The Complicated Truth About Coleman Tents - Coleman Skydome 4 Person Tent Review 

My last Coleman cheap tent lasted nearly 15 years. The fabric began deteriorating. I love Coleman.

Excellent review young lady! I’m 74 years old and grew up with Coleman and Eureka tents, as well with Coleman camping products. Gas lanterns, stoves and heaters with the name Coleman on it used to be as American as Winchester, Colt and Smith&Wesson. Those days are just about gone. However, I’m a motorcycle camper and actually have an American made bike,’17 Indian Roadmaster. It’s a big touring bike so pack weight is not a huge issue. Because of Luke’s recent test of the OneTigeris Cosmitto 2 tent, I purchased one! Haven’t camped with it yet as I’m in Michigan and it’s not quite motorcycle riding or camping season yet. Thank you again for your thorough review.

Very fair review. I bought a Coleman 4 person “instant” tent with the extra fly for about $110.00 USD and never had a problem except I had to leave the tent in my backyard for about 10 days to get the commercial smell out of the tent and I needed to rub some soap on the zippers to smooth them out. I use it exclusively for camping with my Jeep where the weight and larger size is not a problem and its carrying bag is actually large enough to easily please back into the bag. For the price you can’t go wrong.

Thanks for a great review. I like Coleman and have used their products (tents, lanterns, stoves, etc) for over 35 years and they have not let me down. I still use some, mostly lanterns & stoves, that's are much older and still work great. Always take care of your camping gear and that will help it last.

Coleman is always a goto tent for Boy Scouts because it's budget friendly. Thanks for the review, Suzy.

I had the Coleman 6 Person Skydome with the screen room. I really loved it. I bought the screen room because I love rustic camping, but I don't like rustic bugs. The Screen room would act as an barrier to prevent anything getting in when you were getting in and it did an excellent job. It also acted as a half decent storage area for things like ice coolers and backpacks. Ive tested this many times during the rain or where ants were all over the tent and not one drop or ant got in. So that was a win for me. The only 2 things i didnt fancy was 1. the screen room wasn't fully waterproof. Only the top, so rain could get in there. Not a big deal. 2. I've notice many mention this ( as well as you 7:05) is they say it's for x amount of people, but it really isn't. As i said i got the 6 person but realistically 4 was comfortable. 6 would be smashed like sardines. Quality wise coleman is fine. Not the worst, but not the best. You aren't going to be disappointed if you get one. I do admit as someone who likes coleman that they aren't the same as when they were made in American, but they aren't bad.

I had my Coleman 4 person tent for 25 years and even used it in winter camping in January & February. No problems in heavy rain or snow. Great review Susie !

Thanks Susan for this review.

Thank you for your review. Just found the blackout version on Amazon on sale for $88 and this video helped me to pull the trigger on it. I want to get back into camping after about 10years. I am a single Mom with a small child so I wanted to be sure there was enough room but not too complicated for us on our own. Your video also helped with setup because I have read the included instructions aren't great. I am looking forward to it arriving and giving it a test run in my backyard before we hit the woods. Thank you for sharing all the details, good and bad, and inspiring me to move forward with my adventure.

With cheap tents, we always use it under a large tarp. Leaking is not an issue. However, one trip it rain so hard and had no issues we were dry. We got up to find the back half of our tent sitting in 2 inches of water. Yet the inside was dry. Nothing came through the floor. We were very impressed. For the money, it's a great tent. Thanks for the review.

I bought a Coleman Skylodge 8p a few years ago for car camping with the kids. It leaked around the stitched in mesh pockets. A little silicone sealant and it's been good since. Overall, the tent is big and heavy but it's cheap for what it is and will last long enough until the kids get old enough pack their own gear into the backcountry.

