When it comes down to it, choosing the right camping tent isn’t about choosing the one with the most features or the biggest price tag—it’s about choosing the one that meets your needs. Going for a weekend glamp with the fam? Looking for a seriously insulated winter shelter? Planning a thru-hike on a shoestring budget? Each unique use case has a unique solution – and we’ve got them here. Unless you’re set on backpacking trips, then we recommend you check out our guide on the Best Backpacking Tents.
In this article, we present you with the best camping tents for 11 styles of outdoor adventures. Our pick for best overall camping tent in 2023 goes to the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL Solution Dye 2-Person Tent; its ultralight design, durable & eco-friendly construction, spacious interior, and reasonable price point make it a versatile camping tent option across a wide array of activities.
THE BEST CAMPING TENTS REVIEWED
Product Name
- Excellent in wet and windy conditions
- Good ventilation
- Retains warmth in cold conditions
- Extremely durable
BEST OVERALL CAMPING TENT
Big Agnes has been kicking grass for over 20 years and their Tiger Wall UL Solution Dye 2-Person Tent is no exception. It marks a crossroads between weight, comfort, durability, and price. For its unmatched performance in all these categories, it ranks as our number one choice for best camping tent in 2023.
This 3-season, 2-door, 2-vestibule tent boasts a trail weight of 2lbs 3oz (1.05kg) and a fast fly weight of 1lb 11oz (756g). Despite its ultralight construction, the tent floor of the Tiger Wall UL can comfortably accommodate two average-sized adults with all their hiking gear.
You may also be wondering what “Solution Dye'' refers to in the latest iteration of this tent. It has to do with a refined manufacturing process, resulting in greater UV-resistance and a huge reduction in waste byproducts. In fact, according to the company, some of the advantages of solution-dyed fabrics include a 50% decrease in water required, 80% decrease in energy required, and 80% decrease in chemicals used.
Price: 0.00$
Pros
- Ultralight
- Eco-friendly
- Durable
- Versatile
- Price
Cons
- Not suitable for winter camping
Brand Name | Product Type
BEST BUDGET CAMPING TENT
If you’re looking for value, look no further than the Coleman Dark Room Skydome 4-Person Camping Tent. While it doesn’t boast many of the finer features of our other top picks, the Skydome makes for a no-frills shelter that’s both reliable and durable.
The Dark Room Skydome excels in wet and windy conditions. Coleman's exclusive WeatherTec System will keep you and your gear dry, while taped seams resist leaks. Set-up and take-down are fast and simple.
While the Skydome is by no means lightweight, it offers 20% more head room thanks to its near-vertical walls. This is a good choice for smaller families on car camping trips, especially in damp conditions. It’s also great for new or casual campers to explore the joys of an outdoor lifestyle.
Price: 0.00$
Pros
- Excellent for wet & windy conditions
- Easy set-up
- Spacious interior
- Great value
Cons
- Packs large
- Heavy for backpacking
- No frills
Brand Name | Product Type
BEST four PERSON TENT
If you love the Great Outdoors, but prefer the Great Indoors while sleeping, Big Agnes' Spicer Peak 4 is the perfect camping tent for you. is a good choice. A 3-season, freestanding, double-wall tent for car camping, trailhead campgrounds, or long weekends on the river, this is a 4-person tent built for when camping with comfort and room to spread out is a priority.
Featuring two large doors and two vestibules, plus plenty of mesh for ventilation on hot summer nights, Spicer Peak tents make the ideal base camp for all your family front country adventures.
Reviewers say it's easy to set up, and understandably so, with its pressfit aluminum pole set that attaches to tent body with plastic clips and sleeves. At 11lbs, however, this is definitely not the tent you’d want on a serious hiking trip. It’s best suited for car camping, or as a basecamp from which to explore the surrounding area and return to at night.
Price: 0.00$
Pros
- Spacious interior/vestibules
- Well-ventilated
- Easy setup
- Many interior pockets
Cons
- Cumbersome for backpacking
- Weight
Brand Name | Product Type
BEST BACKPACKING TENT
From weekend treks to six-month thru-hikes, the Marmot Tungsten 1-Person Tent is perfect for serious trail junkies. Its packed weight comes in at 3 lbs 8oz (1600g). What's more, shorter folded pole length makes it easier to fit it into your pack for bikepacking or kayak trips.
