The best camping tents of 2026 make sleeping outside easy and comfortable

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Your camping tent is your home away from home when you’re backpacking or car camping — having a great one can make your adventure more fun, while having a terrible one can ruin the entire experience. But with hundreds of models on the market, it can be hard to know what to shop for, especially if you are just starting out.

I’ve been writing about the outdoors for NBC Selected for years, including guides to hiking shoes , hiking emergency kits , camping for beginners and bikepacking , so I’ve tested and researched lots of tents. Below are the best camping tents you can buy, including some I’ve tested over many, many miles.

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The best camping tents in 2026

My top picks come from highly-rated, venerable brands like REI Co-op, The North Face, Coleman, Big Agnes, Nemo and more. All of my top picks are available in multiple sizes — I’ve linked alternate sizes below each product image.

Best camping tent overall

REI Co-op Half Dome 3-Person Tent with Footprint

Also available as: REI Co-op Half Dome 2 Tent , REI Co-op Half Dome 2 Plus Tent

The REI Half Dome is a fantastic do-it-all tent. It marries the ample size and durable materials of a car camping tent with a sub-eight pound weight typically found in backpacking tents.

Unlike many comparably-priced three-person backpacking tents, the Half Dome 3 can actually fit three people comfortably thanks to its large 90 by 70 inch floor (think California King bed). It’s heavy duty enough that you don’t have to worry about every little stone, needle or dog paw damaging the fabric, and comes with a tent footprint included if you prefer extra floor protection.

I wouldn’t recommend it for long-distance backpacking, but for shorter, flatter hikes, it’s easy enough to pack, especially split among two or three people, and for car camping, it’s a cinch.

Best value camping tent

The North Face Stormbreak 3 Tent

Also available as: The North Face Stormbreak 1 Tent , The North Face Stormbreak 2 Tent

This North Face Stormbreak is another excellent three-person do-everything option at a lower price than the REI Half Dome. It’s a tighter fit for three people, but it can still do it in a pinch, and it’s down right comfy for two people and their things. It uses similarly durable materials to the REI Half Dome, and is a great option for anyone who is looking to camp more, but isn’t exactly sure if that means backpacking, car camping or something in between.

Best car camping tent

The North Face Wawona 6 Tent

Also available as: The North Face Wawona 4 Tent , The North Face Wawona 8 Tent

Sometimes bigger is better, and The North Face Wawona tent is one of the best options for camping luxuriously with a large group. This six-person version is absolutely massive — it can fit a mattress, cots, sleeping pads, gear — you name it, it’s going in there. It has a tall 76-inch peak height that lets most people fully stand up without bumping into the ceiling.

The standout feature is probably the vestibule: It creates a giant tunnel-like entryway or porch, great for storing gear like backpacks, a table, a cooler or even a bike. And storing gear inside the tent is simple too, with tons of pockets for phones, books, lights and anything else. Because of its large size, it takes a bit of time to set up, especially for one person. With two people, though, it’s not an issue.

Best budget car camping tent

Coleman Skydome 4-Person Tent with Full Fly Weather Vestibule

Also available as: Coleman Skydome 6P Tent with Full Fly Weather Vestibule

Tents can be pricey, especially if you only go camping once a year or want to try it out for the first time. If that sounds like you, consider the Coleman Skydome. It’s priced much lower than most options on this list and gives you a huge amount of interior and exterior space to spread out. The large fly and vestibule area is particularly nice (especially at this price point) — it’s a great place to put chairs, keep wet boots or put gear like a table or lights.

If you only ever plan to camp in fair weather, you can get the standard Coleman Skydome Tent (without the fly and vestibule) for cheaper. Still, even in nice weather, I think the vestibule version is worth the price for the shade and gear storage.

Best bad weather car camping tent

REI Co-op Base Camp Tent 6

Also available as: REI Co-op Base Camp Tent 4

If you love to camp with a large group regardless of the weather, this tent is a weather-resistant, robust option you should consider. Like the North Face Wawona, it uses very durable materials, but it takes things a step further: The rainfly is reinforced by an additional pole system separate from the tent itself, giving it added wind and weather resistance. Inside, it’s massive, with tons of pockets and ventilation throughout.

If you also purchase the Base Camp Vehicle Connector , you can literally back a car into the tent vestibule, and your gear can go straight from your trunk to your tent without ever being exposed to the elements.

Best backpacking tent

Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 Backpacking Tent

Also available as: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 Backpacking Tent , Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Backpacking Tent , Big Agnes Copper Spur UL4 Backpacking Tent , Big Agnes Copper Spur UL5 Backpacking Tent

This enduring (read: launched in 2008) backpacking tent comes recommended by basically everyone, myself included. Yes, it’s pricey, but it’s an excellent backpacking tent that’s a top pick among thru-hikers completing multi-thousand mile trails like the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail.

It’s incredibly lightweight at 3 pounds, but still manages to be comfortable inside, with plenty of space and pockets. The rainfly is adjustable too — you can stake it out for full coverage, roll it up for an open air feel or even turn it into an awning if you have trekking poles with you. Like many ultralight backpacking tents, it uses thinner, lighter fabrics than car camping tents, so you’ll want to be careful around things like rocks and spiky plants.

Ultralight backpacking tents don’t typically come in many size options. This tent is the exception, with sizes ranging from one-person to five-person. I use the two-person version which fits one person like a palace or two people snugly.

Best budget backpacking tent

Featherstone Granite 2-Person Backpacking Tent

Also available as: Featherstone Obsidian 1P Backpacking Tent

Lightweight backpacking doesn’t have to mean super pricey gear — this Granite two-person tent is a great example of that. It’s far less expensive than similar tents, and while it’s a little heavier at 4.6 pounds, that’s still much lighter than most tents on this list.

It has ample interior space and a simple, traditional pole setup. Little things are less refined, though, there are no pockets to slot in the cross pole, for example. But it’s hard to argue with the price, plus, at the time of publishing it has a 4.7 star average rating from more than 1,000 customers on Amazon.

Best bikepacking tent

Nemo Dragonfly OSMO Bikepack 2-Person Tent

Also available as: Nemo Dragonfly OSMO Bikepack 1P Tent

This is my go-to bikepacking tent. It has shorter tent poles (16-inches long) than a typical camping tent (typically 21 to 27-inches long), which makes it much easier to pack into small biking bags. It’s very similar to the Big Agnes Copper Spur: It’s super lightweight but spacious inside, with plenty of pockets and an adjustable rainfly. I particularly love the headlamp pocket — put any headlamp in this little orange ceiling pocket, and it warms and diffuses the light into a perfectly dim reading light for nighttime. I use the one-person version, but I’m recommending the two-person above. The extra space is downright luxurious, and it’s not much heavier than the one-person version.

How I picked the best camping tents