Basic dome tent structures remain largely the same, so setting up all of our picks was relatively straightforward. We tried the rain fly for each tent as well, one time rushing to get several of them up during an unexpected rainstorm at night. Again, our top picks stood out for their simplicity in a tense situation. We did need to refer once to the REI Base Camp instructions, conveniently sewn into the carrying case, to confirm our pole arrangements.
Then we used the tents. We wanted to know how it felt to be inside them for long periods of time. Did we feel claustrophobic or rejuvenated?
If we had to spend a day in the tent during a storm, would it be comfortable? After first removing the models that failed the structural tests, we slept, watched the stars, and ate our meals in all of the tents, as well as planned hikes from them. Most of the tents we tested were roughly equally comfortable to sleep in. For the family tents, we observed the difficulty and duration of the setup process for each one, and we asked each family, during and after each trip, for feedback on the experience of sleeping in their tent and on specific qualities they liked and disliked.
We found some common themes. Just about every family appreciated a tent that was quick and intuitive to set up. And the families universally praised tents that had mesh roofs with little obstruction, and that had built-in pockets within easy reach of a sleeping position.
We timed the one-person setup for each tent, and we later clocked the time it took for one person to break down the tent and get it back in its bag. We also repeatedly zipped and unzipped doors and windows, looking for annoying snags.
None of them leaked. In , we tested the updated version of the Eureka Copper Canyon 6—renamed the Copper Canyon LX 6—to make sure we still thought it was the best. We did. A rain fly can be something of a hindrance if you live in a dry climate. Rain is rare. So if you love to take in the grandeur of those celestial nights through a barely there canopy, the Kelty Grand Mesa 4 was made for you.
And should you live in a not-so-dry climate, this tent comes with a full rain fly. In addition, Kelty sells a companion footprint for the Grand Mesa 4, which we recommend that you get. With four sides of no-see-um mesh and a low, 1-foot skirt wall, the Kelty Grand Mesa 4 was the favorite tent at our Arizona-desert test location.
Instead of trying to fight those breezes, this tent seemed to absorb them, sheltering and keeping us cool without collapsing like a sail. Most of our picks have this design except for the REI Base Camp 4 and Base Camp 6 , which also thread their poles through sleeves sewn into the dome itself. One more word in favor of using a rain fly: condensation. Moisture will inevitably build up inside your tent. Condensation video is worse in wet and humid conditions, and also when you have a large temperature difference between the inside and the outside of a tent.
Condensation is not leakage, but should you have a breathable inner layer, the condensation will gather on the fly instead of on the interior of the tent itself. Weighing just 6 pounds 13 ounces, the Grand Mesa 4 is light enough to use as a backpacking tent in its own right, too.
The tent also has just a single ventilation port, but the fully exposed sides allow for plenty of air movement beneath the rain fly. After examining more than 20 six-person tents online and comparing 10 of them side by side on family car-camping trips, we concluded that the Eureka Copper Canyon 6 the current version is the Eureka Copper Canyon LX 6 is our favorite tent for most car-camping families. Of all the models we tested, it offers the best balance of generous interior space, ease of setup, good durability, and reasonable price.
But those higher-end tents—sometimes super-size versions of tents the same companies make for backpacking—are also less spacious, harder to set up, and arguably no more durable than the Eureka Copper Canyon LX 6, a tent that was clearly purpose-built for family car-camping. The boxlike Copper Canyon LX 6 is easy to set up, and one person can erect it in 15 minutes or less. Working together, two people familiar with the tent can set it up in about five minutes. Our testers found this tent to be among the most intuitive to set up and take down of all the tents we slept in.
The 7-foot center height, near-vertical walls, and byfoot footprint put the Copper Canyon among the roomiest of the tents we tested. The all-mesh roof provides ample ventilation and is ideal for stargazing: One dad accustomed to solid tent roofs said the view from his bag during the first night in Joshua Tree brought tears to his eyes. The Copper Canyon also has large mesh windows on all four sides. When all the windows are open, being inside the tent is almost like being outdoors.
We also liked the versatile windows for privacy reasons: Most of the other tents we tested—including the more-expensive Marmot Limestone 6P , Mountain Hardwear Optic 6, and The North Face Kaiju 6—have mesh walls. Mesh walls are appealing when you have a private camping spot and want to gaze out at a lovely view, but not so much when you want privacy in a crowded campground.
Unlike the precursor to the Jade Canyon X6, the Eureka Jade Canyon 6, which we also tested , the Copper Canyon has heavy poles made of fiberglass and steel. Although the Copper Canyon twisted in on itself in high winds—especially after its inhabitants, who were previously weighing it down, emerged for breakfast—its poles suffered no damage.
