For this post, I have put together a collection of the best family tents currently available. For more top picks and buying guides, see my camping packing list.
Top Picks
- Best Overall: Coleman Tent Octagon 6 Person Family Camping Tent
- Best Budget Buy: Trail Outdoor Leisure Hartland 4 Man 2 Room Tent
- Best For Large Families: Vango Odyssey Family Tunnel Tent
Planning on a family camping trip this year?
There is a huge choice of family tents available, but which one do you go for?
A lot will depend on how many of you will be sharing the tent, the age and sex of the kids and what type of camping trip you want.
How We Selected
This buyer’s guide provides you with the information you need to help you choose your perfect family tent.
We’ve scoured the internet, to save you the time, looking for the best tents for families.
All of our recommended tents have excellent feedback and 4-5/5 star customer ratings.
This research is also based on my own personal experience of camping as a couple, in a group and as a family of 4!
Want to take the hassle out of putting up a tent? Check out the best inflatable tents or go glamping with one of these teepee tents and an inflatable sofa.
Let’s get going!
Best Family Tent For 3
Coleman Tent Darwin
- Lightweight and easy to pitch three person dome tent ideal for a couple with a young child.
- Easy to pitch; highly flexible and light fibreglass poles withstand even strong wind.
- Several ventilation flaps for optimal air circulation.
- The spacious porch area with groundsheet is ideal for storing gear and is large enough to sit and relax if the weather takes a turn for the worse.
- Pros: Easy to pitch, the spacious porch area.
- Cons: The tent is small for three people.
- Consumer Score: Very good reviews. 76% of buyers gave this 5/5 stars.
- Retailers: Amazon and eBay.
Best Family Tent For 4
Trail Outdoor Leisure Hartland 4 Man 2 Room Tent
- Tent with spacious rooms and 4 colour-coded fibreglass poles for easy assembly.
- Tent features a zip-lock entrance, a pair of double bedrooms, and a living area.
- Double wall design insulates against the cold.
- Excellent value for money.
- Pros: Affordable, separate bedrooms and living area.
- Cons: It could do with an additional ground sheet for living area.
- Consumer Score: Excellent reviews. 82% of buyers gave this 4-5 stars.
- Retailers: Amazon and eBay.
Best Family Tent For 5
Coleman Rocky Mountain 5 Plus Tent
- A spacious, easy to pitch, family tunnel tent.
- Featuring our blackout bedrooms, with 99% of daylight being blocked out from the bedroom so you can get a great night’s sleep and not wake with the first light.
- The large living area is spacious enough for a family table and chairs.
- With a full-height door with a drop-down section providing a totally flat entrance, perfect for buggies or wheelchairs.
- The zipper stoppers on the tent doors ensure that zips are always within easy reach in the event of an emergency, even for children.
- Pros: The blackout bedrooms so you can lie in in the mornings.
- Cons: No opening side windows so can get quite stuffy in the warm weather.
- Consumer Score: Brilliant reviews. 86% of buyers gave this 4-5 stars.
Best Family Tents For 6
Berghaus Air 6 Inflatable 6 Person Family Tent
- Stable and strong tent with outstanding waterproof performance and ventilation system.
- The robust inflatable beams take only a few minutes to blow up and are just as quick to deflate – making this the perfect family tent for camping in style.
- Features tunnel design with 1x pre-attached bedroom and 1x spacious living room.
- Dual action stirrup pump and pressure gauge included.
- Pros: Inflates quickly and easily.
- Cons: No black out bedrooms.
- Consumer Score: Very good reviews. 73% of buyers gave this 5/5 stars.
Coleman Tent Octagon 6 Person Family Camping Tent
- A big, spacious tent offering panoramic views.
- With six large windows and mesh roof for maximum air circulation and two hinged doors open like a real door.
- Tent comes with a sewn-in groundsheet that keeps the water out.
- Includes a removable partition that can divide the space into separate rooms for adults and children.
- Not too tricky to assemble.
- Pros: The sewn in ground sheet, mesh roof and large windows keep air circulating, affordable for a large tent.
- Cons: You can get draughts as the cover openings around the doors gives wind access to the inside mesh part.
- Consumer Score: Fabulous reviews. 78% of buyers gave this 5/5 stars.
- Retailers: Amazon and eBay.
Best Family Tents For 8 Or More
Berghaus Air 8 Inflatable Tunnel Design 8 Person Family Tent
- Stable and strong tent with outstanding waterproof performance and ventilation system.
- The robust inflatable beams take only a few minutes to blow up and are just as quick to deflate – making this the perfect family tent for camping in style.
- Features tunnel design with 1x pre-attached bedroom and 1x spacious living room.
- Dual action stirrup pump and pressure gauge included.
- With darkened rooms for a cool and easy to sleep.
- Pros: The black out bedrooms, lots of excellent feedback from buyers.
- Cons: The price is expensive.
- Consumer Score: Good reviews. 87% of buyers gave this 5/5 stars.
Vango Odyssey Family Tunnel Tent
- This tent is specifically designed with families and large groups in mind.
- The tunnel design offers stability, stand-up head height.
- Flexible sleeping areas.
- Tension Band System provides additional stability in adverse weather conditions.
- With full mesh doors, lantern hanging loops, storage pockets and large Diamond Clear windows, so you can enjoy the lovely views outside.
- Toggled room dividers and lights-out’ inners meaning you won’t be awakened by the morning light.
