However, it does not take much for your camping trek to go south. Camping tents play a crucial role in helping you realize your ideal outdoor adventure plan. After all, they play the role of sheltering you from a diverse probability of unpredictable weather conditions in the woods. In addition, camping tents also protects you from any type of potentially life-threatening attacks from our wild counterparts. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that you choose the right tent before you skip out for your weekend-long open-air adventure.
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Family Camping Tents Buying Guide
If you want to ensure you do not make any type of compromises with your camping tent purchase, there are some key areas you should focus on.
Here are some of the most vital things to keep in mind while searching for the for a large family camping tent:
- Type of tent material/ water-proof
The most relevant aspect of your camping tent is to shelter you from the harsh weather condition. Unpredictable storm, in particular, is something that should be on your top list of things to watch out for. In such cases, the standard camping tents usually do not offer the proper water-proofing feature. Unless you don’t mind collecting water under your tent, always look for camping shelters that offer a good degree of a water-repelling feature.
- Tent Size
The size of the tent will depend on your camping blueprint, and how many friends/ families you plan to camp with. Camping tents come in a large variety of contradicting sizes, depending on the number of people it can house. Most people usually tend to carry individual (small) ones, but it is usually more convenient and efficient if you can carry a large tent that can accommodate multiple people simultaneously. This makes it easier to set up the tent and reduce baggage space as well.
- Ease of installation
Most people think all camping tents are identical when it comes to their installation process. However, that could not be more inaccurate. Different types of tents come with contradicting design and, hence, require specific installation procedures as well. Unless you do not mind spending half the day setting up your shelter, look for the ones that provide requires simple installation.
- Tent Pricing
You do not necessarily need to squander away your savings just so you can enjoy a quiet getaway in the woods. There is a wide pool of camping tent options with varying price tags. So you do not need to worry about finding the right product at your ideal price point. With some helpful web content, you can easily find your ideal camping companion.
The best large family camping tents that we found are:
- Coleman 10-Person Dark Room Cabin Tent
- Core 9-Person Instant Cabin Tent
- Coleman 6-Person Dome Camping Tent
- NTK Laredo Large Family Camping Tent
- Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Outdoor Tent
- Browning Camping Big Horn Tent
- Ozark Trail 12-Person Instant Cabin Tent
- Wenzel 8-Person Klondike Tent
- NTK Arizona GT 9/10-Person Sport Camping Tent
- Core 11-Person Family Cabin Tent
1. Coleman 10-Person Dark Room Cabin Tent
If you are a newbie to the family camping tent market, you should expect the name Coleman to make a frequent appearance on your monitor. Over the years, Coleman has created a niche for themselves for manufacturing some of the best large family camping tents on the market. The 10-Person dark room cabin tent is one of their best offerings and overall one of the most compelling value for money product in the general market as well. If you have a large family this is one of the best tents that you buy.
Features
- The unique dark-room design aspect of the tent blocks out 90% of the sunlight effectively to provide a cool and pleasant stay inside.
- The tent has a distinctive inverted seam and welded corner design that prevents water from penetrating through it, hence offering exceptional water-resistance.
- The unit has a one-step installation feature that allows you to quickly organize the entire structure within a minute, thanks to its pre-attached poles.
- The hinged door design on this family camping tent unit offers a wide access opening that allows you to go in and out of it without any space restrictions.
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Exceptional accommodation space
- Extremely easy to set-up
- It comes with a room divider option
Cons
- The limited window openings might make you feel a little cluster-phobic
2. Core 9-Person Instant Cabin Tent
The core 9-person cabin tent is another exceptional camping shelter that makes for a compelling purchase option. This tent unit from CORE, in specific, is excellent for those people who are looking for a bulky and spacious one that can fit a large group of camping-enthusiasts comfortably without posing any space constraints.
Features
- The product, in particular, has a vent-rich design that enables it to circulate air efficiently throughout the tent, providing optimum breathability.
- The massive 14′ x 9′ base dimension is adequate to fit 9 fully grown adults and can fit about two queen size air mattresses as well.
