The best family tents 2023: spacious shelters for the fam

Summer is here and the campsites are full of the best family tents, as children and parents alike head out to enjoy vacations in the great outdoors. Family tents are very much a home from home, providing shelter for the entire tribe and a certain level of comfort to boot.

Unsurprisingly, the best family tents come in all shapes and sizes. There are the traditional dome and geodesic designs that are erected using fibreglass poles. Then, there are palatial air tents that do away with poles entirely in favor of inflatable beams. Finally, for those looking for a little luxury, there are bell tents that bring that glamping flavor.

The best camping tent for you will depend on the size of your family, your budget and what you look for in an adventure shelter. For more on what to look for when choosing between the best family tents, see our guide at the bottom of the page.

We've found today's best prices for each tent below, but if you're looking for a bargain then you might want to wait until Amazon Prime Day, which is expected to take place in July. We'll be rounding up all of this year's best Amazon Prime Day hiking deals, camping deals and Garmin watch deals, so stick with Advnture to make sure you get the best prices.

The best family tents

The best poled family tents

Under wide-open skies, a tent can feel small and cramped – but not the Tensleep. We found that the floor plan sleeps six people comfortably. Six people means a lot of small gear floating around, but there’s a collection of gear loops, mesh pockets, cargo pockets and media pockets to keep everything off the ground and ready when needed. The huge front vestibule can be transformed into a screened-in porch that holds a camp chair or two – handy for eating and playing games when the weather’s not so great. And when it’s warm, fly walls can be rolled up to improve ventilation on hot summer nights. Spend enough nights outside and you’ll probably encounter some really nasty weather, but storm flaps on the vestibule and closed mesh windows create a safe haven in a thunderstorm.

Kids love camping and the best way to create lifelong memories of campfire ghost stories under a moonlit sky is to start with a comfortable shelter. No one wants to remember complicated tent set-up instructions, cramped sleeping bags, or wet floors. We found that the Jade Canyon is well suited for family camping adventures. Near-vertical walls increase living space and the 7ft tall ceiling lets parents stand tall, getting everything below organized.

With continuous pole sleeves, hubs and clips, we found that setup was as easy as assembling a familiar puzzle on the kitchen table; fast, quick and with a shared sense of success. The durable steel and aluminum frame keeps the shelter stable and dry when the weather turns foul. Although there is no porch, which cuts down on storage space, there’s plenty of room inside for a family card game when rain interrupts outside play.

After a long day climbing, paddling, hiking, trail running or fishing for a trophy to put on the wall, a comfortable tent is a wonderful reward. We think the Tallboy’s high ceiling makes changing into dry clean clothes an easier process. A wide large single door keeps entry traffic manageable. Set-up features a familiar fiberglass X-pole construction so we were able to switch from set-up to ‘go have fun kids’ mode quickly. It’s often-overlooked but taking a tent down at the end of the trip can be a frustrating process of stuffing pounds of fabric into a barely big enough stuff sack. Kelty’s ‘Shark Mouth’ duffel design makes take down as easy as set-up.

We think that the Kingdom 6 is as comfortable as a hotel room (without the room service). Vertical walls and a large rectangular floor plan creates a comfortable living space for a family of up to six. A zippered center divider creates two rooms for couples, parents, kids, friends and pets.

A combination of hubbed pole system, sleeves, clips and color-coded tent, fly and footprint elements make set-up foolproof, even for first time campers. Two very large doors give all six campers easy, unencumbered access. We like the mesh panels and doors, which deliver both ventilation and views of the surrounding environment. The mesh keeps the bugs outside after dark, while the huge multi-purpose vestibule can be used as an awning.

With two cosy sleeping compartments, and a large main communal space in the middle, which opens to a good-sized porch, this six-person tent is wonderfully roomy for a family of four to six (a slightly smaller four-person version is also available). Fitted with lots of ventilation options, including a top vent system and mesh windows, we think the Badawi is a great choice for warmer weather camping. Yet we found its clever multi-tunnel design and separate, double-walled sleeping compartments are robust and insulating enough to withstand colder and less clement conditions. Showcasing Vaude’s trademark top-quality materials, manufacturing and attention to detail, the color-coded poles and pole sleeves, and lightweight design allow quick and straightforward pitching. Simply one of the best family tent options around.

This classic family tent features a fully enclosed, integrated awning with large windows that let in lots of light during the day and rollaway curtains for the evenings. The fully sewn-in groundsheet keeps the inside free from puddles and drafts, while mesh doors and AirZone panels allow good ventilation throughout. 

