The best 4-person tents 2025: spacious tents for camping with friends and family

In the market for a new tent to take up to four friends or family members camping? Then you've come to the right place.

Our picks for the best 4-person camping tents are spacious models, suitable for all manner of weather conditions, terrains, and situations. There are wilderness-ready models like the tough and durable Kelty Dirt Motel, versatile models like the tipi-style Norrent Lavvo 4, and even the odd glamping tent for luxurious outdoor stays. The Dirt Motel is our pick for the best overall tent, due to its spacious inside and tough, lightweight build, which can be easily packed up for you to carry around the trails.

All of the tents featured in our list have been put through their paces by expert testers, who've looked into every feature to make sure they're deserving of a spot on the list.

Our picks are great for camping in a medium-sized group. If you're after something a little smaller, you can check out our guides to the best 1-person tents, the best 2-person tents, or the best pop-up tents. Alternatively, our overview of the best camping tents rounds up our top picks for all sorts of tents in one handy guide.

The quick list

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The best 4-person tents comparison table

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The best 4-person tents in 2025

You can trust Advnture Our expert reviewers spend days testing and comparing gear so you know how it will perform out in the real world. Find out more about how we test and compare products.

The best 4-person tent overall

Dreaming of 4-person tent that you can still take backpacking? Meet the Kelty Dirt Motel. The name sums up its appeal: it’s happy to go adventuring far from the madding crowds but still offers a comfy night's sleep when you pitch it in the wild.

As lightweight as many backpacking tents, it could be carried alone in a backpack or easily split between two people. We wouldn’t recommend sleeping four adults in the bedroom, but there’s a good amount of room for three, and it’s positively palatial for two. Two doors, each with its own wide porch, make it easy to pop in and out when sharing. There's also room to store your bag and boots next to you.

The Dirt Motel's dome design is wind-resistant enough to take higher into the mountains, but although we found it waterproof enough to deal with a shower when testing, 1,500mm of waterproofing might not be enough to deal with heavier outbursts. Like the MSR Zoic, the Dirt Motel's inner tent is made of ‘No-See-Um’ insect-stopping mesh that can be used in isolation on the hot summer nights.

Expert tester Sian Lewis was very impressed by the versatility of this model, which she described as: "just as happy in the mountains as it is in a camping meadow," in her review for Advnture.

Read our full Kelty Dirt Motel review

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The best 4-person tent for blackout fabric

Decathlon’s cheap and cheerful range of tents are perfect for simple and affordable camping, or to share with friends at a festival.

Expert reviewer Sian Lewis loved the living design of this tunnel tent, which features two large rooms, a decent living area and big doors on either side. The bedrooms aren't massive, but remain dark at night due to effective 'Fresh and Black' lining.

"This design means that the tent feels larger than the sum of its parts, and makes walking in and out with kit and cooking paraphernalia when setting up camp or making supper a breeze," says Sian, who was also impressed by its waterproofing. This tent boasts both a bathtub-style groundsheet and 2,000mm of protection, so holds up well when the heavens open.

Read our full Quechua Arpenaz 4.2 tent review

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The best 4-person tent for standing room

The Outwell Nevada is a spacious option for groups of four.

There's plenty of living space with two bedrooms, one living room, and a handy porch, in addition to several large windows, which fill the tent with sunlight. Both bedrooms can be blacked out entirely to help you get a good night's sleep, and both have enough room to fit a double air mattress.

The effective waterproofing shrugs off rain and was appreciated by camping expert Sian Lewis when she took it into the wilderness.

In her review for Advnture, Sian said: "The Nevada is fully waterproofed to a hefty 6,000mm, and shrugged off rain effortlessly when we tested it out, deep in the often rain-strafed Somerset countryside."

There are plenty of nice additional touches here, including a mesh door to keep insects out and a rain-safe side door for easy access.

Read our full Outwell Nevada tent review

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The best 4-person tent for DIY glamping

This Luna tent is something a bit different. It's built for luxury glamping trips away from serious wilderness, and has plenty of space, so you can enjoy your stay in comfort. In the daytime, it's big enough for several tables and chairs, and at night, there's enough room for four double beds. There are several large windows, so you won't feel like you're missing out on the sun on pleasant summer days.

Canvass tents like the Luna Bell are a great choice for summer camping as they're breathable and cool in the heat. This model is also well-equipped if the heavens open, thanks to its waterproof polycotton exterior.

Glamping tents like this one can be quite the investment. The Luna Bell comes with a hefty price tag, but is well worth it if you've got your heart set on comfortable summer camping, according to expert tester Sian Lewis.

"The whole tent feels thoughtfully designed and beautifully made – a great long-term investment for years of camping to come," says Sian.

Read our full Luna Bell tent review

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The best 4-person tent for easy pitching

The Nomad 4 is a small and portable tent that's probably a touch too heavy to be considered for backpacking for anything but short trails. That said, it's still got plenty going for it and can be a great camping companion.

The best thing about the Nomad 4 is its simple pitching system, which took expert reviewer Sian Lewis just a few minutes to work out. After pitching, the Nomad tent is kept stable by three color-coordinated poles, which provide great protection from the wind, even above the tree line.