Good afternoon Susan and thank you for sharing your adventures

Never had an issue with Coleman in over 30 years with many different tents and products. Like others said especially back in the day Coleman was the way to go for tents, sleeping bags, stoves, lanterns, etc. and for those things, it's nice you can buy repair parts and globes. All in all the beefy floor and 'cheaper' materials that makes the tent weigh allot are what, to me, makes it last a long time. We have been using One Tigress last few years and I have had two with major rips, one on the floor, one with a fly. Both tents Luke reviewed and gave a thumbs up. So IMHO it almost makes more sense to go Coleman for car camping then lighter weight products. Especially if storage space isn't an issue, like in SUV's, vans, trucks, etc. Excellent review Susan, you and Luke always do a great, professional and thorough job, to the point, which I really appreciate in gear reviews. If I had to pick a dream review in the future it would be for reasonably priced women's back packs in neutral or natural to the forrest colors like mens. Of course light weight with the key feature being comfortable shoulder straps. Soft, properly shaped straps for a woman. Not some thick strap with hard edges that dig into sensitive places. I have searched even mid way priced companies for specific for woman packs and bought 4 so far in the day pack size range up to 30L and they are all horrible. Osprey is one brand. Mountain Smith another. Not cheap. The best I have found are used packs, one a very old model from LL Bean but it's huge like 60L and one very beat up ultra light pack I tried to repair by Zpack with just horrible almost throw away materials, (especially the mesh omg), after so many uses but the straps, the size, shape of pack are the bomb.

I bought a Coleman 6 person (I think) with darkroom technology and the screened vestibule on front. We set it up At home first then my son and I spent two nights in it hunting. I had picked it up on clearance at Walmart for $52. The front screened area was great and had a mesh drain area near the bathtub floor we did not stake the tent down and the Low temperatures were in the 30s. The tent performed great. We had an exped duo sleeping mat and another brand I can’t remember the name of. We had late totes in the middle with a Mr buddy heater and solar generator. My only complaint was all the mesh and that you had to release the rain fly and let it lay against the tent to block a cold draft coming in. We have used many Coleman tents and they have always served us well. I used an old one years ago that is similar in size and design to this tent. It was a scout water weekend at a lake. Well there was certainly water. It poured our tent was the only dry one inside

My best friends buy Coleman tents fairly regularly. We have been camping together for years and they generally get 2-3 years out of a tent. The fiberglass poles are the first thing to go… great review! Keep up the awesome work!!❤

I purchased the darkroom with vestibule. It leaked a little. But the main problem was it really wasn't all that dark. I contacted coleman and the told me it blocked 90% of light which is a flat out lie. They did replace the tent due to the leaking. I have had a few of their tents with no problems. I just want people to know it's not as dark as they say it is.

Hi Sue, nice seeing you again. I must say you do such a wonderful job explaining every detail of this tent Coleman should be paying.

Hi Susie, Based on your review I just purchased the Coleman Skydome Camping Tent with Full-Fly Weather Vestibule 4 person, and extended vestibule., On this one the fly goes all the way to the ground, and there is room to sit inside the vestibule with 2 camp chairs. It's been airing out for 3 days so the smell is not as strong, and isn't objectionable. It arrived with all parts and nothing broken, which is great. While I've had it up we've had 2 thunderstorms with about a total of 1" rain and no leaks. I believe its going to meet all of my needs for myself and my labrador retriever, and I like that when its raining you can open the vestibule to go in and out with rain coming down inside your tent. I think that if I lived in a warmer climate, I might worry about air flow, but I live in the Rocky Mtns of CO at 7450' and camp at even higher elevations, where it is even cooler. I'll be able to leave the upper portion of the door unzipped to reveal the screen and leave the front of the vestibule rolled up to get more air, if needed. The only thing I didn't like was that the sides of the rainfly didn't have a way to stake out the fly away from the screen for more airflow, but I was able to fix that by using tarp clamps with twine attached, then staked out. Thanks for reviewing this for your subscribers. I've been looking for something like this for about a year now. I have 3 other tents of varying sizes, and this will be my 2nd Coleman. My other Coleman is an 8 person with 2 rooms, and an attached screen room that I've had for about 15 years and am happy with.

Glad to see Coleman products covered. I purchased a Coleman tent last year. The zipper likes to hangup midway across the door. I do mostly yard camping. I plan to do some bike camping with a kids trailer in back. I have some Coleman products and they always worked good.

Thank you for the review! I have been looking at getting a large tent (10 person or so) and this really helps! Thank you guys for being there for all of us.

Coleman has been a 50/50 for me with tents. Lanterns,stoves, etc. No problems yet

Great review Suzie. It is unfortunate that Coleman is not more transparent. Keep the reviews coming. Keep well and raise hell. Dave & The Girls.

Great job! I love my Coleman but it's the first one I've owned in over 20yrs. I've been using it for motorcycle camping with no issues, no leaks, no damage etc for about 5 years.

Thanks Susie, I have owned a few Coleman tents and they are fine. I semi retired my last 8 person Skydome tent recently when we bought a squaredrop camper. Getting up in the morning off the air matress was getting a little harder as I get older. and we couldnt leave the dog in the tent when we wanted to explore further than she could walk.

