After months of social distancing, many families are looking for safe and budget-friendly ways to hit the road and get in some travel. A camping trip provides a budget-friendly way to make the most of the great outdoors and spending time in nature, all while finding distance from others if so desired. Choosing a tent for your family can be a make or break decision when it comes to family camping. All tents are not created equally, and it is essential to find a family tent that meets your needs. More: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Camping This Summer Fortunately, we have a detailed roundup of the best family tents for camping in 2020 to help you make this challenging decision.
Our Top Picks
Largest, Affordable Tent: Ozark Trail 12 Person 3 Room L-Shaped Instant Cabin TentThe Best Tent With Special Features: Coleman Tent for Camping | Montana Tent with Easy SetupThe Best 4-Season Canvas Tent for Families: DANCHEL 4-Season Family Cotton Bell TentThe Best Lighted, Large Tents: CORE Lighted 10 Person Instant Cabin Tent with Screen RoomThe Best Weather-Ready Tent: Coleman WeatherMaster 6-Person Tent with Screen Room
What to Consider When Purchasing a Family Tent for Camping This Summer
Before you start pursuing various camping tents, here are a list of things you might want to consider first:
Budget: Although there are some solid budget-friendly family tent choices, there are many options that can be very expensive. Know what your threshold is in advance. Seasons: Reflect on whether your family will only be camping in the summer or whether you might want to use the family tent for camping in other seasons. This parameter has a big impact on what kind of tent you choose. Features: Ask yourself questions like: Do we need a tent with more than one room? Do we need an extra tall tent? Do we need a screen room to protect ourselves from mosquitoes? Do we need an awning or a privacy feature like room dividers? Size: How many people will be sharing this tent? Generally, you want to figure that if you have a family of four, you should get a six person tent, and so on. The plus two rule is important for having the right amount of space.
How We Chose Our Favorites
We have chosen our favorite family camping tents using various trusted resources. We’ve based these choices in the personal experience of real parents and kids, the voices of experts, and through scouring many reviews on top websites. We’ve included some of the most helpful reviews of each family tent below.
The Ozark Trail 12 Person L-Shaped Tent is an excellent option for families who are looking for lots of space and a darkening feature to extend sleeping time. This cabin tent is very affordable for what you get, and has the added bonus of easy setup. If you have a large family or if you’re just looking for as much space as possible, this is a family tent to consider. “Roomy. We have a high queen size air mattress and a night table with drawers in the master bedroom, and each other room has the kids high air mattress a night table a dog crate and room to spare. Each room is divided by a dedicated door, not a clip on sheet. The mesh storage compartment/pockets throughout the tent are totally clutch for all kinds of stuff.”
The Coleman Montana Tent has several special features that provide the ease that many families are looking for. Angled windows keep rain out while allowing air to still come in. The e-port provides electrical access inside the tent if you’re worried about charging your devices. In addition, the hinged door makes it as easy as possible to get in and out of the tent. Outdoor Spider: “The best thing about this Coleman Montana 8-Person Tent is that it comes with hinged door that many campers desire to have… If you are planning to go camping with 7 more people out there, then this would be a great choice to have.” Cotton canvas tents are definitely more expensive than other options, but if you are looking for a waterproof and weatherproof tent that can easily stand up to all kinds of weather, this is the way to go. This tent also offers longevity which makes it a worthy investment. Families will also love the 360 degree view when you visit beautiful sites as it has a full zip around the bottom which can be rolled up. If your family has an interest in glamping, this is a tent that can easily be transformed into a beautiful space and campsite
Families will love the built-in LED lighting that comes with three brightness settings and the quick and easy setup. A lovely feature is the mesh roof for panoramic stargazing on summer nights. The large space and headroom will allow the adults to stand up inside the tent and have plenty of room to store all of the camping gear that comes along with bringing kids. As the name “WeatherMaster” implies, this six-person tent is made to protect you. It flaunts protected seams, a wind-strong frame, zipper protection, and waterproof floors. The spacious, breathable interior has enough room for two queen-sized air mattresses if you prefer that to sleeping bags, plus there is a screen room for hanging out without the mosquitoes joining you. Families love the special features as well like storage pockets to stay organized, a hinged door, and an e-port. Tents Review: “This is the first model that comes under Coleman WeatherMaster Series. With the dimensions of 11 ft. x 9 ft, the tent offers enough space to accommodate 6 persons at a time. This tent features the Hinged door that lets you easily open and shut the door which means you can easily exit or enter the tent. The tent comes with small pockets which make sure that you keep your stuff well organised and don’t take up the floor space much. This is one of the best waterproof tents you can ever get a hold of.”
