A tent is one of the most important pieces of gear to have for any camping trip. A good tent shelters you from any bad weather you may encounter on a camping trip, and keeps you warm and sleeping well during the night so that you have more energy to explore during the day. But with all the tent options on the market, how do you choose the right tent for your upcoming trips? Well, you’re in the right spot!

My name is Hunter, and I’ve been camping for over 25 years. My first camping trips growing up were car camping trips, and even now—after having discovered the wonders of backpacking—car camping is still my favorite way to sleep under the stars. I’ve learned a lot and tried various tents over my years of car camping, and while working in the outdoor industry, I’ve stayed pretty up to date on the latest and greatest trends in the camping world. In this article, I’ll break down everything you need to know about choosing your perfect car camping tent, and give you a list of the top car camping tents on the market!

What is Car Camping?

Car camping is a type of camping where you plan to set up your campsite right next to your car. Car camping tents are generally designed to prioritize comfort and space, without much thought to weight. To provide some contrast, if you were shopping for a backpacking tent, you would be more concerned about keeping the packed weight of the tent low in order to minimize the amount of weight you have to carry in your backpack. Car camping tents are generally quite a bit cheaper than other types of tents, since they don’t need to use the latest and greatest lightweight technology. They tend to be the best type of tent for new campers, since they are roomier and have more add-ons than lighter, higher-tech tents.

What to Consider When Buying a Car Camping Tent

Before we jump into our list of the best car camping tents, here are a few things to think about to make sure you get the car camping tent that is exactly right for you!

Size

The first thing you’ll need to figure out is the size of tent you want for your camping trip. Tents come in a range of sizes, from 1-person tents up to 12-person tents. The size you’ll need will depend on the type of camping you do: Is it mostly trips alone with a friend or partner? Will your whole family be sleeping in the same tent? Do you mainly find yourself on trips with large groups of friends, where you want to all sleep in the same tent or have somewhere spacious to hang out and play cards? Also take into consideration any pets that you take along on your camping trips. Personally, I usually just camp with one other person, but I almost always bring my 40lb border collie on camping trips with me, and she takes up a good bit of room—so I prefer to get a 3 person tent to accommodate her so that we aren’t as cramped.

Time of Year and Weather

Next up is determining what seasons you generally camp in. Tents come rated as either one season (good for summer), three season (good for summer, spring, and fall), or four season (summer, spring, fall, and winter). If you don’t plan on camping in the winter, a three season tent will do the trick. If you do plan on camping in the winter, you’ll need the extra insulation and stability that a four season tent has so that you don’t get too cold at night—or even worse, so that the weight of snow on the roof of your tent doesn’t cause it to cave in in the middle of the night! All the options on this list are 3-season tents.

Similarly, take into consideration the weather you generally camp in. If you are mainly camping in the Pacific Northwest, make sure you have a tent with plenty of water resistance so that you stay dry! If you’re camping mostly in the desert in the summertime, ventilation is going to be your top priority so you don’t get too warm at night.

Ease of Setup

Tent setup is the biggest headache for a lot of campers. Luckily, most tent options on the market these days have features that make tent setup a piece of cake. Some tents have color-coded poles and sockets, while others have easy clip attachments on the tent body that save you the need to thread the poles through a sleeve on the tent body. Pay attention to the setup of the tent before purchasing it, and try to set your tent up at home in your backyard or living room at least once before you take it on a camping trip. That way, you can iron out any issues before you’re out of cell service!

Ventilation

Ventilation is something a lot of campers don’t pay a lot of attention to when buying a tent, but it’s crucial for comfort. Most tents have mesh windows or a mesh roof that offer good ventilation. This mesh will allow airflow into the tent on warmer nights, and on colder nights it will allow condensation to escape, sparing you from waking up in the morning soaking wet. Most tents have rain flys that are detachable and not integrated into the tent body, which is my personal preference. That way, if it’s a nice night out, you can keep the rain fly off and get extra ventilation in the tent. I find that tents with built-in rain flys don't stay nearly as well ventilated. It might seem nice to have the rain fly integrated because it saves you a step in attaching it when you need it, but usually it’s not worth the decreased ventilation you get in return.

