Its quite overwhelming to say the least when you’re faced off with hundreds of tents to choose from. But once you’ve narrowed it down to finding the best 6 person dome tents the decision becomes much easier and you can start to contemplate the next camping item on the list.
So without the confusion and distraction of all the other various kinds of tents available, this article aims to give you a handful of the best dome tents for 6 people. However, if you’re still a little undecided and drawn to cabin tents, I recently reviewed a bunch of 6 man cabin tents which also include the hybrid dome/cabin variations.
Are You Sure A Dome Tent Is Right For You
You tend to see less and less dome tents the bigger the tents become. This is the advantage cabin tents have over dome tent, the shear size of them. So when you factor in 6 people, you need to ask yourself if a dome tent is right for you.
However in saying that, a 6 person dome tent is not ideal for 6 people anyways. A family of 4 may squeeze in, but from my experience they are best suited to 3 people. This allows you ample space for your camping equipment and plenty of sleeping room. But I do like my space when camping, so I do tend to opt for the larger tents.
In general, dome tents are not ideal for tall people. Well if you like the freedom to walk around inside the tent without having to hunch over that is. But this is a luxury not everyone needs as some dome tents do have a decent ceiling height of 5’9″. Which by the way is the average height of the American male.
Positives To A Dome Tent
While I’ve touched on the negatives of a dome compared to a cabin, its not to say there aren’t a few positives to owning a dome tent. These include:
- Easier to set up
- Faster to set up and take down
- Dome tents are better suited to high winds as they are lower to the ground and don’t have vertical walls for wind to blow into.
Best 6 Person Dome Tent For Rain
When it comes to the best waterproof 6 person dome tent, its always NTK for me. They have long impressed me with their ability to design tents to minimize rain and wind from entering their tents.
NTK have the Cherokee GT, which is labelled as a 5 to 6 person tent. In terms of size, its measures 9’8″ x 9’8″ with a ceiling height of 5’9″. So the average size person can walk inside the tent with ease. Taller folks may prefer one of the options listed further down this page.
Protection From The Rain & Sun
The best thing about this Cherokee tent is the rain fly. Its a full length fly, so it covers the entire tent from top to bottom. But what makes this fly unique is that it is double layered. This is to protect you from the rain and protect the material from harmful UV rays so the tent lasts longer.
Like the other NTK tents, the fly is coated with a 2500mm coating of polyurethane. This is a serious heavy duty coating to ensure rain doesn’t penetrate through the fly. Many tents have less than half of this and call themselves waterproof.
To give the tent a longer lifespan, NTK have added a second layer of protection. This is a thermoplastic that’s been heat sealed to protect the polyester fly from UV damage. The fly has a nice little entry awning which can also give you a bit of shade from the sun when you’re laying inside the tent.
Premium Features
With a full rain fly like this one, you may be thinking ‘boy it must get hot inside’. While the rainfly may limit the air flow from 3 sides, the front entry can be left open to let cool air flow. Plus the inner layer of the tent is a micro mesh to allow air to circulate while stopping the mosquitoes from entering the tent.
The other impressive feature of this Cherokee tent is the anti fungus bathtub flooring. Many tents have bathtub flooring, which is great as it stops ground water form entering in though the seams of the tents floor. But the fact NTK have incorporated an anti fungus and a thermal silver coating on the inside of the tents floor is amazing.
Overall the NTK Cherokee has left a very positive affect on me. The quality and design of the rain fly alone make this tent a stand out. Even when comparing to some of the big names in the business like Coleman, I prefer this tents rain fly any day. It just has a durable and long lasting feel to it, which many others don’t.
High Ceiling Dome Tent For 6 People
The next tent is by CORE, which also make some pretty decent tents for the money. This one is a larger 6 person dome tent compared to the above NTK. It measures 11′ x 9′ so you get a couple extra feet for storing gear.
Alternatively you can fit 2 queen air mattresses inside, which is quite unique for a 6 man tent. However you are left with no floor space should you put 2 queen airbeds inside.
Once set up in, which is relatively simple considering its not an instant tent, you get a 6 foot high ceiling to walk around under. Which is quite tall for a 6 person dome tent, or any dome tent really.
Acceptable Waterproofing
While its no NTK tent, the CORE does have decent amount of waterproofing capabilities through their H20 Block technology. The rain fly is 3/4 length fly and covers the windows to ensure rain can’t get in.