- You have the option to use a single-layer ceiling that provides a (semi) transparent and breathable covering, or a double-layer water-resistant roof covering with a unique H2O Block Technology.
- The tent is constructed using a durable 68D polyester material that provides exceptional water-resistant capacity with an effective hydrostatic rating of 600mm.
Pros
- Excellent tent capacity
- The installation process is extremely simple and straightforward
- Durable build quality with an exceptional water-resistant design
- Multiple large vent/ window design that provides good visibility and promotes efficient air circulation inside
Cons
- The airy (vent) design of the tent might cause problems in windy situations.
3. Coleman 6-Person Dome Camping Tent
Another one of the best large family camping tent out there in the market is the Coleman instant family unit. This shelter can easily house your entire family with seamless ease and also presents itself with some handy quirks and feature tweaks that ultimately contribute to enhancing your experience inside the tent as well.
Features
- You get a separate transparent (screened-in) dome room that provides optimum ventilation and also allow you to gaze up the sky at night without any roof hindrance.
- The small storage pockets provided inside the tent come in extremely handy for housing some of your everyday gadgets and camping gears.
- The Dark Room technology utilized on this tent works efficiently in blocking off almost 90% of direct sunlight, so you can chill out even in the scorching heat of the summer.
- It has a convincing built quality that can withstand any type of harsh rain conditions, or average tropical windy climate as well.
Pros
- The pre-attached poles make it extremely easy to set up the tent.
- The additional screened room provides distinct versatility.
- The product has a convincingly sturdy build quality
- Exceptional heat reducing feature.
Cons
- The screen room has no stake point, which can become quite frustrating to operate at times.
4. NTK Laredo Large Family Camping Tent
If the price tag on your family camping tent does not bother you, this shelter unit from NTK Laredo is your choice of poison. It has a simple, yet effective design that convinces you of its rigidity and durability factor from the get-go. The tent has a fully-enclosed design that helps you to maintain an excellent solitude profile once you are zipped inside it. It makes for a compelling one for anyone looking to experience the ultimate camping quest.
Features
- It promises a superior level of sturdiness, thanks to its non-breakable and flexible and Nano-flex fiberglass pole structure.
- You have the option to implement an extra rainfly cover that not only provides excellent water-resistant characteristics but also delivers a unique and appealing exterior design profile as well.
- The tent has a massive room space of 15′ x 10′ that can support up to nine (9) adults, or fit three (3) double mattresses along with two (2) twin beds as well.
- The fabric is a class apart and offers a wide array of advantages from anti-fungus flooring design to a thermal silver coating on the inside for more efficient temperature regulation.
Pros
- Premium build quality
- Excellent ventilation design
- Massive room space
- Extremely durable and sturdy structure
Cons
- The entire unit rolled into your bag is not the lightest thing to carry around.
5. Coleman WeatherMaster 10-Person Outdoor Tent
Yet another excellent outdoor tent product from Coleman that makes it to the list. If you are looking for a shelter that can provide massive room space that can easily accommodate your entire gang of camping-enthusiasts, the WeatherMaster provides the ideal solution. The product is one of the premium tents offering from Coleman, so you can expect a lot of productive features on it as well. If you plan to camp in rough weather conditions, the Coleman is one of the best large family camping tents on the market at this point.
Features
- As apparent by its name, offers solid protection against any type of unpredictable and harsh weather conditions. The distinctive guy-out triangles to anchor pole design offer convincing support against windy conditions.
- The premium polyester fabric, along with Velcro frame attachments and fully-taped rainfly, provides exceptional performance against heavy rainfall.
- The inverted floor seam design on the unit enhances its water-resistant capacity by concealing the needle holes internally and away from the elements.
- The tent offers a mammoth room space and can fit about 10 grown adults easily. You can also accommodate three (3) separate queen size air beds inside the tent.
Pros
- The unique WeatherTec system keeps the floor dry at all times
- The hinged door design provides optimum accessibility
- The color-coded poles make it extremely easy to set up the tent
- It provides exceptional resistance against wind and rain
Cons
- Heavy unit
6. Browning Camping Big Horn Tent
In addition to simply looking for a bulky outdoor shelter, if you are in search of a tent that can offer some degree of privacy, the Browning Family Camping tent is your one-stop solution. Unlike other conventional designs, this gazebo offers two separate rooms so you can accommodate two separate parties under one tent.
