The best-selling Coleman Sundome 6-Person Tent has a footprint larger (100 square feet) than that of our top-pick tent for families, but it felt smaller because it has a lower ceiling, no vestibule, and only one door. Nevertheless, it still comfortably accommodates four people, and it’s a roomy choice for two. This no-nonsense tent is intuitive to set up, has mesh on the top halves of two walls, includes a partial rain fly that’s easy to put on and stake out, and feels cheery inside and out. (We don’t recommend the smaller version of this tent for couples who might actually take it on the road; it was just too flimsy in our tests.) Also note that this tent does not come with its own groundsheet. Coleman says that the tent doesn’t need one, probably because its floor is a crinkly (though tough) tarp-like polyethylene, not a taped-seam polyester as in our other picks. This is arguably the most important category when it comes to car camping.
Breaking the dome shape mold but still scoring top points are the MSR Habitude 4 and Snow Peak Alpha Breeze. And while a touch on the broadside, the included guylines and slanted vestibule face make this tent very wind worthy. The Alpha Breeze sports thick canvas and a robust A-frame-inspired design — features made to handle the elements with ease. It also has super thick poles, metal guylines, and a whopping 20 stakes.
The Ozark Trail 10-Person Instant Cabin Tent is the perfect tent to take with you on your next outdoor adventure. This tent sets up in under two minutes with the innovative instant frame design for easy and fun camping. This 10-Person tent requires no assembly because the poles are pre-attached to the tent. The two-room, cabin style tent has panoramic views with windows on all sides and room to stand up with a huge 78-inch center height. It comfortably fits two queen airbeds or up to 10 campers in sleeping bags on the floor.
We also appreciated the shepherd’s hook stakes that come with the tent. Most of the tents we tested came with basic L-shaped stakes, which tended to spin around in the soil and slip a line. The shepherd’s hook design, in contrast, held lines secure.
Families who regularly pitch their tent in rainy locales need a wind-fighting tent with a good-size vestibule for storing wet shoes and gear, as well as a full rain fly for added weather protection. Car campers who plan to brave miserable weather will appreciate the extra strength and protection of the REI Co-op Base Camp 4 Tent. The main bodies of our other picks are structured with two main poles with added support from smaller brow poles. The Base Camp, by contrast, has four full-size aluminum struts woven throughout it, somewhat like a basket, plus an additional brow pole that frames the front entrance and supports the larger of the two vestibules. The Base Camp also offers more privacy compared with our other picks—with or without the rain fly.
When your campsite is only a few yards away from your trunk, a little extra weight in exchange for better comfort and space is an easy choice. For this metric, we looked at the overall footprint of each tent, including the vestibule space. We checked the height and headroom, doors and windows, and the general airflow with and without the rainfly.
The Skyward has a 6′ 6″ height profile and a larger-than-normal, built-in vestibule. Since 2012, our team has reviewed close to 300 tents, including the top 16 car camping options in this review. See which ones stood up to our rigorous testing as we take you on a deep dive into the inner workings of the tent market. We put these tents to the test across some pretty ozark trail shower tent rugged terrain and the complicated environment of a family, teenagers, and two moderately trained dogs. With the help of our years of experience, we’ve gathered all the information you’ll need to pick the perfect tent for your next outdoor adventure. This one-room, square tent stood out from all the rest of the tents, and will now be my go-to car camping tent.
A senior staff writer at Wirecutter, Kit Dillon has written about everything from backpacks and cooking gear to luggage and road-tripping. A full rain cover, two vestibules, and an extra-sturdy pole ozark trail shower tent structure make this the best choice for families who want to get outside in any weather. Unfortunately, the steel pole in the back of the tent did not lock into position, so this tent is defective.