The Polyester 68D is coated with a 600mm coating of polyurethane, so I would certainly buy a bottle or 2 of waterproofing spray to get this coating thicker if you anticipate heavier rain. But for the common car camper, 600mm should be fine. You can also get a spray which helps block UV rays from damaging the tent as well.
Ventilation System
Because the rain fly does come down almost all the way to the ground, air circulation is limited. But CORE have though of this by including a ground vent. This is an opening that you can adjust the amount of air you want inside the tent by staking the vent with a tent peg.
The ceiling is also mesh, along with the walls to allow air to circulate better. On the hotter days you can leave the rain fly off and really sleep under the stars.
My Overall Opinion
If I had to describe this tent in just 2 words it would be ‘quality budget’. This is because its not the best quality tent, but the price is also not a premium tent price either. So its a decent tent for the money. Especially when you consider the 6 foot high ceiling, ceiling loft for storing your valuables which also has a lantern hook, e-port for running leads, ground vent and the relatively simple x pole setup.
Best Lighted 6 Man Dome Tent
The Coleman Sundome tent is quite the popular 6 person dome tent. What some folks don’t know is that the Sundome comes in an ‘Elite’ version, which is what you want when you want the best tent. Before we touch on the Elite features, its important to see if this tent is the right size for you.
Larger 6 Person Dome
The Sundome tent is a little larger again than the above CORE. Measuring 12’x10′ you get a generous 120ft2 of tent footprint. This tent also has a 6 foot ceiling for the taller campers out there. The size of this tent makes this one a better choice if you are camping with 3 or 4 people.
Elite Features
So what makes this Sundome tent Elite?. Well there’s a few extra involved that you don’t get on the regular Sundome tent. These include:
- Built in LED lighting. This is one of the few tents that have built in LEDS straight out of the box. These lights are run by D batteries and can last up to 22 hours. There are 3 light settings to help you set the mood perfectly.
- Automatic Rolling Windows: If you sick of tying up windows once you open them, this feature eliminates that. When you unzip the windows, the self rolling windows roll up into a neat and compact unit. No mess, no fuss.
- Hinged Door: Probably one of the best features of the Elite range of tents. A door that swings open and closed like a regular door. This means no more messing with zippers every time you enter the tent. At the end of the day, you simply zip it up to keep the bugs out.
WeatherTec System
Being a Coleman, you generally expect the tent to be quite waterproof and the Sundome is no exception. It uses the famous Coleman Weathertec system which works a treat against heavy rain.
What this basically means is the seams of the tent are inverted so no rain can come in contact with the tiny holes. The floor joints in the corners have been welded so that there are also no seam holes for the rain to penetrate.
The Sundome has a very good bathtub flooring system which keeps ground water out of your tent. This is roughly 6 inches high and runs along the base of the walls to keep water away from the seams where the floor meets the walls.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, its hard to beat any Elite tent in my opinion. They are just great tents. Having these amazing features allows you to not only camp comfortably, but also stay dry and protected against strong winds. Which is ultimately what you need from a tent.
I like the extra size the Sundome offers and the built in LED’s are just a pure treat. The mesh side walls and ceiling make for great circulation of air on hot humid days, while the e-port makes getting leads inside the tent a breeze.
6 Person Screen Porch Dome Tent
One of the best large size dome tents for high winds is again by Coleman. A very spacious 6 person tent with a front porch that can withstand winds of 35mph. Which is quite good for a tent of this size.
The tents living area is not all that big measuring 9’x10′. However its the front screened porch that turns this tent into a mansion. The front room measures 10’5′ giving the tent a total of 130ft2.
I Love Screened Room Tents
Its no secret that I love tents with a screen room, most of the tents I own have one. But whats great about this Coleman Evanston 6 person dome tent is that the screen room is completely sealed off from the outside world. Its one of the few tents which have a sealed floor inside the front porch area.
I like that the flooring of the screen room is incorporated into the tents design. It means you can even sleep in this front room without getting eaten by ants and insects. But it also is great for just sitting back and relaxing or using this area as somewhere to store your gear without it getting dirty on the ground.
However, its worth noting the walls on the screen room are only mesh, there are no rain fly walls to keep the rain out, just the extended awning over this area.
In Conclusion
The Evanston 6 person dome tent is one of the best value for money tents I’ve seen. When you compare it to some of the expensive premium line of tents by REI, NorthFace etc, the price tag fit the bill.
