Slumberjack Geodesic Family Dome

This tent is actually a Wenzel, sold under the Slumberjack/Everest Elite name at Sam's Club. I thought this might be a good tent considering the name on the box. You don't find out it is a Wenzel until you get inside and start looking at the instructions.

The tent materials appear to be good quality and the general construction is sturdy. This tent just has one huge design flaw. There are no rain flaps over the zippers down at the bottom that even the basic Walmart tents seem to have these days. The tent leaks puddles at the bottom as rain slides down and seems to collect at the bottom of the doors and in the zipper it goes. One would think that this could be fixed with a little stitchery but the mesh is on the outside, not the inside like most doors, so you can't sew anything to the door to prevent this. No wonder Sam's club is trying to get rid of these at such a cheap price.

Oh, one thing further, I e-mailed Slumberjack about this before I bought it but didn't get a timely response so took the chance. I had the tent bought, up for two weeks and taken back for a refund before Slumberjack ever got back to me. One thing I found out is that Wenzel is a division of Slumberjack. Why can't their tents be like their sleeping bags?

I ended up with a Coleman Tioga from Dick's Sporting Goods. It leaked a little after a huge storm, probably from where I didn't get it sealed well in one corner. Didn't leak the second rain after I re-sealed it but waiting on another thunderstorm to pop up again.....more to come on it.

Only one word can describe this tent...JUNK! I researched many different tents before buying this one at Sam's Club. I did not so much buy it for the price, but for the size, shape, features, and the Slumberjack name.

My wife and I took it out for a test run at St. Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, Fla., this past weekend and this tent failed in wonderful weather. It was the most difficult dome I have put up and the instructions are just about useless. Once we got the basic tent up I found out just how cheap this tent really was. We draped the rain-fly over and got ready to attach the two small fiberglass shock-cord poles in the front and back. The front pole went into place ok, but it did not fit right and made the fly warp a little. The back pole splintered with the slightest bend we made to snap it into place. I really have a hard time believing Slumberjack let this product go on the market with thier name attached. We own Slumberjack sleeping bags and I think they are the best out there. We eventually got the tent set up and sleepable. By morning, we were soaking wet from the condensation! It was a perfectly clear night.

I packed the tent up and had the tent returned for a refund before the day was over. It seems that most of them have been coming back according to the gentleman working the customer service counter. Please do yourself a favor and avoid this tent at all cost. Even if they decide to give the rest of them away, it's just not worth it.

Bought this tent from Sam's about 10 years ago and we loved it! Easy to set up but you have to have a plan.

Open and assemble two poles and slide in the red slot first, then take the second pole and slide in the black slot. Raise the tent and lock the pins in the poles and snap the side wall hooks. Then square the tent by moving the poles out to the sides.

Then build two more poles and slide the yellow slot across the back door and slip into the pins and lock the wall snaps into place and balance the hoop to sit square, repeat the same for the blue slot on the front door and lock it down. Squaring and balancing the poles first is critical for snapping down the fly. Be sure the fly snaps are balanced in length from side to side and ride up the same on each side of the poles.

Then add the door awnings with the two smaller poles, if the tent is square these poles are easy to slip into their slots and pin into the eye holes.

We have a family member who has some land several miles from where we live and we have camped overnight several weekends in a row. Sitting around the campfire is fun and on a cool night nothing beats it. Camping slows down time.

This tent has performed well, and even with two kids the zippers have held up well. 

Read the two other reviews and I have had my tent for several years. No issues.

Water proofed the seams and did not have any leaks. I use it all over and could not have purchased a better tent for the price. Easy to set up and take down. Been in some major storms without any issues. Like the size and weight easy to store.

Added feature that I like is the net storage area, as I know where everything is when I go to sleep and where it is when I wake up. No fishing around in the dark. Plenty of area in the tent and while backpacking it divides up real nice for multiple hikers (3-6); while I would not use it alone for back packing it is a good all around tent.

You could pay more, but you could not beat the value. If you have problems with this tent then, maybe you should camp out at the Holidome or a motel.

I've owned this tent for over 8 years and use it three or four times a year when I go fishing or hunting. I love this tent for the money. I stay dry under stormy conditions and it is well vented. The standup height is excellent and like the features that are build into the tent for storage of small items. Sure you can buy a better 4 season tent at Cabela's but for the money it's the best on the market in my opinion.

My only regret is that I didn't buy two so I could save one for when this one wears out.