Snow Peak may not be a name you are too familiar with, but perhaps it’s time to get to know them. Founded in Japan in the 1960s, Snow Peak are an upmarket brand who make very well respected gear. A couple of years ago they opened their first European store on Regents Street in London. The store is more like a Bond Street boutique than a typical camping shop, which perhaps tells you the positioning of the brand. However, Snow Peak gear is most certainly not style over substance. Snow Peak tents have a reputation for unique design and top build quality. Today we are looking at one of their most popular tents – the Snow Peak Amenity Dome.
The Snow Peak Amenity Dome comes in 3 sizes: small, medium and large. It is a kind of combo of a dome tent and a tunnel tent, in that it has a geodesic dome structure for the bedroom with an extended vestibule, more typical of a tunnel tent. This is a pretty rare tent design that lends itself perfectly to basecamp, campsite and car camping. Let’s check out the features and spec.
Snow Peak Amenity Dome – features and spec
Tent design:
The Amenity Dome is a lovely looking tent that is unique, yet functional. This extended dome tent has a geodesic three pole structured inner, and then there is a large spacious vestibule for sitting out that bad weather, cooking, or storing kit.
Models/Size:
Amenity Dome S – 2 person
Amenity Dome M – 4 person
Amenity Dome L – 6 person
Dimensions:
Amenity Dome S – 310cm x 220cm x 120cm (Inner: 220cm x 150cm)
Amenity Dome M – L 505cm W 280cm H 150cm (Inner: 265cm x 265cm)
Amenity Dome L – 540cm x 310cm x 165cm (Inner: 295cm x 295cm)
These are spacious tents – plenty of room for people, dogs and kit and still with plenty of living room either inside the inner or in the vestibule. The generous dimensions also make the tents suitable for tall people.
Weight:
Amenity Dome S – 4.9kg (11lb)
Amenity Dome M – 8kg (17.6lb)
Amenity Dome L – 9.8 kg (21.1lb)
You can see straight away that these tents are not designed for solo backpacking or lugging up a mountain. However, if there are two of you to split the load, then you could easily use this tent for wild-camping and short backpacking trips.
The Amenity Dome is designed for campsites, car camping and basecamps where space and comfort are the priority, yet you still want a high quality tent that will perform.
Fabrics:
Outer: 75D Polyester Taffeta with a PU coating on the inside with a Teflon DWR PU coating on the outside. Using a Teflon durable water repellent (DWR) is quite unique and is said to help water bead and roll off.
Inner: 68D Polyester Taffeta
Floor: 210D Polyester Oxford with PU coating
Waterproof rating:
Outer: 1800mm HH (minimum)
Floor: 1800mm HH (minimum)
Now, this may seem like quite a low hydrostatic head (HH) rating, but the HH figure that Snow Peak quote is the minimum. Most other manufacturers quote the average, so a minimum reading of 1800mm HH means this tent should stand up to some pretty hardcore rain.
There’s also a lot more involved in a tent’s ability to keep you dry than just its HH rating. Build quality is really important, along with things like seam sealing, the choice of DWR and the stitching. You can have a badly made tent with a HH of 7000mm yet it still leaks.
The Snow Peak Amenity Dome is a very waterproof tent, perhaps because of the Teflon DWR and the high quality manufacture. Other notable brands who tend to have low HH ratings, yet are still very waterproof, include MSR. So, don’t be put off by the relatively low HH rating.
Entrances/Vestibules:
There are three entrances to this tent. The vestibule has a front entrance (that can actually be propped up with trekking poles or branches to create a sun shade) and a side door. There is also a door at the back of the tent and a small vestibule – great for ventilation, nice views and muddy boots.
Poles:
Colour coded Duralumin A7001 + A6061
The Amenity Dome has four poles – three geodesic cross-poles for the inner and a further pole for the vestibule. The result is an extended dome tent – spacious, yet strong, with a vestibule size normally found only on a tunnel tent.
Pack size:
Amenity Dome S – L 58cm × W 18cm × H 23cm (23” × 7” × 9”)
Amenity Dome M – L 74cm × W 22cm × H 25cm (29” × 8.5” × 9”)
Amenity Dome L – L 73cm × L 23cm × H 27cm (29” × 9” × 10.5”)
Seasons:
Snow Peak don’t give a season rating. This kind of makes sense really, because surely a season rating depends where the tent will be used. For example, a 3-season tent will probably be fine all year round if you live in southern Spain but might not be so great if you’re winter camping in Scotland.
From a UK point of view we’d probably place this tent in the 3-season category with possible use in winter during spells of decent weather. The flysheet doesn’t reach the floor – great for ventilation, but not so good in howling winter winds and driving rain – so bear that in mind.
Inner or outer pitch first?
Inner pitch first. The Amenity Dome is a freestanding tent, so you can pitch the inner then move it about to find that perfect spot, before you add the flysheet and peg out the tent. You could also use the inner by itself if you wanted to enjoy a warm, dry summer night under the stars.
Colour:
The Amenity Dome comes in just the one colour… that’s not a negative though – we love the colour of this tent. It is different to most tents yet is earthy and still blends in well to the landscape.
Snow Peak Amenity Dome – Price Checker
Summary
The Snow Peak Amenity Dome is not ultralight… it’s not compact either… but we don’t care. It’s also not the cheapest campsite tent on the market, but who says, just because you’re car-camping that you only need a cheap tent – that’s just not the case. If you’re looking for a high quality, weatherproof, well designed, cool looking tent that has plenty of space, great ventilation and a large vestibule, then the Snow Peak Amenity Dome could be for you. Related: Fancy a camping quilt to use in your Snow Peak Amenity Dome? Check out our Camping quilts available in the UK article.
