Eureka Sunrise Tent
Design and Feature Walkthrough
The Eureka Sunrise Tent is very popular with family campers.
The distinctive double ridge rainfly forms peaks over all four sides of the tent allowing the windows and door screens to remain uncovered in the rain.
The Sunrise offers a view in all directions while waiting out a rain shower.
The windows also offer ventilation from all directions.
The 3/4 rainfly forms a large canopy over the tent body that protects campers inside from bright sunlight and rain.
Entry to the tent is through a twin-track side-opening door.
The second zipper track is for the half window at the top.
The main track runs around the entire door. A blue zipper cuff or flap around the edge of the door protects the zipper track from rain.
Ceiling mesh allows air to exhaust from the tent.
Organizer pockets along the inner tent wall keep small items from getting lost among sleeping equipment.
Reflecting yellow ceiling panels reflect the light of a hanging lantern downward onto campers to brighten the tent body.
A triangular low vent to the left of the door and a second on the opposite wall allow fresh air into the tent—especially when the windows are closed.
A heavy duty bathtub floor of Oxford nylon resists ground moisture, foot traffic and children.
Eureka Sunrise Dome Tent Sizes
The Eureka Sunrise Dome Tent is available in 3 sizes, the Sunrise 4, Sunrise 5, and Sunrise 6.
These tents have square floor plans and good height for each floor size, which improves sleeping gear capacity and comfort.
Eureka Sunrise 4 Tent
The tent body dimensions are 8' wide by 8' deep by 4'11" high.
Adults will need to stoop inside the tent, but they can move about and dress on their feet.
The 64 square feet of floorspace is rated to sleep up to 4.
This tent should comfortably sleep 1-2 adults.
The tent and rainfly ridge poles are 9.5mm (3/8" diameter) fiberglass.
The Sunrise 4 is a small size tent, weighs 11.5 lb and will fit on an 8' by 8' tent pad.
For family camping, this Sunrise would make a good secondary tent for younger campers who want their own space.
Adult campers will likely be more comfortable in the next larger size Sunrise.
Eureka Sunrise 5 Tent
The tent body dimensions are 9' wide by 9' deep by 6' high, which is standing height.
The 81 square feet of floor space are rated to sleep up to 5.
The tent should sleep comfortably 2 to 3 adults.
This tent would suit a camping couple who did not want to set up a large tent.
The tent and rainfly ridge poles are 11mm (7/16" diameter) fiberglass.
The Sunrise 5 is a medium size tent, weighs 15.5 lb and will fit on a 10' by 10' tent pad.
Tall campers who prefer not to duck inside a tent should consider the next larger size.
Eureka Sunrise 6
The tent body dimensions are 11' wide by 11' deep by 7' high, making this tent suitable for tall campers.
The 121 square feet of floor space are rated to sleep up to 6 adults. This tent only has one door, so 6 people will be climbing over each other at night to leave the tent.
This tent should comfortably sleep 3 to 4 adults. It would suit a family of 4 or a young family of 5.
This tent is large enough for a queen mattress or a couple of cots while still having room for gear and for dressing.
The tent and rainfly ridge poles are 12.7mm (1/2" diameter) fiberglass.
The Sunrise 6 is a large size tent, weighs 22 lb and will fit on a 12' by 12' tent pad.
Due to the 7' height, ease of set up, sheltered windows and other features of the Eureka Sunrise 11 Tent, some campers may find this tent preferable to many cabin tents.
Redesign
The Sunrise has been recently redesigned, evidently to make it more resistant to rain.
The windows are higher in the walls and better protected from rain by the ridge peaks of the rainfly. The original window design likely offered more visibility to the surroundings on a pleasant day. The tent doesn't quite offer the screen room view it used to.
The two-zipper door closure has been replaced by a single zipper track that runs around the entire door panel. Campers will need to work the zipper carefully around the lower curve in the door to get the longest life out of it.
The low vent has been moved from the bottom of the door to the corner of the front tent wall.
Eureka Sunrise Tent in Warm and Cool Temperatures
Due to the large windows on all sides, ceiling mesh, and lower vent in the door, the Sunrise offers superior ventilation in warm weather.
The peaked rainfly can take advantage of light wind by funneling (scooping) the wind through the window screen into the tent body.
The tent can catch wind from any direction without having to re-orient the tent. This makes the tent very comfortable in a light wind and on warm nights.
