Coleman tents · Guide
Is Coleman’s Dark Room Worth It? (3 TESTS!)
I own the regular Coleman Sundome and the Dark Room Sundome, so I ran the same three tests on both — midday, a lantern at night, and pitch dark inside.
- 2 tents compared
- 3 tests
- 250 lumen lantern
- ~3 min read
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The short answer
Much darker day and night, and noticeably cooler inside. I paid about $100 — practically a free upgrade.
The verdict ↓The vents let light in
Guy the rainfly out and two big side vents brighten the tent. Leave it down and it’s darker.
Why ↓Part 1 of 4
Test 1 — inside both tents, middle of the day
Same time of day, same conditions, one tent each. The regular Sundome first:
And the Dark Room Sundome. It’s a lot darker — dark enough that I needed a lantern in the middle of the day to check the seams during my heavy-rain test.
Why it isn’t pitch blackMy rainfly is fully guyed out, and there are two large vents on the side walls letting in a lot of light. Leave the rainfly down and the inside gets much darker.
For comparison, here’s another of my Coleman tents with the same dark room fabric but no vents. The only light getting in is the gap between roof and rainfly, and the bathtub flooring at the bottom — the floor doesn’t have dark room fabric.
Part 2 of 4
Test 2 — a 250-lumen lantern, seen from outside
Second test: switch on a 250-lumen lantern inside each tent at night and see how much light escapes through the fabric.
Dark Room Sundome
- + Fabric holds most of the light in
- − What escapes comes from the open window, door and vents
Regular Sundome
- − Lights up like crazy — the whole tent glows
Part 3 of 4
Test 3 — inside both, at night, no lights
Windows and door closed in the regular Sundome, and a fair amount of outside light still seeps in. It genuinely makes sleeping harder.
The Dark Room Sundome, with the window and door left open, is practically pitch black. It’s excellent for sleeping.
Part 4 of 4
Price, and whether I’d buy it again
The darkness is only half of it. The Dark Room tents are also a lot cooler inside, especially during the day. I was burning up in my other Coleman tents and not in these. More on the whole brand in how good Coleman tents are.
~$100each — that’s what I paid on Amazon for the regular Sundome and the Dark Room Sundome. The dark room was practically a free upgrade.
My adviceI’d recommend the dark room version of whichever Coleman tent you’re looking at, as long as there isn’t too much of a price difference.
| Tent | Where I’d buy it |
|---|---|
| Regular Sundome 6 | Amazon · Dick’s · Walmart · Coleman |
| Dark Room Sundome 6 | Amazon · Coleman |
I filmed both tents side by side as well — the video is here. And if you want the full test data on either one, I’ve reviewed them both: the regular Sundome and the Dark Room Sundome.
The bottom line
Yes — on all three tests the Dark Room fabric won, and it keeps the heat out as well as the light. Just know the side vents let daylight in when the rainfly is guyed out, and the floor has no dark room fabric. At a similar price, take the dark room version. See all the Coleman tents I tested →
Quick questions
FAQ
Does Coleman’s dark room technology actually work?
Yes. In all three of my tests it was much darker than the regular Sundome — dark enough that I needed a lantern at midday, and practically pitch black at night even with the door and window open.
Does a dark room tent stay cooler?
In my experience, clearly. I was burning up inside my other Coleman tents during the day and not in the Dark Room ones.
Is a dark room tent worth the extra money?
If the price gap is small, yes — I paid about $100 for each of mine, so the dark room was practically free. I’d recommend the dark room version of whatever Coleman tent you’re considering.
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Where to next
Both tents on this page were bought with my own money and tested side by side.