Inside, there's room for four people to sleep, although three would be more comfortable. The bedroom area has more space than most 4-person models, but not enough to stand in.

Despite a lowish waterproof rating of just 1,800mm, the Nomad 4 held up well in testing and offered decent protection from heavy rain.

"We found the Nomad reliably waterproof on test, and very quick and easy to dry before you pack it up after a rainy night," says Sian Lewis.

Read out full Nomad 4 tent review

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The best 4-person tent for versatility

Able to be used on any type of camping trip, the Nortent Lavvo 4 is a beautiful, versatile shelter offering excellent protection against the elements while offering enough ventilation to warrant its use during the summer. It contains smart design features too, including the ability to customise the tent by removing the inner if you so choose, increasing the space as well as making it more suitable for hotter temperatures.

Another design feature is the stove compatibility, with a designated area above the main entry door, complete with velcro fastenings. You can feed your flue up through the chimney port above, adding some additional heat if you need it. Additionally, you can use the stove space to store wet gear, allowing it to dry throughout the night without bringing any water onto the inner.

Between a few people, the Lavvo 4 is easy to carry despite its large packed size, and if you're alone, you might have trouble pitching, at least initially. But if you're looking for a high-quality, versatile tipi, there's not much better. Just be wary of that price tag.

Camping expert Craig Taylor described the Lavvo 4 as a "solid, versatile and comfortable tent," in his review for Advnture.

"The Nortent Lavvo 4 is a beautiful shelter that can be used on practically any camping trip, be it a summery overnighter on a campsite or a backcountry bushcrafting trip in the deep Arctic winter," continued Craig.

Read our full Nortent Lavvo 4 review

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The best 4-person tent for harsh conditions

A serious shelter for serious campers, the Nortent Gamme 4 is able to tackle extreme conditions with no problems, providing a roomy and warm camping experience with insane levels of protection. Like the Lavvo 4, it can accommodate a stove, adding extra levels of heat for the coldest of nights, while the nylon backing and heavy-duty thickness keep plenty of heat in if you end up leaving the stove at home.

With five solid poles and nearly 30 pegs, the Gamme is one of the best tents camping expert Craig Taylor has tested. Once deployed, both wind and body weight make no difference to its structural integrity, and even the most extreme weather is difficult to notice once inside.

"This tent has been designed to be as strong and as comfortable as a wooden hut in winter," says Craig.

Packing it away is fairly easy, which is welcome for a tent of this size; however, its ample reinforcement makes it extremely heavy and therefore unsuitable for standard backpacking trips. It's extremely expensive, too, although compared to similar hardcore tents, it's reasonable for what you're getting.

If you live somewhere with subzero temperatures and relentless wind, or if you want to venture into those types of conditions, this is the shelter for you.

Read our full Nortent Gamme 4 review

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How we test the best 4-person tents

At Advnture we endeavor to test every product we feature extensively in the field. That means one of our team of reviewers and writers – all experienced outdoor specialists active across the US, UK, Europe and Australasia – taking it out into the terrain and climatic conditions that it’s designed for. If, for any reason, this isn’t possible, we’ll say so in our buying guides and reviews.

Our reviewers test 4-person tents overnight, sleeping out with adventure buddies in outdoor conditions, temperatures and terrain appropriate to the rating assigned to the product by the manufacturers/ brand. Lightweight 4-person tents will also be tested in backpacking scenarios to assess their performance as a shelter for multi day hikes.

For more details, see how Advnture tests products.

Meet the testers

Sian Anna Lewis

An award-winning travel and outdoors journalist, presenter and blogger, Sian regularly writes for The Independent, Evening Standard, BBC Countryfile, Coast, Outdoor Enthusiast and Sunday Times Travel. Life as a hiking, camping, wild-swimming adventure-writer has taken her around the world, exploring Bolivian jungles, kayaking in Greenland, diving with turtles in Australia, climbing mountains in Africa and, in Thailand, learning the hard way that peeing on a jellyfish sting doesn’t help. Her blog, The Girl Outdoors, champions accessible adventures.

Lou Dzierzak

A journalist specializing in outdoor recreation, Lou has covered product design innovations, participation trends and environmentally sustainable manufacturing for over 20 years. On the other hand, he’s had some less than successful outdoor adventures: once, completely spent after a hard day on the trail, he managed to set a vintage MSR Whisperlite stove ablaze before accidentally kicking the burning contraption into a lake. A published author, his book about invasive fish threatening the Great Lakes watershed will be published in 2021.

How to choose the best 4-person tent

Although our best 4-person tents share the common denominator of being able to provide four adults with shelter, there’s a huge variation of styles and sizes, with one to suit every kind of outdoor adventure.

If you're arriving by car and setting up camp for a week with the family, you're not going to be concerned with weight, whilst room and comfort are going to be high on your priority list. If you're rocking up at a festival, you'll want to head for the arena as quickly as possible, so you'll want a tent that pops up with minimal fuss. However, if you're wild camping, you're going to need a lightweight tent that combines weather resistance with ease of set-up.