On test, we found there was plenty of headroom in the main living space, a number of hanging points for lanterns and lots of pockets, which is useful for keeping things organized, so you can find your headlamp when you need it. If you’re bothered by light mornings or evenings on camping trips, do not fear. We found that the blackout lining in the single, spacious sleeping compartment allowed us to sleep in for longer. The large master bedroom can be separated into two smaller rooms, if kids (or parents) want some privacy. This model is best suited for families with smaller children, but Vango offer numerous bigger tent options too.

The best family air tents

As with many similar designs, the Valdes Deluxe 6XL consists of three distinct zones: sleeping area, living area and porch area. The sleeping area at the rear consists of three almost equally generously proportioned bedrooms, which can easily accommodate a double camp bed or inflatable mattress. The right-hand bedroom is removable, so space can be configured according to your needs. In addition, each uses Coleman’s BlackOut system, which blocks out up to 99% of daylight – something we could certainly vouch for on test. Bedroom doors have half-height zipper stoppers, ensuring that zips are always within easy reach for children. Thanks to near-vertical sidewalls, head room is excellent throughout. 

We found that the living space was large enough to house a table and chairs and a spacious porch extends to the front. This has a canopy and sidewalls for shelter but no front door or groundsheet. The main door has an unusual rigid frame, meaning it opens and closes without needing to be folded or rolled away. There’s also an additional side door, which has a framed peak to provide shade and rain protection. There’s a tough bathtub groundsheet and multiple windows fitted with roll-up blinds, ensuring an airy interior but also plenty of privacy when required. Ventilation is also good throughout the tent, with mesh-lined vents above and below the main windows. There are ample storage pockets in the bedrooms and outside the bedroom doors, plus hanging loops for positioning camp lanterns and cable entry for power points. Pitching is relatively quick and easy, with a little practice.

The Outwell Airville 6SA is a seriously spacious shelter, one of the best large tents available today. Provided your family will fit into its two bedrooms, it has all the living space you’ll ever need. On test, we found that pitching was easy thanks to the inflatable air beams employed throughout – there are no poles at all. A combination of guylines and webbing straps create a secure and sturdy weatherproof structure, aided by a polyester flysheet with a highly waterproof 6,000mm hydrostatic head.

The tent is basically configured in three zones – from rear to front, these are a sleeping zone, a living zone (with a handy side wing) and a front porch area, which can be used with or without a groundsheet. As well as the large front entrance, there are two additional side doors, offering flexible access and plenty of ventilation. Though it can sleep six, it’s the ideal setup for a group of four – either two couples, or parents and a couple of kids.

Priced at the lower end of the spectrum for an air tent, Easy Camp’s Base Air 500 promises quick and easy pitching with minimal fuss. It delivers – all we had to do was simply peg out the base, then inflate the three hooped tubes using the supplied pump. It’s well made, with a polyester fabric flysheet that is rated at 3,000mm hydrostatic head – slightly lower than premium family tents, but still fully waterproof. On test, it fended off the occassional heavy shower.

Inside, there’s a generous living area that will easily accommodate a table and two or three camping chairs. To the rear, Easy Camp’s ‘Sleep-Tight’ inner creates a sleeping area with a toggled divider to form two bedrooms in a 60/40 split. The larger right-hand bedroom is intended for up to three sleepers, while the left-hand side can accommodate two. These spaces provide enough room for sleeping mats up to 55cm in width to lay flat, side-by-side.

More compact than many of the other big air tents, we found it will fit happily in the boot of a small family car. As an air tent, it is a little more expensive than comparable poled designs, but we think the ease and convenience of pitching makes the extra cost well worth paying. 

Compared to other tent makers, this British manufacturer is a relative newcomer to the family market. Terra Nova are better known for its excellent range of lightweight backpacking tents – but with the Zonda series, they’ve created a modest range of large, high-quality designs that employ the latest air beam technology. The 12cm-diameter Air Flex poles are wider than most for increased stability, while the well-established tunnel-type structure is a family camping favourite. 

For such a big tent, we found it was surprisingly straightforward to pitch, with sturdy end guy straps and reflective side guy lines that don’t pose a trip hazard and don’t whistle or vibrate in high winds. The quality of the flysheet is right up there with the very best tents. With a broadly rectangular floor plan and walls that are designed to maximise internal space and headroom, this is a roomy and capacious tent. The living space is light and airy, with large tinted windows that come with adjustable privacy curtains. There are lantern hanging points and twin electrical hook up access on either side of the tent. We were able to adjust the mesh-lined ventilation, ensuring good airflow and a comfortable ambient temperature. 