Great review-love the honesty!

Hey! Nice review and nice addition to the channel! Very thorough and conclusive.

I have enjoyed my Coleman tent and other Coleman products. 😊

I loved the Coleman products I've owned, including the four person tent in green and white. Mine was set up for almost three years next to tarp setup in my forested backyard. I used it to store gear in it. It held up well through rain, light snow, and wind. It never leaked. However, the summer sun (Virginia) eventually weakened the exposed sidewall. I love the color and pattern of your Coleman tent. Great review, Susie!

Weve had skydome 8 and Evanston 8 Both have performed very well for the price, been through very bad thunderstorms twice in each tent and they never buckled or leaked a drop, we had so much water under the evanston at one point it was a river under us, but it held strong and it kept us dry, external zipper is probably the weak point of the entire tent, which wear out after years of use. Keep up the good work and keep your reviews coming.

I think that was a fair review , probably not one the company would embed into the product page , but ironically one that does basically recommend this product for certain situations. Again , very fair.

Thank you for the review ! Great job. Love the Coleman lanterns and stoves !!!

i just picked up the 6 person darkroom tent. looking forward to camping this spring . i will be seam sealing and spray sealing the tent before heading out

Yay Suzie! Love the review VERY informative!

ive had Coleman products since i was a kid in the 60's. i still have the two burner stove, the single burner / heater , two mantel lantern , equipment we used when we were racing Hydroplanes. still work perfectly. i have aquired an old school generator built for or by Coleman in there green color. works perfectly.has a Briggs and scrap iron 5 horse L head engine. i try to buy Coleman products still. including old lanterns. have a 5 person tent we bought in the 90's to use at the races ( boat) with rain cover similer to yours. i dont see the name of this Colman tent but its grey and royal blue and white with orangeish pipeing and Colman insignia on lower right hand side of door. the door is "D" shape with back side of the D being to your left. great tent ! but like most ( even our 60's canvas tent ) sweated and had droplets inside of tent. i forgot i have the catilitic heater that you turn upside down to wet the fabrick and then light it outside till the flame goes away. roast a duck inside a tent with that thing !

Nice review. No music or time wasting fluff. Right to the pros and cons.

I've always liked Colman products served me we over the years on most of their products

One of the worst tents I have ever owned was a Coleman. I had it as a teen and am now almost 50. Because of how wet that tent left me, while camping for a week in Yosemite, I have ever since prioritized quality camping gear.

I’ve had a Coleman 3-person tent for about 20 years now & I use it a couple times a year, usually in decent weather in the summer/fall. I just seam-sealed the rain fly this winter. It’s been a decent tent!

Great job! Love to see you taking a more front seat role! Keep em coming!

Great review Susie❤ Thank you!

I’m a definite Coleman fan! I have all their instant up tents and LOVE them!

I am fine with random quality control, when the company respect the warranty. Coleman is a decent company, very popular in Japan.

A well thought out review, and very honest. Thank you

Great review! Definitely a "Susan-Color Option." I think the paisley might give Luke a headache! My role of thumb with Coleman tents was to take the listed occupancy rate/2 to equal the space for people and gear.

I like the looks of this tent very much thanks Susie😁

Thank you Susan. Great unbiased review that will help many people. I have had Coleman and many other brands over the past, well, long time. I appreciate you taking the time to do a thorough resting. Stay safe and God bless.

Extremely well done review, very informative and to the point no sugar coating. Anyone that has done any kind of camping knows Coleman they were one of first with propane stoves which I believe were USA made I had some Coleman products that lasted well over 20 yrs problem free. Love your choice of tent color 👍👍

Great review Suzie. We have had a Coleman tent and other Coleman products for going on 35+ years and although we don't always get it out but maybe once a year that's still 35+ times it has never let us down. Oh, and the Coleman tarp smell never goes away! 😆

Very informative. Would consider their brand if I car camped

Good review, thorough and to the point, well done, Miss Suzy! I have the 4-p Sundome version, my first Coleman as I recall. Hilleberg coming before next winter for my travels out west.

Have and do own many Coleman tents. At their price they are fantastic. All of mine have been 100% reliable, easy to set up, sturdy and DRY!!! Are they the ultimate tents? No. But they do what they do and they do it well. A great choice for car campers.

Great review Suzie! No hyperboil, just good information!

I've had it both wayS. So I will use them with the correct vetting before trips.