When you’re choosing, consider the following:

1. Weight and size

They may all be amongst the best 4-person tents money can buy, but the weight of the models in our round-up varies from a featherweight 3kg to a whopping 31kg. Think about how and where you want to use your new tent before you splurge.

If you want to go on a multi-week family camping trip with the car, a large, heavy tent such as a family-style 4-person tent with multiple rooms or a canvas glamping tent (see our feature: in defence of glamping) is worth the size and weight for the roomy living space you’ll get.

If you’re looking to discover the joys of camping wild, look for a more compact, lightweight tent. Ideally, you'll want to pick something that weighs 4kg or less if you intend to carry it long distances over a weekend or longer. (Check out our feature on 10 essential items for a backpacking adventure for more inspiration.)

2. Waterproofing and wind resistance

Any tent you invest in should be waterproof enough to withstand a sudden downpour. Look for a ‘twin skin’ tent – this means the tent has a separate inner layer and an outer ‘flysheet’ layer – and pick a model that has a fully waterproof fly.

You’ll sometimes be able to find out how waterproof a tent is by its Hydrostatic Head rating – anything above 1,500mm is considered waterproof. If you’re buying a canvas tent, look for one made with water-resistant polycotton. Good tents have built-in waterproof nylon groundsheets, which stop any wet seeping in from the ground.

Choose a tent with plenty of guy ropes, which you can peg out and pull taught to keep it stable in wind. Dome tents are usually more wind resistant than tunnel tents.

3. Bedrooms and living spaces

4-person tents range from small, one-bedroom options (that are really more suitable for two or three people) to multi-bedroom units with plenty of space for a family of four. Camping with teenagers? You’ll definitely get a better night’s sleep if you pick a tent with two separate bedrooms.

If you’re a light sleeper, choose a tent that uses blackout material inside the bedrooms, keeping them cooler, darker and blocking out the dawn's rays. Breathable mesh panels and ventilation flaps are also useful in bedrooms on hot nights.

For a camping weekender, a small tent with one bedroom and a porch for your kit will be fine. For longer holidays, a large living room – ideally one you can stand up in – plus a roomy porch will give you much more space to manoeuvre and store gear.

4. Tent type

You’ll see multiple 4-person tent designs on the market – the most common are dome, geodesic and tunnel tents – although inflatable tents are becoming more popular.

Dome tents have poles that cross in the middle to create a stable, wind-resistant half-sphere structure, offering a good amount of internal space. Geodesic tents use more poles to create a structure made up of triangles. They are even more stable in extreme weather conditions, but they might be overkill for a simple campsite holiday.

Tunnel tents use sets of poles to create a tunnel shape, usually with a living room and one or two bedrooms. They are easy to pitch but won’t stand alone without being pegged into the ground. This is a good option for families, as they usually offer more space.

You’ll also see traditional canvas glamping-style tents in our round-up – they aren’t usually as waterproof as modern tents but offer the most living space.

5. Pitching

Pitching and packing up a tent can be a breeze – or a fiddly nightmare. (See our foolproof how to pitch a tent guide.) As a rough rule of thumb, the bigger, heavier and fancier a tent is, the more complicated it will tend to be to pitch, and may require two people to erect.

That said, ‘air’ tents, which feature hollow tubes instead of traditional poles and which are inflated using a pump, are a great way to own a bigger, multi-room tent without the pitching nightmare.

Whatever tent you choose, it’s a good idea to have a go at pitching it in the garden at home first, to get the hang of things. Pack extra pegs, and don’t forget to use all your tent’s guy ropes, to keep your tent stable in case of wind.

FAQs

What is a hydrostatic head rating?

Hydrostatic head ratings indicate how waterproof your tent is, based on its fabrics. Ratings reflect the amount of water, in millimeters, that the fabric can withstand before it leaks into your tent.

Anything with a hydrostatic head rating over 1,000mm is considered waterproof, but the best camping tents are often rated to 2,000 or 3,000mm, which is more than enough to withstand heavy rainfall.

How does the windproof rating work?

It's important to pay attention to the wind rating when buying a 4-person tent, as strong winds can damage your tent or even blow it away.

Windproof ratings are measured in miles per hour and indicate what wind speeds your tent can withstand before it's damaged. For example, a wind rating of 20mph can withstand winds of 20mph or below before it's in serious danger.

The higher the rating, the better equipped your tent is to survive in strong winds.

What's better, air tents or pole tents?

Air tents are easy and simple to set up. They're supported by large inflatable beams, which only take a few minutes to erect with the help of a pump.

Pole tents, on the other hand, are supported by a series of rigid poles, which connect to hold up your tent.

There are pros and cons to both models. Pole tents usually take longer to assemble, but are more portable than the usually larger and heavier air tents.

If you're unsure whether to go for a pole tent or an air tent model, you can check out our expert guide.

Do blackout tents really work?

Blackout tents use dark fabrics and special treatments to minimize the light inside your tent, creating a dark environment for you to sleep in. This can be super helpful if you're a light sleeper and need complete darkness to get some kip, or want to avoid bright sunshine waking you up in the mornings.

Blackout tents are generally effective, but some sunlight might seep through the fabric or around the edges of windows, depending on the quality of your tent.