The 7 Best Camping Tents of 2024 (2024)

Best Overall Camping Tent

The North Face Wawona 6

Inside Height: 6' 4" | Floor Dimensions: 10' x 8' 6" (85 sq ft)

Are you a camper with a hobby? Then this is your camping tent. The North Face Wawona 6, a long-standing favorite in this review, is the perfect basecamp for mountain bikers, rock climbers, anglers, hunters, or anyone packing lots of gear that needs to be protected. Why? The vestibule is like a two-bike garage. The main tent packs an additional 85 square feet, creating a remarkable living space. The Wawona has you covered, and all for a very fair price.

All this space does make a few things less straightforward. Setting up the rain fly and garage in the moderate wind isn't as intuitive as it could be. The North Face went with a pin-and-circle locking mechanism that requires some effort to lock, and because of the height and length of this tent, the guylines are a requirement unless you enjoy watching your tent sail away into the sunset. That said, once it is up, it is massive, comfortable, and withstood some howling winds and rainy nights in Joshua Tree with ease. With some of the best usable space and an excellent price point, the Wawona has been an award winner year after year with good reason. If weather resistance is a key concern, check out the MSR Habitude. It performs better in wind and rain and scores just behind the Wawona, albeit with a lower space and comfort score.

Read more: The North Face Wawona 6 review

Best Bang for Your Buck

REI Co-op Skyward 4

Inside Height: 6' 6" | Floor Dimensions: 8' 4" x 7' 3" (60 sq ft)

The REI Co-op Skyward 4 is the perfect amount of features, space, and ease of use for the money. Some tents cost less, but you sacrifice a lot. Case in point, the Kelty Tallboy 4 will save you money but it also scores lower in every test. With the Skyward, you get a lightweight setup with 6'6" ceilings and a large built-in vestibule (19.5 square feet) with an optional awning. These two things alone provide great family-friendly options. Add in some good storage options and adequate ventilation, and you really can't go wrong with this tent made by a brand well-known for its quality.

Now, this is still an entry-level tent that has its flaws. The rainfly is small and difficult to attach, and the tent is a pain to get back into its storage bag. If you look past these issues and a few other minor ones, you will find a great value tent that will likely outlast other tents in this price range.

Read more: REI Co-op Skyward 4 review

Best 4-Person Tent

MSR Habitude 4

Inside Height: 6' 1" | Floor Dimensions: 7' 11" x 7' 11" (62.4 sq ft)

Are you looking for a spacious and high-quality camping tent but don't want a massive setup? The MSR Habitude 4 is a great choice. This stylish tent is not only light (12 pounds) and compact, but it's also built with top-of-the-line materials and is both tall (6' 1" in the middle) and spacious (62.4 square feet). On top of that, it features unique touches like a porch light, a large vestibule, and great ventilation.

Although there are many positives to the Habitude 4, it isn't perfect. Some flaws include a single door that requires two zippers to open, a light that doesn't come with a battery, and an awkward bag. Those minor things aside, this tent outscored all other 4-person tents in our lineup.

Read more: MSR Habitude 4 review

Best Form and Function

NEMO Aurora Highrise 6

Inside Height: 6' 5" | Floor Dimensions: 8' 4" x 10' (83.3 sq ft)

The Nemo Aurora Highrise 6 is the total package. It packs tons of space and features into a functional, good-looking design. This tent fits a twin mat and two singles with room to spare, and with a max height of 6' 5", you can add jumping jacks to your morning indoor camp routine. But the list keeps going. With dual vestibules and an extra large front door, along with great privacy options and a fun floor design, you will be hard-pressed to find a tent that pairs form and function better.

On the flip side (because every coin has two sides), the Highrise is a bit complicated to set up the first time — though it does get easier as you learn. Still, you'll want two people for the job. We don't love the window design on this model, and ideally, there would be more storage pockets. Perhaps Nemo will address some of these things in a future update, but even if they don't, this is a great tent that we don't foresee you being disappointed with.

