The Best Camping Tents of 2024: Tested

One tester dubbed this palatial tent his "party house," and we couldn't agree more. Not only is the 78-inch peak one of the tallest in our test, but this behemoth serves up more than 83 square feet of space—bigger than some brick-and-mortar bedrooms. To that end, the REI Co-op Wonderland 6 comes with a divider, so campers can create two rooms in the rectangular floor plan, each with its own entrance. Testers had no problem fitting three sleepers on each side, but we highly recommend turning the front room into a lounge with chairs and a card table if you're not maxing out the capacity.

The tent doesn't feature any true vestibules, but awnings on each side provide plenty of room for staying out of the rain while you take your boots off. On clear days, you can roll them back to soak up some sun. And unless you're filling the Wonderland 6 to capacity, you'll have plenty of room inside the main area for storage: One tester said that filling the tent with a half-dozen felt a little snug, but any less than that afforded plenty of elbow room. If you need a true vestibule, go all out: Connect the Wonderland Mud Room ($125, sold separately) to give yourself a 56-square-foot foyer. "It's like our gear garage," says one tester. "At night, we move our chairs, side table, firewood and the kids' bikes inside. If it's raining, we'll even eat in there." The Wonderland 6 performed well in extended precipitation and wind when properly guyed out, and testers reported no leaking, even when it was pitched on the lawn when the sprinklers went off (all in the name of research). Another tester was also impressed with the tent's ventilation during sunny 90°F days camping at a Texas park. But note that a shelter this tall with near-vertical sidewalls won't be the best option in high winds. If you're planning to camp in more exposed terrain or extreme conditions, opt for a tent with a more aerodynamic profile.

Of course, luxury like this isn't compact. The Wonderland 6 packs down to a bundle the size of a toddler, though it still leaves plenty of room in your trunk for other gear. On the plus side, with a tent this big, you'll likely have plenty of companions helping out. Setup crews will appreciate the color-coded poles, clips and sleeves that simplify the pitching process.

Cramped quarters? Not with the Base Camp 4 from REI Co-op. This four-person shelter maximizes space with a deep awning (our New Mexico–based tester stationed a camp chair beneath it to wait out a squall) and a generous vehicle attachment (like a large vestibule; sold separately) that’s spacious enough for four camp chairs and a table.  

All that, and it packs down to about the size of six Nalgene water bottles. 

“No four-person tent is ever going to pack down small, but this packs down smaller than the [other] 4-person tent I have been using for years,” says the New Mexico–based tester. 

Because more people typically means more gear, testers appreciate the shelter’s interior and roof pockets as well as hang loops that make organization a cinch. Additionally, four roof vents encourage air flow (a must when housing several stinky campers) and offer primo stargazing if you ditch the fly. Two wide-mouth doors on either side allow access without crawling over campmates and, if you’ve maxed the capacity, can make the tent feel a little less claustrophobic. 

One caveat: Larger campers may feel squished. Peak height is a little less than 5 feet, 3 inches. Even so, one of our taller testers felt that the shelter’s superior weatherproofness made up for that: “I was prepared to not like this tent because it did not have standing headroom,” says the tester, who is 5 feet, 9 inches tall. “But, after using it through hot days and several violent, windy thunderstorms, I really came to like it.” 

It's also worth noting that the Base Camp 4 doesn’t include a tent footprint. To extend your shelter’s life and make clean-up easier, you can purchase the matching footprint separately. “I needed to clean the bottom quite a bit and it's much more awkward to clean the bottom of a tent than just a footprint,” says our Minnesota-based tester. Buy here. 

"One minute," declares our editor. "That's how quick this thing goes up." Once you unroll the body, the T4 Hub from Gazelle pops up instantaneously. Stake it down, then you're done. If you're wondering why all tents aren't built like this, there are downsides—namely weight (30 pounds) and packed size (8.6 inches by 67.5 inches—not a typo). That means you need ample storage space when it's not in use, both in your home and vehicle. But, if you're set there, enjoy the easy-breezy pop-up design. The T4 Hub is also surprisingly sturdy in 20 mph winds, thanks to its weight, hefty poles and 210-denier polyester fabric. Inside, there is enough space for most people to stand up in, plus double doors and plenty of pockets and windows.

A six-person tent for less than $200 is a bit of a unicorn, especially when that tent weighs less than 14 pounds. But that's exactly what you get with the Kelty Discovery Basecamp 6. Of course, at this price point you're bound to lose a few bells and whistles. This shelter is admittedly far simpler than the feature-rich Wonderland 6, but sometimes the basics are all you need for a night under the stars.

During a test in eastern Kansas, the tent comfortably fit a family of six and stood up to a nighttime shower. It shed the two inches of rain that fell during the night, and the dome shape handled wind better than other similar-size tents in this lineup. Plus, it was easy to set up, even with just one person on the job. One tester's biggest concern was the tent-door zipper that occasionally became stuck or snagged on the fabric—a problem he worried could worsen with use.