Columbia Bugaboo Dome Tent Review

For those who crave adventure and seek a reliable shelter in the wild, the Columbia Bugaboo Dome Tent offers a compelling solution. In this detailed review, we’ll explore the Columbia Bugaboo Dome Tent, assessing its design, features, and performance to see if it lives up to the expectations set by its name. The Columbia Bugaboo Dome Tent is crafted to provide a sturdy and comfortable camping experience, designed to stand up to diverse weather conditions while offering ample space and ease of use. We’ll take a closer look at what makes the Columbia Bugaboo Dome Tent a popular choice among outdoor enthusiasts and whether it’s the right fit for your next camping trip.

"My wife and I (and our dog) have used the tent a couple times now and love it! We were looking for a larger, and taller inside tent then our 7' x 9' Coleman dome. The Columbia Bugaboo is easy to set up, but of course we set it at home one evening before taking it out on a trip. Should do that with any tent. Although we are slightly disappointed at the dimensions not being as large as the 12' x 9' that they market this at, it is still a lot bigger than our old dome and a really cool inside "floorplan". Great height (76")! I doubt this thing will sleep 5 like they claim. You could probably sleep 4 and have room for your bags though.

Stays dry in rain! Stays warm on cold nights (you will need to use the rain fly to stay warm because the whole back half of the tent is screen, which I like!) and cool when it's hot, due to the Cyclone Venting System (vents at the bottom of the sides that you can zip open and closed).

Columbia really markets this thing well with all the little features and gadgets like quick-release buckle system on the rain fly, two hanging cup holders, removable door mat, Cyclone Venting System, remote-controlled outside light, triangle area dividers, two storage foot locker small door thingies, cool carry bag with handle, the overhead cargo net, and so on, but once you get the tent set up and are using it, you will see that NOT ALL those features are that great.

I do really like the cup holders, the venting system, the light (for when I am coming back from the restroom and flash it couple times to see where the tent is), and the quick-release buckle system on the rain fly, and the little door thingies on either side of the main door are cool, but like some reviews stated, the zippers get stuck on the fabric really bad on those little doggie/cargo/foot locker doors so we didn't use these as much as I thought we would (these doors are part of the reason I bought this particular tent). None of the other zippers are a problem like reviews said they were?!?!? We also don't use the ridiculous triangle area dividers, not sure what the purpose is of those. We like the idea of the overhead cargo net, but it is in the way for a 6 foot tall person like me, se we don't use that either. We would use the supplied door mat, but it takes more time at set up and we prefer to use our own door mat.

I have seen people complain on these reviews about not having a "footprint" or tarp for underneath not coming with the tent, but I rarely see those provided with tents in this price point so relax people and go to Lowes/Home Depot or Walmart/Target and buy an $8 12' x 9' tarp!

Overall, this tent is awesome! We love it! Seems to be very quality and that is the most important thing to me. Features are cool, but didn't use all of them. And for the $119.00 price that I got it at, you can't lose!

Buy it!"

"If you've read the other reviews you get a pretty good picture of the tent's pros and cons. As other reviewers have noted, two-thirds of the inside back wall of the tent is Columbia's "No-Seeum" mesh. (The rain fly covers this when its on.) If you go to a store where they have a small scale display model of the tent (or even in some pictures) it shows a tent with the inside rear window covered - this is NOT the case in the actual tent. To me, it seems there is a little bit of misrepresentation going on with the marketing of this tent.

My biggest concern with the mesh rear wall was getting a massive refrigerator-cold draft in cold weather camping. I had a chance to use the Columbia Bugaboo on a camping trip where it got down to the mid-30's, winds 6-10 MPH. If there was a draft due to the rear wall I didn't notice it. But, I was also stuffed down inside a 10-degree bag with a knit cap on. No condensation built up inside the tent, either.

It did not rain while we were camping, so I can't comment on the wet weather performance.

One big plus I will reiterate is that you can stand upright inside the tent - a nice feature if you're stuck inside on a rainy day or if/when you're changing clothes."

"I read over twenty reviews for this product including some one and two star review. One detail in particular curtailed me from purchasing this tent and I REALLY wanted to buy it, based on all the other details provided despite a few minor complaints. I simply cannot live with a tent that does not zipper fully closed. The comments regarding the back of the tent being an open screen alone kept me from purchasing this product, otherwise, I think it would have been perfect. Sorry."

"We used this tent numerous times over the past couple of years, and we like just about everything about it. It sets up easily, and the design is well thought out. Except that the rain fly is such that it arches over the entry way in a manner that can catch the wind.