Read more: Nemo Aurora Highrise 6 review

Most Versatile

Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3

Inside Height: 4' 0" | Floor Dimensions: 7' 6" x 5' 8" (42.5 sq ft)

The Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3 is the perfect choice for campsites or occasional short backpacking trips. It's also great as a solid backup, sitting in the garage ready to toss into the car with a moment's notice. We pitched it in an impressive 4 min 30 seconds and have improved on that time as we've learned the design. This tent has an all-mesh build for fantastic views, and the fly can be configured in multiple ways, allowing for both scenery and quick protection from the weather at any time.

The included footprint adds additional value to this well-constructed tent. The mesh is 40D polyester, the tub floor is 68D ripstop polyester, and the poles are DAC Pressfit aluminum. The interior square footage is small, but dual vestibules help to keep everything you don't need for sleeping separate. And while very lightweight, you'll sacrifice headroom in the tradeoff. Overall, this tent is small but mighty and a great addition to any campers toolbox, depending on your needs.

Read more: Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3 review

Our Favorite Pop-up Model

Gazelle T4 Hub

Inside Height: 6' 5" | Floor Dimensions: 7' 10" x 7' 10" (61 sq ft)

No assembly required sums up the Gazelle T4 Hub. This tent is so easy to pop into place that the average camper could bypass reading the instructions and still have it fully operational in less than two minutes. The T4 Hub is our favorite instant shelter because it's stable, weatherproof, and full of conveniences. The best thing about this shelter is that it's completely self-contained so that you can say goodbye to bundles of bungee-connected aluminum poles — no more assembling, crisscrossing, bending, or clipping. Instead, to set up the T4, plop it on the ground, pull on each of the four sidewall handles until the wall pops into place, and then lock in the rooftop with a push. We love this tent's removable floor, two large doors, eight massive windows, and seven humongous storage pouches.

The drawbacks of this type of structure are weight and size. The rapid setup and solid stability of the T4 Hub are made possible by thicker fabrics and an intricate pattern of fiberglass poles. The result is a heavier tent (31.6 pounds) and a packed size of nearly six feet in length. In short, transportation and storage are not this tent's strong suits. It also lacks a vestibule feature, and it's a challenge to stuff it back into its duffel bag. However, if you love this tent's unconventional conveniences and simplicity, you won't mind its slight imperfections.

Read more: Gazelle T4 Hub review

Best Rooftop Tent

Thule Approach M

Weight: 128 lbs | Max Inside Height: 40"

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). The interior is spacious, with 40 inches of headroom at the highest point, and there are large windows that are lovely for stargazing. The Approach locks to your rack, which is a nice feature.

We should mention that this style of tent isn't for everyone. You'll need to be prepared to climb up and down a ladder to get in and out of bed, and you'll also need to assess that your vehicle can handle this type of weight on it. If you've taken all this into consideration and you're ready to move forward, the Thule Approach is one of our top recommendations. Our only real complaints are that the rain fly is semi-frustrating (it's hard to access all the snaps to attach it), and there is nowhere to store the tent's cover when you remove it (you'll need to stash it in the trunk or truck bed). Overall, we love the Approach and think it's one of the best rooftop tents on the market. For a great budget model, check out the Smittybilt GEN2 Overlander.

Read more: Thule Approach M review

Compare Products

Why You Should Trust Us

To prepare for this review, we scoured the internet, read personal accounts, and dug into bloggers' and YouTubers' thoughts on the best tents on the market. After selecting the most promising options, we purchased 16 of the best camping tents on the market and got to work. We measured, weighed, and inspected each before carting them to the woods and desert for proper testing. We tested them side-by-side in various Lake Tahoe locations, in the hot and harsh conditions of Joshua Tree National Park, and in the ripping wind of Reno, NV. Our team conducted more than 60 individual tests to help you find the perfect tent to match your needs and budget.