Balancing Price and Durability

It’s no secret that tents can get pretty pricey, and while there are a lot of good budget tent options out there, make sure you aren’t sacrificing quality for a good price. Look for tents with bodies made from ripstop or high denier (thicker) fabric, and aluminum or carbon fiber poles. These materials will handle the wear and tear of heavy outdoor use much better than tents with straight polyester fabric and fiberglass poles. A high-quality tent might cost you a bit more upfront, but spending an extra $150 on a tent that lasts a long time will prevent you from needing to replace a cheaper option within a few seasons!

Additional Features

A lot of car camping tents come with some bonus features that can be useful based on your camping situation. Here are a few to give you an idea:

• Built-in internal storage pockets or gear lofts for organization
• Footprint for extra protection on the floor of your tent
• Extended vestibules for gear storage or extra shade/rain protection
• E-Ports to run cords from an outside generator or your car to devices inside the tent
• Room dividers for privacy

Best Tents for Car Camping

Now that you have an idea of what to look for before settling on a car camping tent, let’s jump into our list of the best of the best!

1. The North Face Homestead Roomy 2 Person Tent

The North Face Homestead Roomy 2 is technically a 2-person tent, but it has much more internal space (50% more) than average 2-person tents, making it a great option for roomy, comfortable car camping trips for two. It has an easy pitch system and two side “nightstand pockets.” There’s an internal drying line in the tent to hang any wet clothes or socks, and a loop on the ceiling for easy attachment of a lantern. The Homestead also has a gear loft hanging from the ceiling, but it’s unlike any other gear loft I have seen in a tent. It has two zippered pockets—one that can fit a cell phone, and one that can fit an iPad or similar tablet. These zippered pockets face down, so that you can put a show on, put the tablet in the pocket, and watch it from below as if it’s a ceiling-mounted television. North Face calls this tablet system a “Tentertainment Center,” and it’s great if you have young kids or are trying to kill some time in the tent during a rainstorm!

2. Marmot Limestone 4-Person Tent

If you’re looking for something to accommodate up to 4 people, the Marmot Limestone is a great pick. The tent poles have a pre-bent construction, which allows the tent roof to sit a bit higher so you get more head room inside. There are two D-Shaped doors on either side to prevent the need to crawl over your tent mates when exiting or entering the tent, and there is a vestibule on each side for extra outdoor storage (for your backpacks, shoes, coolers, or other gear).

The Limestone is a fan favorite among campers who tend to camp in rainier areas, because it has a seam-taped full-coverage (removable) rain fly with vents, and a fully taped and reinforced floor to prevent water from seeping in through the bottom of the tent. There are several side pockets on the inside of the tent to keep your gear organized, and a ‘lampshade’ pocket on the ceiling that fits a headlamp and provides more ambient lighting throughout the tent when in use. As for setup, the Limestone has an easy pitch system with color-coded poles and sockets, and easy pitch clips on the body of the tent that can quickly be attached to the tent poles.

3. Mountain Hardwear Bridger 4

Another great 4-person option is the Mountain Hardwear Bridger 4. This tent has a huge front canopy-style vestibule, which can not only be used for gear storage, but also acts as sort of a sheltered outdoor porch. It’s large enough to fit a few camp chairs if you’re looking for somewhere to relax out of the sun after a long hike, or if you want to sit outside and watch a thunderstorm without getting wet. Mountain Hardwear is a brand well known for their durability, so this tent will be around for years of camping trips, even with heavy use in harsh sun or pounding rainstorms. Speaking of rainstorms, this tent also has a bathtub-style floor, which means the seams are a bit higher on the tent wall compared to classic tent floors. This helps keep rain out more efficiently.

In terms of internal organization, it has two removable ‘gear locker’ systems on each side of the tent. Each features 4 large pockets, so everyone can store their larger gear (such as shoes, gloves, etc.) individually. If you don’t feel like using the gear locker, there are still six additional pockets along the internal sides of the tent for extra storage. Most tents are sold separately from their footprint, but the Bridger 4 includes a footprint, which is great for campers who want an all-in-one package that offers a bit more protection.

