A cabin-style tent with a lot of interior space might be the right choice. The rainfly only covers the ceiling and part of the tent body from the top. The Dark Room is designed for 6 people, many other tents of a similar size have more than one room allowing for a little more privacy. Because of its size and shape, the Dark Room may not do well in strong winds if it is not firmly secured with the provided guy lines and stakes. Even though the tent is listed as freestanding in all but very calm conditions, one would want to stake and tie it down correctly. It is good to see Coleman has added a gear loft and pockets in the interior to store some of your stuff.
The Coleman Sundome 6 Person Tent is designed for those who have no previous experience with setting up a tent. Despite a list of values posted in other online reviews, there isn’t a hydrostatic head rating for this budget-friendly tent. For more information, read our review of the Coleman sundome elite model. The footprint measures 10′ x 10′ for a total of 100 square feet. The fiberglass poles can make even the heartiest camper cringe once you hear them creak under tension . There are no reports of them breaking, and we had no issues during our testing other than a bit of said creaking — but fiberglass is less forgiving than aluminum.
Additionally, Bushnell tents are great when it comes to gear storage. There are multiple storage pockets, a gear hammock, as well as storage pockets on the outside of the tent next to the entrance door. These are great tents that are easy to set up, provide great weather protection, and offer lots of gear storage and organization.
Most tents come with at least one or two wall pockets and loops along the seams that can be used to hang a gear loft . Internal storage pockets are also an important part of your gear system at camp. Simple freestanding tents tend to be the best for easy setup. Most tents will advertise the time it takes to pitch them and how many people it requires. Things to look for in an easy-to-pitch tent are unified poles – these are poles that are all linked together so they can’t be lost. Looking for more ways to protect your tent from the weather?
Vestibules are ideal for storing things like shoes, jackets, and other muddy or dirty gear that you want out of the elements and close at hand, but not inside the tent with you. If there’s strong wind at camp, your whole tent could easily be destroyed. Carbon fiber is exceptionally light and coleman 6 person tent strong, but it’s been known to splinter. Polyester and nylon are the most common tent fabrics because they’re strong and light, but they have two major disadvantages. This is a measure of how much water seeps through a fabric in a given period and 1500 is the baseline for waterproofing.
It should cover the whole tent wall from peak to floor and extend several inches out from the tent body, keeping the whole tent area dry. If you plan to be camping in wet weather conditions, a full coverage one is highly recommended. You’ll appreciate a fly that can be zipped open in good weather to expose those mesh panels, both for airflow and to take in the views at camp. As a general rule, vertical walls make your tent space feel much larger and more livable, which is essential if you’re trying to house six. With a large 6 person tent, this is less of a concern but still something to be aware of, especially with backpacking tents. If you’re doing any sort of backcountry camping, a backpacking tent that prioritizes low weight over comfort is a must.
More expensive tents come with specific features designed to make them extra durable, comfortable, or portable. Another consideration is the packed size and weight of a 6 person tent. Two tents with the same footprint will feel very different if one is a dome tent and one is a cabin-style tent.
We found a decent amount of positive points about the tent that you can read through above. A few of the cool points about dome tents are, that they are under normal circumstances light, making them easy to carry around. In near all instances, tents used for backpacking are of the dome type. They are generally speaking, freestanding and very simple to set up. In calm weather, you can do without securing the tent with stakes and ropes, not that this is recommended. When we prepared this review of the Dark Room 6, we studied data against one hundred and seventeen other 6 person dome tents, evaluating more than sixty different details.
If you are camping solo or with a furry friend, we’d recommend opting for the three-person or two-person models. Keep in mind that as you size down in capacity, you do lose a significant amount of headroom. The Sundome 2, coleman 6 person tent for example, has a maximum peak height of just 4 feet compared to 6 on the Sundome 6, and that’s a very significant difference. With a 10′ x 10′ footprint and a 78″ center height, this tent offers quite a bit of room.
Fiberglass tent poles are some of the most common, but they can be problematic in the cold. Some 4-season tents use other materials like a cotton canvas which provides more insulation and breathability. Also, make sure there’s at least an inch or two of room between the tent body and the fly when the tent is pitched.