Our in-depth testing process of camping tents breaks down into five rating metrics:

• Space and Comfort (35% of overall score weighting)

• Weather Resistance (25% weighting)

• Ease of Use (15% weighting)

• Family Friendliness (15% weighting)

• Quality (10% weighting)

The center of any great outdoor adventure is basecamp. Having the best camping tent is a crucial part of that (in addition to good food and good people). Our head tester Rob Gaedtke put these tents to the test so that you can choose your next home-away-from-home with confidence. Rob is no stranger to the outdoors or adventure. He has raced across India, done an IronMan in Mexico, and Jeeped through the African safari. He is also a rock climber, backpacker, and avid camper. Over the past 20 years, Rob has set up hundreds of basecamps across various terrain. We took this experience, coupled with a rigorous and detailed testing plan, and got to work finding a diverse set of tents for consideration.

Jason Wanlass, who has spent the last 20 years of his life exploring the outdoors, joins Rob. He is an experienced backpackerwho has trekkedin Iceland, Nepal, France, Switzerland, Slovenia, Argentina, and Chile's Patagonia Region. Closer to home, he hikes weekly in the foothills above his home in Utah and has backpacked countless miles in nearly every Western state. Whether wandering vast U.S. mountain ranges like the Sierras, Tetons, and the Cascades or catching a plane headed for one of the remote corners of the world, Jason knows a thing or two about gear, and he uses his knowledge of backpacking tents to help him pick out the best features of the tents in this review.

Analysis and Test Results

We put these camping tents against the elements, battling kids, wind, dogs, dirt, heat, and a very opinionated husband and wife team. From setup and breakdown to weather resistance and durability to the quality of the space for both hanging out and sleeping, we put these products through a lot to help you find your best match.

Value

Value is all about getting the most tent for the least cash. We like to see a solid balance of performance and price. Generally, when the price goes up in the tent world, so does the performance, though there are some notable exceptions.

A notable contender for value in the 4-person tents goes to the Marmot Limestone 4, which performed well yet still falls slightly lower on the price spectrum. But hands down, the best bang for your buck is the REI Co-op Skyward 4. This tent is the perfect mix of space, height, quality, and ease of use. Another value-packed camping tent is the Kelty Wireless 6. We rarely find a quality 6-person tent at a price point this low.

On the flip side, if you are looking for a small but extremely versatile tent, the Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3 packs tons of value into a little package. Since it serves both short backpacking trips and car camping, the value increases.

Once you step down into the lower price ranges, it gets complicated. 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.

Space and Comfort

This is arguably the most important category when it comes to car camping. When your campsite is only a few yards away from your trunk, a little extra weight in exchange for better comfort and space is an easy choice. 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. And finally, we looked at pockets, clips, and storage options.

Let's dive into The North Face Wawona 6 first. When you combine the spacious and tall interior (6' 6" max height and 85 square feet of floor space) with the large double-doored vestibule (and additional 44.7 square feet), you have a comfortable masterpiece. The new design also allows the Wawona to be used without the vestibule, adding a great option for warm-weather camping. We also love the tall, full-sized door feature that allows you to enter without ducking.

The Nemo Aurora Highrise 6 also receives great marks here. With 83.3 square feet of floor and a super tall interior measuring 6' 5" plus two vestibules, this tent can provide both space and comfort for a family of four, all sleeping on air mattresses. The overall pocket count could be better, but it is adequate, and there are many hanging options.

There are a few other tents that scored respectability in this category. The Big Agnes Bunk House 6 has a max height of 6' 9" and offers a unique shelter option giving you more versatility. But the tallest tent in our lineup is the Eureka Copper Canyon LX 6 with a 7' tall clearance. And, thanks to the near-vertical sidewalls, that height isn't just in the center.

We don't often see a 4-person tent score so high in this category, let alone two. The MSR Habitude 4 and REI Co-op Skyward 4 both have just enough room, features, and comforts to rise to the top. The Habitude offers 62.4 square feet of floor space, a perfectly sized vestibule, and seven pockets, making this tent worth a look for those not interested in setups for 6+ people. The Skyward has a 6' 6" height profile and a larger-than-normal, built-in vestibule.

