Kelty added what they call Quick Corners to aid in solo setup. These are essentially pockets on all four corners that make the poles stand erect without needing to hold them. While this seems strange, having only one color to look for versus two is a great simplification that we hope other brands copy. There are a few other tents that scored respectability in this category. If you’ve ever been intrigued by vehicle rooftop tents and think you’re ready to take the plunge, check out the Thule Approach M. This softshell tent attaches to the top of your vehicle via a mounting track. Once you get past the initial installation, setup is a breeze (illustrated in our video below).
Experience the great outdoors intimately with a well-crafted camping tent. Each tent for sale in this selection offers the durability to protect you from the elements and ensure a great trip. They come in a variety of styles, from traditional cabin and dome tents to fun kids’ tents decorated with their favorite characters. Whatever the environment, these tents provide a comfortable place to come back to after an exciting day. Like most dome-style tents, the Wireless 6 withstands wind like a champ—it fared noticeably better than the Camp Creek 6 in 15-mph gusts. The continuous curve of the dome shape allows for wind to pass over and around it.
The tent weighs just 16 pounds, less than any other family tent we tested for this guide. Marmot uses color coding smartly to help you position the tent as well as set it up. Both of the doors zip open to the side that’s color-coded blue, as opposed to zipping open to opposite sides.
Like our couples’ tent pick, the Wireless 6 is a dome-shaped tent with a tried and true two-pole design. It has an interior footprint of 87 square feet, which sleeps four adults on single pads, or two adults and two or three children, and can accommodate a crib. That wasn’t the tallest we encountered—the Eureka Copper Canyon LX 6 and the Alps Mountaineering Camp Creek 6 each topped out at 7 feet—but it’s enough space for most adults to maneuver standing up. The tent comes with a full rain fly that adds two vestibules for storage (each 14 square feet), totaling 115 square feet of livable space—which is fairly generous yet still practical for most campsites.
Surrounded by towering pines and tranquil blue waters, this scenic mountain getaway delivers boundless California adventure. There’s still plenty of time to plan the lake vacation of your dreams, whether you wish to spend time in the Ozark’s, Lake Tahoe, or witness the enchanting waters found in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. As with the Magellan, I had it set up for two months in all weather.
Closer to home, he hikes weekly in the foothills above his home in Utah and has backpacked countless miles in nearly every Western state. The Wireless 6’s drawbacks have mainly to do with material quality. These can be as strong, or even more so, than aluminum poles (especially cheap ones), but they’re always bulkier, heavier, and not as nice to handle. However, the Wireless 6’s poles were the best fiberglass ones we tested—they left no splinters, unlike those on the Camp Creek 6 or the Copper Canyon LX 6.
The best-selling Coleman Sundome 6-Person Tent has a footprint larger (100 square feet) than that of our top-pick tent for families, but it felt smaller because it has a lower ceiling, no vestibule, and only one door. Nevertheless, it still comfortably accommodates four people, and it’s a roomy choice for two. This no-nonsense tent is intuitive to set up, has mesh on the top halves of two walls, includes a partial rain fly that’s easy to put on and stake out, and feels cheery ozark trail instant cabin inside and out. (We don’t recommend the smaller version of this tent for couples who might actually take it on the road; it was just too flimsy in our tests.) Also note that this tent does not come with its own groundsheet. Coleman says that the tent doesn’t need one, probably because its floor is a crinkly (though tough) tarp-like polyethylene, not a taped-seam polyester as in our other picks. This is arguably the most important category when it comes to car camping.
The Ozark Trail 20′ x 10′ Dark Rest Instant Cabin Tent is just what you need to be ready for the camping trip of a lifetime. It sets up in just two minutes and requires no assembly, because the poles are pre-attached to the tent, so all you need to do is just unfold and extend. This cabin-style tent features innovative Dark Rest technology that blocks sunlight, helping you stay cooler and sleep longer. This Ozark Trail 20′ x 10′ Dark Rest Instant Cabin Tent features nine large windows for nice views of the outdoors. The included removable room dividers allow you to create three separate living spaces. The tent comfortably fits four queen air beds or up to 12 campers in sleeping bags on the floor.
The Base Camp tents include a low side vent and multiple stuff pockets on the walls and ceiling, which are made of 75D polyester treated with 1500mm of polyurethane waterproofing. Note that these tents are strictly meant for car camping; the Base Camp 4 and the Base Camp 6 weigh 16 and 21 pounds, respectively, so you won’t want to carry either one very far. Both come with storage sacks that you sling over one shoulder. Coleman makes no dedicated footprints for its tents—the idea being that the polyethylene is tough enough not to need one. (Still, we suggest that you buy a groundsheet.) The tent has two small, internal pockets—fewer than on any of our other picks—and a loop at the ceiling center to hang a small, lightweight light.