Meanwhile, the aluminum poles on the Jade Canyon 6 and on the more-expensive North Face tent were bent and permanently damaged by the same winds. The Jade Canyon X6 still has the same aluminum poles. Whereas the Copper Canyon LX has a 1, mm waterproof coating, the Jade Canyon X6 has an 2, mm coating more on what those coatings are all about here. Both keep you dry and warm. They do the same thing.
Kalee bought the Copper Canyon tent for her own use in or , around the time her first son was born. Her decision at the time was based entirely on Amazon reviews and cost—the tent is consistently cheaper than models of a similar size from higher-end brands, and it gets great reviews from Amazon customers. Since then, she and her family have used the tent between five and 10 nights a year and experienced no problems in terms of ripped fabric, broken zippers, or bent poles.
Those lower-level coatings have stood up just fine to multiple rainstorms. In , Kalee tested the Copper Canyon LX 6, a slightly redesigned version the first time in 10 years that the tent had been modified of the Copper Canyon 6 that we tested originally. She came to the conclusion that the few changes were for the better. The carrying bag is also sturdier and—thanks to an additional zipper and a shoulder strap—much easier to use. The Copper Canyon also comes in four-person , eight-person , and person versions.
You know who else slept in a Eureka? Sir Edmund Hillary. He used the innovative at the time Eureka Draw-Tite in a return Everest expedition in Eureka went on to make the shelters for the first entirely American expedition to Everest , sponsored by National Geographic in The company still makes tents for use in the harshest places on earth, but it also understands that a tent for your summer road trip looks not at all the same.
We surmised, perhaps accurately, that only the weight of our bodies inside the tent prevented it from ripping out of the ground and blowing away with the biggest gusts of our Pacific Coast windstorm. As did almost all of the tent companies we asked, Eureka recommends that campers use a tarp or ground cloth for added protection. Your tent should also be large enough to protect you and your gear.
Superior vestibule space helped both the Base Camp 4 and the Base Camp 6 rise to the top of their respective test groups. The area of the tent itself remains the same, at 60 square feet. As for the Base Camp 6, the vestibule area covered by its front fly and rear fly decreased from nearly 65 square feet on the original model we tested to 44 square feet in the model.
Built for stormy weather. See all prices 2 found. Score Product Price Our Take The North Face Sequoia 4. Marmot Limestone 4. Big Agnes Tensleep Station 6. Kelty Wireless 6. NEMO Wagontop 6. REI Grand Hut 4. Coleman 4-Person Cabin with Instant Setup. Coleman Sundome Dome 4. Coleman Evanston Screened 6. Camping tents lined up and ready for scrutiny. Great design, quality materials, and a low price point, value is this tent's middle name.
Value is important, and the Wawona 6 has lots of it. Cooking up dinner in the Wawona's covered and spacious vestibule. The headroom and pockets on the Kingdom 6 are impressive. Just the right amount of room to eat, sleep and laugh without ever leaving the Halo 6. The dogs clearly don't want the added privacy.
The Habitude 4 provided the best layout of all the 4-person models we tested. This 4-person tent is built to feel bigger than its footprint. Floor Plans Be sure to review the floor plan images for a tent before committing.
If you are like us, you have air mattresses and chairs that you would like to use inside, so the floor plan can help you map it out. And remember, most of these tents say they sleep six, but that is six elbow to elbow. Privacy meets open-air with the Limestone 4. The Base Camp 6 is a stout-looking tent that will stand firm through inclement weather.
The naked look of the Halo 6 ready for summer fun. The stance of the Habitude 4 is as robust as the quality materials inside. Stake It Out Wind resistance often comes down to how well you stake down a tent and use the guylines to keep it taught. Unless you're assured of a balmy, windless night, staking out the guylines as you set up is a good habit to get into as it will keep you from scrambling around and likely getting soaked if bad weather hits.
For most tents, we highly recommend buying extra cord, burlier stakes, and a mallet. Relaxing after pitching the Coleman Cabin in seconds. Plenty of time left to look off at the other campers still unpacking their tent. Setting up the Halo 6 with the color-coded snaps. Easy breezy.
The Kelty Quick Corners make pitching this tent a breeze, even when solo. Don't Forget the Footprint Make sure to seriously consider buying a ground cover — a. It not only helps keep moisture and mud off the underside of your tent thus making re-packing a much more pleasant task , it also helps your tent last longer because it protects it from abrasion. Most manufacturers sell a footprint separately usually made of the same material as the tent designed to fit the exact floor size of whichever model tent you have.
Despite the extra cost, it's a great thing to take along. The savvy camper's alternative is a cheap plastic tarp, like something you'd throw down to paint your living room. You can often pick one of these up for a fraction of the cost of an official manufacturer's footprint, though it won't have features like rivets to accommodate your stakes.