Although it earned fairly low scores across the board, we did like one unique feature of the Coleman Camp Burst Dark Room 4. In this metric, we certainly focused on how many people a tent would sleep, but we also considered any special features that made each tent stand out from the rest. In the case of the Dark Room, its name says it all. The walls of this tent are completely blacked out. And, when the optional rain fly is affixed, there is almost no light at all.

Both the Big Agnes Bunk House 6 and The North Face Wawona 6 have massive outside storage areas. These tents offer great storage and covered cooking and cleaning stations, and they are plenty big enough to handle loads of gear.

Weather Resistance

Getting wet, poles breaking in the wind, and roasting in the hot sun. These are all deal-breakers when camping, especially if you have children. So for the weather resistance category, we considered all of the following: hot day options, cold day options, rainfly coverage, aerodynamic-ness, stakes, poles, and guylines. We tested these in a mix of real-world situations and fabricated ones, thanks to a sprinkler rig and backpack blower. We got these tents hot, cold, wet, and winded. Here is how they stood up.

We put the Marmot Limestone 4 up against the wicked hot days of the southern California desert and the windy nights of Reno, NV. Its shape held up perfectly to both, and the full-covered rainfly kept everything dry. Two extra poles on the tent's roof add just enough extra height to feel open without turning it into a flat-walled sail.

Breaking the dome shape mold but still scoring top points are the MSR Habitude 4 and Snow Peak Alpha Breeze. Thd Habitude is very capable in both hot and cold weather. And while a touch on the broadside, the included guylines and slanted vestibule face make this tent very wind worthy. The Alpha Breeze sports thick canvas and a robust A-frame-inspired design — features made to handle the elements with ease. It also has super thick poles, metal guylines, and a whopping 20 stakes. Bad weather, watch out.

Several other tents scored among the best in the weather resistance category. The Wawona 6 rainfly only covers the side mesh a little bit, allowing for moisture to sneak through in windy situations, but it remains a burly tent in every other way. One of the more surprising tents to score so well in this category is the very tall REI Co-op Wonderland 4. Thanks to a ridiculous amount of stakes and guylines, this tent holds strong in bad weather, and with the large mesh top and large side vents, the tent breaths quite well.

Ease of Use

Setting up and tearing down camp can make or break your trip. We have all been there, rolling into camp at 11 pm, tired and ready to relax — the last thing you want is a fight with your tent or your partner about the tent. We took one for the team here and got the frustration out so you can be prepared. We also noted whether each tent easily fit back into its bag, the total packed size, and the packed weight.

Before digging in further, we should point out that any tent you pitch enough times will get easier. However, we made it a point to judge the first pitch, as many folks only use their tent once or twice a year, and who knows what you will and won't remember after most of a year has passed. Especially if you happened to throw out the directions.

The Coleman 4-Person Cabin with Instant Setup scored the highest here. This thing went up in under 60-seconds and came down nearly as fast. But ease of use isn't just about setup and tear down — we took one point away here due to its weight being on the heavy side for a small 4-person tent and the struggle required to fit the tent back in the bag. We also hope the mechanisms that make this tent so quick to set up stay smooth and easy to use over time. But if you're looking for a camping tent you can toss up after a few beers or in the dark, check this one out.

The Gazelle T4 Hub sets up even faster than the Coleman Instant. In fact, some of our testers had it pitched in under 40 seconds, making it the easiest tent to set up on our list. However, in this metric, we also considered weight and packed size, and this is where the Gazelle T4 falls behind a bit, as it's the heaviest tent in our lineup and it has one of the largest packed sizes. But, when graded solely on its ease of setup and many convenient accessories, the T4 scores very well and is very easy to use.

The Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3 not only went up fast but also was a snap to tear down and get back into the bag. Add to that the simple fly deploy, perfectly sized bag, and intuitive center clip, and you have a hassle-free tent. While not our favorite, the hub also allows for easy solo pitching. It's the only 3-person tent in our lineup and weighs in at only 7.1 pounds for the full package with a trail weight of 6.2 pounds — this tent is light enough to trek a few miles into the wild.