Clever engineering and strategic clip placement give you lots of headroom in case you need to retreat to your tent with a book when the bugs come out. Durable and spacious for a 1P tent, it goes together with a few snaps for easy setup.
As expected with ultralight designs, elements of comfort are sacrificed in the name of weight-savings. While the Tungsten 1 does a good job of withstanding downpours and strong gusts, internal condensation can occur, so expect a few ceiling drips on especially rainy nights.
Hikers who subscribe to the axiom “every ounce counts” will quickly find that the Tungsten 1 fits the bill as a perfect 3-season backpacking companion. Oh, and as a bonus, a footprint comes included.
Price: 0.00$
Pros
- Lightweight
- Packs small
- Easy set-up
- Spacious for a 1 person tent
Cons
- No frills
Brand Name | Product Type
BEST CAR CAMPING TENT
The Marmot Halo 6 Person Tent is an excellent choice for those who want to see everything the great outdoors can offer - on four wheels. It's the best car camping tent for your next car camping adventure from East to West and North to South.
The innovative Halo pole structure provides terrific head room to create a uniquely livable tent for family car camping and outdoor living. Some of its user-friendly features include colour-coded "Easy Pitch" clips and poles, plus interior pockets for small gear organization.
You can rely on it also to stay dry, with its seam-taped, full coverage fly with vents, and its seam-taped catenary-cut tent floor. Reviewers have also said that there was minimal condensation, even on quite chilly nights.
Price: 0.00$
Pros
- Great ventilation
- Keeps you dry
- Spacious
Cons
- Packs large
- Doesn’t include footprint
Brand Name | Product Type
BEST TENT FOR FAMILIES
The Eureka Northern Breeze 10 Tent is the condominium of family tents. For its size, it’s eminently stylish, innovative, and modern—without being clunky. This latter fact is thanks to its lightweight aluminium frame. Two massive doors ensure accessible entry and great ventilation. And, between the many stash pockets, you’ll have no need to quarrel with your siblings over closet space.
Not only is it wide enough to comfortably accommodate 10 family members, but its 2.3m height (7ft 8”) allows everyone to perform daily sun salutations with room to spare. What’s more, the floor measures a generous 9.6m² (100 sq ft). Finally, each of the four faces of the tent features a flap that doubles as a sun awning. One awning pole set included.
Due to its size, the Northern Breeze 10 is strictly reserved for front-country or car camping—not serious backcountry excursions. Simply put, this is something best stored in the trunk of your car and not on your back. Also available in a 12-person version.
Price: 0.00$
Pros
- Spacious
- Ample storage
- Thoughtfully designed
- Quick set-up and take-down
Cons
- Heavy
- Packs large
Brand Name | Product Type
BEST GLAMPING TENT
Ah, glamping—the Great Outdoors with an urban twist. If you’d like to get back to nature without sacrificing too many creature comforts, then the Coleman Sunlodge 10-Person Camping Tent is for you. With a maximum height of 6.6 feet and enough floor space to fit three queen-size airbeds, the Sunlodge is a hybrid between tent and cottage.
Of course, this behemoth is not suited for long treks into the woods. It is, however, a great choice for frontcountry and car camping, or even as a festival shelter.
Price: 0.00$
Pros
- Perfect for urbanists
- More spacious than a Tokyo apartment
- Intuitive set-up
- E-port for extension cord
Cons
- Heavy
- Packs large
Brand Name | Product Type
BEST WATER-RESISTANT TENT
What’s worse than hiking in a storm? Being stuck in a flooded, soaked, and dripping tent. In humid places like the Pacific Northwest and East Coast, damp and humid conditions are the norm, not the exception. For these conditions, we’ve found that the MSR FreeLite 1 is the best solution.
When held captive by a downpour a dry, well-ventilated, and spacious tent are the three most important criteria. On every front, the FreeLite 1 delivers with its Xtreme Shield™ waterproof-coated rainfly and floor. It also features an easy, semi-freestanding set-up, micromesh ventilation, and Syclone poles made of aerospace composite materials that resist breaking in fierce winds. Besides all that, it also happens to be MSR’s lightest freestanding 1-person tent.