While you won’t get the same quality as a tent that costs 5 times the amount, for what you do get, I don’t think it can be beaten. Especially considering this tent also has the Coleman WeatherTec label.
Lightweight Six Person Dome Tent With Vestibule
If lightweight and freestanding is more what you need from a tent, then its time to consider the Kelty Outback 6 person dome. This thing will get you set up and camping in no time. The very simple design is perfect for campers that need to carry their tent a long way before pitching it.
Weighing just over 6 pounds, you will hardly notice the weight when hiking with the 87ft2 tent. The size of the tent is basically a 9’x9′ with one side being slightly longer to give it the total of 87ft2. So not a huge 6 man tent, but nonetheless, its capable of fitting a queen airbed in.
Sweet Vestibule
This is another tent with a full rainfly for ultimate protection from the heavy rain and strong winds. The rain fly on the Kelty doubles up as a vestibule also. Which is not a bad sized area for keeping your hiking boots, wet gear etc in. Saves you having to store them inside the tent.
However, while the fly is great for stopping you from getting wet, it doesn’t have any windows built in. So it can get a tad humid inside the tent when its raining. But in saying that, all the inner walls and ceiling are completely mesh. So if you leave the front vestibule open you can allow air to circulate in the event of rain.
What I Like
First of all, the tent is very waterproof. It has a 1800mm coated 68D polyester bathtub floor which is not too shabby. The interior storage is out of this world, I love having multiple storage solutions.
A unique feature that I find quite handy is the little pockets attached to the rain fly. This is for when you’re packing away, you can roll the guy lines up and store them away. No more tangling them up with the tent when you pack it away. A small but very thoughtful feature.
The guylines are also quite strong, not the cheap and nasty ones you may be use to. Where you stake the tent down, the points are quite heavy duty and thick. Again another small feature, but one that will certainly save you from having to buy another tent anytime soon.
Best 6 Person Summer Dome Tent
When you’re camping in really hot conditions, staying cool inside the tent is your number one priority. Even the nights can be quite hot and humid. So you need a tent that is designed to stay cool in tropical environments.
Coleman have designed such a tent which is know as the Dark Room Tent. Fortunately they also made it available in the 6 person size.
But what this tent does is keeps the inside of your tent cooler by blocking approximately 90% of the suns hot rays. This is achieved by the exterior repelling feature and the dark interior walls.
When you enter the tent, you kind of feel like a bear settling in for hibernation. It’s nice and dark and much cooler for sleeping in.
Added Benefit
While staying cooler inside the tent is a pretty cool feature, and the tent looks pretty cool also, there’s another side effect from the dark room. You get to sleep in longer.
As the sun raises its head earlier during summer, camping in a bright tent that’s heating up at 5 in the morning is not everyone’s ideal experience. I personally like to relax and have a sleep in while camping, so this feature really appeals to me.
The dark room technology helps to keep the interior of the tent darker when the sun is rising. This is an amazing breakthrough for us people that don’t like the hot sun blaring down on as as soon as we open our eyelids.
Includes A Handy Front Porch
I know I know, back onto the tents with porches. What can I say, they are a great idea. So yes, the Coleman Dark Room dome tent comes with a front screen room.
There’s also a floor in the screen room which is a huge bonus. But much like the Evanston tent, there are no rain fly walls in the screen room. So if it rains, be sure to not store any valuables in this area.
All in all, I think the Dark Room dome tent by Coleman is a great choice. It may not be the best tent for everyone, but for me it serves a valuable purpose. Its the same size as the Evanston tent (140ft2), so its quite spacious for a 6 person tent, which I love.
Choosing A 6 Person Dome Tent
So as you can see, choosing the best 6 person dome tent for you comes down to what you really want from a tent. It makes life a lot easier when you know specifically what you need from a tent.
Whether its a tent to combat high winds, a tent to repel the sun or one to best protect you from heavy rain, there is a solution out there.
The number of people you are taking camping is also a factor to consider. For a family, I would certainly prefer the space of the Evanston or dark room tent. It allows you to camp comfortably while not living on top of each other.
But if its just you and a mate, the NTK is a standout for me. The waterproofing capabilities of this tent are its main feature. So space is not necessarily a thing to consider, but protection from the weather is.
While there are more 6 person dome tents available, these have been just a few of the tents I have hand chosen based on my experience and requirements. If you find one that you simply love, I’d love to hear about it. Be sure to leave your comments and feedback on the tent below.