Imagine being amidst the hilly terrains with sheets of rain clouds encircling your campsite. Add the good company of your friends or family on top of this. Hold this thought for a second! While camping with your family is bound to bring limitless fun, you need the right equipment to ensure the smoothness of your camping trip. Perhaps the most important piece of equipment you can carry on a camping trip is a camping tent – of course!
Camping is one of the most exciting and adventurous activities that you undertake with your family. Besides the fun factor, a camping trip can bring in a bunch of learning for your children. They’ll learn how to pitch a tent for shelter and the basics and importance of necessities like food and water.
Good news! Warm weather is arriving and the camping tents are out. A camping trip should definitely be in the cards for your upcoming summer vacation. The spacious camping tents make for a fun-filled, safe, and comfortably luxurious option that you can enjoy outdoors with your friends and family.
All you ardent lovers of outdoor adventures should definitely invest in an affordable camping tent that lasts long, and at the same time, doesn’t compromise on the quality of the material.
We have curated a list of tents that include some of the best and biggest outdoor camping tents including 20-person tents and 18-person cabin tents – choose the one that fits your needs for your family!
Top 5 Camping Tents in Terms of Size
One of the most important pieces of camping gear for any outdoor adventure is the camping tent. Needless to say, it’s an indispensable contribution to a fun and complete camping experience.
If you’re wondering what would be the perfect camping tent for your family’s needs, it’d be something that provides you with both protection and plenty of storage. Given how considerable an investment a camping tent is, it is advisable to consider quite a few options that provide maximum comfort, storage, and convenience for larger families.
Did you know that the shape of the tent impacts the weather conditions? While dome tents are some of the most common choices among family campers, other designs such as cabin type tents or the true-4 season tent can come in pretty handy as well.
Some of the largest camping tents available in the market have been detailed below with their features, pros, and cons to help you zero in on the perfect one for you.
1. Fortunershop Family Cabin Tent 14 Person
The Fortuner Shop Family Cabin Tent is one of the hottest choices out there for people seeking a family camping tent. There is plenty of space for a large group of people and it is quite comfortable as well.
The extra space in this family tent comes in quite handy when traveling with a large group. The tent is designed with 3 sewn-in room dividers which can end up creating up to 4 rooms that give you unparalleled comfort.
The huge structure of the tent houses 4 doors that include separate entrances and exits to each of the rooms with 12 mesh windows and a divider, which makes for a great view and provides heightened visibility. This large tent is also quite airy and the enhanced ventilation across the four rooms is quite comforting.
When it comes to setting up the Fortune Shop Family Cabin Tent, it can take about 20 minutes. Also, the room dividers can be joined together to make one large and massive tent for all to sleep together. The great thing about this tent is that it can easily fit up to 5 queen air mattresses.
Moreover, the electrical port access (also known as the electrical cord access) allows the non-problematic working of your extension cord with the help of the ground vents. Talking of its longevity, it can last for up to 2 to 3 seasons. You also get a taped fly with it that prevents any sort of leakage.
Pros
- You get plenty of room and storage with this family tent.
- Intuitive design and extremely comfortable to sleep in
- Great economical choice for those who are on a budget
Cons
- The tent is not waterproof
- The setup poles are not that sturdy to hold it together amidst varying and poor weather conditions
- The zipper design can get spoilt pretty easily
2. Teton Sports Sierra Canvas Tent – Waterproof Bell Tent For Family Camping In All Seasons
If you want a seamless and hassle-free camping experience with one of the largest tents out there, the Teton Sports Sierra Canvas Tent could be the right choice for you. Besides being extremely easy to set up, you can enjoy and make the most of each moment when with your family or friends.
The Teton Sports tent has features that work to provide a relaxed and comfortable sleep in multiple ways. You can easily roll up the sidewalls and leave them open to enjoy the fresh breeze and soak in the smell of the earth. The manufacturer of the tent focuses on providing durability, longevity, and a good night’s sleep to all its users.
This solid tent can be simply set up through a two-pole assembly. It includes carbon steel stakes that ease your experience even on the roughest camping terrains. You can easily carry all the stuff that you desire without having to worry about the space.
It’s quite surprising that an affordable tent such as this one is also waterproof. It offers tons of breathability that comes from the fact that it is made up of strong and durable cotton canvas fibers that provide protection against the trying and testing of poor weather conditions. Getting wet should be the least of your concerns when in this tent because of the mesh roof and you can simply enjoy the view and the rain from inside the tent in a dry and relaxed state.
