It’s the most important bit about camping, right? The tent!
Over the years, I’ve tried all sorts of tents, from massive apartment-sized tents, right down to tiny one-person pop-up tents. Each one has its own pros and cons, which means it’s important to consider all of your options before you choose the right tent (or tents!) for your camping trips.
Which Tent To Pick
I (currently) own five tents, for different activities, but I’ve also got my eye on a couple more. I love tents!
Here are the tents I would pick and what type of camping they would be good for.
2 Seconds Fresh & Black XL
This is the updated version of the tent I own, and I LOVE it. It’s probably the tent I camp in most often.
I love the fact that it’s pop up, it only takes a few seconds to put up, I’ve also had it in horrendous weather and it’s survived bone dry. Really can’t say anything bad about this tent!
2 Seconds Fresh & Black XL (3 Person)
Around £110 from Decathlon
2 Seconds F&B XL (2 person)
Around £90 from Decathlon
Arpenaz 4.2 Tunnel Tent
I’ve had a very similar tent to this and I have to say they are excellent.
Great if there are a few of you camping, either two friends/siblings (as there has been when we’ve used it) or even a couple and some kids.
The space in the middle is really useful as a dry area and added porches make this a really versatile design.
Arpanez 4 – 4 person
Around £113 from Decathlon
Vango Purbeck- 6 person 3 bedroom
This is a great family tent that comes highly recommended.
It’s a poled tent that sleeps 6 with 3 bedrooms and plenty of porch space, great for a couple of weeks on the same pitch with a family.
This tent is very big, so it can be quite chilly, it’s also quite bulky weighing in at 22.5kg.
The Vango Purbeck 6 Person tent
Around £350 from Amazon
Berghaus Telstar 8 Nightfall Air Tent
This is a REALLY popular tent! It’s definitely more on the expensive side, but it’s fantastic quality, sleeps up to 8 people and the 3/4 bedrooms inside mean everyone gets their bit of private space with plenty of porch area for socialising and getting out of the rain.
This is the only inflatable tent on my list. I’ve generally been a little bit skeptical of air-poled tents, but after the storms we had this year, they do seem to be really solid, and this one is super popular with the groups I’ve been chatting to this year, I’m very happy to recommend it!
The Berghaus Telstar 8 Nightfall Air packs down and weighs in at around 52kg.
Berghaus Telstar 8 Nightfall 8 Person Family Air Tent
Around £1000 – £1500 from Amazon
What Should I Consider Before Buying A Tent?
- Size – It might come to pass that you decide you want a full family tent with everyone together, or you may decide that everyone should have their own tent. If you’ll be camping on campsites, then you can usually only have one tent per pitch, but some campsites will allow multiple smaller tents.
- Weight – Are you car camping? Hiking? Public transport camping? Think about the weight of your tent (and the vehicle/person that will be carrying it) and get one that suits your needs
- Quality – Hydrostatic Head (HH) is the measurement of the tent’s waterproof rating. In general, anything over 2000HH is ok, but heading towards 5000HH is much better (but usually more expensive).
- Ease Of Set-Up – Will you be camping on your own? With a young family? Tents usually come with either fibreglass poles, air poles (inflatable tents), or pop up tents. Pop up tents are great, but some of them are dreadful quality, I’ve only recommended my favourites below, but if you want to find out more, I wrote a whole article on why pop up tents are so good!
How To Make A Tent A Home
A tent is just the basic requirement for camping, but it’s an important one! Check out our recommended Tent Accessories to make your tent a home while you’re camping!