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Best Overall
Kodiak Canvas Flex-Bow Deluxe
Best for Wind and Rain
Coleman Dark Room Dome
Most Sustainable
Big Agnes Dog House 6
For families looking to get started camping, a good 6 person camping tent is a great way to go. These roomy tents have plenty of space for an air mattress or cot, and they are also usually tall enough to make getting dressed in the morning much easier. While the primary market for these tents is families, they are also a good choice for solo campers or couples who just want a little more space than a standard tent can provide.
In fact, I know campers who have used their six-person camping tents
to set up a little living area complete with a small fridge. The best 6 person tents often come at a great middle-of-the-road price point that makes them affordable on nearly any budget.
Best Overall: Kodiak Canvas Flex-Bow Deluxe
Best Cabin Tent: Eureka Copper Canyon LX6
Best for Wind and Rain: Coleman Dark Room Dome Tent
Most Sustainable: Big Agnes Doghouse 6
Best Instant: Core 6 Person Instant Tent With Lights
Best Waterproof: The North Face Wawona 6
Best Cabin Tent: Bushnell 6 Person Instant
How We Picked the Best 6 Person Tents
As someone who has been camping his whole life, I have spent more than my fair share of time sleeping in crappy tents. Through this trial and error, I’ve learned what to look for in quality tents, so you won’t have to do the same. Some of the choices were made from direct experience with either the tent itself or the brand itself. However, we also closely looked at the following factors when deciding what would make the cut and what wouldn’t.
Dimensions: Is the tent large enough to qualify as a 6 person tent?
Materials: Is the tent made of high denier fabric that will stand up to rain, wind, and heat?
Ease of Setup: Is this a tent that can go up in ten minutes? Or is it something you’ll struggle with?
Cost and value: Does the price match the build quality? Are there extra features that make a higher cost worth the price of admission?
Best 6 Person Tents: Reviews and Recommendations
Best Overall: Kodiak Canvas Flex-Bow Deluxe
Best Overall
Key Features
Dimensions: 10’ x 10’
Center Height: 6.6’
Weight: 68 Pounds
Pros
Super-tough canvas materials
Extremely long stakes
Built for extreme weather
Cons
Expensive
Extremely heavy
This tent is ideal for anyone who doesn’t like to leave anything to chance. The primary construction is a cotton duck canvas that has been treated with Hydra-Shield waterproofing. Markedly, it will stand up to even the most torrential of downpours and whipping winds. No matter what curveballs nature throws your way, this tent will be ready for them. Even the included stakes go above and beyond—they are made of steel and are 12 inches long, helping lock down the tent no matter where you set it.
This is the only true four-season tent on our list that will stand up to snow too. Most manufacturers don’t make tents designed like this in a size this small. Our only real complaints with this tent are the high price tag and 68-pound weight. However, this weight is to be expected considering the canvas materials.
Best Cabin Tent: Eureka Copper Canyon LX 6-Person
Best Cabin Tent
Key Features
Dimensions: 10’ x 10’
Center Height: 7’
Weight: 24 Pounds
Pros
Incredible headroom
Robust tent poles
Large windows
Cons
Some reported zipper issues
Eureka is one of the most well-known brands in camping. I’ve personally used their tents for years and know many other people who have had great success with their gear. Their Copper Canyon LX6 has spacious dimensions, and it takes advantage of every inch of interior space with near vertical walls. This also gives the tent a center height of seven feet. The extra headroom is appreciated, especially while getting dressed in the morning. I’ve personally always been a fan of Eureka’s poles because of their rigid design and durable construction.
This is a good choice for anyone who plans to camp in an electric site. Eureka added a small port specifically for an extension cord. That means you won’t trip over an extension cord going in and out of the main entrance. The only issue we’ve found is some users have reported zipper issues with the newer models.
Best for Wind and Rain: Coleman Dark Room Dome Tent
Best for Wind and Rain
Key Features
Dimensions: 10’ x 9’
Center Height: 5’ 8”
Weight: 21 Pounds
Pros
Stays cooler than a standard tent
Great price point
Easy setup
Cons
We wish the blackout part extended over the whole tent
Coleman’s Dark Room technology is rather interesting. This tent utilizes a much darker fabric that blocks out sunlight and keeps the interior cooler than a regular tent. I tested this tent last year while camping in an open area on a fairground that lacked shade. Over the course of four days, this tent was subjected to driving rain, fierce wind, and blistering hot temperatures. It handled them all nicely. No leaks and the tent stayed staked down perfectly. It still gets warm inside, but it stays cooler than any other tent I’ve ever owned.
Another benefit was how dark the tent stayed even when the headlights of vehicles shined on the tent in the campground. My one gripe with this tent is that Coleman didn’t extend the dark fabric to the rain fly or the top half of the tent.
Most Sustainable: Big Agnes Dog House 6
Most Sustainable
Key Features
Dimensions: 9.8’ x 8.3’
Center Height: 6.6’
Weight: 13 Pounds, 7 ounces
Pros
Headroom for taller campers
Easy to setup
Quality poles
Cons
Footprint sold separately
Some reported zipper issues
The Big Agnes brand has grown on me these last few years. Big Agnes is a company dedicated to sustainability
that produces high quality camping equipment. We like this tent for taller campers because the interior features a spacious 6.6’ of headroom. Big Agnes designs quality aluminum poles that make this tent a quick and easy setup. It’s a little puzzling that the rainfly is not detachable, but we otherwise dig the simple and straightforward design of this tent.
I’m not a fan of the footprint and gear loft being sold separately. The footprint being sold separately isn’t surprising, but we’re scratching our heads over making the gear loft something that must be purchased separately. We have also heard of a few zipper issues. However, for the price, this is a great option for smaller families who car camp a few times a year.
