When you’re about to pick among the best camping tents, you’ll have a lot to consider that’s influenced by how, where and when you camp. The pack weight is affected by your sleeping bag, your shelter and your pack itself; which makes it very important to invest in a lightweight tent. Below are the top 10 best camping tents with different sizes, constructions, weights and features. While each camper tends to have specific needs, a double-wall, three-season, freestanding tent will work well for most situations.
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What to Look For
Single Wall vs. Double Wall
This is the most basic question. In a Double Wall tent, the first “wall” is the tent body, while the second “wall” is the rain fly. This provides greater versatility and comfort. On hot nights, you can leave fly which ensures greater ventilation and makes it cooler inside the tent. When it’s raining, use the rain fly which will provide weather protection as well as warmth. Single wall tents combine both the walls together into one fabric and is such opted by mountaineers and alpinists due to their lighter weight and smaller packed volume. Single walled tents, however, aren’t versatile and have condensation problems inside the tent.
Three Seasons vs. Four Seasons
For extreme environments, the four-season tent would be the answer. These tents can be used all year round. These are heavier with burlier poles. The three season tents are suitable for most weathers and seasons and generally opted by car campers and backpackers alike.
Weight
A common saying in the outdoor industry is “Light is Right”. Usually, Campers would opt for everything Lightweight; there is a close line between lightweight materials and durability. There are also Ultralight tents in the market that offer the best weight-to-comfort ratio. These use delicate fabrics and have minimal features to ensure the weight is ultra lightest.
Bivouac
It’s a cocoon for your sleeping bag. It’s the lightest option available, but may not be for everyone. It isn’t the most comfortable but offers protection from the elements.
Apart from all the above listed, you may also want to keep in mind interior storage, ventilation and the number of doors in the tent.
10 Best Camping Tents of Different Sizes
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ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 4
The lightweight, freestanding ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 4 Tent shelters you and 3 friends. It provides great ventilation & breathability. It has a seam-sealed fly.
Dimensions - 26 x 12 x 8 inches
Material Type - 75D 185t polyester
Number of Doors - 2
Occupancy - 4
Size - 7'6"x 8'6"
Pros
- The pole is freestanding with an easy setup
- The fly is Urethane-coated polyester that resists water and UV damage
- Comes with 2 Vestibules for ample gear storage and Gear loft and internal mesh pockets help in storing smaller gear off the floor
Cons
- - - -
Look no further with the ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 4 Tent, you’ll be surprised at its durability and versatility!
The North Face Talus 4
It’s lightweight and doesn’t compromise on durability or features. This weighs under 7 pounds and makes it Superlight. It comes with waterproof polyurethane and fully taped coating for the fly and floor and the canopy has polyester mesh panels for ventilation as well providing a great view of the stars when the weather's nice.
Dimensions - 50 x 90.16 x 79.92 inches
Material Type - [fly] 75D polyester, [canopy] 68D polyester, [floor] 70D nylon
Number of Doors - 2
Occupancy - 4
Size - 8.5 x 26 in
Pros
- Maximized interior space
- Comes with a fully seam-taped canopy and floor
- DAC feather light NSL poles
- Interior pockets
Cons
- - - -
This is great when you have kids who are not ready to have their own tents yet! The North Face Talus 4 Tent provides the ultimate camping experience or backpacking performance.
Coleman 8-Person Red Canyon
It’s a tent that can accommodate up to 8 campers. You can bring your entire house with you on a weekend camping trip with the Coleman 8-Person Red Canyon Tent. It has room dividers allowing you to create three separate rooms. Easy setup with the shock-corded poles. It comes with a Cool-Air port and Variflo adjustable venting system enabling you to adjust airflow.
Dimensions - 10.2 x 11 x 25.6 inches
Material Type - Coleman Weathertec system
Occupancy - 7 to 8
Size - 204" L x 120" W x 72" H
Weight - 21.5 pounds
Pros
- Room dividers (up to 3)
- Weathertec System guarantees to keep dry from unexpected wet weather
- Shock-corded poles make tent setup easy
- The seams on the floor are reversed to prevent water from seeping through the floor
- The welding technology gives the floor additional strength
Cons
- - - -
The Coleman 8-Person Red Canyon tent is waterproof, durable, affordable and spacious. It performs extremely well in various weather conditions. It’s easy to assemble & thus making it easy to set up and set down the tent.
