Coleman 4-Person Dark Room Skydome Camping Tent, Blue

Took it camping this weekend. Easy set up! No joke about the dark room technology, woke up near 11am. Only thing I was a tad disappointed in was the size. It said it can hold 2 queen-size air mattresses but realistically I would say only 1 if you want to have any sort of room for anything else.

I purchased this tent based on the claim that it keeps more light out and for the long rainfly. It does both of these things. It is pictured (right) next to my Coleman Sundome (left) tent purchased two years prior. Both are about the same size, but the skydome does have the superior darkness and a larger rainfly. Size and setup time are about the same.

So I bought this tent and took it camping... there's a lot I love about it and one pretty big flaw that I experienced as well.First, the dark room technology works really well, it keeps the inside of the tent super dark and also keeps the inside from being a sauna in the mornings so you don't wake up in a puddle of sweat.It rained a LOT when I took it out, and not a single drop leaked inside.However, when we came back home and went to set it up in our yard to finish drying, the bungee cord in the poles of the tent just disintegrated in three different places.Had to replace it.But no problems with the replacement!It was also smaller than what I thought it would be- but I also don't know much about tent sizes.

I literally hate tent camping. For so many reasons. One, I used to have a VW camper & set up was so easy, then when it finally died I got a great SUV but had to resort to tent camping to keep my outdoor life alive. Coming from vanlife. I just hated everything about tent camping. I made a bed in my SUV & said goodbye to tent camping. Two, last time I went camping, I slept in the SUV & my friend slept in a tent. She was hot, had to wake up at the crack dawn because of sun beating on tent. And the tent setup was so frustrating, I just about threw the thing into the fire. Well, we are back to wanting to get out in nature after the pandemic & tent camping is back on the table. So, I researched tents with the necessary criteria being: the tent has to be blackout, I have to be able to stand up in it, and the set up has to be such that I don't blow a fuse doing it. And the tent can't weigh 400lbs & be so large in the folded up state that I need a trailer to accommodate it. I ordered & sent back several tents before I got this one. And this is what I discovered through the process: one, a tent weighing upwards of 20 lbs or more is just too friggin' heavy, believe me. Unless you like shlepping the equivalent of a bag of sand in and out of your car every time you set up camp. This tent is mid teens which is probably the heaviest tent I've ever owned, but it's maneagable & the pack down size is reasonable. It fits in the trunk of my sedan with all of my other camping gear. Supposedly the set up is 5 min. I didn't believe that for a second. But it was surprisingly easy. It took 2 of us about 15 min. Pack down was about double that in trying to fit the attached poles inside the folded tent in such a way so as the whole package fits back into the provided bag. Had to fold it twice to get it to fit. Learning process, and I'm sure it'll be easier next time. Next, the blackout. It's significant. I think it's definitely going allow us to sleep past sunrise. And it's very roomy inside, I can stand up fully. I haven't camped in it yet so I don't fully know what issues might arise, if any, but I will report back. But for the absolutely necessary requirements, ease of set up, being able to stand up, and the black out technology, I'm completely pleased.

The darkroom technology really works. I can sleep in the tent during the day time no problem.

After using it once in a desert environment (warm, dusty, no rain). 6p Skydome with Darkroom. Starting from the good parts:Nice tent, floor seems durable, as well as the fabric. The zipper is of a good quality, but it tends to get stuck in the yellow rain shield above it. Not a big deal, but sometimes annoying.Setting up is ok. The poles are not really pre-attached all the way. As many have written, they are only attached on one end. Still need assembly and clipping the tent onto them, although it isn't necessary to push them through a sleeve (which is great) - except for a small pole for the rain cover. Anyway: don't expect 5 minutes setup, especially on the first time.Darkroom tech seems to improve darkness, I did not really get to test it properly.The disadvantages I have found can be summarized into this (scroll for a longer description): it's unreasonable to design a tent that has great ventilation, but cannot be properly anchored unless you use the rain cover - which ruins that ventilation. There are other issues that annoyed me, but they are probably more minor and related to the type of tent rather than to its quality.In more details:(1) There are 4 stakes in the corners of the tent itself. And an additional 7 for the rainfly. And 2 more for the door mat. This takes quite some time to set up on a hard ground. In addition, if you'd like to use the tent without the rainfly - you won't have any guylines! Only the 4 corners. So if there is a pleasant wind - but no rain - you will still need to use the rainfly in order to get the tent properly anchored. Which brings me to the next drawback.(2) Windows, Ventilation and dust resistance. The tent itself has huge partial mesh walls, which offer great ventilation... But since you'll need the rain cover to anchor the tent in anything except very good, windless weather - ventilation will be lacking (unless you are ok with the walls rattling if using only the 4 corners anchors).In addition, the rainfly will not seal the tent. This is good since there is at least some (little) ventilation, but if the wind carries dust as it does in the desert - you won't be able to seal the tent, as it will blow under the rain cover and through the mesh walls.Same thing if you put the rain cover on, but want to have a look to the back of the tent, to see what's outside. You'll need to head out, no other way since there are no windows (the rain cover is external and fully covers the tent). But this is related to the type of this tent.(3) The carrying bag. I'd expect a solid company like Coleman to know that folding a tent is one of the most annoying tasks when camping. And that usually - it will never fold to the same size it was originally packed into. As others have mentioned - it's just annoying to have a bag you can't really use.Overall I think this tent was made for mountains, forests etc., with comfortable temperatures. It seems to be able to handle rain well according to other reviews. It does feel like a quality tent. However - take it to a dryer, warmer, dustier environment - and you'll probably prefer a simpler, cheaper tent that allows for better ventilation on one hand, and proper sealing from dust (if needed) on the other hand. It seems that with this tent - you just can't have it all. And the issue with the lack of anchor points with guylines on the tent itself is really annoying. Hence 3 stars.Hope this was helpful!