The best Tents for Family Camping

When looking for family tents for camping, there are a variety of factors that come into play, factors that you may not think about when looking for traditional camping tents for yourself, your partner, or friends. Even if you've been backpacking and camping your entire life, shopping for a tent for your family is a whole different ball game. Bringing larger groups into the mix changes some critical aspects of the camping experience, particularly if your family includes children, elderly members, or pets. Don't think you simply need a larger tent. There is much more to look into that size when it comes to the best camping tents for family trips.
So, let's break it down. First, we'll dive into how to choose the best family camping tents, then we'll give you an extensive listing of our favorites, broken down by category so you can find the perfect tent for your next family trip.

 

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST TENT FOR FAMILY CAMPING
For starters, the best camping tents for your family will depend on who your family is. How many family members are there? Are you camping with small children? Are you bringing pets? Will there be any elderly campers with you or anyone with a disability? These are all questions you need to ask yourself.
In general, however, the best camping tents for family trips need to be spacious, they need to be durable, and they need to be easy to set up and take down. Let's explain those three factors a bit more.
First, you want to have room for all your family members, plus food, gear, apparel, and any pets you may have. Children, in particular, aren't always keen on sitting still, and require a bit of extra space sometimes, even though they're smaller than adults. The same can be said for older adults, or anyone with a disability. If your family consists of a bunch of healthy and physically fit young adults or teens, you might be able to rough it and cram into a tight tent, but most families have members of all ages. In any case, this usually means you need a fairly large tent.
You also want the tent to be rugged enough to take a bit of abuse, particularly, again, if you have children who may roughhouse and inadvertently damage the tent material or frame (or if you want to bring your pets inside the tent). Naturally, the more people moving around inside a tent, no matter how large, results in more opportunities to knock the tent around and damage it.
Finally, you want the tent to be quick to set up and take down. It's no fun to have energetic kids racing around you while you're trying to set up your tent, or complaining while you're slowly taking it down. This tent will be providing shelter for a lot of people, so it needs to be ready to roll at a moment's notice, ideally. If you're camping for a week or more, then sure, maybe a fast setup time isn't as important, but just keep this all in mind.

• BEST TENT FOR 3-PERSON FAMILY:

The 3-Person tent the best option when it comes to camping tents for family trips into the wilderness. This is because it's extremely lightweight, with top-notch water resistance, but it's also absolutely massive inside, with additional exterior vestibules perfect for sheltering pets and gear. It's also rated for four seasons (i.e. winter, in addition to spring, summer, and fall), so this is a tent that can still hold up well even when colder weather comes around.

• BEST TENT FOR 6-PERSON FAMILY:

This six-person pop-up tent is spacious enough to house most small to mid-size families and lightweight enough to take even on backcountry missions, so long as you can divvy the components up.
Zipper windows provide ventilation, a storage pocket allows for interior storage, and the see-through roof allows for stargazing and letting in a bit of sunshine. The rain fly is burly enough to hold up under three-season (spring, summer, and fall) inclement weather.

• BEST TENT FOR 8-PERSON FAMILY:

When car camping, weight and packability aren't much of a concern, so a heavier tent like this one, is still a great choice since it offers an unprecedented level of luxury and space. Not only does this tent sleep up to eight people, but it offers a detachable room divider for privacy, so you can essentially make this a two-room tent. In addition, a spacious screened porch offers a nice place to sit and drink a beer or enjoy the summer breeze. This is a bulky tent, but it offers unmatched comfort and functionality.