Best Camping Tents

The right camping tent can indeed make or mar your camping trips.

We are sure, just like us, you must have witnessed several misfortunate crammed sleepless nights or wet, uncomfortable nights under the most beautiful night sky.

Having a perfectly constructed tent that works best in all seasons is essential to avoid the mishaps mentioned above.

In the past, tents had a standard shape and size, but now you get to choose various sizes and extra add ons that ease your camping experience.

Apart from the usual complaints, people these days need quick tents that are quick and easy to build. Keeping all of these big little things in mind, we have curated and selected the five best-rated camping tents among many options.

Families traveling or traveling during summers, pay attention as your camping trips are about to get way better and cooler.

Best Overall: Coleman Sundome Tent

Coleman gear has been in the outdoor equipment business for more than 120 years. With so many years’ expertise and market knowledge, Coleman strikes the bull’s eye with every product they make.

One such product is their Coleman Sundome Tent. The classic features, along with the sturdy body, made this our winner for the best instant tents for camping. Why don’t we read the features and exciting elements to understand this product better?

Featured Specs

• Manufacturer: The Coleman Company, Inc.
• Material: Polyester taffeta 75 denier flysheet
• Occupancy: 2 Person
• Shape: Round
• Weight: 3.4 Kilograms

Benefits

• The Coleman Sundome Tent uses a sturdy and durable bodyguard 2X double-thick polyester fabric and a 75 denier flysheet. This quality fabric keeps the unwanted tears and rips apart even under rugged use.
• This product is a two-person round-shaped tent with two color options given by the manufacturer. If you plan to camp with a bigger company, they even have the option of 4, 6, and 8 person tents for a comfortable camping experience.
• As this tent is a three-season tent, you are well protected from the environmental elements of mostly all seasons. This product is guaranteed to keep you safe during spring, summer, and fall camping adventures.
• The WeatherTec System of this tent keeps you dry with its welded corners and inverted seams. This tent is highly weatherproof, and the additional rainfly provides extra weather protection.
• This specific model can withstand 35+ MPH winds under a well hammered strong frame.
• Heat would not hinder your summer activities as the tent has large mesh windows and an extra ground vent flap for more enhanced and directed airflow.
• This Coleman tent is exceptionally easy to set up. You don’t need to spend hours just trying to find the right side, its relatively quick and easy setup features do the job in less than 15 minutes.
• The mesh pockets sewn inside the tent’s wall provide a storage cubby to keep essentials within easy reach.
• This Coleman tent has an extra eyelet hookup at the top to attach lanterns or other lightning accouterments.

Drawbacks

• This product has a significant design flaw in the top window department. The two sides of this tent are purely netting, leading to privacy breaches during nighttime. The only way to solve the privacy issue is by putting up the fly that partially covers these windows. Once they get covered, you are greeted with poor ventilation.
• This tent has cheap quality pegs that need a minor up-gradation from your side. If you plan on camping at a place that has high winds, we request you to buy new sturdy pegs instead of using these.

Extra Features

The Coleman Sundome Tent fashions a handy E-port. This E-port is excellent for conveniently plugging an extension cord for electricity. There is no need to keep your doors semi-open or get on the mission to run the wires under the tent by digging a hole; this port indeed saves your precious time.

Buying Advice

It is sufficiently safe to say that this is not a cold-weather tent. If you are an average camper looking to use this tent twice or thrice every year during a warm climate, we highly recommend this one.

Runner-up: Amazon Basics Outdoor Camping Tent

Amazon Basics has a fantastic range of essentials with great features at a reasonably priced scale.

One such product is the Amazon basics outdoor camping tent which has all the qualities of a functional tent and the Amazon guarantee. Let us read a detailed review below to understand the features, benefits, and drawbacks.

