Rei Co Op Base Camp 6 Tent

Oftentimes it’s easy to find errors or small manufacturing defects in outdoor gear, but this is not the case with the Base Camp. Perhaps best of all, the 150-denier floor feels more like a tarp and means you won’t necessarily need a footprint. Overall, we think the build quality matches the big $469 price tag, and we expect the Base Camp to hold up nicely over the long haul. Unlike dome-shaped tents, cabin tents have near-vertical walls, allowing most people to walk around without having to hunch. This can make your living space feel more spacious and comfortable, although these tents are better for mild weather, as their tall walls make them vulnerable to wind.

This tent has a beefy floor made of 150-denier coated polyester oxford, a quality rainfly, 75-denier coated polyester taffeta, thick aluminum poles, and all of the seams are seam-sealed. The Kingdom also comes with extra thick long poles and guylines with plastic tensioners. We just wish REI would stop making updates to these tents that are not backward compatible. If you are looking to camp in rainy, windy, or snowy conditions, it’s important to get a tent ready to protect you from the elements. Some rain flys designed for warmer weather camping will let water seep in the sides.

Eureka Nightscape 4 Person Tent

Make sure to pick a good flat campsite, and bring your favorite coffee and meal fixings to make the outdoors feel just like home. When picking the best family tents, we start by considering which products excel in each category, looking into comfort levels, weather capabilities, and other features. We identify a diversity of tents, some perfect for glamping in the backyard and others fit for backcountry travels.

Most of the best cabin tents have two doors, but the Habitude 4 only has one. It does have a generously-sized vestibule, so for couples, this shouldn’t be a problem. Our budget pick is the Coleman Sundome 6, which offers 100 square feet of floor area in a dome-like tent. Guides, or people living for long periods of time at base camps, also often use this size tent with small cots and pieces of camping furniture.

A tunnel-like tent, this shelter is a spacious pick for the whole family and is packed with features such as an adjustable room divider. You get lots of space, quality materials, and good functionality for a higher-than-some but still very reasonable price. The seam-sealed waterproof polyester fly covers three sides of the tent all the way to the ground, and the back door has a waterproof covering. The fly has several popup vents to help with airflow, and should you keep the fly in the bag, the entire roof and about ¼ of the sides are all mesh. Many companies, like REI Co-op, design footprints specifically for each tent, but in all honesty, it doesn’t matter what kind of footprint you get as long as it’s as big as the area of the tent. An employee at REI Co-op once told me to just get an emergency blanket to put under the base of my tent, and — for the much lower price point of $7 — I never went back.

Rei Camping Tents

Just a touch below the Halo is the Base Camp 6, Wawona 6, Sequoia 4, Habitude 4, and the Limestone 4. The Limestone shares many of the same durability characteristics as its bigger brother, the Halo, with slightly skinnier but still very wind-worthy poles, the same great fabric, and the same catch-free zippers. Once you step down into the lower price ranges, things do start to get a little more complicated. That said, we would be remiss if we didn’t give a huge value nod to the Coleman 4-Person Cabin with Instant Setup. This little tent is cheap, sturdy, and a great option to put up with only a moment’s notice. There are six equally dispersed inside pockets, one for everyone, and zillions of all height hang loops, perfect for lights, lanterns, wet clothes and junk using mini carabiners.

One of the nice things about this particular tent is that it is fairly roomy, both in floor space and height. It boasts approximately 84 square feet in floor space, and at its peak, it’s just over six feet. While it is meant for a six-person sleeping area, we found that if you add in equipment, five adults would be the ideal number of occupants. Although the rainfly completely wraps the tent to provide a great deal of privacy and protection from the rain, there are several options for ventilation.

With over 80 square feet of floor area and a peak height over six feet, this tunnel-like tent will feel like a castle indeed. It features an adjustable room divider, and with near vertical walls, it still feels spacious with a full and two twin air mattresses, making this a great pick for family, car camping trips. This tent also features a large vestibule, two large doors, and an endless array of storage pockets. With a partially mesh exterior, this tent has great ventilation and provides ample opportunities for stargazing.