Off the main quarters are three side-by-side bedroom compartments, each measuring 215cm x 140cm, equipped with black fabric and removable partitions, enabling you to customise the sleeping space as needed. At the front of the tent, an extended porch offers room for storage, cooking or just hanging out, with a detachable bathtub groundsheet that means you can use it as a wet or dry space. It also has a fully enclosed front door, which is a big plus. Amazingly, it’s also easy to drop and pack away. Simply one of the best family tent options out there.

The best cheap family tent

Freshly updated, this great value, well-featured four-person tent for is ideal for young families who only camp for a week or two each summer. We found it quick and easy to pitch, either with the flysheet first or all in one, and the groundsheet is detachable for easy cleaning. The main door doubles as a canopy, covering a large porch area that’s a great space for relaxing in the evenings. A Sleep-Tight inner tent adds insulation and reduces light – ideal for those light mornings and evenings and daytime naps. Ventilation points in the top, sides and rear add cooling airflow throughout.

The best glamping tents

A bell tent is a beautifully bright, open space, ideal for those looking for a simple, single living area. They’re also brilliantly customisable: add an inner bedroom tent for extra insulation and privacy, or a woodburning stove for heating and indoor cooking (only use recommended appliances, and read instructions very carefully, especially in regard to the Genie – a feature which puts the price of the tent up slightly). 

Made from a durable, breathable cotton canvas, they’re not the lightest but they’re simple to pitch and by far the most pleasant tents to spend time in. SoulPad’s range runs from 3-metre models, which we think are perfect for couples, to 6-metre mansions. This hybrid version features a tough, waterproof bathtub-style groundsheet that unzips from the upper to create a cool canopy on hot days.

Despite its traditional looks, this unusual tent employs modern materials and an innovative, superbly engineered design to create a versatile space for families or groups. It can be configured as a conventional tipi with an A-frame doorway but we were also able to transform it to open up into what is essentially an airy shelter with an open, three-poled front canopy. If you’re looking for an adaptable tent that works in varied conditions, this is one of the best large tents around.

The tent is part of Robens’ popular Outback range, which is a series of eye-catching tents with a retro canvas look, based on the designs used by early American pioneers. We think it also has plenty of character and charm – but like all the Outback tents, rather than canvas, the fabric is actually a quick-drying but waterproof polycotton blend. That saves plenty of weight, making transport and pitching the tent simple and convenient for such a large, eight-person design.

It also has a vent for a stove pipe, allowing it to be used with a frontier or outbacker-type stove. That addition creates a very cosy space that came into its own on chilly evenings during our test. It also effectively extends usability beyond summer, permitting year-round use. This tent really comes into its own when used as a single communal and convivial space – in fact, a night in the Chinook Ursa is pretty much camping heaven, as far as we’re concerned.

The best tree tent

Tentsile’s tree tents offer an undeniably unique camping experience. The Trilogy is essentially three of Tentsile’s two-person Connect tents interlocked together, with a huge dome centrepiece that creates a covered porch area. It is a truly impressive bit of kit that creates a spectacular tree-fort basecamp for six people.

Each of the three Connect units has a comfortable sleeping platform, fold-away doors, four large storage pockets and a mesh inner. The central canopy attaches to the three Connect units, providing plenty of cover. The setup utilises a sturdy three-point anchor system. It has enough flex to ensure it is very comfortable, which we found makde it more practical than pitching a tent on the ground – particularly in wooded areas, where tree roots, leaf litter and pine needles can often make it tricky to find a flat, dry spot to camp.

Whether a tree tent will replace your usual tent depends on how much you value the idea of being up off the ground – for some, the added comfort and the unique appeal will be well worth the cost.

How we test family tents

How we test the best family 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 family tents overnight – press-ganging their children into some early years work experience – in outdoor conditions, temperatures and terrain appropriate to the rating assigned to the product by the manufacturers/ brand. Lightweight family tents will also be tested in backpacking scenarios to assess their performance as a shelter for multi day hikes.

How to choose a family tent

Before you commit to buying  what you think is the best family tent for your tribe, it’s important to carefully consider what you want from it and how you’ll use it. There are plenty of things to think about when it comes to choosing a tent, including sleeping, cooking and evening/rainy day arrangements. 

