1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best overall
3. Best solo
4. Best value
5. Most versatile
6. Best blackout tent
7. Best for festivals
8. Best for solo festivals
9. Best for rain
10. Best for the beach
11. Best for families
12. Best for ventilation
13. Comparison table
14. How we test
15. How to choose
The best pop-up tents provide easy and speedy pitching for fuss-free summer camping. Popular with festival goers and first time campers, they're obviously not as sturdy and reliable as dedicated backpacking tents but advances in design during recent years means that the best pop-up tents can hold their own in some pretty challenging conditions.
We've put this to the test, camping out in a range of the best pop-up tents. As well as traditional campgrounds, we've taken these fast-pitching wonders into the backcountry, to see how they cope when things get a little wilder.
For serious backpackers, these tents don't rival the very best camping tents available. However, if you're new to camping, heading to a festival, or are looking for a shelter for the kids to play in, these options are great and they tend to be decent value too. It's worth looking for a pop-up tent with a lifetime warranty, like the Teton Sports Vista Quick, to avoid having to buy twice.
We also love the Night Cat Backpacking Tent, which works well as a summer backpacking tent.
The quick list
Here's our quick list, a brief look at the very best pop-up tents. For more on each shelter, navigate to the detailed reviews further down this guide.
The best pop-up tent overall
A single-skin lightweight adventure tent that we found was ready to take on the prowl on the backcountry trails thanks to its compact size and durable fiberglass poles
The best solo pop-up tent
We love this quick and comfortable solo shelter, which is light enough to take backpacking, has a useful gear loft and comes with a lifetime warranty
The best value pop-up tent
A tall, robust shelter that we were able to erect in seconds, featuring breathable mesh ventilation and an immensely attractive price
The best pop-up tent for versatility
We found the weatherproof Pop 400 a roomy home for three, and versatile enough to cope with all kinds of camping adventures
The best blackout pop-up tent
We like how this clever tent uses a drawstring to pop open into a comfy two-man, complete with blackout bedroom, ideal for lie ins on bright mornings
The best pop-up tent for festivals
This is a roomy blackout tent that almost guarantees a good night’s sleep – we found it was perfect for two people at a festival
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The best solo pop-up tent for festivals
This simple, easy to erect model is one of the best pop-up tents we've tested, perfect for solo campers at festivals thanks to its lightweight qualities and good ventilation
The best pop-up tent for wet conditions
This is a pop-up tent with classic looks, generous space, plenty of protection from the rain and two entrances – we approve
The best pop-up tent for the beach
No need to orbit this freestanding party pod for too long, we found it can be set up in a matter of minutes and features five windows
The best pop-up tent for families
This unusual-looking number offered us great space, big windows and plenty of head height for four but we also found that it's strictly for good weather
The best pop-up tent for ventilation
A simple, popular pop-up design in two sizes, one ideal for couples and one aimed at families, both with excellent ventilation on test
Sian is an avid camper who loves nothing more than getting back to nature, whether on a wild camp or a glamping retreat. Life as a camping, wild-swimming and hiking adventure writer has taken her around the world and she's pitching up in all kinds of wild and wonderful places. Her blog, The Girl Outdoors, champions accessible adventures.
The best pop-up tents we recommend in 2023
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The best pop-up tent overall
Set-up in a minute or less, we found the Night Cat is a sturdy, stable, single-layer shelter that's light and easy enough to take out on the trails, and big enough (just) to take two people. It is primarily designed for solo backpackers and the floor plan is roomy enough for a single air mattress. Fiberglass poles deliver strength, durability and stand-up to windy breezes, but remain light to carry. Waterproof fabrics and waterproof tape on all seams keeps the water out and comfort in. Small storage bags kept our poles, stakes and guy lines untangled and organized.
If you’re not backpacking, the Nightcat can still come in very handy at festivals and garden sleepovers. An inexpensive model, the Night Cat could be the perfect den away from home for recalcitrant teenagers who no longer want to share a shelter with their parents of their siblings.