A couple of days ago on our third day at the same site, the winds started blowing directly toward the front door. The strong breeze easily got under the fly and was trying to sail the entire tent away. I had all the loops staked down, and I even had some extra heavy-duty stakes at the tie points of the fly on the sides and rear. I held the fly down while we broke down the tent. I am sure that the tent would have either ripped apart or pulled itself up. I think if the fly was designed so that it had a zippered door flap that this problem would not come up. My bottom line is this: In strong wind this tent does not cut it. Otherwise it is pretty nice. My experience is that in a sheltered environment the tent is fine, but in inclimate weather it fails."

"My husband and I ordered this tent because we were looking for something larger than the little dome tent he had left over from his bachelor days. We ended up getting this tent for a few different reasons - the size, the remote control light, and the vent system.

The size: With our queen sized matress inflated, we still had about 1/3 of the floor space in the tent. The height was perfect. I could stand up straight in the middle of the tent and I am 5'7".

The vent system was nice! I don't like it when the inside of the tent gets that damp feeling from the dew and the moist air when you sleep. This tent did not have that feeling. I got a little cold through the night and shut the vent - it worked out well.

The light is my only complaint. My husband is night blind and after turning the light on he still couldn't see the tent. I also had a hard time figuring out if the light was on or not - and I can see just fine. The light is more dim than a child's night light. I need to find a way to beef-up the watts in that bulb.

The other thing I thought was weird was the "privacy curtain" as described in the tent manual - these are little triangles that clip in the front of the tent by the little "pet doors" (I don't know what else these little doors are used for). Not exactly sure what the purpose is. The tiny doors aren't screened in so I don't think they're vents because bugs would get in.

Setting up the tent & taking down the tent was a breeze! The large carrying bag made it easy to fit in after use. Also - the tent bag has a zipper so you can expand or contract (like carry-on luggage).

I think we found a winner!"

"This is the first tent I have owned where I haven't had to do extensive aftermarket waterproofing. Actually, I have done no aftermarket waterproofing on this tent, because it just didn't need it. For the money and size, this is an excellent tent for people car camping. I wouldn't want to carry it too far from the car, as it's unwieldy and heavy, but I didn't buy this for frontier wilderness camping so it serves my purposes well.

Nice things about this tent:

- Easy to put together. My first trip out with this tent, I was the only one with any prior experience, but with the help of one other person we got this up in less than 15 minutes with a strong wind blowing. I consulted the directions when things weren't intuitive, and they were simple and easy to understand. If you've put many tents together in the past, you can probably skip the directions.

- It is spacious. It fits four adults comfortably with ample room for a small cooler, packs, and a dozen board games. Make sure you've pulled all corners completely out or you'll lose space - if it is put together properly you can fit six women in this tent, as long as you don't mind close quarters and leave the majority of items in the car.

- It's very well-ventilated. That first camping trip was October in New England and it stormed most of the weekend. We could open the windows even though it was raining outside and not worry about water coming inside.

- Waterproof. There are a few places that water can get in, but the tent itself is more waterproof than any tent I've owned in the past. Be careful of the small zippered slot on the front left of the tent - it's convenient to put the cord for inflatable air mattresses through, but if you do not close it back properly you will find a small amount of water might leak inside (about ½ a cup overnight). You don't need to put a tarp under the tent, the bottom is completely waterproof.

- It comes with a light and remote, but we played so many board games we ended up hanging a lantern from the ceiling with no problem.

- Height - I hate bending over, and my back hates it more. You can stand up straight in this tent. Keep in mind it is a dome tent though, so it slopes towards the sides.

- Pockets - great for putting things you need to keep handy.

Things I would change about this tent:

- Stakes. These were not the greatest, especially in the wind with a sandy/rocky ground below the tent. I plan on replacing some with more heavy-duty stakes.

- Dividers/attic - I discarded these, they are not something I would ever use, and I didn't see how to put them up.

- Floor mat - it hooked to the tent, but I think it would be more useful if it were just attached along one edge.

Overall, this is a great tent and my friends and I have a lot of fun camping with it."

"I have spent alot of time over the past few years buying, returning and researching tents. I wanted something that I could stand up in, had a full coverage fly and seemed well ventilated. I began with some Colemans and found that their fly design left alot to be desired. Other tents had great coverage, but not much ventilation. Surfing through Amazon I saw the reviews and decided to pick up the Bugaboo.

