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13 best tents for camping in the great outdoors year-round, tried and tested

Sleep under canvas in style, with these tried and tested camping tents

Sian Lewis
Monday 10 June 2024 17:35 BST
We tested a range of sizes and have found quality tent options to suit most budgets
We tested a range of sizes and have found quality tent options to suit most budgets (The Independent/Sian Lewis )
Our Top Picks

Planning a summer of camping adventures? Get a good night’s sleep in the great outdoors, with our pick of the best tents for every budget.

Tents come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny one-person options aimed at wild campers to huge palaces that will sleep the whole family in different bedrooms. However, there are some key features to look for when buying any new model. You’ll want to make sure your tent has a completely waterproof rain fly (the tent’s outer layer). Look out for the tent’s HH (hydrostatic head) rating – 0-1,500mm means the fabric is water resistant, 1,500-5,000mm is waterproof and 5,000-20,000mm is highly waterproof. Anything above 2,000 can usually cope with the rainy British weather, while a 5,000-plus tent is worth investing in for more hardcore adventures.

Meanwhile, for added stability the more guy ropes a tent comes with, the better. A built-in groundsheet is essential, too, as it will protect the tent’s floor from rocks and stop condensation forming if you’re camping somewhere chilly (like, say, Britain).

Be wary of the number of people a tent claims to sleep – for some, you must halve that number unless you fancy sleeping like sardines. One person will find a one- or two-person tent suits them, while two adults and two or three children will usually find a six-person tent a good fit, with plenty of space for cooking gear and clothing.

If shopping for a family tent, look for multiple bedrooms and a roomy porch, so you have plenty of space to store kit or to take shelter. For weekend adventures, backpacking or wild camping, choose a compact, lightweight tent that is easier to set up and dismantle.

To find the best tents on the market, we’ve tested out a range of sizes for different budgets, from ultralight backpacking tents to palatial family digs. Keep scrolling to find out which ones made us happy campers.

How we tested the best camping tents

Our tester pitched up in the British countryside, to see how well each tent performed
Our tester pitched up in the British countryside, to see how well each tent performed (The Independent/Sian Lewis)

We pitched and slept in each tent in campsites in the Cotswolds and South Wales. Testing took place during rain and chilly temperatures as well as during balmy spring weather. We considered how easy the tents were to pitch, whether we got a comfortable night’s sleep, if there was good storage space and weatherproofing, and how quickly the tents packed down.  

The best camping tents for 2024 are:

  • Best camping tent overall – Vango teepee air 400: £425, Vango.co.uk
  • Best budget camping tent – Argos pro action: £48, Argos.co.uk
  • Best inflatable tent – Decathlon Fresh & Black inflatable air seconds: £449.99, Decathlon.co.uk
  • Best one-room family tent – Coleman cortes octagon: £320, Argos.co.uk
  • Best wild camping tent – Sierra Designs meteor lite 3000 two-person tent: £384.99, Ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk

Vango teepee air 400

Vango-tent-indybest
  • Best: Camping tent overall
  • Sleeps: 4
  • Weight: 16kg
  • Waterproof rating: 3,000mm
  • Why we love it
    • Wide porch
    • Blackout fabric
  • Take note
    • Not the roomiest at full capacity

The eye-catching teepee air 400 might just be the perfect balance of compact size and roominess for two happy campers. This one-room tent sleeps four at a push but is better suited to two sharing, so there’s plenty of space. Unlike many smaller tents, it has a generous amount of room and feels open and airy, thanks to its tipi-style design. A wide porch is great for stashing wet kit, and we love the clear windows and the blackout fabric, which means longer lie-ins, even when the sun shines. If you want to invest in one good quality tent for weekend trips, this is our top pick.

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Argos pro action

Argos-pop-up-tent-indybest
  • Best: Budget camping tent
  • Sleeps: 4
  • Weight: 1.9kg
  • Waterproof rating: 1,000mm
  • Why we love it
    • Practically no assembly required
  • Take note
    • Very basic
    • Hard to take down

Hate putting up complicated tents? Get yourself a pop-up design. OK, so this tent is on the basic side, but it’s got enough room for one person (or two kids) plus a weekend’s worth of kit inside, and it’s waterproof enough to withstand light rain. Let this circular design free of its straps and it springs into shape instantly (but, be warned, it’s a frustratingly tricky one to put down again). We like the storage pockets and jazzy colours, too. A simple option for an overnight stay under canvas, for kids to share or for use as a storage tent.

