The most important piece of your camping kit when you head out to the wild is the tent. If you have ever been stuck in a too-small tent with condensation dampening everything you carefully packed, you will know exactly what we mean.

One of the biggest problems with selecting the best 4 person tent for your needs is that there is just so much choice out there, with each brand claiming they offer the best outdoor sleeping experience.

That’s why we have done all the hard work for you, combining our camping expertise and experience with extensive research to bring you a complete guide to getting the best 4 person tent for your money.

We have made sure to include several different specifications in our top 5, as the best 4 person tent will depend on whether you’re camping away with the family, backpacking across different locations, and your budget. Don’t worry; we made sure to include something for everybody!

4 person tent guide

How to Choose a 4 Person Tent

As passionate campers and hikders, Steve and I have spent a large portion of our lives protected from the elements by only the thin walls of a tent. But, like anyone, we made a couple of mistakes along the way – which is why we poured in as much information about each 4 person tent model as possible, so you don’t have to repeat them!

EDITOR’S CHOICE

4 Person Coleman Dome Tent

We chose the Coleman Dome Tent 4 as our #1 best ever choice for a 4 person tent for two reasons:

  1. While it may lack some of the fancy mod-cons of higher-end units, it does not sacrifice essential functionality areas.
  2. Its price! The Coleman Dome Tent is incredibly affordable, making it a great starting point for beginning campers or an excellent choice for those restrained by a tight budget.

We believe that camping should be accessible to everyone, regardless of price constraints, and we wanted our list to reflect that.

With an interior space measuring 9 feet by 7 feet and the peak of its ceiling height sitting at 4 feet and 11 inches, you are getting an excellent 63 square feet of sleeping space for your money. That is easily enough for four adult-sized sleeping bags or one queen-sized air mattress. You will also find smart and practical storage pockets on the interior to help you keep your essentials organized.

The Coleman Dome Tent also benefits from a perfect practical design for long-distance hikers, backpackers, and mountaineers. Weighing in at 10.24lbs (without the screen room option), the roominess of the Coleman Dome Tent will not prevent your backpack from sticking within a practical weight limit.

Once you get to your desired camping spot, you will not have to spend an age putting up the Coleman Dome either. Its practical approach to pitching is completable in under 10 minutes. The assembly works with continuous pole sleeves that are designed to be snag-free, as well as a pin-and-rig system that works with Coleman’s very own patented Insta-Clip suspension to give you a hassle-free pitch. So whether you are camping with excitable children or finishing a hard day’s trek, everyone can appreciate getting settled down quickly.

The Coleman Dome continues its no-frills approach to practicality with its weatherproofing. Coleman has covered all the essentials, providing an awning, a rainfly, and Coleman’s patented WeatherTec system. The WeatherTec design includes a special tub floor with tightly sealed seams, welded corners, and a covered zipper to ensure no water breaches those easily forgotten gaps. All of these features have been weather-tested to withstand rain and 35+ MPH wind.

Finally, the Coleman Dome sports a ground vent and two windows for proper airflow and ventilation. Another thing we loved was the way the tent’s silhouette incorporates an E-Port, which makes bringing power inside quick and easy!

Pros

  • Budget-friendly, without sacrificing on any essentials.
  • Lightweight.

  • Spacious interior, with storage.

  • 10 minute setup time.

  • E-Port, for easy power access.

Cons

  • It could be more durable.
  • 3 season design makes it inappropriate for winter camping or extreme conditions.

  • Rainfly is not large enough to provide comprehensive rain cover in heavy storms.

BEST FOR BACKPACKING

Clostnature Lightweight Backpacking Tent

We chose our #2 spot for the best ever 4 person tent model because we are huge fans of practicality and durability that is cleverly designed to be lightweight and efficient on long journeys, and this tent from Clostnature embodies that description!

You would be hard pushed to find another tent on the market that features the excellent 3 seasons weatherproofing of this tent’s 210T Poly rainfly and PU5000 coating at such a competitive price. These materials ensure an excellent level of water resistance, a high level of breathability, and softer textures, for your comfort.

Weighing in at 7.4lbs, you get all these and 57 square feet of interior space for an ideally practical trek-friendly weight.

You will also benefit from a quick pitch, thanks to the tent’s free-standing design that features two lightweight aluminum poles. The mesh walls are designed to maximize ventilation, and you get two D-shaped doors with vestibules to provide extra outside space.