No problem w/ Coleman over the yrs. I do like your VB. Great review!!

Great review, Been watching Luke do them for years, I think I prefer it when you do them 😅

I love the colors of your tent.

Susie, I like the way that you do a review. I am looking forward to more reviews from you.

I never have bought a Coleman tent but I think that I will be looking for one thank you for sharing

I love Coleman, personally. Had my 3 person sundome for 8 years, still works great. Just bought the 8 person Montana, for my growing family and looking forward to many years with that one as well.

Three year Sky Dome 4 person with vestibule user here. So far so good.

Yup, you are about spot on with my thoughts on Coleman tents and I have no problem in using one if needed. And a big yes to the classic Coleman smell.... not bad but I have smelled it for many years over many of their products.

I love my Coleman dome tent, I like the design on yours though. Mine has never leaked & i agree for the sleeping. i have had mine for 5 years no issues. I had paid 120.00 back when I bought it here in Ontario, Canada. Thanks Susie .

This review is perfect. You did an amazing job! Thank you for making this video.

Love Coleman. Love this review. Love the team TOGR. Job done.

Great job Suzie! I have a Coleman Sky Dome 6 person tent. So far no leaks. The zipper does stick sometimes. Must be a common issue.

Coleman is good, I had one. The small two person done tent held up for years. It got to looking ghetto near the end, duck tape to patch holes and sewn mesh tears. Even survived severe storms in which I bailed. Would I get another? Yes, but I'd be willing to pay for better quality poles and floor, if Coleman would offer those as options. I am also happy to learn that Coleman now offers the sun blocking option. I hate getting baked out of my tent just when I am enjoying waking up slow and lustening to nature. As far as airflow, I'd just use a cot to get closer to the mesh. My old Coleman, now long gone had that same issue with the fabric halfway up the walls, but I really didn't mind, until mid morning when the sun was beating down and I wished to feel that breeze off the lake. I didn't want to drag a cot around, but with today's improvements on those, they also look worth getting. So yeah, Coleman is a great brand. It would be nice though if enough people support the brand maybe they can do some key feature improvements as optional upgrades.

Well done, Susan, fine review, from East Tennessee.

Love my Colman everything they make I had good luck with them.

Great review. I think you summed up Coleman products perfectly. I think the price and their service makes up for the occasional issue.

Yes. Coleman is my go to company. If you get a lemon they will keep working with you until they make you happy. However; it may take several back and forth contacts before you get happy!

Excellent review! I agree with you. Coleman may be a crap shoot, but if they stand behind the product, at their low price point its a win-win. I too like Coleman products. I was raised with them. Many great memories using their products.

Nice job. Great thorough review

I'm a big Coleman fan with reservations. Thanks for the heads up and the great review

Hi Susie!: You did a very fair review of the Coleman tent! I have a sundome but not the skydome. Really like the looks of the skydome! Thanks for the review!

I learned a lot from this video about Coleman tents. Thank you!

I have the 4 person darkroom version and I love that tent. Its almost magical.

Nice to see your doing ok hope to see more information from you on products you try and thank you

Thanks Susie, nice review. Plain and simple, Coleman's "old School" stuff ruled the days, now a days I'm not privy as I haven't used anything new from them. The older stuff was a true bargain, tough and inexpensive, their lanterns and stoves worked great and still to this day I have many in my stable that are used regularly. Times change and so do people and gear, I'm sure some products have been farmed out but for the most part I still appreciate the Coleman brand.

First tent was a Coleman, the smell is distinct and can adapt to it easily, I love the colors of your tent, your review was excellent! I am partial to Coleman primarily because of their customer service, love your adventures and reviews! 😎

We currently have a Coleman sundome 6 person. We can put two queen mattresses beside each other to sleep the 4 of us comfortably. The last two times we’ve camped it’s poured rain for brief periods of time with no issue.

The only time I've had a Coleman tent leak was after almost 20 years of use. I had another have the corners fall apart, but again after almost 12 years of heavy use. i trust Coleman and from what I hear they have good customer service!

I have an old Coleman Sundome from 1998. I took it out last year and it's still holding up fairly strong.

Great review Susie! I have a Coleman Sundome 4-person tent, for summer, when I'm out for a quick getaway. I've had no real issues with it. I've waterproofed it, and seam-sealed it. Works out great. Thanks for another great review. By the way, my daughter said she wants your Vera Bradley edition. 😂

I bought one of these because I wanted the darkroom technology for when I sleep in past sunrise. I bought the 8 person version just for myself because I wanted to be able to stand up inside without hitting the roof. I agree about the setup, it takes me about 15 minutes when I'm timing myself and trying to do it quickly, probably takes a lot more than that other times.

