Its heavy steel frame and massive metal stakes easily hold this shelter steady, even during wind gusts, and glaring sun and rain are also no threat. Fully enclosed and ready to protect you from sun, wind, rain, AND bugs, the Clam Outdoors Quick-Set Escape is a perfect shelter for the campground. That said, we also feel its applications are somewhat endless. No assembly is required; this shelter is ready to go right out of the box and can be fully deployed in less than a minute. We admit there is a small learning curve to setting up the Escape, but once you’re locked in, popping this canopy into place is really fun and even somewhat addictive. It doesn’t leak during rainstorms and is rock solid in the wind.
It may be intimidating from the tee box, but the large green provides plenty of landing space with additional room right of the green for a safe miss. Avoid the left side to stay out of the heavy rough, deep bunker, and the lake. This downhill par 3 features a heart-shaped green with plenty of trouble on all sides.
The Tagalong sits a little low and isn’t adjustable, which affects the user’s ability to alter the canopy’s height or angles as the sun’s rays change. Still, the lightweight and portable design makes up for this, especially in the right use cases. This metric considers each shelter’s floor space and height and any design element that may limit or enhance accessibility and maneuverability. We erected each model and measured the height and floor space compared to the other tents. Typical cathedral tents offered a 10×10 floor space, whereas many more niche tents had varying sizes. Another key aspect of functionality is the extra convenience features provided by various models.
The Tungsten 4 shares many of the Mineral King 3’s best features, and provides 10 square feet of additional living space as well as excellent weather protection—as long as you set it up properly. Like our top pick, the Tungsten 4 is a sturdy, two-door dome-style tent that can be deployed in about 5 minutes. It ozark trail screen house uses high-quality materials such as aluminum poles, breathable mesh, and water-resistant polyester fabric, and it comes with a full fly and a footprint. The Tungsten 4’s larger size accounts for the higher price tag (about $40 more), but campers who would like that extra room may find the expense worthwhile.
Whether you’re thinking of hitting the road or staying close to home for your next car-camping adventure, you and your loved ones will need a comfortable place to sleep. However, the weight of the tent was something I had to consider. At 16.7 lbs, it may not be the lightest option, but the included carry bag made transportation and storage much easier. I like that it’s made to fold up compactly so it can easily fit into the back of my car when I’m heading out for a day at the lake. While the Ozark Trail Outdoorsman Tent is sturdy and durable, it’s quite heavy to lug around. We struggled a bit with transporting it to our camping spot, but we managed with some assistance.
But when you’re camping or eating outdoors, you’ll likely want protection from insects, as well. That’s why we focused on collapsible camping shelters with mesh walls to keep bugs at bay. The Wawona 6 is more complex to set up than a classic dome-style tent like the Wireless 6, but not by much. We recommend doing it with two people, but one person can manage in about 15 minutes. As with any free-standing tent, with this one you stake out the four corners, and then you feed the two main tent poles through the Wawona’s fabric sleeves, which go halfway down the tent’s body. The North Face’s color-coded poles make this process easy to navigate.
An avid swimmer, surfer, hiker, and camper, she currently lives on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, where she can be found, as much as possible, in water. We’ve tested (and recommended) Eureka tents in past versions of this guide. In October 2023, Eureka’s parent company, Johnson Outdoors, announced that it was discontinuing the Eureka brand. The product line, including its tents, should remain available through the end of 2024. A full rain cover, two vestibules, and an extra-sturdy pole structure make this the best choice for families who want to get outside in any weather.