Just ignore its declared capacity and you will enjoy this tent. The Coleman tent is an instant setup design but it is also a dark-rest tent. Seasons-wise & climate-wise, I see it best suited for summer camping without much rain and winds. This is a tall and boxy structure so it is best to use it in a quiet area.
Two large vestibules add nearly 40 square feet combined—that is, 18.75 square feet on either side. One night during testing, for example, clouds loomed in the distance with clear skies overhead. After we pitched the tent, the Mineral King 3’s adaptable fly let us leave half the mesh dome uncovered. At the first sign of rain, it took only a few seconds—and a quick hand stuck outside the tent—to unfurl the fly and secure it for a dry night’s sleep. When we awoke, we could roll back one part of the vestibule, make coffee, and watch the sky lighten even though it was still raining. To test the tents, we first opened them, splayed out their parts, and tried to put them together without consulting the instructions.
All of them are double-layer structures with mesh and zippered panels for protection and privacy. Ozark Trail Instant Cabin Tent with Built in Cabin Lights is a 10-person 2-room freestanding easy to use pleasant summer camping tent with a great price tag. It was very difficult to roll the tent back into its original shape to return to store. I’ve read many people have had the same problems and went to army surplus to buy a bigger durable storage bag.These are the two QUEEN Mattress I received with my bundle order.
For most fabrics, rip strength is expressed as a measurement of the diameter of the fibers in their thread, or a denier—the higher the denier, the stronger the fabric. We found 40 denier up to 150 denier to be typical for car-camping tents; you can read more about these measurements in gear manufacturer MSR’s blog post and in this Outside article. Finding a small, light tent is the logical approach when you’re backpacking. But with car camping—the ozark trail shower tent industry term for what most people consider just camping—you’ll likely be parking next to your campsite and unloading. If you won’t be carrying your tent more than a couple hundred feet, more space means more comfort (as well as more room for your stuff). 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.
The North Face offers a limited lifetime warranty on the tent, and will repair most flaws and damage at its discretion. Our Also great picks, the REI Co-op Base Camp 4 and Base Camp 6 tents, have been temporarily phased out for the season. This is a freestanding construction, self-supporting and stable as you can realize from the picture below which shows the tent without the fly. But you should certainly not miss staking it properly, the stakes and guylines are included in the package.
The fly is equally simple to attach and orient with color-coded clips. This type of pole tends to be less flexible and bulkier than pricier aluminum, and it can be a pain to handle. 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. But according to our experts, the durability of the floor of your tent is actually more important. If the tent you buy doesn’t come with a footprint (two of our recommended tents, the Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3 and the Marmot Tungsten 4, do), we recommend purchasing a companion footprint, if one is available.
It’s also straightforward to set up, and it is made with sturdy, light materials. Note also that the packed size is not so impressive, but again, this is normal for instant camping tents that come with telescopic poles. All in all, you will need a car for the transportation of this tent. So you simply spread the tent and extend its telescopic poles. You have to add the fly as well, so it is best to have somebody to help you. This is why I have added it to my list of best instant camping tents.
It has a partial rain fly, but only one door and no vestibule. They do not provide any info about its waterproof rating, but this is a tent with a minimal fly that covers the ceiling only. The windows and doors are with panels as mentioned above so you have all protection, but with so many zippers and windows, it is best to use it in areas without much rain. 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 worked on the most recent update of this guide, testing couples’ tents and family tents.
It features a panoramic view with the extra-large windows and a shade porch. The provided room dividers allow you to create up to three rooms for separate living and sleeping spaces. The center height also leaves plenty of room to walk around. This Ozark Trail 12-person tent can fit three queen air beds or 12 campers in sleeping bags on the floor. If the Mineral King 3 is out of stock, or if you’d like a slightly larger tent, we recommend the Marmot Tungsten 4.