Price: 0.00$
Pros
- Excellent in wet and windy conditions
- Very spacious
- Durable
- Packable and ultra-light
- Easy set-up
Cons
- Lacks storage options
- Requires more stakes
Brand Name | Product Type
BEST BEACH TENT
Forget the woods—time to hit the beach. The North Face Wawona Tent 6P is an excellent choice for coastal camping and so simple it deservedly slips into our best camping tents roundup.
The new hybrid double-wall construction combined with the large mesh door make for exceptional ventilation on hot afternoons. At night, you can socialize comfortably without opening your tent to unwanted guests (looking at you mosquitoes).
The spacious interior boasts an ample standing room and a floor area of 58 ft² (5.4 m²). Meanwhile, the massive vestibule and internal storage pockets are large enough to hold all your essentials. This tent is best suited to beach camping easily accessible by car.
Is 6 people too much of a crowd for you? Well, luckily, if you run with a smaller crew, the the Wawona 4 person tent is perfect for you camping needs.
Price: 0.00$
Pros
- Great ventilation
- Great views
- Spacious
- Easy set-up
Cons
- Heavy
- Packs large
Brand Name | Product Type
BEST WINTER CAMPING TENT
What happens when you combine Mountain Hardwear’s lightweight backpacking tents with their four-season expedition tents? You get the ACI Tent. It is a bastion of comfort and security amidst the unforgiving conditions of the alpine realm.
Tried and tested, Mountain Hardwear has spent 20 years perfecting this tent for your winter adventuring. The ACI Tent is fully snow and watertight and an integrated vestibule provides adjoining storage and food prep area outside of main living space, making it easier that ever to take the security and comfort of home 8,000 meters up. Weight is 7 lbs, which is quite heavy for summer, but impressive for a four-season tent.
The ACI Tent is standard issue for those who aren't afraid of cold weather. It’s perfect for wintry weekend hiking in the woods or a late-fall climbing trip.
Price: 0.00$
Pros
- Warm
- Sturdy
- Lots of organizational space
- Reflective
Cons
- Tight fit for two
- Condensation
- Weight
- Not great in warmer weather
Brand Name | Product Type
BEST KITCHEN TENT
You pick a random weekend months in advance to book a camping trip...then when it finally comes, the forecast calls for drizzle. Is there anything worse?
Sure, it's disappointing - but as long as you can still enjoy your "home" cooked camping meals, you'll barely notice it. In this case, "home" is where the kitchen tent is.
Shielding you from passing rain and providing shade when the sun is all too powerful, the Eureka NoBug Screenhouse is a must-have car camping companion. And of course, it's in the name that it also makes for the ideal escape from pesky bugs.
It features double zipper doors, a rugged, free-standing, powder coated steel frame, and no-see-um mesh that provides plenty of ventilation while defending against the tiniest critters.
Price: 0.00$
Pros
- Shields you from bugs
- Water-resistant
- Easy to assemble
Cons
- Not ideal for smaller camping sites when you also have a tent to sleep in
Brand Name | Product Type
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST CAMPING TENT
When shopping for the best camping tents, there are certain specs that separate the good from the bad and from the ugly. Once you know what kind of camping you’ll be doing, you should pay attention to the following factors. We offer you a quick guide here, but if you want all the intel, refer to this handy guide on how to choose your camping tent.
Size
As a rule of thumb, the advertised number of people that can fit in a tent tends to be optimistic. If you’re looking for a spacious two-person tent, it’s a good idea to go with a three-person model. Likewise, a one-person tent is great for devoted ultralighters, but the average solo camper will have more room to move and store gear with a two-person model.
Weight
Today, big brands have been able to market ultralight gear thanks to cutting-edge fabrics that remain strong and durable, despite their impressively light weight. This means modern ultralighters needn’t sacrifice comfort in the pursuit of a lighter pack.
Keep in mind, however, that weight savings aren’t always key—especially for the price. For car campers and glampers, it’s wise to put that money towards a more spacious and decked-out shelter. Likewise, winter campers should consider warmth before weight savings.
Pro tip: To lighten your tent, consider purchasing after-market tent stakes made of lightweight metals like carbon or titanium, instead of traditional aluminum or steel.
Materials
Gone are the days of heavy canvas and leather. Today, most tents are made from some sort of ripstop nylon or polyester. Ripstop refers to a thick grid pattern sewn into the fabric that prevents small abrasions from becoming full-on tears. Polyester itself is a category referring to various blends of synthetic material. It’s known to be fast-drying, weather-resistant, and more durable when compared to nylon.