Features
- It offers an incredible ventilation capacity due to its strategic open design. Has a mesh roof design (can be covered) and offers 2 separate doors and 4 massive windows as well.
- The tent is constructed using a superior 150D polyester oxford floor and a 75D 185T polyester fly that helps you to stay dry even under extreme wet conditions.
- The side walls are constructed with a straight sidewall design aspect that contributes to offer additional room space for housing your additional camping furniture and cots.
- The free-standing structure design of the tent with steel uprights and fiberglass poles provides resounding rigidity.
Pros
- The screen divider offers excellent partition within the room.
- The abundance of windows and mesh ceiling provides ideal ventilation.
- Class-leading rain-resistant capacity.
- It has two separate exit doors for optimum convenience.
Cons
- Squeezing it back to the bag after your camping is not the easiest.
7. Ozark Trail 12-Person Instant Cabin Tent
If you are looking for the best large family camping tent that will make you feel like you never left your brick-walled house in the first place, the Ozark Trail is precisely what you are searching for. The unit boasts of offering a class-leading accommodation space coupled with a critical design tweak that enhances its other functional features as well.
Features
- The distinct L-shaped design of the Ozark Trail tent contributes its fair share in offering a massive room space that can accommodate up to 12 individuals. Also supports three (3) queen-sized beds as well.
- The unit, due to its streamlined design, offers a much-welcoming and convenient front awning shelter, so you can relax under a cool shade, or provide extra protection against a heavy storm.
- The tent is constructed with a durable polyester fabric that is coated with a promising 68D water-resistant protection along with a fully sealed factory taped seams as well.
- It offers an excellent ventilation system in the form of a mesh ceiling, two (2) massive exit doors, and seven (7) large airy windows.
Pros
- Class-leading accommodation space (up to 12 persons).
- Exceptionally durable and sturdy build quality.
- The L-Shape design offers a plethora of practical versatility.
- Excellent ventilation.
Cons
- Due to its bulky size, it is not a lightweight unit.
8. Wenzel 8-Person Klondike Tent
The Wenzel Klondike tent is one of the unique offerings amongst the sea of standard large family camping tents you usually get on the market. Its distinct design takes care of your space requirements while providing ample functional quirks that you usually do not get from other traditional tent units.
Features
- The tent is intelligently designed to serve either as two separate rooms, or you can use the front space as an awning shelter to enjoy the cool breeze during the hot summer camps.
- The superior quality of craftsmanship is highly apparent from various design aspects such as lap-felled seams, water-repellent webbing, and double-stitching fabrics.
- It has adequate openings both on the ceiling and the base that provides incomparable air circulation and, hence, offers superior ventilation.
- It is manufactured using a polyurethane water-resistant coating and a high-grade polyester fabric that delivers optimum durability.
Pros
- It offers a spacious room that can fit two (2) queen-sized beds.
- It can function either as a two-room space or a room with an outdoor open porch.
- Exceptional air circulation/ventilation system.
- Simple and intuitive setup process.
Cons
- The porch portion has a lower height dimension, so you might feel constricted up to some degrees.
9. NTK Arizona GT 9/10-Person Sport Camping Tent
The NTK Arizona sport camping tent is another example of a premium shelter unit that offers a plethora of high-end specs with minimal practical restrictions. Of course, you would have to be a little more flexible with your pocket capacity, but it does stick to its guns when it comes to justifying its hefty price tag.
Features
- The durable and sturdy build-quality is probably the key highlight of this camping tent. The heat-treated PU seam seal along with a laminated polyurethane 2500 mm makes for an impressive blend that offers superior durability.
- The humungous space inside accommodates up to 9-10 persons, and can easily fit about three (3) queen-sized beds and 2 regular-sized beds simultaneously.
- The quality flooring design features first-in-class anti-fungus protection, a silver-coated layer on the inside, and a unified polyethylene fabric to ensure you stay safe and dry under any damp conditions.