Nemo Losi LS 2P
This is the updated version of the Losi tent. The Nemo Losi LS 2P Backpacking Tent reduces 1 lb. of weight & yet offers the ultimate in durability, 3-season, 3-person, livability and packability in the wilderness. This is the perfect Adventure Anywhere tent. The easy to use roll up and style stuff sack helps to organize and carry all of your tent's parts and accessories.
Dimensions - 7.9 x 8.6 x 12.6 inches
Material Type - Body- 15D Nylon Ripstop , Floor- 40D PU Nylon Ripstop (1500mm)
Doors - 2
Size - 23 x 7 inches
Weight - 5 lbs. 13 oz.
Pros
- Pole setup is easy due to symmetrical pole structure; ridge poles terminate above the ground to provide nearly vertical walls on all sides of the tent, increasing livable space
- Jake's Foot "ball-and-socket” corner anchor system locks poles in place, making 1-person setup a breeze and improving fabric tension
- Has a roll-up stuff sack, stakes, guyout cord and repair kit
- DAC Featherlite NSL poles with durable press-fit connections and lightweight hubs are light
Cons
- - - -
NEMO's bestselling tent just got even better. It gives 3 campers a lot of space to spread out without weighing down anyone's backpack unnecessarily.
Sierra Designs Flash 2
Sierra Designs Flash 2 Tent is for those couples looking to hit the hills for a hike or an extended excursion through the wilderness. This is surprisingly sturdy and reliable 3-season tent for this price. When it’s warmer, the mesh hybrid walls provide additional airflow through all sides of the tent. The front door is wide enough for two people to sit side by side.
Dimensions - 43 x 50 x 86 inches
Material Type - Nylon
Doors - 2
Occupancy - 2
Weight - 5.36 pounds
Pros
- Comes with an awning design that surpasses the vestibule, making this a lighter, smarter form of weather protection at the tent entrance
- It’s bigger and lighter hybrid design, that maximizes space efficiently- reducing redundant material, making more room in the tent
- Maximum airflow through all sides of the tent provided by the mesh hybrid walls
- The wide drop door design makes it easy for two to sit side by side
Cons
- Repacking is difficult
- Small vestibules
Just the perfect tent for two! It’s a fusion of luxury and lightweight coming together. It’s easy to setup and has more room inside than many other 2-person tents.
MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2
MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person Backpacking Tent feels as light and efficient to use as it does to carry. It packs down to nothing, weighing just over three pounds. It has vents on all four sides of the tent creating a nice cross breeze to help air out.
Dimensions - 39 x 50 x 84 inches
Material Type - 20-denier ripstop nylon / 15-denier nylon mesh
Doors - 2
Occupancy - 2
Size - 29 sq ft of floor space
Weight - 2 lbs 10 oz / 1.19 kg
Pros
- Durable high-tenacity nylon fabrics
- Rainfly kickstand vent
- Compression stuff sack with pull handle
- Durashield™ - coated rainfly and bathtub-style floor
- Side entry zipper orientation
- Large, easy-entry D-shaped StayDry™ door and vestibule
Cons
- No loft pocket
- Not enough guy lines or stakes included
This tent redefines lightweight with its optimized, symmetrical geometry and non-tapered floor that helps to maximize space and integrated, adjustable stake-out loops that make setup easy and quick. MSR has gone to great lengths to lighten up this classic tent, including all new fabrics and painstaking attention to detail.
Marmot Limestone 6
The Marmot Limestone 6 is an all-rounder when it comes to weather endurance; pretty comfortable for the amount of storm resistance, in hot days it keeps you cool and ventilated & keeps you warm and dry when a random storm hits. The assembly is very simple and can be setup in minutes; the interiors look roomy and inviting to rest after a long day out. This is great for spontaneous camping trips , this tent is an obvious choice.