The Marmot Halo 6 sports quality poles, strong fabric, and tight-knit mesh. All critical factors in the longevity of your tent. The Limestone 4 after a rough and windy night. Everything held and no water made it through to the inside. The snaps on the Base Camp are extremely well engineered and very easy to clip. Quality materials can be found throughout, from the floors to the poles, this tent is built to last. The string connecting the poles together snapped on our first setup of the Coleman Sundome 4.
Consider the Long-Term Investment Unless you're only planning on going camping once or twice a year on an idyllic beach, it's worth taking the long view when it comes to the quality — and often thus the price — of your tent. We are fans of quality gear that performs well season after season. The massive four-section interior of the Wagontop 6.
The removable divider setup on the Kingdom 6 keeps the kids and dogs on one side and the parents on the other. Nighty night, Tensleep Station, you faired quite well today. The only tent in our lineup to sport an attached doormat, helping keep the dirt outside.
Every Family is Different Sometimes the most family-friendly tent isn't the biggest or the most feature-rich. Instead, it is a wonderful mix of ease-of-use, features that specifically speak to your family and pet situation, and a build that's ideal for your typical camping environment. Learn More. Massive interior, great construction, easy to pitch.
Spacious, great layout, durable, very family friendly, high value. Quality materials, great height, perfectly sized vestibule. Huge doors and large vestibule, lots of pockets, highly weather resistant. Tall and spacious, quonset hut-shaped, lots of pockets, adjustable room divider. Not the easiest to pitch, only one door, odd bag. Runs warm, views are a bit more restricted. Only one vestibule, back door is more exposed to the elements, lots of poles.
The best balance of size, quality, style, and ease of use we've found. This tent has one of the best uses of space we have ever seen, a great choice for families or campers with lots of gear.
An ultra high-quality 4-person tent that makes great use of space. An excellent mountaineering-inspired tent that is ready for both inclement weather and summer fun. A well designed tent with tons of room and lots of versatility. The North Face Wawo Internal dry lines, hang loops, Velcro lantern loop. A unique tent both in looks and features, built with quality material from a well-known brand. For a simple, high-quality tent, this classic criss-cross design is recognizably comfortable.
While this tent might not shine in every category, it has some features that might just be perfect for you. A spacious, high-quality, six-person budget tent ready for large family adventures. Though this tent may struggle in the wind, it will fit a family of four in style and be the talk of the campground. If you are looking for a budget 6-person tent and don't mind poor quality and staying out of the rain, this might work. Here's our review.
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T3 is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number Select your region. Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter. Outwell Pinedale 6PA. Specifications Sleeps: 6. Weight: Pack size: 91 x 44 x 44 cm. Reasons to avoid - Heavy and bulky. Coleman Meadowood 4L. Specifications Sleeps: 4. Poles: fibreglass. Pack size: 74 x 36 x 36 cm.
Reasons to avoid - None of note. Sierra Designs Meteor Lite 2. Specifications Sleeps: 2. Packed weight: 1. Pack size: 43 x 15 x Reasons to avoid - Could use more pockets. Specifications Sleeps: 3. Poles: fibreglass popup. Weight: 5. Pack size: 85 x 9cm. Reasons to avoid - Can't stand up in it.
Coleman OctaGo. Poles: steel. Pack size: 69 x 25 x 25cm. Reasons to avoid - Not the lightest. Lichfield Eagle Air 6. Specifications Sleeps: 6 but better for Weight: 32kg. Pack size: cm x cm. Reasons to avoid - Better suited to a family of four than six - The bedroom divider is flimsy. Vango Joro A tent made from recycled plastic, for camping with a conscience. Poles: fibreglass air also available. Pack size: 78 x 34 x 34cm. Reasons to avoid - Bedrooms not blackout.
And in general, performance is closely tied to price tag. Many premium models utilize a double-wall construction the outer rainfly is separate from the inner tent body and lots of mesh, which help keep things reasonably cool and limits moisture build-up. On the cheap end of the spectrum, you get less mesh and fewer options to get air flowing without opening up doors or windows thereby compromising weather protection. Simply put, the differences in build quality are noticeable between budget and premium camping tents.
Spending more gets you higher-quality materials that are stronger relative to their weight, and in theory, should have a longer lifespan. If you only make it out once or twice a year and mostly in good weather , you absolutely can get away with a budget model like the Coleman Sundome. That said, if you camp a lot, are looking for a long-term investment for multiple seasons, or simply prefer quality gear, we recommend splurging for a higher-end camping tent.