Clostnature is an excellent brand, priding itself on tough equipment created sustainably so that we can all enjoy the outdoors we love so much in a more eco-friendly manner. They also have excellent customer service and offer a lifetime guarantee for any workmanship or material defects.

Pros

  • Efficient design is perfect for backpacking, mountaineering, kayaking, or any other outdoor activity that requires careful packing.
  • Excellent weatherproofing materials and ventilation.

  • Quick and easy setup.

  • Tough and durable.

  • Proudly eco-conscious brand with excellent customer service.

Cons

  • While the weatherproofing is excellent, hikers headed to places with extreme weather or cold could benefit from something more specialized in that regard.

BEST FOR LUXURY

REI Co-op Kingdom 4 Person Tent

If you are looking to stay in luxury during your camping trip, look no further than our #3 best-ever 4 person tent model. The REI Co-op Kingdom 4 is designed to provide a spacious, weatherproof interior with practical features and easy pitching.

The REI Co-op Kingdom 4 uses vertical walls to create a cabin-like enclosure that is 6.25 feet tall, meaning all but the tallest customers can kiss goodbye to the days of in-tent ducking and crouching. Inside, you will also find a host of handy pockets and lantern loops for practical space optimization.

The sturdy cabin design is well complemented by a rainfly constructed from high-quality 75D polyester. The canopy underneath this polyester is made from mesh to ensure excellent ventilation and breathability.

One of our favorite things about the REI Co-op Kingdom 4 is that you would expect this level of comfort and practicality to come at the cost of setup time – but no! Instead, the REI Co-op Kingdom 4 offers a quick and easy setup; all you need to do is feed the pools through the tent’s loops and secure them down at the corners. You will also find 2 huge doors with 1 vestibule to expand your already luxurious amount of space.

Pros

  • Vertical walls, two huge doors, and vestibule provide a perfect level of space and comfort.

  • Well-thought-out pockets and hanging loops allow further space optimization.

  • Good combination of waterproofing and ventilation for a range of weather conditions.

  • Extremely easy to set up for a tent that prioritizes comfort.

Cons

  • Weighing in at 18.8lbs, this tent is not the most practical for the lightweight packs needed for long-distance hikes.

BEST FOR ALL WEATHER

CAMPPAL Professional 4 Season Mountain Tent

If you are the sort of adventurer who intends to pitch up in a variety of terrains, seasons, and weather conditions – you need to know that the tent you’re picking will keep you safe across all of them. If this is the case, look no further than #4 on our best 4 person tent models list.

This tent from CAMPPAL is designed to give you the best level of protection, no matter what the elements may be. The PU coating of the tent’s material gives it both complete waterproofing and provides a retardant against accidental fires. The materials are designed to protect against temperatures as low as -13°F and ultraviolet protection of up to factor 45 – meaning you will be safe in all extremes.

Of course, in a tent designed for trekking practicality, it does not end there. Weighing in at just 7.1lbs, it is the perfect companion for a well-packed hiking bag. Inside you will also find 4 mesh pockets, as well as an additional mesh in the tent’s ceiling for cleverly storing your lighter items.

The only real drawback is that setting up this tent can take a little bit of time, and the space inside is a little snugger than the other tents on our list.

Pros

  • Perfect four-season weatherproofing includes considerations for rain, sun, extreme cold, and strong winds.
  • Lightweight and compact for long-distance hikes.

  • Clever and efficient internal storage.

Cons

  • Setting this tent up can take a while.
  • Smaller than the other 4 person tent models on our list.

BEST FOR CAR CAMPING

Coleman 4 Person Cabin Tent with Instant Setup in 60 Seconds

Our final entry into the best ever 4 person tent model list is one that will be ideal for car-owning families. This Coleman Cabin Tent may be too big to squeeze into a backpack, but it includes a host of comfort features for your family at a great price.

The tent’s interior offers 56 square feet of floor space, with gently sloping vertical walls to ensure that nobody needs to duck or crouch. The material also uses unique Dark Room technology to ensure that an early rising sun will not disturb your much-needed downtime. As well as this, it has an integrated rainfly which maximizes your rain protection while keeping airflow and ventilation intact. Welded corners and inverted seams also help to ensure everything stays nice and dry.

Perhaps the best thing about this tent, however, is how easy it is to put up. If you are camping with family, the last thing you want to balance is a long pitch time and excitable children. With the Coleman Cabin Tent, the whole thing is a one-person job that takes a maximum of 60 seconds.

