a way to put up extra guidelines on each of the four corners so the tent will preform better with heavy gusts of wind. I will test it out and take pictures. More to come.That is all for now and there will be more updates coming.

Great tent. I set it up in my backyard, to give it a trial run (and seam seal) before taking it out camping. There are pros and cons...Pros:Carry bag - the tent comes neatly packed in a carry bag, with tent, poles, rain fly, ground stakes, door mat, and instructions.Setup - Easy. Set up by myself, with rain fly, in under 15 minutes. Didn't have to look at the directions. Only suggestion would be to put the word "front" somewhere on the rain fly to indicate which way it goes. However, a quick glance at the packaging will tell you.Materials - the tent material seems to be of good quality, and should hold up well when taken care of. The zippers are not heavy duty, but i see no issues with them. The floor is heavy duty tarp material.Screens - the tent has large screen panels on the "ceiling", which makes for a great view when the rain fly is not on. There is an additional window, and screen on the door for extra viewing and airflow.Floor Vent - there is a vent near the rear of the tent, which allows for additional airflow.Cord access - there is a small zippered panel in the front corner, that let's you run an extension cord into the tent.Other "Pros":I got the Navy/Grey tent, and the colors are cool. Got some compliments from the neighbors on it. I like that the rain fly comes with the guy lines already attached. The interior gear pockets are fine, good for holding your phone. Wouldn't stuff them with anything heavy. There is a little "ring" at the center of the ceiling, to hang a small light. While you could technically fit 2 queen air mattresses, I would not. It leaves no floor space for gear. I will put in one mattress, and leave the other half of the tent for my kids Pack n' Play, and gear. It will fit the 3 of us comfortably. However, unless you intend to get cozy, I wouldn't advise this for 4 adults (but it could be done).Cons:Stakes - the stakes are just ok...they are the generic skinny steel ones. I would recommend spending an extra $10 bucks and buy some good ones.Footprint - the tent doesn't come with a footprint, though I imagine this helps keep the cost so low. Not a big deal, I use a tarp anyways.Door Screen - the upper half of the door can be unzipped to reveal the screen window. I really would have liked if the entire door could be screen, not just the top half.I also purchased some Coleman Seam Sealer, and sealed all the seams inside the tent, and the rain fly. Some of the seams are taped, but it's just good practice to spend the time to do this, no matter what brand/cost/etc tent you have. It saves headache down the road.Overall, I'm very pleased with the tent, and the cost. It will work well for short camping trips with a small family, couple, or individual.