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George Home ozark trail

Asda-george-tent-indybest
  • Best: Budget family tent
  • Sleeps: 8
  • Weight: 10.8kg
  • Waterproof rating: 3,000mm
  • Why we love it
    • Great price
    • Comfortably sleeps four
    • Can stand up in it
    • Lightweight

There’s no need to remortgage your house to take the family camping. Asda’s ozark trail is a spacious yurt-style tent that will comfortably sleep four in one large room (you can even stand up in it) – and all for less than £150. The waterproof fly won’t withstand heavy rain but should do the job for summer showers. At 11kg this tent isn’t hugely heavy or bulky to store, either. A real bargain, it even comes with a built-in camp table.

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Decathlon fresh & black inflatable air seconds

Decathlon-tent-indybest
  • Best: Inflatable tent
  • Sleeps: 4
  • Weight: 18.9kg
  • Waterproof rating: 2,000mm
  • Why we love it
    • Light
    • Easy setup
    • Cooler than your average tent
    • Great living area

If you hate the rigmarole of pitching enormous, heavy family tents, Decathlon’s air seconds tent is here to make your next camping trip a little simpler. The outer skeleton of this rather futuristic-looking tent is inflated using a pump (not included), and the two roomy bedrooms are pre-assembled and pop up ready to use in no time.

Decathlon’s fresh & black tents all use blackout material to line the bedrooms, and this really does keep them darker and cooler than your average tent, which is a big help during baking-hot summer holidays (or just when you’re trying to get the kids to sleep). We also liked the large central living room, complete with wide door and windows, making it ideal for eating and hanging out in during bad weather.

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Sierra Designs meteor lite 3000 two-person tent

Sierra-designs-tent-indybest
  • Best: Wild camping tent
  • Sleeps: 2
  • Weight: 1.8kg
  • Waterproof rating: 3,000mm
  • Why we love it
    • Perfectly proportioned
    • Durable and great quality
    • Bug-resistant layer
    • Packs up tightly
  • Take note
    • Small

Small but perfectly formed, this is the perfect two-person tent for backpacking and wild camping. Two doors and two porches make it easy to share the bedroom and to stash kit outside the sleeping area, while the poles are quick to assemble, durable and great quality. You can pitch the bug-resistant inner tent alone or pop the (excellent) waterproof outer over the top, all in 5-10 minutes flat. It packs up quickly and can be popped in a rucksack. Top marks.

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Vango vesta air

Vango-vesta-tent-indybest
  • Best: Air tent
  • Sleeps: 8
  • Weight: 34.5kg
  • Waterproof rating: 4,000mm
  • Why we love it
    • Plenty of space
    • Breathable
    • Skylight
    • Eco-friendly

Need plenty of space for longer family holidays but don’t want a behemoth of a tent you can barely lift? Inflatable or ‘air’ tents solve the problem, and Vango’s vesta is one of the best. Inflate the poles, peg the Vesta out and you’ve got a roomy tent with two breathable blackout bedrooms and a central living space – it took us around 20 minutes to pitch this one during testing. We love the skylights in the central space for a spot of stargazing, too. This is also an eco-friendly option, as the fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles woven into polyester.

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Coleman cortes octagon

Coleman-cortes-tent-indybest
  • Best: One-room family tent
  • Sleeps: 8
  • Weight: 24.7kg
  • Waterproof rating: 2,000mm
  • Why we love it
    • Airy and spacious
    • Portable carrying case

This rather futuristic-looking number is as fun to camp in as it looks. Inside, one huge octagonal room makes an airy living space. If you dislike dark, cramped tents, you’ll love this one’s generous standing room and wall-to-wall windows, which can be fully opened to let light and air in and offer a 360-degree view. The Octagon also works as a brilliant playhouse in the garden or as a beach shelter when you aren’t camping. While, at 24.7kg, the Octagon isn’t lightweight, its carry case has handy wheels for easier transportation.

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Outwell moonhill air

Outwell-moonhil-tent-indybest
  • Best: Six-person tent
  • Sleeps: 6
  • Weight: 30kg
  • Waterproof rating: 4,000mm
  • Why we love it
    • Great home away from home
    • Blackout bedrooms
    • Plenty of space
  • Take note
    • Pitching was a little fiddly
    • Heavy

Recreate your sitting room from home inside the super roomy Moonhill, which boasts a massive living space as well as three blackout bedrooms that work well when shared by a family of four or five. Big windows and a porch make this a nice space to hang out in during bad weather. We did find pitching fiddly – it’s best attempted by two people, and this is still a heavy tent, despite the inflatable ‘air’ poles. You can also add in extras from Outwell, such as a comfortable carpet or a tarp to extend the living space further.