Featured Specs

• Manufacturer: Amazon Basics
• Material: Polyester
• Occupancy: 8 Person
• Shape: Dome
• Weight: 18.7 Pounds

Benefits

• This Amazon Basics Tent is an eight-person dome tent with lots of interior space for a large group of people or family. The tent surely won’t make you feel like you are sleeping in a sardine-packed tin. The spacious feature makes this specific model one of the best large camping tents available on the market.
• The robust quality makes it a good choice for all seasons. This tent is four-season compatible so that you can carry your camping expeditions during the entire year, irrespective of the climate.
• This tent is made of heavy-duty polyester as a base, which doesn’t rip even under taut pressure.
• The tent provides excellent rain protection because of its water-resistant technology. You can an additional rain fly for a complete rain protection experience. The company guarantees that its double-coated polyester can withstand even the heaviest rain.
• The tent has various interior pockets to store small items and trinkets necessary during camping.
• The tent’s cool airport and variable venting system keep the tent well ventilated. The additional airflow flap selection allows you to choose your airflow ventilation as desired.
• Shock-corded poles and snag-free continuous pole sleeves provide an easy and smooth setting up procedure without extra pressure and bunching of the tent seams.
• The company provides separate storage bags for tents, stakes, and poles. Keeping all three in their dedicated casing helps keep them damage-free for many years.

Drawbacks

• Many consumers have mentioned their disappointment as the company tends to forget shipping pegs with the tent. This drawback has caused many users a mild inconvenience during last moment packing.
• This tent fails to provide reasonable protection against heavy rains. The water droplets seep inside when exposed to heavy rainfall for a prolonged period.

Extra Features

• This excellent four-season tent comes with a one-year limited warranty by Amazon Basics in the event of damage within the warranty period.
• The tent has a plug-in socket entryway for easy electrical connection without any difficulties.

Buying Advice

If currently, you are in the market for a family-sized tent to use occasionally, rejoice as you have found one. The listing mentions this as an eight-person tent, but we recommend accommodating five people with luggage if you want to sleep comfortably. Indeed, the size is a significant advantage and makes this product one of the best family camping tents.

Alternative: Featherstone Camping Tent

Featherstone Outdoor is an outdoor gear specialist brand based in Southern California. The company’s main motive is to let people be inspired to experience the great outdoors with their quality products and accessories.

Their Featherstone Camping Tent falls under the category of one of the best base camp tents available out there. Let us go through their product details to understand the tents’ features better.

Featured Specs

• Manufacturer: Featherstone
• Material: Micro-mesh fabric
• Occupancy: 2 Person
• Shape: Dome
• Weight: 4 Pounds

Benefits

• This tent has a 75D Ripstop Polyester rainfly which is seam taped and polyurethane coated with a hydrostatic rating of 3000mm for more robust rain control. The seam-taped construction creates an almost impenetrable barrier against rain and provides excellent leakage protection.
• This product is a heavy-duty two-person tent for three seasons; their tent protects you from heavy winds, sun, and showers.
• The micro-mesh fabric increases the breathability and keeps the condensation at bay. It even keeps a moderate temperature throughout the tent.
• This tent packs super compact. The final tent’s size can go anywhere around 16″ x 7″ cylindrical roll.
• The tent is highly lightweight than most two people tents available on the market.
• The bathtub floor design elevates the bottom of the tent to protect the people inside from messy wet grounds.
• The single aluminum pole makes the tent one of the most accessible building tents that require minimal effort. The tent is freestanding, which allows you to move the entire structure without disassembling it.

Drawbacks

• The zippers of this particular model aren’t the strongest and sturdiest. These flimsy zippers tend to break apart pretty quickly after few uses.
• The inner mesh is very delicate, and you need to operate it carefully to avoid ripping it.

Extra Features

• The company provides a limited lifetime manufacturing warranty to all users.
• The tent comes with an extra waterproof footprint for excellent protection.

Buying Advice

If you want a tent that lets you enjoy the serene scenery via only a net, then this is your product. You can strip away the fabric and let dome-shaped netting cover you from bugs while keeping you safe. When teamed up with the outer cover, it becomes very sturdy.

Alternative: Wakeman Outdoors Camping Tent

Our second alternative on the list of the best camping tents is the Wakeman Outdoors Camping Tent. Let us read its features to know more about the tent.