Dimensions - 30 x 12 x 11 inches
Doors - 2
Occupancy - 6
Material Type - [fly] 68D polyester ripstop, PU coating (1800mm), [canopy] 40D polyester no-see-um mesh, 70D polyester taffeta, [sidewall] 75D polyester taffeta, PU coating (2000mm), [floor] 150D nylon, PU coating (3000mm)
Size - 9.75 x 28 in
Weight - 17lbs 13 oz
Pros
- Setup is very easy
- Doormat is removable
- Lots of attachment points
- Easy pole clip
- Good ventilation and reflective at nights
- Full coverage fly & two D-shaped doors with two vestibules for coverage
- Heavyweight Oxford 150D floor
Cons
- Lightweight poles may bend easily
- Gear lofts become saggy with stuff in them
- Not a lot of pockets
This is your go to tent if you are looking for a quick and easy setup & that you can just toss in the trunk for those spontaneous camping excursions. Works great if you just need a good-sized comfortable tent for your friends and family, then this is for you.
Eureka Tetragon 8
It’s a 2-room tent & has 2 doors; the zippered room divider is removable so you can have 1 or 2 rooms. It has excellent weather protection with the double-coated StormShield polyester fly and the polyester bathtub floor. The Eureka Tetragon 8 comes with 4 windows that provide great views and wonderful ventilation. The Shockcorded fiberglass frame sets up easily & is very sturdy and stable.
Dimensions - 9 x 9 x 32 inches
Doors - 2
Occupancy - 8
Material Type - Floor: 75D 210T polyester taffeta, 800 mm coated; Rainfly: 75D 185T polyester taffeta, 800 mm coated; Main tent: 75D 185T polyester taffeta, 800 mm coated
Size - 8 x 30 in
Weight - 26.1 pounds
Pros
- Easy setup
- Removable dividers
- Big plastic stakes
- Gear loft
- Plenty of pockets
Cons
- Floating rain fly poles
- Lacks standing room due to dome shape
This is recommended for those who are on a budget and need their entire family to fit comfortably in a tent. The tent is pretty durable for its price.
Big Agnes Flying Diamond
Weather all-rounder, thanks to the sturdy shelter construction. This Big Agnes Flying Diamond 8 has an occupancy of 8 people. The tent makes it possible for you to go camping with your big family or gang of friends whenever you want. A huge plus of this tent is the carrying bag that makes it easy to pack up and saves you time and your sanity; you don’t need to wrestle your tent into a stuff bag that it came with.
Dimensions - 9 96 x 175 x 115 inches
Doors - 2
Occupancy - 8
Size - 8 x 16 x 27
Material Type - Aluminum/Nylon/Plastic
Weight - 27lbs 12oz
Pros
- Plenty of space to stretch out and relax
- Huge versatile vestibule
- Lightweight poles
- Zippered internal door
- East to pack away
- Great ventilation, good in windy weather
- Big pockets to stuff the material
Cons
- Small tent stakes bend easily
- Could have better color schemes
Big Agnes put a lot of workmanship into this tent. The top is designed in such a way that with the rain fly off you can see the stars through cool mesh windows & in the heat of the day you will be able to pitch up the vestibule to create a sun shade in front of the doors.
Coleman 6-Person Instant Tent
While camping, no one wants to waste time in pitching a tent. Most tents would take up about 10-15 minutes but the Coleman 6-Person Instant Tent takes all of 60 seconds! This is with the help of the single frame pre-built system. The poles come pre-attached which makes the assembling and setup so quick and easy.
Dimensions - 72.01 x 107.99 x 120 inches
Material Type - 150D polyester Coated
Doors - 1
Occupancy - 6
Weight - 37.7 lbs
Pros
- Fastest and easy to setup- pre-assembled poles
- Inexpensive & lightweight
- Durable floor
- Spacious interior has room for 2 queen airbeds
- Illumining reflective guy lines for greater visibility in the dark
Cons
- No Rainfly
- Hard to keep doors taut
- Vents on top don't seal very well in rain & can be bad in winds
It is comfortable, roomy & spacious with big windows that allow you to sit inside on a hot day to escape the sun and not overheat. The time of setup makes this a winner as you would probably want to use that time to enjoy with your friends and family and less time wrestling with a tent setup, which can leave you in a bad mood.
Conclusion
Camping tents come in all shapes and sizes and vary with their functions. The right one for you will not necessarily be the right one for someone else. All the above featured tents have been tried and tested and have been picked by the campers themselves. Pick the one that best suits your needs and your pocket!