4. Big Agnes Big House 4

The Big Agnes Big House 4 and the Big Agnes Bunkhouse 4 are two of the most popular car camping tents from the last few years. The Big House has high-volume architecture which provides a ton of room inside, all while maximizing wind resistance so that you can rest easy on a windy night. The tent has a removable rain fly, which when not in use, showcases a ceiling of full No-See-Um Mesh. This gives you tons of ventilation in the tent, but keeps out even the tiniest of bugs. When the rain fly is in use, it can either be attached to the outside of the tent or set up on its own to provide a sheltered area. Though this tent does have pole sleeves instead of the easy pitch clip system, the poles and their sleeves are all color-coded, keeping the setup quick and easy. The webbing and buckles for attachment of the rain fly are also color-coded, so if you need to get the rain fly on quickly before any unexpected bad weather rolls in, you’ll have no problem doing so. It also packs easily into a backpack-style carrying case, making it easy to get it to and from the car.

5. Big Agnes Bunk House 4

The Bunk House 4 is similar to the Big House, but is more focused on stability in weather and has more internal storage. It has the same setup structure, with color-coded tent pole sleeves, buckles, and webbing, but slightly larger poles that can withstand harsher weather. It does not have a full mesh ceiling like the Big House, but it does have large doors on either side and two internal windows that are covered with mesh. The Bunk House rain fly also has more coverage and stronger webbing to withstand high wind and offer more protection from rain. Even with the rain fly in use, the Bunk House provides access two two large vestibules—one outside of both doors—which can help keep your gear a bit more organized. The inside of the Bunk House has an area of 58 sq ft, and features sixteen pockets to store all your important gear. If this tent sounds right for you but is a bit too small, it also comes in a six person option.

6. NEMO Aurora Highrise

If you have a larger family, or are camping with a bigger group, check out the Nemo Aurora Highrise 6-person tent. This is a really unique tent—not only because of it’s bright colors and fun floor design, but also because of its shape and frame design. It has steep walls that offer standing room throughout the entirety of the tent, and a large interior floor space (62.5 sq ft, to be exact). There are two doors on either side of the tent with vestibules on either side, and large mesh windows which provide plenty of ventilation for six campers to comfortably sleep inside. The rain fly on this tent is integrated into the tent body, so if you’re looking for a tent that doesn’t require an extra step to attach the rain fly, this is a great option. There are several pockets inside the tent, including a NightLight Pocket which can create a nice ambiance when storing a headlamp or lantern. The easy setup, fun colors and patterns, and ample internal space make the Aurora Highrise a particularly popular choice among parents camping with younger kids. It also comes in a 4-person option if the 6-person seems a little too big.

7. Coleman Skydome XL Camping 8 Person Tent

Lastly, the largest car camping tent on this list—the Coleman Skydome XL 8-person tent. Even for the large size, the Skydome is super easy to setup, only taking 5-10 minutes between two people. It has almost-vertical walls, giving you enough room inside to stand comfortably (with a peak height of 6 feet), and can fit up to three queen-sized air mattresses inside if you’re not willing to trade your comfy beds at home for sleeping pads. This tent is designed with Coleman’s WeatherTec system, which features a bathtub floor, welded corners, taped seams, a highly waterproof (and removable) rain fly, and poles that can withstand up to 35 mph winds. There are two doors with large awnings on either side, and an E-Port for access to any electronics that you want to have inside the tent. Sleeping with eight people in one tent can get warm, so Coleman even put some floor vents to provide extra airflow. If you want a slightly bigger size, it also comes in a 10-person option with the same design, durability, and water resistance.

Find the Best Car Camping Tent for You

Hopefully this article gave you some insight into how to find the best car camping tent for your needs! Since picking the perfect tent is a personal choice, chat with a Curated Camping and Hiking Expert for free, personalized advice on finding the right gear for your exact needs. Happy camping!