Like the Mineral King 3, the Tungsten has aluminum poles that are connected at the top (for lightning-quick pitching) and pre-bent, which increases the dome tent’s headroom. You can also set up the tent without the fly while retaining some privacy, since the tent body has a high polyester wall on one side. 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.
Two large vestibules add nearly 40 square feet combined—that is, 18.75 square feet on either side. An avid hiker, camper, and long-haul road-tripper, Claire Wilcox has slept in (and occasionally improvised) tents in 11 states. She covers outdoor gear for Wirecutter and ozark trail backpack worked on the most recent update of this guide, testing couples’ tents and family tents. Great for backyard overnights, this simple dome-style tent is for anyone who doesn’t want to spend more than $150 on a tent but also doesn’t want to buy another one next year.
And this tent is easy to set up and pack down, especially considering its size. As with most six-person tents, the Wawona 6’s footprint is sold separately. A full rain fly with easy-attach color-coded clips covers the tent body and adds two large vestibules.
The family purchased a $ person Ozark Trail tent at Walmart and pitched it on the yard of their friend whom they had gone to visit, in Moss Point, Mississippi. Thanks to the mesh on the back and seat of the chair, your body can enjoy refreshing air circulation even if you sit down on a hot day. With two cup holders, you won’t run out of drinks anytime soon, and the cooler beneath the left-hand cup holder is deep enough to hold snacks, books, etc. If you want to eat there, the wide arms may be able to hold a small plate. Featuring two large compartments with internal organizers, the backpack is spacious enough to accommodate several changes of clothes in addition to everything else you might need. This doesn’t even take into account the exterior compartments, like the mesh pockets on the side and front.
Ozark tentThe frame is powder coated aluminum and steel with push button locking on the frame and height adjustments. Its walls are 75-denier polyester fabric (tougher than the Wireless 6’s 68-denier polyester and the same as the REI Co-op Base Camp’s) that extends about two-thirds up the tent’s sides, and then is topped with mesh. The partial fly does a great job of keeping rain out of the upper, mesh areas, and cleverly placed vents maintain airflow so it never feels too stuffy. Coleman makes no dedicated footprints for its tents—the idea being that the polyethylene is tough enough not to need one.
The Ozark Trail canopy very well might be one of the best selling 10×10 tent brands of all time. The easily recognizable logo has been seen by nearly everyone at youth soccer tournaments or beach vacations in recent years. In the low-cost range of outdoor shelters, the Ozark 10ft x 10ft Trail Canopy is definitely at the top in its class. There may not be many bells and whistles, but we don’t think it’s necessary here.
It’s pricey, though, and unless the other couples’ tents we recommend, it doesn’t include a footprint. One thing we love about Ozark Trail canopy tents are the accessories that can be added to the shelters. Perhaps our two favorites are camping tent additions that connect to the frame of the shelter and leverage the stability of the 10×10 frame to support a camping tent structure. The frame is powder coated aluminum and steel with push button locking on the frame and height adjustments.
The Tungsten’s fly is not adaptable in the same way the Mineral King 3’s is, but it is treated for extra UV protection, which should help lengthen the tent’s lifespan. Though the Wireless’s fly kept water out of the tent’s interior, it took longer to fully dry once the rain stopped than some others we tested. If you don’t have time to let the fly dry before you pack the Wireless in its duffle, we recommend laying it out when you get home so it doesn’t mildew in storage. To test the tents, we first opened them, splayed out their parts, and tried to put them together without consulting the instructions. We assembled and disassembled the tents on all of our testing sites multiple times. We tried the rain fly for each tent as well, one time rushing to get several of them up during an unexpected rainstorm at night.
(Our runner-up pick comes with eight.) Six is enough to secure the tent and fly but not to fully secure the tent’s extra lines in very windy conditions. This shouldn’t be an issue in most situations, but if you’re headed into a particularly windy place or simply want some backup, we suggest picking up four extra tent stakes at your local outdoor shop or online. These inexpensive stakes are comparable to the ones that accompany the Mineral King 3; these slightly more expensive stakes will serve you well in any car-camping terrain. It’s natural to focus on the quality of a tent’s rain fly—you need that piece to work when the skies open up.
The heavy 400D polyester top provides 99% UV protection and is water and fire resistant. There are 4 walls included and one of the walls has a zipper in the center for easy access under the canopy. The canopy folds down to 52.5″ in length and easily fits into the roller bag with all of the accessories.