- The fiberglass rods are constructed with a 100% virgin Nano-flex material that offers superior structure rigidity.
Pros
- The rear end can be extended as an outdoor awning porch.
- Premium grade build-material.
- Mesh tent design to keep mosquitoes and insects at bay.
- Optimal rainfly coverage.
Cons
- Inferior visibility due to thick tent cover.
10. Core 11-Person Family Cabin Tent
The last, but undoubtedly not the least is the massive 11-person family cabin tent from CORE Equipment. If you are looking for a shelter unit that incorporates an ideal balance between its price tag and the list of specs it claims to offer, look no further than the Core 11-person cabin tent. It probably offers the best value for money.
Features
- With a massive room space of 17′ x 12′, the tent offers support of up to 11 adult persons. In addition, you can squeeze in three (3) large size air mattresses as well.
- The front room can be unzipped and utilized as a front sitting/sleeping porch where you can enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of Mother Nature around you.
- The advanced venting system that the product utilizes ensures it collects cool air from the base and circulates that to the entire compartment to provide copious breathing space inside.
- The unique H2O blocking technology that the unit incorporates, coupled with its high-grade water-repellent 68-D polyester fabrics, ensures you never have to deal with water molecules inside it.
Pros
- Affordable price
- Expandable electrical access port
- Efficient venting system that draws cool air from the base and pushes out hot ones from above.
- Mammoth tent space.
Cons
- At 43 lbs, it is certainly not lightweight.
FAQ’s when searching for best large family camping tents:
1. Are Polycotton tents better?
A polycotton tent implies the shelter is constructed using a hybrid of standard cotton and polyester fabric. Polycotton ones come with a massive advantage of providing a lesser condensation ability while offering superior breathability as compared to a normal polyester/cotton.
However, polycotton tents usually have inferior water-proofing proficiency. So, it largely depends on your usage requirements.
2. What are the four types of tents?
Four major types of tents are as follows:
A-frame tents are your old-fashioned triangle-shaped shelters that we are all familiar with. They are also called Ridge due to their distinct appearance. These types are usually easy to set up and provide excellent water-proofing aspect but have an extremely limited headspace (height).
As of present, Dome tents are probably the most common type of shelters. They are extremely lightweight and easy to set up as well. However, they do not offer the best stability during windy circumstances.
Multi-Room tents have gained significant popularity over the years due to its extremely versatile nature. As the name suggests, these can be separated into individual rooms to ensure privacy or to use extra spaces for storing away camping gears. It can, however, be a challenging task to set-up the entire unit.
Due to the emerging popularity of family camping adventures, cabin tents have become extremely significant. These types of tents offer the ultimate room space to accommodate a large number of occupants at once. They are the most versatile of the bunch of family camping tent types as well. However, they are bulky and, hence, are not ideal for carrying around a long-distance camping trip.
3. What should I look for when buying a tent?
Some of the key factors to consider before searching for a large family camping tent are:
- Its water-resistant capacity.
- It’sbuild-quality/ the fabric used for the construction of the tent.
- The authentic capacity of the tent/how many people can it accommodate?
- The season-compatibility (sunny, windy, and rainy season).
- The ventilation property.
- Lastly, check if the price you are paying justifies the spec list.
4. Should you put a tarp over your tent?
The question of whether you should cover it with an additional tarp on top is an entirely subjective aspect. Putting a tarp over your tent can act as an additional layer of protection against rainfall, or debris from large trees, especially pine needles. However, applying a tarp over can prevent proper air circulation, and more importantly, you have to make camps where there are ample trees to realize this additional installation as well.
5. What’s the best family tent to buy?
At present, there are a copious number of available options in the market if you are considering buying a family-size tent. However, the 11-person family cabin tent from Core Equipment makes for a compelling purchase option due to its obvious mammoth size and a fairly average price point as well.
Conclusions
Searching for a large family camping tent is the first step towards ensuring you harness optimum fun and adventure out of your camping expedition. As per your camping requirements, you can scroll through different sizes, build-material, and diverse iterations of tent design options as well. Make sure you tick all the right boxes before making any purchase to ensure you do not regret your investment later on.
