The Best Tents for Campers, Backpackers, and Families

Camping is intense! No, really. If you’re going camping, you probably need a tent. Hammock lovers might disagree—and we love sleeping under the stars when weather permits—but most of the time, finding and preparing adequate shelter for yourself, your family, or your pets is a nonnegotiable step toward being comfy in the great outdoors. There are as many kinds of tents as there are ways to go camping, and they range widely in price and features. To help you figure out the best tent for your next adventure, we’ve pooled our favorites from years of testing—whether you’re getting away for the weekend with the family or soloing Mount Whitney.

Be sure to check out our buying guides, including the Best Rain Jackets, Best Hiking Gear, Best Camping Gear, and Best Barefoot Shoes

Updated July 2022: We’ve added the Coleman Cabin, removed the discontinued REI Kingdom 6, and swapped the old MSR Zoic for the MSR Elixir.

Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED

You may also like...