Nylon, on the other hand, is a softer and lighter option. For tents, it’s often blended with silicone to create silnylon, a fabric that maintains its softness and weight, while improving its resistance to tears and weather. In general, most tent fabrics are treated with some kind of water-repellent coating—Durable Water Repellent (DWR), silicone, and polyurethane are among the most popular. Waterproof coatings may also be added.
When reading a list of tent materials, you’ll commonly see the word denier, sometimes denoted as ‘D’. Denier is a unit of measurement for textiles. It refers to a particular fabric’s thickness—the greater the number, the thicker, heavier, and more durable the fabric tends to be. A higher denier is recommended for car camping, glamping, and festivals, while a lower denier will appeal to ultralighters.
Use
CAR CAMPING
Car camping means you won’t be physically hauling your gear for long or grueling distances, so focus on choosing a spacious and comfortable tent as opposed to one that’s compact and ultralight. Vestibules, drying lines, and mesh pockets are all great features to keep your space organized.
BACKPACKING
Weight is key here. If you plan on spending more time hiking than sitting around a campfire, choose one of the best camping tents that’s compact and portable at the expense of frills and features. Something easy to set-up and takedown is definitely a plus.
MOUNTAINEERING
A good mountaineering tent needs to keep you safe while withstanding the elements. High-quality materials are a must—they should be especially durable and waterproof. In order to increase stability, the frame of a mountaineering tent is heavier than that of a traditional backpacking tent.
Features
VESTIBULE
A vestibule lets you store gear under an awning created by the rainfly and the external wall of your tent. Vestibules are useful if you have a lot of gear, are sharing a tent, or are hiking in damp and humid conditions. In the latter case, vestibules allow your gear to dry away from your body. This also reduces the potential for condensation during the night.
FOOTPRINTS
A footprint is always a good idea. It’s a flat piece of fabric that’s placed between the ground and your tent. It protects your tent against abrasion, moisture, and cold. Some tent models include a footprint, while others are sold separately. If you’re on a budget, the price of a footprint can sometimes be discouraging. A good alternative is to purchase some Tyvek from your local hardware store and cut it to size.
OTHER FEATURES
This is all about personal preference. A Lamp Shade Pocket—as seen in many of Marmot’s models—is a nice feature for lighting your tent. Colour-coded attachments are a great feature for making assembly quick and easy. If you’ve got a lot of essentials, ample mesh pockets may be a good feature for keeping your tent organized.
FAQS FOR CAMPING TENTS
Are expensive tents worth it?
Like most things, the unfortunate answer is: it depends. The better question to ask yourself is, what will I use the tent for? A few weekends of frontcountry camping? A family or festival getaway? A six month thru-hike? The truth about tents is that you often get what you pay for.
While expensive tents are usually better quality and offer more features, you shouldn’t be paying for quality and features you don’t need.
Can you set up a tent on the beach?
Yes, but this is much easier to do with free-standing tents. Of course, the drawback of pitching a free-standing tent is that it can easily be blown away. To avoid this, use heavy materials like rocks to hold down the guy lines. No rocks in sight? Fill some ziplock bags with sand and use those to weigh down the lines. You can even mix water into the sand to make it heavier and then bury the bags in the ground for added stability.
What colour tent is coolest in summer?
When it comes to tents, the most important thing for keeping it cool isn’t colour—it’s airflow. In fact, a dark tent with good ventilation always beats a light tent with none. On hot days, it also helps to pitch your tent in the shade. Ultimately, what you want is a solid color, as a transparent material would effectively become a mini-greenhouse.
CONCLUSION
Hopefully our round-up of 2023’s best camping tents has simplified your search for the perfect backcountry home. If you’re just starting out, our advice is to go with a camping tent in your price range and see how you like it.
With experience, you’ll begin to understand which features you crave and which you can live without. For seasoned campers, a closet filled with tents isn’t uncommon. As our list demonstrates, each adventure needs its own unique set of tools.
For a lightweight, comfortable, and affordable tent, look no further than the Tiger Wall UL Solution Dye 2-Person Tent. Whether you’re a wilderness veteran or new to the Great Outdoors, its versatility makes it the perfect choice for a wide range of activities and skill levels.
As always, happy trails!
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