Coleman tents · Vs review
Coleman Sundome Tent V.S. Instant Tent (I Tested BOTH!)
I own both, and ran them through 9 side-by-side tests.
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The short answer
Instant for fair weather. Sundome for rain, weight and budget.
The Instant Tent goes up and comes down 50 to 100% faster, its cabin shape feels roomier, and its 150D fabric and steel poles are the better materials. The Sundome answers with a bigger floor, half the weight, a much smaller pack and far better rain performance: 30 to 35 minutes under my hose against the Instant's 10. The Instant is a summer tent; the Sundome is the all-rounder.
Side by side
Where they actually differ
| Measured (4-person) | Sundome | Instant |
|---|---|---|
| Set up (1 person) | 8.5 minutes | 4.5 minutesAbout half |
| Take down | 7.5 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Peak height | 60 inches | 61 inchesCabin shape feels roomier |
| Tent shape | Dome | Cabin |
| Dimensions | 9 by 7 feet | 8 by 7 feet |
| Sleeps | 4 pads or 1 queen | 4 pads or 1 queen |
| Heavy rain test | 30-35 minutesTested on my Sundome 6 | About 10 minutesDrenched by 15 |
| Windows | 2 | 4 |
| Vents | 32 wall vents + a ground vent | 0 |
| Fabric | 68 / 75D polyester | 150D polyesterColeman's double-thick fabric |
| Poles | Fiberglass | Alloy steel |
| Weight | 10 pounds | 20 pounds18 lbs + ~2 lbs of rainfly |
| Packed size | 27 x 12 x 9.5 inchesThat's the 6-person | 40 x 11 x 8 inchesAbout 30% longer |
| Rainfly included | Yes | No$30 extra on the 4- to 8-person |
| My published score | 7.8 / 106-person Sundome | 7.2 / 104-person Instant |
✓ = the better result, from my own testing. Measured rows are 4-person against 4-person except the packed size and rain test, which are from my 6-person Sundome; the score row names the exact tent each figure belongs to.
Which applies to you?
Get this one if…
Get the Sundome if…
- You expect rain: 30 to 35 minutes against about 10.
- You're carrying it: 10 pounds, not 20.
- You want ventilation with the windows shut, 3 vents against none.
- You're on a budget, and you want the rainfly in the box.
Get the Instant if…
- You want it up in 4.5 minutes with no poles to thread.
- You want the cabin shape. You can stretch your arms out.
- You want the tougher materials: 150D fabric and steel poles.
- You're camping in fair weather and want the airflow.
Set Up & Take Down
| Measured (4-person) | Sundome | Instant |
|---|---|---|
| Set up (1 person) | 8.5 minutes | 4.5 minutes |
| Take down + pack | 7.5 minutes | 5 minutes |
The Instant halves the set-up and takes a third off the pack-up. That's the whole reason to buy one.
The Instant Mechanism
| Measured (4-person) | Sundome | Instant |
|---|---|---|
| Poles | Threaded through sleeves | Pre-attached to a central hub |
| Pole clips | Clipped on by hand | Pre-attached |
| Time saved | — | 30-50%Set up and pack up |
Everything is already attached: the poles hang off a central hub, so you prop them up and extend them, and the pole clips are on before you start. That's where the 30 to 50% saving comes from.
Livable Space
| Measured (4-person) | Sundome | Instant |
|---|---|---|
| Peak height | 60 inches | 61 inches |
| Shape | Dome, walls slope in | Cabin, near-vertical walls |
| Standing up | No | NoIt's only a 4-person |
An inch apart at the peak, but the cabin walls make the Instant feel much roomier, so I can stretch my arms out in it. Neither lets me stand upright; they're 4-person tents.
Base Area
| Measured (4-person) | Sundome | Instant |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 9 by 7 feet | 8 by 7 feet |
| Sleeping pads | 4Not much room spare | 4Not much room spare |
| Queen bed | 1Some room spare | 1Some room spare |
Close enough in practice (four pads or a queen in either), but the Sundome has the bigger footprint on paper.
Heavy Rain Test
| Measured (4-person) | Sundome | Instant |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first leak | 30-35 minutesTested on my Sundome 6 | About 10 minutes |
| Rainfly coverage | About a third of the body | The very top only |
| After 15 minutes | Dry | Pretty drenched |
Rainfly length decides this every time. The Sundome's covers about a third of the tent body and it held for 30 to 35 minutes. The Instant's covers only the very top, so water ran straight down the tent body. After 15 minutes it was leaking badly at the seam joining the bathtub floor to the black fabric, and pretty drenched overall.
Rainy Day Ventilation
| Measured (4-person) | Sundome | Instant |
|---|---|---|
| Vents with the windows shut | 32 wall vents + a ground vent | 0 |
| Windows | 2 | 4All must close in rain |
Shut the windows on a Sundome and you still have two big mesh wall vents and a small ground vent working. Shut them on the Instant and that's it. There are no vents at all, so rainy-day ventilation is limited.
Materials
| Measured (4-person) | Sundome | Instant |
|---|---|---|
| Tent body | 68D polyester | 150D polyesterDouble-thick fabric |
| Rainfly | 68 or 75D polyester | 150D polyester |
| Poles | Fiberglass | Alloy steel |
No contest on materials: the Instant uses roughly twice the fabric denier and steel poles instead of fiberglass. That's also where its 20 pounds comes from.
Weight & Packed Size
| Measured (4-person) | Sundome | Instant |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 10 pounds | 20 pounds18 lbs, plus ~2 lbs of rainfly and stakes |
| Packed size | 27 x 12 x 9.5 inchesMy 6-person | 40 x 11 x 8 inchesAbout 30% longer |
The Instant 4 is twice the weight of a Sundome 4, and packs longer than even my 6-person Sundome.
Price
| Measured (4-person) | Sundome | Instant |
|---|---|---|
| What I paid | Under $50 (2P) · about $100 (6P) | Over $100Plus $30 for the rainfly |
| Rainfly included | Yes | No4- to 8-person only |
The Instant costs more, which the better materials justify. What I find genuinely odd is that the 4- to 8-person Coleman Instant Tents make you buy the rainfly separately, another $30 on top.
My recommendation
The Coleman Instant Tent is a great pick if you love the instant set up and the cabin shape, and you're camping in fair weather. It's a summer tent with plenty of ventilation. I especially like the 10-Person Instant Cabin for hot days: masses of hot-day ventilation, blackout fabric to keep you cool, and the rainfly comes in the box.
If you need a tent that handles heavier rain, packs smaller, or costs less, go for the traditional Sundome. Even without the instant mechanism the set up and take down are simple, and I'd take the 6-person for that near-6-foot peak height in the middle.
Full reviews: the Sundome 6, the Sundome 2, the Carlsbad 4, the Instant 4 and the Instant Cabin 10.
Bonus: To see how the Instant and Sundome compare against more than 10 other Coleman tents, read the post where I bought and tested the best Coleman tents.
Every figure on this page comes from my own measurements of the tents I bought and tested.