Pros
- Large and comfortable all-season tent with great tent capacity for larger families.
- Comes with a wide door and solid windows
- It is a durable and stable tent that can last for years on end.
- Offers utmost protection both as a tent and as a canopy and keeps the entrance dry
- Floor zips make it the go-to choice for various events such as birthdays, celebrations, festivals, weddings, etc.
Cons
- The customer service for this product is quite slow and getting a satisfactory response from them could prove to be a difficult task.
- Some customers say that the tent is smaller than it is claimed to be.
3. Brown Camping Big Horn Tent
When you go camping, two of the most important factors are comfort and ventilation. Choosing the biggest camping tent on the list will provide you with both. The Brown Camping Big Horn Tent is one such camping tent. It has been built keeping in mind the need for durability.
This awesome tent is designed with the aid of fiberglass poles and steel uprights, which makes for a unique and complete hub design. The tent is quite easy to set up and needs a maximum of two people for the process. You have to simply clip each of the snaps on the poles and then buckle the fly.
The Brown Camping Big Horn tent for camping comes with 4 huge windows, 2 external doors, and includes a mesh ceiling panel that imparts the right amount of ventilation. Proper ventilation puts adults in comfort and keeps the atmosphere dry. This tent has two straight sidewalls and provides ample room for cots along with other camping furniture.
An added advantage of this awesome tent is that it comes loaded with a huge range of accessories, which helps in building your tent and keeps it intact and devoid of any loose ends. If backyard adventure is on your mind, it is a suitable option and provides tons of room for adjustability as well. You also get large windows and doorways that make you feel at home, even in a camping tent.
Pros
- Factory-sealed inverted seams provide enhanced weather protection features.
- Easy and quick to set up and can be done by a single person
- Comes in a unique hub design with maximum strength and durability.
- Fully equipped with the necessary accessories and includes mesh storage pockets, steel stakes, guy ropes, and polyester fly.
Cons
- Not compatible with a smaller group of tent campers
- The flooring is not thick enough and the zipper design might not feel premium.
4. Timber Ridge Family Tents
The Timber Ridge Family tent is the perfect tent for larger families in many respects. It makes for an ideal choice for those who have a family of 6 to 7 people. The Timber Ridge is a huge family tent that can last as long as four seasons and is made using high-quality materials.
The inside of the huge tent is made with 190T polyester and PU coating. Although it is officially a 7-person tent, it can house up to 10 people with ease. The tent manufacturer provides a handsome warranty of 1 year on the product. The great thing about this tent is that it comes in a comfortable and airy breathable design and includes an inner mesh, which can comfortably fit several queen air mattresses and 2 to 3 queen airbeds.
The materials used to design this tent are a flysheet, a carrying bag, four guy ropes, and 14 steel stakes. It’s an extra-large tent with excellent ventilation – features that make it a favorable choice for many families for the camping season. The storage space that you get with this reliable tent is much more than a normal-sized tent and the design boasts of an impressive solar energy charging system.
To sum up, this could be a great choice if you are looking for a big camping tent that is convenient to set up and offers great privacy.
Pros
- This tent is highly durable and can withstand adverse weather conditions
- Can easily fit 2 queen-size mattresses and still be left with ample space.
- Set up is extremely simple and can be done quickly within no time at all.
- Comfortable to store and easy to transport as well.
Cons
- Even though it claims to fit up to 10 people, it can get a little suffocating with such a number of people in the tent
- The quality is questionable and users often find it dubious.
- It is not too thick so it’s not as warm inside during cold weather camping and breezy nights
5. Ozark Trail 10-12-Person 3-Room Instant Cabin Style Tent With Screen Room
The Ozark Trail is one of the most stylish and sleek-looking instant cabin tents out there. This one is a crowd favorite!
What makes this an incredible tent is its ease of setup – you can have it ready for use in a matter of two minutes because it comes with pre-attached poles that can easily be unfolded. The poles can then be extended and that’s pretty much it – one of the largest camping tents is now ready!
A major feature of the Ozark Trail Instant Tent is that it can house around 10 to 12 persons. It’s a 3-room tent and each room has a separate entry door that provides easy access – one can easily step in and out of the tent through any of these external doors. The tent also features extra-large windows which bring breathtaking sights to your doorstep. The tent also includes six-gear storage pockets to help keep everything in place and well organized.
Ozark Trail is the perfect choice for your family and offers removable room dividers that enable you to use it as a screen room, a bedroom, or a playroom – pretty much anything of your liking. It is extremely comfortable and can easily fit up to 12 campers.