From an airy single space like a bell tent, to one arranged over several rooms with separate sleeping compartments and a porch, every tent – like every family – is different. We’d strongly advise viewing some tents pitched before you decide so you can really get an idea of how they work in practice. Outdoor shops with display areas, tent shows, and camping-savvy friends are all good places to see them in action.

Tent size vs family size

As a general rule of thumb when purchasing a tent, go for a shelter that is advertised for more people than you intend to use it for. For example, 2-person tents are usually pretty tight for two campers and all their gear, so we'd go for a 3- or 4-person tent to sleep two. Likewise, a 6-person family tent may be cramped when it comes to fitting adults comfortably in its bedrooms. 

If you're camping with teenagers, they will probably want their own space too, whereas younger children will happily dive in with a sibling. With this in mind, tents that have more than one bedroom are ideal. Even better are tents that have customisable bedrooms. Many of the best air tents feature removable bedroom walls, enabling you to have one huge bedroom, one large and one small, or three small rooms.

Poles tents vs air tents

Since Vango introduced the air tent around 10 years ago, the trend has really caught on and now many of the best family tent options are air tents. These innovative products take less time (around 15 to 20 minutes) to erect than their poled counterparts. Usually all they require is that you peg out the corners, before inflating the air beams to the required pressure using a pump and pegging out the guy lines. Voilà! If you're camping with kids, you can always get them to help with pumping up – just make sure you keep an eye on the psi gauge!

The standard reaction when people hear about air tents for the first time is: "But are they sturdy enough?" The answer is an emphatic yes, more than enough for car camping trips during the camping season. Air tents are on the heavier side though, so if you're looking for a lightweight 4-person tent to take your kids wild camping with, a pole tent is still the best option.

Preparing for the weather

The best family tents are built to withstand all but the most atrocious conditions and are usually rated for 3-season use (so not winter). Of course, not knowing how to pitch a tent could mean your castle of canvas is like a castle built on sand, so it's important to get this right. Strong gusts can ruin a poorly erected shelter.

In terms of waterproofing, the key spec to look for is your tents hydrostatic head (HH) rating, which is measured in milimeters. This is basically the measure of how much water pressure the tent fabric can cope with before it starts to leak. A flysheet with a HH rating of 3,000 mm should in theory be able to withstand a solid column of water 3,000 mm (or 3 meters) pressing against it. Tents are required, by law, to have minimum rating of 1,000 mm, though most family tents have much more than this.

Other features to look out for is a tent's ventilation. Air flow stops condensation, as well as making the tent a much more pleasant place to be during the height of summer. If anyone in your family is a light sleeper, bedrooms with blackout fabric are a real boon. Not only does blackout fabric block most of the morning sunlight, it also keeps the room and your sleeping pads, pillows and bags cool on hot days.

Living conditions

Doors, zippers, windows, vents and pockets. After a long weekend, the importance of these details will become clear. Gear lofts are very useful, as are attachments for hanging your best camping lanterns.

These days, almost every family member comes equipped with a headlamp (see our guide to the best headlamps for some good options), smartphone, sunglasses, and a tablet, and mesh pockets are essential for keeping this gear off the floor in a place where it’s protected them from getting crushed underfoot or lost. It’s a good idea to allocate each person a tent pocket for stashing their stuff. Encourage everyone (including yourself) to learn the zipper directions. Most are bi-directional, but fumbling around with a zipper when everyone else is asleep is a good way to end up sleeping outside.

You might be able to bring a power line into your tent and enjoy the luxury of electricity to keep all of your camping tech juiced up. Many of the best large tents will come with a zipped access point and velcro tidies to keep the cables off the ground. 

Vestibules offer a place for extra gear and muddy boots but can block access to the door. It’s well worth reminding family members to watch out for the location of guy wires and tent stakes. An unexpected trip or fall can put a damper on a good day in the woods.

Budget

Don't let budget get in the way of what could be trips that give your family memories to last a lifetime. In the long run, any of these tents are a fantastic investment, as you'll get loads of use out of them if you treat them properly. Our selection of the best family tent options includes shelters that we believe are fantastic value. The less you spend on the shelter, the more you have to get the other essentials on the camping checklist.

Where 4-person tents are concerned, the East Camp Galaxy 400 and the Vango Stargrove II 450 are both priced extremely competitively, giving you a lot of tent for your cash. The five-person Easy Camp Base Camp Air 500 is a bargain as far as air tents go, while the Kelty Tallboy is a bargain for larger families of up to six.