In our tests, an experienced camper took only about six minutes on the first try to set up the tent body alone and stake it out. Getting the fly placed and staked properly took about five more minutes. For this guide, we focused on tents that suit the most common terrains you’re likely to encounter when car-camping—grassy lawns or clearings, beaches, dirt campsites, and basic platforms—in spring, summer, and fall. We’re not looking at tents designed for such specialized activities as mountaineering, backpacking, or winter camping, though some of our recommendations have cross-over potential. You can also set up the tent without the fly while retaining some privacy, since the tent body has a high polyester wall on one side. Easy to set up and pack away, the Mineral King 3 is a lightweight, two-door tent with a generous footprint and a sturdy dome shape.
One of our favorite features of this tent is the blackout interior Ozark has designed it with. Great for light sleepers, or those days when you feel like shutting out the world around you, all the windows zip shut to eliminate any light from entering the tent. All of the 8 person tents included in this guide are solid choices, and which one will be the best for you depends on your specific needs. This means sleeping in a camping bag, with almost no space between people, and it might mean sleeping with heads next to feet. The most durable tents out of the 4, but you’ll need to buy better stakes if you camp in windy/rainy areas. Not ideal if you’re planning to go on a backpacking trip where you carry your tent in your bag.
Not only does this Ozark Trail tent have the lowest peak height of any other 6-person cabin tent I’ve tested, it also has one of the least vertical walls I’ve ever seen. This isn’t an instant tent, but ease of use is still a high point of this model thanks to the simple setup. Just slide the roof poles into place, then plug the side and corner poles into their designated hubs and raise it all up. Two people can get this cabin set up in about five minutes, but setting the 2 Room Cabin up solo isn’t out of the question either. As this tent is meant to house 10 people sleeping side-to-side, a more realistic number is 6-7, as you still need space to move around the cabin.
Just unfold,extend the legs,stake the feet and you are ready to camp. The two-room,cabin style tent has 360 views with windows on all sides and room to stand up with a huge 72-inch center height. It comfortably fits two queen airbeds or up to 8 campers in sleeping bags on the floor. Keep all your gear organized with the included hanging gear organizer.
The large carrying bag makes for an easy re-pack, and you get a 6-month limited warranty giving you confidence in the purchase. With its large size, fast pitch, and blackout interior, it’s a tent that you shouldn’t overlook if you are in the market for something that suits family camping, or camping with a large group of friends. It might be listed as a 4 person tent & be very spacious, meaning you’ll fit as 4 + your gear. It has an included rainfly, and the 7 mesh windows can be zipped up to prevent rain from entering. I didn’t pay much for this tent (just slightly over $100), and I don’t think there’s any other brand apart from Ozark Trail that you can buy a 10-person tent for this price. I don’t think this Ozark Trail 10-Person Tent will do very well against strong winds.
As far as fairweather shelters go, however, this one may be the best value in terms of livability for your money. No one wants to be in an outdoor shelter that is structurally compromised when exposed to the elements. Like most instant tents, they use a combination of steel and polyester for the majority of its construction. Steel legs give it a strong frame which excel in protecting you against high winds during inclement weather. ozark trail canopy tent Which one you’ll choose will come down to personal preferences & personal needs; you can’t really go wrong with any of these, they are all the best rated & best selling tents in the 8 person instant tents category. Its walls are 75-denier polyester fabric (tougher than the Wireless 6’s 68-denier polyester and the same as the REI Co-op Base Camp’s) that extends about two-thirds up the tent’s sides, and then is topped with mesh.