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Robens settler sky

Robens-tent-indybest
  • Best: Luxury glamping tent
  • Sleeps: 10
  • Weight: 26.3kg
  • Waterproof rating: 10,000mm
  • Why we love it
    • Stylish look
    • Huge central space
    • Easy pitching
  • Take note
    • Very expensive

The settler sky is the most expensive tent in our round-up but you really do get what you pay for. This rather beautiful bell tent sleeps up to 10 campers in one huge central space, and there’s plenty of head height. The polycotton material looks like canvas but is breathable and fully waterproof, and, unlike most glamping-style tents, the settler sky has huge windows with mesh panels and privacy curtains, so you can let the light in during the day or even do a spot of stargazing at night. Pitching is surprisingly easy, but this tent is heavy to transport and store.

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Mountain Warehouse holiday six-person tent

Mountain-warehouse-6-man-tent-indybest
  • Best: Value tent
  • Sleeps: 6
  • Weight: 12kg
  • Waterproof rating: N/A
  • Why we love it
    • Generously sized
    • Stays cool in the summer
  • Take note
    • Waterproofing is lacking

You get a lot of bang for your buck with this generously sized tent from Mountain Warehouse. Inside are three separate bedrooms, each of which can fit a double air bed. Plus, there’s a living space in which you can stand up. Air vents and a mesh door keep things cool during hot conditions, but we wouldn’t use this tent in anything but fine weather, as it didn’t prove waterproof for long on test. Ideal for a family of four sharing in the summer months, or for heading to a festival with friends.

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Kelty far out 2

Felty-tent-indybest
  • Best: Affordable backpacking tent
  • Sleeps: 2-3
  • Weight: 2.1kg
  • Waterproof rating: 1,500mm
  • Why we love it
    • Great value
    • Great for sharing
    • Small and portable
    • Great for lying under the stars

You’ll go far with this great two-person adventure tent that keeps up with the pricier competition. This two-door, two-vestibule design is great for sharing (or you can use it as a massive one-person tent) but packs down small enough to work for multi-day hikes, bike packing or motorbike touring. On test, we loved that you could pitch the tent with just half of the fly, if you fancy lying out under the night sky. It’s the perfect first adventure tent.

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Snugpak ionosphere IX

Snugpak-tent-indybest
  • Best: Backpacking tent
  • Sleeps: 1
  • Weight: 1.52kg
  • Waterproof rating: 5,000mm
  • Why we love it
    • Greta for solo campers
    • Pitches quickly
  • Take note
    • Could be too claustrophobic for some

Good for solo wild camping or adventure racing, the teeny tiny ionosphere sits very low to the ground, a little like a glorified bivvy bag. It may feel a little like you’re sleeping in a coffin but there’s plenty of bonuses to this low-lying design – it packs down tiny, pitches in 10 minutes flat and weighs a paltry 1.5kg. We like the fact you can sleep in the mesh inner tent on its own in hot climates, and that it comes with a repair kit – this is one for adventurers.

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Boutique Glamping 4m Luna

Boutiqe-camping-tent-indybest
  • Best: Glamping tent
  • Sleeps: 8
  • Weight: 34kg
  • Waterproof rating: Water-resistant
  • Why we love it
    • Light and airy
    • Spacious
    • Sturdy
  • Take note
    • Heavy

The Luna is the perfect first canvas tent to invest in for festivals and family camps. It’s a lovely spacious size for four to share, with tons of head space and big circular windows that make the inside feel airy and light. It’s best used in summer, but we did find the canvas was water resistant enough to withstand a shower on test. All that thick canvas makes the Luna heavy, and the tent is easiest to put up with two people, but good guy ropes and aluminium poles make the whole thing feel reassuringly sturdy when erect, even in windy weather.

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The verdict: Camping tents

We’ve found a tent to suit every kind of camper – backpackers will love the Sierra Designs meteor lite and Snugpak’s ionosphere, while families will get on well with the affordable Mountain Warehouse holiday or the gorgeous Robens settler sky. However, our top all-rounder for two has to be the Vango teepee air 400, thanks to its quality design.

For more camping must-haves, check out our guide to the best camping mats

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