Camping tents
When embarking on a camping trip, your tent is your most important piece of equipment. Without it, you’d be sleeping out in the elements. A quality tent can mean the difference between a pleasant camping experience and a wet or stuffy nightmare, so it pays to spend some time selecting the best model for you.
Whether you’re an experienced camper or complete newbie, here is a wide range of tents for your consideration plus some advice on picking the right tent to meet your needs.
Seasonal camping
Your average tent is designed for summer camping, although you’ll have no problems using a standard tent in the warmer parts of spring and fall. If you want to camp when it’s colder out, you’ll need a three-season or four-season tent. These tents cost more but they have better insulation and waterproofing for more extreme camping conditions.
How many people will be camping?
It’s important to choose a tent of an appropriate size for the number of people who’ll be sleeping in it. The listed tent sizes can be misleading, however. Take a six-person tent, for example — it can fit six people side-by-side in sleeping bags, but you’d have no room for air beds or gear. Most six-person tents can comfortably accommodate three people on airbeds, while leaving a bit of space to house your camping essentials.
Types of tents
Not all tents are the same, and you may find some styles of camping tent suit you better than others. Cabin tents and bell tents have a lot of headroom so you can stand up inside them, making them feel roomier, but this extra space can make them feel chilly if the temperature drops. Dome tents aren’t as spacious, but they’re easy to pitch, although instant tents are even better for complete beginner campers. Backpacking tents are designed to be lightweight so you can easily carry them if you’re camping in a spot you need to hike to.
Best two- and three-person tents
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL mtnGLO Tent: available at CampSaver
This ultra-light, three-season backpacking tent is ideal for all kinds of adventures, including camping in colder weather and campgrounds where you need to hike to your pitch. It can fit two campers comfortably.
Hilleberg Keron 3 GT Tent: available at CampSaver
Serious all-weather campers will love this tent. Yes, it’s on the pricier side, but it sleeps up to three and is well-insulated enough for use in extremely cold conditions. It’s extremely strong yet lightweight.
Easy Camp 2-Person Double Daybreak Pop-Up Tent: available at CampSaver
Inexperienced campers will love how easy this tent is to pitch. It pops into shape instantly, so all you need to do is peg it down. It’s great for music festivals or casual weekend camping trips in warm weather.
Best four-person tents
Marmot Tungsten Tent: available at CampSaver and Amazon
This four-person lightweight backpacking tent is perfect for adventurous campers who enjoy wild camping and have to hike to their camping spot. It sleeps up to four people.
ALPS Mountaineering Meramac Tent: available at Amazon
An affordable four-person tent that’s easy to pitch with just two poles to thread through and snap into place. We love the addition of storage pockets and a gear loft inside the tent.
Marmot Limestone Tent: available at Amazon and CampSaver
The relatively straight sides of this four-person single-room tent make it feel spacious inside. The rainfly is effective at keeping water out, even in stormy weather, and it resists winds well.
Best five- and six-person tents
Big Agnes Big House Tent: available at Backcountry
This sturdy tent sleeps up to six people but is the perfect size for families of three or four to sleep on airbeds with room for gear. It also has a shelter mode so you can use it as a gazebo without the inner tent.
ALPS Mountaineering Camp Creek 6-Person Tent: available at Amazon
A spacious cabin tent at a reasonable price with a generous 7-foot center height allowing most people to easily stand up straight inside it. The mesh windows give you ample ventilation on hot days.
NTK Colorado GT Dome Tent: available at Amazon
It might have a simple design, but this dome tent is durable and well-made, plus it’s easy to pitch for campers who struggle with more complex tent designs. We love that it has plenty of internal storage.
Columbia Mammoth Creek Cabin Tent: available at Amazon
Thanks to its straight wall design, this tent has a decent head height and more internal space. The pull-out windows maximize internal volume and are great for ventilation.
Best eight- and nine-person tents
Coleman Octagon 98 8-Person Outdoor Tent: available at Amazon
The octagonal design of this tent makes it extremely stable. It fits up to eight people in sleeping bags or two queen airbeds plus space for gear. It’s well-ventilated and great for warm-weather camping.
Core 9-Person Instant Cabin Tent: available at Amazon
An ideal choice for inexperienced campers since the poles are already in place, so all you need to do is snap them together and peg the tent down. It couldn’t be simpler. It’s roomy and well-ventilated inside.
Ozark Trail 9-Person Instant Cabin Tent: available at Amazon
Another large tent suitable for a large group, this one features large windows with mesh screens and an extra screen room in the front, so you should be extra-safe from bugs.
Lauren Corona is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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