- Pros: Fully sewn-in groundsheet to keep water out, you can regulate heat easily, black out bedrooms.
- Cons: Ventilation could be improved.
- Consumer Score: Positive reviews. 74% of buyers gave this 5/5 stars.
Cozy House Outdoor Waterproof Four Seasons Family Camping Cotton Canvas Bell Tent with Meshed Door and Windows
- Heavy duty canvas bell tent in a sand colour creating a warm cosy atmosphere.
- It has a zippable groundsheet allowing you to roll the sides of the walls up on a hot, summer’s day and to let the wind pass underneath.
- Centre pole holds tent up.
- Available in Diameter 3M or 4M.
- Pros: The high dome roof gives a feeling of plenty of space for a family, ideal for families with young children as you can all sleep in together.
- Cons: No separate bedrooms.
- Consumer Score: Superb reviews. 87% of buyers gave this 5/5 stars.
- See the best Teepee Tents.
The Most Important Features To Consider
There are some essential features to look for when buying a new tent.
Material:
Make sure the model you choose is completely waterproof and comes with a groundsheet on the floor. You really don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night in a puddle.
Size:
First think about where your camping. Some camp sites have rules on tent dimensions and pitch sizes, so read up on the maximum tent dimensions you are allowed.
Secondly, how big is your car boot or trailer? Air tents generally come in very large storage bags, compared to a pole tent, so make sure you measure your boot space to make sure it will fit.
How heavy is the tent? Will it be suitable for the car or trailer? If you want to walk any distance with your tent, It’s best to choose a lightweight model.
Bedrooms:
Think about who is going to sleeping in the tent. For example, If you have children, a tent with two bedrooms will ensure you all get a better night’s sleep.
Some tents come with a blackout material divide to help separate the bedroom space which can be very useful.
Design:
Tents with more bedrooms and more tunnels are obviously going to be harder to pitch that a simpler design, so think about who will be pitching it.
Bell tents usually require at least 2 people to erect it.
If you don’t want the extra work of pitching a pole tent, look for an air tent, these use inflatable poles and are lightweight and easy to erect with a pump.
Also, look out for little design features such as pockets, storage compartments and a porch, these are really useful for storing cooking equipment and muddy boots.
FAQ’s Family Tents
There is an incredible number of tent makes, models and designs on the market today.
Tunnels come in a huge variety of sizes and styles and are perhaps the most common form of family tents found on campsites today.
However, it all really depends on where you are camping and who is camping.
Dome tents are vertical so overall headroom is good. Ridge tents are stable and range from tiny one-person tents right up to large marquees.
Geodesic are the most stable type of tent for extreme weather conditions.
Inflatable tents are quick to pitch but this does make them heavier and more costly.
A living area and a porch can make all the difference when camping with your family.
It means you have a space outside for mucky shoes and cooking and space inside for wet weather activities and evenings.
Sewn-in groundsheets are really handy as they will create a warm, dry space.
Buying an Inflatable Tent will mean you can pitch your tent quickly and easily without too many family arguments!
Cheap Family Tents & Today’s Bestsellers
![Vango Odyssey Airbeam 500SC Tent [Amazon Exclusive] Family Camping 5 Man Tent, Inflatable Airbeam with Attached Sun Canopy for for 5 People](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41g3Xi-li0L.jpg)
Final Thoughts
My overall top pick is the Coleman Tent Octagon 6 Person Family Camping Tent. Not only does it have excellent reviews from plenty of buyers, it is large enough for a big family, tall enough to stand up in and has a removable partition that can divide the space into separate rooms for adults and children.
I hope this guide to family tents was helpful.
If you think I left any out that should be included or have a suggestion for a future article, let me know in the comments below.
Nicola
Last Updated: May 2022
- Updated Image.
- Added Top Picks.
- Added ‘How We Selected.’
- Added internal links.
- Added Pros/Cons on all products.
- Added ‘Things To Consider’.
- Added FAQ’s.
- Added Final Thought.
- Added Alternative Retailer.
- Moved OOS.
Camping Buyer’s Guides
Help ease your shopping with our in-depth buying guides for your next camping purchase.
Camping Furniture (Chairs, Tables, Sofas)
Sleeping (Camp Beds, Sleeping Bags)
Cooking / Kitchen
Tents
Roof Racks & Bags
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Your Camping Checklist
There’s something you always forget when packing for a camping trip. Use our handy camping checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything important.
Get more out of your next adventure in the great outdoors with these 24 brilliant camping hacks.
Get more out of your next adventure in the great outdoors with these 24 brilliant camping hacks.
Coleman FastPitch Air Valdes Inflatable Tent (currently unavailable)
- Easy to inflate and dismantle in minutes.
- Well designed tent to maximise living space and full head height.
- Family tent is effortless to pitch and offers generous living quarters and amazing blackout bedrooms.
- There is a convenient hinged door, making it the perfect option for any getaway.
- Pump included.
- Good reviews so far. From 14 ratings 71% of buyers gave this 5/5 stars.
Coleman Da Gama 4 Tunnel Tent (currently unavailable)
- This tent has a good side-by-side bedroom layout so parents can easily access the kids.
- There is a good amount of living space.
- Offering full head-height throughout and a family-sized living area, better for when the weather takes a turn for the worse.
- A large, front rain porch provides shelter from the rain and is an ideal space to store muddy boots.
- Very good reviews. From 90 ratings 86% of buyers gave this 5/5 stars.