The Sunrise rainfly is a 3/4 rainfly, but due to the design, offers as much or more ventilation than a half rainfly.
There two triangular non-closable ceiling mesh panels. Some heat will escape on cool evenings.
Sunrise Tent In Wind and Rain
The large peaks over the windows keep vertical rain from entering and from striking much of the tent body.
In wind-driven rain, campers need only close one or two windows and can still view out the others.
Campers can clip a sheet of plastic to the front of the tent to protect the doorway, if they need to exit the tent in the rain.
The tent fly and body are 1200mm coated, which allows them to better resist rain.
A heavy duty, 210 Denier nylon bathtub floor is 1200mm coated to resist water seepage.
Ridge poles tension the 3/4 rainfly, so in light wind and rain the fly does not need to be guyed out to keep it from touching the tent body. This means that the tent can often be set up with a minimum of fuss.
Since the Eureka Sunrise Tent is self standing, in light wind-driven rain it can be carefully unstaked and turned until the door is facing away from the rain and then restocked. This will allow entry into the tent while minimizing any water in the doorway.
The fly and floor seams are factory sealed, which means they may only need spot sealing in order to prepare the tent for camping.
Tent owners should seal any unsealed tent body seams that are not covered by the rainfly. The perimeter seam, where the upper tent body meets the bathtub floor should also be sealed.
Wind
The rainfly peaks extend out from the wall of the tent and may catch wind in moderate to strong winds. Because they extend on each side, the tent cannot be oriented to avoid this. (The feature that helps this tent in the rain may hinder it a bit in the wind.)
Sheltered campsites should not get enough wind to bother this tent. Campers at open campsites can consider blocking some wind by parking the car upwind of the tent.
Four guy-out points (storm loops) on the fly allow campers to secure it in the wind. Fabric clips and guylines can be purchased separately to further secure the fly.
In strong winds without rain, campers can also consider carefully removing the rainfly until the winds decrease.
Stake down loops at the center of the tent walls between the corner loops allow the tent to be more securely staked down in wind. They should also reduce flapping and billowing of the tent walls.
Eureka Sunrise Tent Specs And Setup
The tent design is 2-pole square dome.
The rainfly and tent body are 75 Denier, 190 Thread-count, polyester coated to 1200 mm HH of water resistance to offer superior resistance to rain for a leisure tent.
The floor is heavy-duty 210 Denier Oxford nylon, 1200mm coated, which offers superior resistance to water and to wear.
The screens are 40 Denier no-see-um polyester, which will allow a lot of light and air into the tent, as well as keep out tiny flying insects.
Setup
The tent body attaches to the poles with sleeves and clips.
The poles attach to the tent base with ring and pin connectors.
An optional gear loft is available to keep small items off of the floor.
Campers are encouraged to purchase a set of guylines and stakes for the tent before camping.
The Eureka Sunrise tent body pitches like a standard 2 pole dome tent.
Crossing ridge poles slip into fabric pockets at the edge of the rainfly.
When pitching the tent in the wind, the tensioned fly can catch the wind and act as a kite until it gets attached to the tent base and poles. Lay the rainfly upside-down on the ground on the windward (upwind) side of the tent, clip the j-hook connectors to the tent base, then gently lift the fly over the tent, lay it on top, and walk around the tent and fasten the fly to the tent base on the leeward (downwind) side.
Conclusion
The Eureka Sunrise Tent is a deluxe family dome tent. It offers a good view from inside, rain or shine.
The great view also means great ventilation.
The heavy duty nylon floor will perform longer.
The Sunrise is a self standing tent and, in fair weather, can be quickly set up without guy lines to make it more comfortable for kids' to walk near the tent.
Disclaimer
Please note that Campetent does not own this tent model. Campetent strives to research and to provide accurate information for site visitors, but cannot guarantee every detail.
Tent models are subject to feature changes over time. Tent campers should always perform due diligence to verify any important features before purchasing a tent.
The author hopes that the information provided in this article will go a long way towards that goal.
This tent is not rated for wind. In moderate to strong winds, campers themselves will need to judge when the tent has reached its limit in resisting the forces of nature.
The tent has a limited warranty that covers defects in materials and workmanship. As with all tents, campers should carefully examine the materials and workmanship and make sure that they are satisfied before using the tent.