Featured Specs

• Manufacturer: TRAUV
• Material: Nylon
• Occupancy: 2 Person
• Shape: Dome
• Weight: 2.75 Pounds

Benefits

• This Featherstone tent is one of the lightest tents you can find on this list.
• This two-person tent comes in a dome-shaped tent structure with a large D-shaped door for easy entry and exit.
• This blue tent showcases fiberglass poles and a removable rain fly during those extra hot summer days. You can stick on the flap during light showers. This tent undoubtedly has the tiniest rain fly you can see on the market.
• The tent has ample ventilation pockets to avoid steaming up during the night. Along with the ventilation pockets, the company provides good interior storage space for keeping all the essential keys and cell phones safe inside the tent.
• The company manufactures this tent with a dual-layer door for multiple uses. The inner mesh screen carries good ventilation during hot days, while the opaque layer lets you stay dry and warm during rainfall.
• It is comparatively easy to tear down and set up the camp within minutes. The product comes with a good quality handy carry bag to store the folded tent.

Drawbacks

• Many consumers have had subpar results after the tent encounters heavy rainfall. This product makes an ideal summer tent, but this wouldn’t do justice if you are looking for a rain protection tent.
• This tent is very tiny compared to other two-person tents available on the market.
• The company doesn’t have the most reliable and active customer service when needed.

Extra Features

We couldn’t point any drastic extra features that this tent provides.

Buying Advice

We highly recommend adults stay away from this one. Since the tent is smaller in size, this tent is comfortable for kids rather than adults. Nonetheless, it is a good buy if you wish to send your kids to the summer camp with their private tent or want to set up one in the backyard.

Alternative: Gonex Camping Tent

Our last but certainly not least camping tent is the Gonex Camping Tent.

Gonex is a comparatively new brand co-founded in 2013, considering that this brand has picked up the excellent pace to achieve top position in the Amazon US and UK markets.

Featured Specs

• Manufacturer: Gonex
• Material: Polyurethane
• Occupancy: 4 Person
• Shape: Dome
• Weight: 8.8 Pounds

Benefits

• This four-person four-season tent pops out instantly while assembling the tent.
• This model of the Gonex Camping Tent has 20% more headspace than standard tents.
• The rainfly is made out of a 3000mm water repellent membrane that wicks away rain droplets as soon as it hits the surface. The excellent rain protection makes this one of the best tents for monsoon camping.
• The tent has a gear loft that helps you store the essentials and licenses in a secured place. It also has a hook to attach light for a cozy ambiance during nighttime. The company has given few more storage pockets at the side of the tent for extra storage.
• This tent is extremely easy to build with its guided assembly hooks. Simply snap on the clips to the tent fabric, and you have yourself a fully functional tent within minutes.
• It tends to come with a carry bag for storing the tent during transit.

Drawbacks

The tent mentions four-person as its USP, but four adults would have difficulty sleeping comfortably. This tent works best for a family of four- two adults and two kids.

Extra Features

The extra head space sure is an additional feature that we like in this tent. It indeed feels roomy after entering the tent.

Buying Advice

If you are looking for a decent-sized tent, you can never go wrong with this one. Its features indeed make it one of the best family camping tents available on the market. It is an ideal tent for family camping, hiking, mountaineering, or backpacking.

Camping Tents FAQs

Should you put a tarp over your tent?

It is not compulsory to put a tarp over the tent, but doing so would prove beneficial under certain circumstances. Placing a tarp will surely help you in the following ways:

Protection from rain

We highly recommend putting a tarp over your tent during the monsoon, this will keep the tent safe from water, and you will stay warm and dry the entire time. If you plan to tarp the tent, do not forget to put one on the ground for maximum protection against rain.

Protection against UV Rays

When the tent gets exposed to the sun for a long time, the UV Rays start damaging your tent. It will fade the color and deteriorate the waterproofing as your fabric slowly disintegrates. So you can opt for covering your tent during summers too. If you have a pricey tent, do not skip this process.

Instantly reduces the dew build-up.