A tent like the REI Co-op Kingdom is the whole package—we have a first-generation Kingdom that has been through the wringer and still is going strong. Floor thickness is particularly important, as it will have direct contact with rocks, roots, and other potentially sharp objects at camp. In comparing the models above, the difference can be significant: the crossover REI Trail Hut 4 , for instance, shaves weight by using lighter materials throughout, including a denier D floor.
In general, we recommend setting up a car camping tent with a partner some smaller four-person models can be done fairly easily by a single person and you can expect it to take 10 minutes or more to fully deploy tear down often is a bit faster.
This design does add some weight and bulk, but some campers will find the tradeoff in convenience worth it. If you come from a backpacking background, many car camping tents require a much larger swath of space. And if you have any doubts or want to use your tent in smaller spots, we recommend going with a crossover or backpacking model that has a smaller footprint.
A quick look at the table above shows a wide range in the total weight of our recommended camping tents. On the other hand, many large six- or eight-person camping models easily break 20 pounds. The packed size of the tent typically will align with its weight. Crossover backpacking and camping tents pack down the smallest the aforementioned Tungsten measures 9. But if either are at a premium, we recommend a more compact crossover design. While not a requirement, it's often a good idea to use some type of footprint or ground cloth when camping.
But do you need to spend the big bucks and get the one specifically made for the tent? Another popular choice for making a generic ground cloth is picking up bulk Tyvek. This relatively thin and packable material is cheap and offers sufficient protection. This extra material sticking out can collect and pool rain water and compromise your waterproof shelter.
The concept is fairly simple: a folded tent attaches directly to the roof rack system on top of your vehicle or pickup bed, and when you arrive at your destination, you simply unfold it, climb the ladder, and go to sleep.
Compared to standard camping tents, rooftop designs get you off uneven ground, make it easier to set up camp just about anywhere, and often include a cushy built-in mattress. The Thule Tepui Explorer Kukenam 3 , for example, weighs pounds and is wider than a full-size mattress.
For a full list of our favorite options, see our round-up of the best rooftop tents. Tents are typically your biggest purchase—both in price and size—followed by items like camping pads or mattresses and sleeping bags. The beauty in all of this is that the same principles that apply to camping tents transfer to the rest of your gear.
Photo Credit. Best Overall Camping Tent 1. See The North Face Wawona 6 7. See the Kelty Wireless 6 8. See the Marmot Limestone 6P 9. See the MSR Habitude 6 See the Nemo Wagontop 4P See the Big Agnes Big House 6 See the Caddis Rapid 6 See the Coleman Montana 8P The budget-friendly Coleman Sundome Crossover Camping and Backpacking Tents Even tents in the budget category can be a significant investment, so for those who plan on both camping and backpacking with the family, it may be worth considering a crossover model.
Cheap tents often compromise usable space Peak Height and Pole Structure In addition to floor area, peak height and pole structure make a big impact on overall livability. A four-person tent only has space for four occupants side-by-side and nothing more Number of Doors For a large-capacity camping tent, we unabashedly prefer two doors. Two large doors make getting in and out much easier Storage Space: Pockets, Vestibules, and Garages Storage is a crucial consideration for many campers, starting with interior pockets.
A spacious vestibule is valuable for storing gear Weather Resistance As we touched on in the section above, a weather-worthy tent is one of the main reasons to upgrade to a premium camping model. Partial-coverage rainflies fall short in inclement weather Two of the strongest tents on the list are the REI Co-op Base Camp and Cabela's Alaskan Guide Model, which utilize advanced pole designs that are inspired from mountaineering tents.
Rolling back the rainfly greatly improves ventilation Build Quality and Durability Simply put, the differences in build quality are noticeable between budget and premium camping tents. Weight and Packed Size A quick look at the table above shows a wide range in the total weight of our recommended camping tents. REI's backpack-style bag makes it easy to store and transport the tent Footprints While not a requirement, it's often a good idea to use some type of footprint or ground cloth when camping.
What About Rooftop Tents? Powered by Drupal. Learn More About Outdoor Gear. Below our staff at Switchback Travel breaks down the best camping gear Rather than having to meticulously stake out and assemble your tent and sleep system once you arrive at camp, rooftop designs pop up or fold out Offered in four-, six-, and eight-person capacities, its familiar tunnel-like shape is a common sight at national parks and campgrounds around the U. Offered in four- and six-person capacities, the car camping-focused model is a top choice among those looking to Unlike backpacking where weight and packed size are limitations, car camping mats put a premium on plush cushioning and support with thick foam and In choosing the right backpacking tent, you have a wide range of options from minimalist ultralight shelters to inexpensive and heavier entry-level models.
But uses and budgets vary, and the ideal Add adventure to your inbox. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission.
Coleman Skydome 6P. Marmot Tungsten 4P.
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