Best Instant: Core 6 Person Instant Tent with LED Lights
Best Instant
Key Features
Dimensions: 11’ x 9’
Center Height: 6’
Weight: 27 Pounds
Pros
Very easy setup
Light modes are a nice bonus
Wall and ceiling organizers
Cons
Heavy
Expensive
The latest trend in camping tents is “instant” setups that utilize pre-attached poles that quickly lock into place. Core advertises a 60-second setup time for this tent. In my experience, setup is closer to five minutes for this style of tent, but it’s still way faster than a design that requires you to figure out what poles go where. The Core makes our list for a few other features that are missing on “instant setup” style tents. Most notable here is the LED light system that comes with three pre-set levels of brightness. Just flip the wall switch like you would your bedroom light at home.
Core also designed this tent with some air vents that are lower to the ground than other designs. Those will help circulate cool air on hotter camping trips. This tent is heavy at 26 pounds and expensive. However, for campers who want a hassle-free experience, this is one of the easiest setups out there.
Best Waterproof: The North Face Wawona 6
Best Waterproof
Key Features
Dimensions: 10’ x 8’
Center Height: 6.3’
Weight: 20 Pounds 15 Ounces
Pros
Double walls help keep water out
Large vestibule for extra storage
Extra waterproof coatings on floors, canopy, and rainfly
Cons
Expensive
Difficult setup
Everyone will deal with rain while camping at some point. The North Face’s Wawona 3 season tent is one of the best at keeping pooling water out. It has a 150-denier polyester floor that’s been coated with a 1,200mm polyurethane coating. Although the North Face didn’t stop there, they also applied that coating to the canopy and rain fly. Add in a double wall construction and this is a very water-resistant tent. The footprint is a little narrower than other tents, but the Wawona has a spacious vestibule area for stowing muddy hiking boots and other gear you want to keep separate from the sleeping area.
The big downside to this tent is the $500 price tag. That might put it out of the budget for some families. However, the quality of the build will give you many years of service from this design. For anyone camping in an area with a wet ground or where flooding is a concern, this is a good choice.
Best Budget: Bushnell 6 Person Instant Tent
Best Budget
Key Features
Dimensions: 11’ x 9’
Center Height: 6’
Weight: 27 Pounds
Pros
Darker colors help keep it cool
Easy setup
Optional AC vent
Cons
Heavy
The Bushnell 6 instant tent offers a lot of value and features often found on more expensive tents. This tent includes attached poles for fast setups and easy takedowns at the end of a long camping trip. The darker fabric has a reflective coating that is going to keep this tent much cooler during hot days in direct sunlight. For those who really hate roughing it, Bushnell even built in a mesh AC vent for the dog days of summer.
We like this tent best for car campers in established campgrounds. Bushnell also included a port for running an extension cord for your electronics or small fridge. It even has a flashlight holder. This tent is a little on the heavy side, but for $300, that is a hard price to beat for what is offered.
What to Consider When Choosing a 6 Person Tent
In my experience, the term “6 person tent” is a bit of a misnomer. In truth, these tents are usually large enough for no more than four people to sleep comfortably. They are good family camping tents
for those just starting out. We like them best for families of three or four. To be sure a tent will fit your needs, measure out the dimensions before you buy and put all the people who will be using the tent in that same space to determine if the one you are contemplating will be spacious enough.
Consider what your bedding will be when choosing a tent too. A taller air mattress or cot is going to need more floor space than a simple sleeping pad spread out on the ground. I also like to have a floor rug or mat of some kind when I’m using a cot because it prevents the legs from digging into the floor of the tent.
Don’t forget to set your new tent up at home before you take it camping. It will help you avoid embarrassing situations trying to set up a brand-new tent at the campground for the first time. I also like to inspect any included stakes with a tent for quality. Some tents come with sub-par stakes that might not be effective for the type of terrain where you’re camping. For example, you’re going to need much tougher stakes for a campsite in rocky terrain than you will in a grassy area.
FAQs
Q: Should I get a 6 person or 8 person tent?
Companies tend to size tents a little larger than they are. In my experience, a six-person would be best for a family of four or less. (Two adults and two children). Larger families are usually better off going with an 8 person tent.
Q: Do bigger tents get colder?
Tents usually do not retain heat very well anyway, but a larger tent has a similar problem to a larger home. The more space there is, the more heat will rise and eventually be lost. This is the downside to taller tents with more headroom. The larger the tent, the more comfortable it will be to move around inside. However, this comes at a loss of heat retention depending on how many people you pack into the tent.
Q: Does the color of a tent matter?
The color of a tent matters the most in the summer months. Contrary to popular thinking around dark colors, a darker tent will stay cooler in the summer because less sunlight will penetrate the fabric and get through to the tent’s interior. A tent like the Coleman Dark Room is a prime example of a tent built to stay cooler during the summer months. If you want a tent that is warmer, go with a lighter color that allows more UV light to penetrate.
Best 6 Person Tents: Final Thoughts
Best Overall: Kodiak Canvas Flex-Bow Deluxe
Best Cabin Tent: Eureka Copper Canyon LX6
Best for Wind and Rain: Coleman Dark Room Dome Tent
Most Sustainable: Big Agnes Doghouse 6
Best Instant: Core 6 Person Instant Tent With Lights
Best Waterproof: The North Face Wawona 6
Best Cabin Tent: Bushnell 6 Person Instant
Given its weather-defying abilities, the Kodiak Canvas was an easy choice for best overall. It is a seriously rugged tent that is perfect for a casual weekend of camping or a serious week of hunting in a remote area. The Kodiak is an expensive tent, but it’s also one that is going to give you many years of service in a variety of situations. For anyone looking for the best of the best, the Canvas Flex-Bow is hard to beat.
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