Another notable tent here is the Marmot Tungsten 4. Pitching this tent garnered one of our fastest times, and at just 7.9 pounds, this is the second lightest tent in our review. A large carry bag allows your fold and roll to be less than perfect when you just want to get on the road, and excellent design elements such as color-coded poles and clips are the icing on the cake.

We would be remiss if we didn't share two features of the Kelty Wireless 6 that speak directly to ease of use. 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. They also have just a single side color-coded. While this seems strange, having only one color to look for versus two is a great simplification that we hope other brands copy.

While this category of tents is focused mainly on car camping, weight still factors into the equation. Lugging a heavy tent across a field or a few campsites away can add up when you are hauling over 20 pounds.

Family Friendliness

Family Friendliness doesn't just mean actual family. It begs the question, how useful is the tent for a small group? Will it fit two dogs and a friend or three and still be comfortable? We looked at how comfortably each tent could fit at least four people, whether it had phone/jewelry storage options, if it provides a space to clean your feet before entering, if there are multiple room options for privacy, and if it is dog/animal friendly — among other things. Though some of these aspects fall under other categories, we felt it was important to our readers to look at them again but with this viewpoint in mind.

The North Face Wawona 6 checks most of the family-friendly boxes, easily sleeping a family of four with great height, storage, and covered outside space. Because of the large, tall vestibule, we were able to set up a camp shower for a quick rinse after a sweaty day of climbing. Just remember not to ask your kids to take the fly off, as the locking mechanism requires some serious force to get out.

The Nemo Aurora Highrise 6 is another fantastic family-friendly camping tent with a little funky style. The super high ceiling, large footprint, and dual vestibules give this tent plenty of room and options for everyone.

The Kelty Wireless 6 fits two adults, two kids, and two dogs comfortably inside, and the dual vestibules allow for even more storage and organization. Add in the ease of setup, a nice carry bag, and wonderful star-gazing capabilities, and you have a solid tent. And given the bargain price of the Wireless 6, it's hard to pass it up.

Typically this section is reserved for larger 6-person tents; however, the REI Skyward 4 and Marmot Tungsten 4 both packed enough family-friendly features to make the cut. If you are looking for a smaller, lighter alternative to a 6-person tent that can still handle a family, these are two great tents to explore.

Quality

For this metric, we looked at the materials used, the general feel of the poles and stakes, and details like how the stitching and seams are constructed. We also tap into our experience and knowledge to judge overall quality and potential long-term durability. But let's face it, when it comes to buying long-lasting gear these days, the age-old saying does hold: you get what you pay for.

The MSR Habitude 4 checks every box for quality materials. From the 7000-series aluminum poles to the DWR 68D polyester taffeta on the floor — everything down to the guyline tighteners is top-notch. The only complaint you will have in the quality department is the included porch light and bag, but these are minor issues.

The Wawona 6 is a long-standing champ in our review for many reasons, not least of which is how well it has withstood the test of time. The main tent is made out of 150D polyester taffeta, the floor out of 68D polyester, and the poles are DAC MX — strong and light. And, of course, all seams are seam-sealed with a tub-style floor.

Several of our tents scored high in this category, but one worth calling out is the Snow Peak Alpha Breeze. This tent has a 300D fire-resistant PU-coated Oxford polyester floor, crazy thick poles, metal guylines, smooth zippers, soft pole sleeves… the list just keeps going.

For anyone hoping to set up something with feet inside the tent (like a cot or small table) without puncturing the floor, the Marmot Limestone 4 and Coleman Instant Setup sport 150D polyester material floors.

If you are looking for a budget camping tent, the single best upgrade to your durability is swapping out the fiberglass poles and getting a set of aluminum ones. Poles and mesh are where the budget tents fail. Except for the impressive Kelty Wireless 6, the mesh areas on the budget tents we reviewed 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 for years.

Conclusion

A camping tent is the most important item you will buy when it comes to camping, so picking the right one is key to a successful adventure. Think about the type of camping you intend to do and what you find most important in a shelter. Innovations are happening all the time, so if there's a feature you want, you'll likely be able to find it. Now, go get yourself a tent and get outside!