This popular tent comes with breathable polyester construction and a high steel center height for tall people. It can easily fit up to 3 queen airbeds and provides a seamless and dry camping experience with complete leak protection for larger families.
Pros
- It is sturdy and durable
- Can easily withstand extreme weather conditions
- Great features for the price that it comes at.
- It is extremely easy to set up
- This is a great camping tent for large families as it can encompass around 12 people.
Cons
- Falls a little short in the privacy aspect as the dividers don’t come with zippers
- Useful for bigger families but can be too spacious and cumbersome to carry for the smaller ones
Buying Guide
There are various factors to consider before you decide to spend your hard-earned money on the best and biggest tent for your next family outing. A few of these factors have been enumerated below which will hopefully make life easier for you as far as making that final call is concerned.
Sleeping Capacity of the Tent
The number of people that would be going with you is one of the primary determinants of the camping tent that you’ll be buying. Also, you would like to have some additional space in the tent, in case of any additions. It is recommended to go for a tent that is a close fit and has extra space for at least one person. Those traveling with pets need to figure out the size of the tent accordingly. The Fortunershop Family Cabin Tent is the largest tent on this list with a capacity of 14 persons.
Seasonality
There are three types of tents and subsequently three options for your camping gear. The most popular one being the 3-season tents, which are lightweight and comfortable shelters that can be used in spring, summer, and fall. Such 2-3 season tents are ideally sized to provide privacy and keep the insides dry.
Next comes the 3 to 4 season tents, which are ideal for use in spring, summer, and fall (just like the above category). Additionally, they can also be used in colder temperatures i.e. during early spring or late fall. You get ample space for ventilation with these tents and there is sturdity to go along with this. These tents feature one or two poles and have lesser mesh panels as compared to the 3-season tents. However, these tents might fall short of their duties during brutal winter.
Lastly, you find the true 4-season tents which can be used all year long. From fierce and robust winds to snow downpours, these are the most versatile of all. They effectively tackle unexpected weather conditions and offer immense protection and safety to camp lovers like you. Quite contrary to the above tent types, the 4-season tents can get a little cramped during the warmer temperatures.
Setup and Takedown time
Historically, setting up camping tents has been considered an uphill task, and therefore, you should opt for a tent with the minimum setup time. The Ozark Trail Tent is a great choice in this regard as it comes with a claimed setup time of just 2 minutes. Also, it is advisable to perform a trial setup and takedown before going out in the wild. This will negate the chances of any surprises upon arrival.
Weight and Size
Needless to say, the tent weight and size can have a mammoth say on the quality of your trip. Timber Ridge Family Tent weighs just 26 pounds – the lightest of all the above options. This size is perfect for a casual weekend or a backpacking trip. Also, the tents that come with a carrying bag make for a better choice as they become compact and easy to carry. Also, keep in mind the floor size (or the floor dimensions) to understand the perfect fit for you amongst the heap of larger tents available.
Durability
Durability is non-debatable, no matter the product, and it is the same with camping tents as well. If you camp a lot, it becomes all the more important for you to make a sound long-term investment in a camping tent that is built with durable materials, and strong steel frames, and can last for years without showing signs of wear and tear.
Usability and Comfort
Attention to detail and ease of use are important considerations for most outdoor adventurers. You wouldn’t want to compromise on the comfort a tent provides – it should feel a home away from home. When you are traveling with kids or pets, comfort becomes pivotal since such companions can least afford to be at discomfort. The Fortunershop Family Cabin Tent is an all-around option that is sure to meet almost every need of yours.
Price
Not everyone has the budget to step out and buy huge tents that are expensive. On the flip side, if you buy something cheap, it might end up costing you more because you’ll find yourself looking for a new one in no time. The unpredictability of weather demands a camping tent that can keep you secure, even in the most turbulent times. Therefore, choose something that doesn’t break your bank but fits the standard in terms of quality.
Conclusion
Having learned about some of the best and biggest camping tents out there, it is your turn to put your thinking caps on, zero in on the features you need in your camping tent and step out to make that purchase count.
Do not forget to carry additional accessories such as sleeping bags, queen mattresses, and queen air beds. Also, a stove will come in handy for serving you delicious meals that you can enjoy in the company of your family and nature.
We hope that this buying guide has made life easier for you to make that all-important purchase decision out of the many luxurious options available. You can also skim through some of our other product reviews and buying guides for more detailed decision-making as far as your camping gears are concerned.