You will notice dew build up on your tent in most humid areas. It isn’t ideal if you are planning on early packing. There won’t be any time to dry the dew; a tarp would surely keep the moisture away in such situations.

Protection from bird droppings

No one loves to look at their expensive tent covered with droppings. This tarp would catch all the bat and bird droppings to keep your tent in mint condition.

It gives you extra space

If the tent is giant, it will give you extra space to keep your things out and cook in the shade. Since you cannot cook inside the tent, it is always a good idea to tie a tarp so you can cook warm meals during the summer or rainy season.

Are tents waterproof?

No, not every tent available in the market is waterproof. Few of the tents are simply manufactured to use for spring, summer, and fall. They have zero protection against rainfall.

These waterproof tents are usually costlier, but they provide excellent protection against rain. Since the company cannot produce just one type of tent, they have another quality popularly known as water-resistant. These water-resistant tents are a lot cheaper and provide a lower level of rain protection.

In water-resistant tents, the fabric would try to wick off the rain, but under heavy rainfall, the material gives up, and the water eventually seeps inside. If you wish to protect your tent from rainfall, consider using a tarp or waterproofing your tent at home.

Are expensive tents worth it?

Buying an expensive tent depends on one factor that is your usage. If you are an average camper who goes on camping trips once or twice a year, buying a middle price range would serve you well.

On the other hand, if you categorize under a hardcore camper and camp for many months at a stretch at various altitudes under harsh conditions, then, by all means, find the most comfortable and expensive you can find.

Buying a costly tent is highly recommended if you are a solo camper; the surety of having a sturdy camp over your head would not fill you up with despair.

Coming back to the questions, yes, expensive tents are worth it if you have a genuine need for them. They do come with various extra features that would surely make your camping experience more comfortable and safe.

How do you stay warm in a tent?

We have a little list of ‘staying warm techniques’ that are amazing when the weather is cold outside. Staying warm is necessary as there is just a layer of fabric between you and the harsh nature.

Luckily, since the tents are small, you can quickly warm up the entire tent.

• Start early – Avoid waiting till the weather and temperate drops down in the evening. Once you are cold, it will become very tough to get back to the average body temperature. Keep the body warm from the evening.
• An insulated sleeping bag – If you already know the temperature pattern of the camping ground, carry a well-insulated sleeping bag to keep you warm. Invest in a thicker coat for maximum warmth.
• Thermals – Thermals are the easiest way to keep your entire body warm without much effort. Wear the layer under your regular clothes are feel the warmth spreading across the body.
• Down patches or rugs – Down is the most excellent insulator; you can have a down jacket or down blanket under your flooring for instant warming up. If you do not have that, consider using rugs, something is always better than nothing!
• Disposable hear pads – These heat pads would keep you extremely warm, ultimately increasing the tent’s temperature. You can put one inside your jacket and a few under your rug.
• The smaller, the better – Try to squeeze into a tiny tent; this will decrease your chances of getting cold. When you sleep in a giant tent, it becomes difficult to heat the entire area. The smaller the tent, the quicker it will be warm and stay warm by minimizing heat loss.
• Portable heaters – If you are camping with a trusty RV or have any electrical socket nearby, it is advised to take portable heaters. But pay extra attention and avoid using it for longer hours. Never sleep with a portable heater on. This tip indeed is camping 101.

Conclusion

We hope this review article of the best tents for camping was helpful.

If you are planning on a camping trip during winter, make sure to carry extra heating elements to keep you warm and if you are camping in the rainy season, make your tent waterproof as much as you can.

If you are a group or family, try to split into two big tents for an extra comfortable camping experience.

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Jonah Wright

Jonah Wright is the founder of WorldAndI.com and wishes to be your online sherpa for all your travel, hiking, and outdoor adventures. After connecting to nature in his young years, he had an aim to hike all the most challenging treks in the world, which he is achieving one day at a time. When he isn't writing about outdoor content, he schedules his time to meet and be a part of various outdoor communities as much as he can. Jonah lives for the runner's high and feels that nothing can be as pure and lively as that experience.