Great review! Thanks.

Great Review!! Thank You!! I have a lot of experience with Coleman and am familiar with the smell and quality gamble. I don’t mind, because like you said, the gamble is worth taking because of the good pricing of most of their stuff and how easy it is to replace anything that comes broke or sewn crooked, etc….it’s just critical to remember to pitch this tent BEFORE your 1st trip, and as you (made me laugh) said, backpacking is a hard “no” contrary to what their marketing claims….Anyway, 8x7 feet should be bigger than one queen size air mattress, but definitely not a “comfortable” 4-person tent….Great to see you doing these reviews too!! :)

Nice work Susie! Great review....now u gotta tell some stories soon too!

Nicely done, Susie! I am sure your teacher will be proud of you!

Great review!! That print was ok, I know my wife would like it. I like and have a lot of Coleman stuff, but like you said, their tents are a gamble. I took a chance on a $80 tent from Dunham's sports. it's a Eagle's Camp Creekside 4- Person Dome Tent 11x9 with a 4-foot porch and it's about 5 1/2 foot tall. Mine has the high walls like yours does and the fly comes down lower. It says it's a 3-season tent, but for me it's a great winter tent. It was seam sealed, but I sprayed it with water proofing just to make sure. I have used it now for 4 years with no problems.

This is exactly what i expected as a review. Coleman is fine, not great, and everytime I've used one, I put a tarp over it if the weather looks like it will get really bad. I love my expensive tents but for a long time I couldn't afford them.

I have to agree with your review. My husband and I have 3 Coleman tents. The biggest one (an 8'x10' Sundome), we got in 2012 and the first time we used it, one of the cords broke in one of the poles. But since we were a couple hours from home camping at the time, my hubby managed to fix it. A cord broke again in 2014 and again we fixed it. (We never did contact the company for a replacement.) That tent managed to survive several storms over the years and it always held up. Even during tornado warnings, heavy rain and high winds. After 2 big storms in 2021, I only saw a little bit of water that probably blew in from the door where we didn't close the inside flap all the way. The one from the '90s didn't get used in any storms and my 2 person dark tent was fine in a minor rain shower.

I would worry about how long a cheap tarp floor is going to last. I use those tarps all the time around my place and 3 years is about the lifespan, but they are in the sun a lot. I'm still thinking about getting a 2 burner Coleman stove. Their stoves are basically legendary. The 2 burners are perfect for car camping. Everything else like chairs, tables, etc, also. Little on the weighty side but good quality and fold down pretty well.

I bought a 4-person, large vestibule, Skydome last summer. (Definitely NOT that paisley floral design, though.😉) The setup is a bit difficult for me, but that's because I'm confined to a wheelchair and reach over the top is a bit of a problem for me. Especally getting the fly on. But I've made it work. I've had it out in heavy rain a couple of times with no leaking at all. Not a single drop. And it's handled the wind extremely well. And it's true, it is a palace for one person. There is enough room for my cot, a table, and a small storage chest. With enough room left over to allow me to wheel around - and even spin - my wheelchair. I like the larger vestibule because it allows me to place my electric cooler and power station under it, out of the weather. (I will admit the vestibule isn't as big as it looked in the pictures. But it's big enough for my purposes.) It does get hot, under the sun, during the day. But who sits in their tent on a nice day anyway? All in all I'm very please with this tent. As for Coleman's quality... this is the third Coleman tent I've bought, over the last 30 years, and I've not had any issues with any of them.

Excellent review.

Used Coleman when I started many yrs ago. Had good luck back in the day. Haven’t used them in awhile

Coleman fan here!😁

Had a coleman growing up for the "backyard" adventure camping!

I personally have never been in a Coleman tent, so don’t have much experience with them. My family did have a Coleman stove when I was younger and seem to really enjoy it, so for camping equipment I would definitely go with Coleman. Might try one of their tents out as well…

HI SUZIE!!! So great to see you.

We loved Coleman when kids all lived at home...everyone sorta got their own tent. Meaning boys in one and the girls in the other. Each had four person tent. Mom a d dad here did as well and the youngest at the time was four on the super plus side ...uncle Cliff worked for Coleman here in Wichita so yeh we got lots of disounta and few freebies along the way !! Now we go glamping ..we've earned it lol