I'll just say that this tent has everything I've been looking for. Full coverage fly that can be partially opened up for more ventilation. The Cyclone system that also allows air through even in rain adds to the overall "airyness" of the tent. No stifling condensation here. It was easy to set up with two people. More importantly it was by far the easiest tent I have ever packed up and stored. The bag it comes with is perfect, I didn't even need to expand it!

Used it for the first time last weekend at Devil's Lake. Ihave to admit that I was freezing cold, but the tent held up well in high wind and was just the perfect size for three adults. It wasn't rain tested on this trip (something I am very thankful for) but we'll have to see how it performs in the rain next spring. The only things I would change about this tent are the stakes that it comes with and I would also like to see a full coverage vestibule.

**Update** Took the Bugaboo on a few rainy trips last summer and fall. Using a tarp and NO extra sealer or water repellant the tent stayed completely dry. The vents at the bottom promoted ventilation and it worked wonderfully. This would make me give the tent more stars if it was possible.

Highly recommended tent. I spent alot of time searching for just the right one and I believe I've found it in the Bugaboo."

"Nice construction a little cold due to the fact you can't close the inside of the tent. The back wall is all screen great in the sun but cold air flows in at night with a draft mover your head. other than that it keeps you dry!! grat bag for storage plenty of straps." 

"Previous reviewer covered pretty much everything, so I'll be brief.

My wife and I use this as a large 2 person tent. We have a large air mattress that sits 22" high and this tent accomodates it perfectly. Lots of room and quite comfy for 2. You need the rainfly on for any privacy. The whole backside of the tent is a window screen and can't be covered unless the rainfly is on. Kind of goofy for a tent. As mentioned before, the cup holders are a joke. So is the internal privacy screen and the remote control light is rediculous. Not quite sure what you're supposed to light with that. My mini-mag light puts out more light than that thing.

Tent does take 2 people to put up. You might be able to put it up with one, but it's not worth stressing the fiberglass poles and risk breaking them. Assembly is pretty straight forward if you've assembled a dome tent before."

"I FOUND THIS COLUMBIA BUGABOO TENT VERY EASY TO SET UP AS ALL OF THE FIBERGLASS TENT POLES ARE COLOR CODED. BLUE GO IN BLUE SLEEVES, YELLOW POLES IN YELLOW SLEEVES. NEVER EVEN HAD TO LOOK AT THE DIRECTIONS. WHAT I DID FIND IS THAT THE CENTER OF THE TENT GOES UP MUCH EASER IF A SECOND PERSON LIFTS THE FIBERGLASS POLES THAT PASS OVER THE TOP OF THE TENT WHILE THE OTHER PERSON FASTENS THE FIBERGLASS POLES TO THE METAL CLIPS ON EACH CORNOR OF THE TENT AT THE BASE.

THIS BUGABOO TENT IS GREAT, LOTS OF ROOM,FOR MY WIFE, MYSELF AND TWO LARGE DALMATION DOGS. NO ONE GOT SQUEEZED. THE TENT IS VERY WATERPROOF AND NEVER FOUND ANY LEEKS OR WATER IN THE TENT. I LIKE ALL THE SCREEN WINDOWS UNDER THE RAIN FLY THAT CAN BE OPENED UP TO KEEP THE TENT COOL ON HOT DAYS.

IF YOU BUY A BUGABOO TENT CHECK THE SCREENS AND WINDOWS FIRST TIME YOU SET UP THE TENT. WE HAD TO RETURN OUR FIRST TWO BUBABOO TENTS BECAUSE I FOUND THERE WERE SEVERAL PENCEL SIZE ERASER HOLES WHICH COULD ALLOW BUGS THROUGH. THIS WAS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT WHEN THE TENT WAS MADE.

OVERALL THIS IS THE BEST TENT I'VE EVER HAD. MY WIFE AND I AIRPLANE CAMP IN A SMALL GENERAL AVATION AIRPLANE, BECAUSE OF THAT WE ARE VERY WEIGHT CONSCIOUS. THE BUBABOO WORKS WELL WEIGHT WISE FOR US."

In summary, the Columbia Bugaboo Dome Tent proves to be a strong contender in the world of camping tents, combining durability with practical design features. While it excels in providing a stable and comfortable shelter, there are a few areas where it could see enhancements, such as in ventilation or additional features. Nevertheless, the Columbia Bugaboo Dome Tent stands out for its overall performance and reliability. If you’re in the market for a tent that delivers on both comfort and robustness, the Columbia Bugaboo Dome Tent is a worthy choice that can elevate your outdoor experience and keep you secure in the great outdoors.