The best solo pop-up tent
After a long day on the trails, when you’re hungry, thirsty and tired, the last thing you want to deal with is complicated, time-consuming tent set-up operation. Welcome to the Vista Quick, a rarebreed pop-up tent that’s lightweight enough to take backpacking. Using a locking hub and pole system, we found that the Vista Quick lives up to its name.
Ready in seconds, the pop-up tent has two-way zippers to offer fine adjustments for ventilation and entry. Slide in a Teton Sports Camp Cot, get comfortable and ponder the blue skies through mesh ceiling panels. A gear loft kept our headlamp, smartphone and keys in a safe place. When the weather turned, the rainfly kept us dry. An optional rainfly offers more coverage if you want more protection.
The best value pop-up tent
When you hike a trail before dawn to experience an epic sunrise, an afternoon nap is a worthy reward. Coleman’s Pop-Up tent uses a pre-assembled pole system that took us just 10 seconds to set-up. We also found that the footprint is big enough for two camping pads and features a wide door, so that we could get things (including large inflatable mattresses) in easily.
It’s an easy tent to keep well organised, with two storage pockets to store small gear off the ground. A multi-position rainfly lets you customize access, protection and ventilation to match the weather. If it rains, taped floor seams will keep you dry. When it’s time to return home, the tent packs flat for storage.
The best pop-up tent for versatility
The Pop 400 should rightly be called a half-pop-up – it’s made up of two sections, an instantly-erected main tent, which can be used alone on dry nights but which isn’t waterproof, and a separate flysheet waterproofed to 3,000mm, which is pegged over the top, and that would also work alone as a camping tarp for bivvying or hammock camping.
For a few minutes of extra pitching, you essentially get a weatherproof twin-skin tent, making this a versatile choice if you camp in varying locations and conditions over the year. Inside, we found that there was loads of room for two or three plus our gear (but four people would find it too snug), and two doors make it even easier to share with others. Plus, when we pegged the flysheet out, it also creates a useful porch for storing extra kit, which most pop-ups lack. There are other nice touches including reflective guy ropes and a lantern hook. It’s a cinch to pop open and fold close the main tent, using the classic figure-of-eight fold to store in a circular carry bag.
The best blackout pop-up tent
Despite testing it out on a weekend in the wild, we still don’t really understand how this clever tent erects – it’s a bit of a magic trick. Pull the 2 Seconds Easy Freshblack (it has a bit of a mouthful of a name) out of its bag, pull two cords tight and it springs into shape, then you just peg it down and you’re ready to camp. To dismantle, you click a release button and then gather the tent into its bag, which is also the work of minutes.
Inside, there’s a bedroom suitable for two plus backpacks and lined with effective blackout material, plus handy pockets and a lantern hook. Although this tent can’t be classed as lightweight, it’s still just small and portable enough to be useable for wild camping and backpacking at a pinch, as it folds down into a compact rectangle rather than a bulkier circle, and fits in a backpack.
The best pop-up tent for festivals
Decathlon are always a good one-stop shop for affordable outdoor gear, and we reckon they stock the widest range of pop-up tents on the market, starting from pocket-friendly prices. Our pick of the pack is the roomy 2 Seconds Blackout. We found that this well-made pop-up has plenty of space for two people and would fit in three adults if you don’t mind getting cosy. It also offers good height, and we’ve used it with two low camping beds in it without any problem. The blackout material that lines the bedroom works brilliantly – this is a great options for festivals or family weekends where you need your beauty sleep.
The 2 Seconds is a doddle to erect – you just have to unclip three colour-coded clips and it springs to life. Once erect, it feels solid and can be further secured with good guy ropes. Now for the downside – we’ve used this tent on over a dozen occasions and always found it frustrating to pack down. That said, this is still a very good quality tent that’s built to last.
The best solo pop-up tent for festivals