Coleman Sundome Tent

If camping is a new thing or you keep it casual in the summer, a budget tent will serve your needs just fine. That said, we rank the Wonderland higher because it’s more durable, boasts two doors and vestibules , and costs around $60 less. All in all, both are excellent options for families, and a final decision will come down to how you prioritize price, weight, and livability. The North Face can be hit or miss in the camping market, but they have a winner in their Wawona collection.

It’s rated for use in all four seasons but might have a bit of trouble keeping you warm and dry in the harshest winter weather. Essentially aluminum tent poles might bend under the weight of heavy snows, causing the tent to be less than taunt overall. If you know that you’ll be camping in a high snow area, you might want to consider other, more winter friendly options. However, during the rest of the year, you should have no problem using it for shelter during your camping trip or week-long hiking expedition. The sheer size of the tent interior and two vestibules put the Base Camp in the 130+ sq ft usable space arena.

Core 6 Person Instant Cabin Tent

For this metric, we looked at the overall footprint of each tent, including the vestibule space. We checked the height and headroom, doors and windows, and the general airflow with and without the rainfly. A great four-person tent for tall folks, this Eureka shelter has a peak height of seven feet and 64 square feet of floor area. This is an affordable option for mild-weather campers in search of a no-frills tent. It offers great ventilation, with a mesh roof and large zip-up windows, allowing the sun to beam into the tent.

In the budget tents we analyzed — with the exception of the impressive Kelty Wireless 6 — the mesh areas are at least twice as large as the other tents and feel significantly cheaper in quality. Get better poles and be cautious around your mesh, and a budget tent can last you years. We tossed weather, dogs, kids, and a marriage at this tent, and it asked for more. And thanks to the halo design feature, you may just have the biggest tent at camp without looking like you do. The Halo 6 will easily fit two twins and a full blow-up air mattress with room for bags, dogs, and more. And thanks to the beefy poles that easily slide through the dome-style slots and some color-coated assembly help, you and your partner will feel like a team putting this thing up.

The tent also only has one door and no vestibule, limiting the amount of storage space. You’ll also want to stick to warm weather with this one, as the rainfly only partially covers the tent. They typically include better weather protection than their budget counterparts, and they have more durable and higher-quality materials. These can range widely in style, shape, and size, so it’s up to you to find a tent that will fit your specific needs. Whether I’m on a casual car camping one-nighter or a week-long backpacking trip, pitching my tent is one of my favorite parts of the camping experience.

4m 5m 6m Cotton Canvas Bell Tent Waterproof Hunting Camping Yurt Tent Outdoor

Another nice thing about the overall size of the tent is that the vestibule area or area to store your equipment outside the sleeping area is relatively large. The vestibule area on one side is approximately 27 feet, while the smaller one still measures a respectable 17 square feet in size. In most cases, that’s more than enough room for our outdoor equipment, hiking gear, and extra boots.

Floor Area

This extra material sticking out can collect and pool rain water and compromise your waterproof shelter. Ground size can vary widely depending on tent style and capacityIt’s not uncommon for a raised camping pad to be 10 or 11 feet long, which is a tight squeeze for a tent like the REI Wonderland 6 . Typically, however, most locations have large pads available, so we wouldn’t recommend downsizing your tent out of fear of not finding a suitable space.

As the cheapest tent on this list, it certainly doesn’t meet the quality standards of our other options. However, it still does a decent job of providing a comfortable and relatively weatherproof structure for big families or group camping trips. Thanks to the nearly vertical sidewalls and peak height of 73 inches, it’s possible for most people to stand up inside, or at least move around with relative ease.

Rei Dome Camping Tents

The fly extends down to the ground and is attached to the tent with quick release buckles. The front vestibule, extending out far enough with enough height, allows me to sit in my camp chair, stay dry and watch the rain come down. Ventilation was good and the built in pockets allowed me to stay organized.