Pros

  • Large floor and vertical walls ensure plenty of comfort and standing space.
  • Excellent weatherproofing with integrated rainfly, welded corners, and inverted seams.

  • Dark Room technology keeps you and your family lying in for longer.
  • Pitchable by one person in under a minute.

Cons

  • Too heavy for backpacking use.

4 Person Tent Buyers’ Guide

We know better than most how addictive the life of outdoor adventuring can be! So we have put together this handy guide to all the considerations that go into selecting a high-quality 4 person tent.

Which Type of 4 Person Tent Do You Need?

When choosing a 4 person tent, pick something well-suited to your intentions. There’s no point forking out for an expensive four-season weatherproof tent that takes an hour to pitch if you only intend to do occasional mild weather campground camping. Likewise, you will be miserable on the mountaintop in a dinky little mesh number.

Weatherproofing

There truly is nothing worse on a camping trip than discovering that your tent is inappropriate for the elements the hard way.

As a minimum, any tent you buy should be water-resistant enough to protect you from a moderate downpour. For this reason, you should try to ensure you get a twin skin tent. Twin skin models have separate inner and outer layers, and these outer layers are often referred to as flysheets. You should also ensure the flysheet is properly waterproofed. If you risk a single skin tent, you will likely be at the mercy of your own condensation, even if it doesn’t rain!

Most tent brands that claim to stock waterproof tents should provide you with their waterproofing rating, called the Hydrostatic Head rating. Anything exceeding the value of 1,500mm is properly waterproof.

Furthermore, if you are considering a canvas tent, you will want one constructed from water-resistant polycotton.

Many extra features can provide additional waterproofing. For example, a good tent should have a built-in waterproof groundsheet. You can also find models with specially sealed corners and seams, inverted zippers, and plenty of other special weatherproofing considerations.

When it comes to wind-proofing, your tent should include guy ropes. These will be pegged into the ground to stop your tent from blowing away. The more guy ropes, the more securely your tent will be fastened. Some tents even come with glow-in-the-dark guy ropes to prevent those classic midnight trips.

Ease of Pitching

Pitching is probably the most notorious thing that can go wrong with a camping trip. It can be really frustrating if all you want to do is start having fun but instead are wrapped up in guy ropes and fiddling hopelessly with extendable poles.

Many people opt for pop-up tents to try and escape this – but just wait until you have to fold it up to get it back in that bag!

No matter what tent you end up buying, the best way to ensure a drama-free pitch is to practice putting it up in your backyard first. That way, even if you do get stuck in a rainstorm with no tarp over your head, you can just nip into the house until it is over!

Practical Weight

Whether or not tent weight will be a problem for you will depend on what you intend to use your tent for. If you are just going to store it in your car’s trunk, you probably do not have to worry about picking something lightweight.

However, if you are backpacking, mountaineering, or any other activity that requires you to carry your tent for extended periods of time, you need to make sure you pick something with a practical weight.

Trust us, you will not appreciate that extra space as much as you would appreciate a lighter pack by day two!

Other Comfort Considerations

There are other things to consider about your comfort level while camping that you may not think of at first.

The most likely of these is ventilation. Most people worry about waterproofing but neglect to make sure that they are buying something breathable. Try to ensure that you pick something with practical mesh panels, windows, or special flaps for ventilation – that way, you can avoid being roasted alive on hot nights.

If you are the sort of person who likes to sleep in much past sunrise, you might also consider a tent with blackout material. Otherwise, you will have a difficult time staying asleep much later than the first light.

Finally, consider space. A 4 person tent may not be sufficient if you are a group of 4 adults who need to store lots of belongings and food. In truth, 4 person tent only comfortably houses 2 adults.

What Tent Do We Use

We have now upgraded to the fabulous iKamper, but we have spent more than our fair share of time camped out on the ground in their very favorite tent: The North Face Wawona 6-person tent.

Even though it was just the two of us camping most of the time, we loved the space and luxury the Wawona offered us. We even had a queen-sized bed in there, complete with side tables!

Conclusion

When it comes to selecting the perfect tent, the only person who can do that is you!

We hope that our guide to the best 4 person tent models has been helpful and that we have equipped you with everything you need to get out and enjoy the wild for yourself! Remember to follow the 7 principles of Leave No Trace while you are out on your adventures!

Don’t forget to read our Best Ever Guide to Wild & Free Camping!