When it comes to testing and recommending tents, our
LFTO
testing team are the best in the business. We’re a bunch of hikers, backpackers, mountaineers, outdoor enthusiasts and – crucially for family tents – people with families who spend many of our spring and summer weekends pitching all manner of
camping tents
with our partners, kids and friends.
We know that searching for a new family tent is exciting but can also be a headache, even for those who have owned one before. There are so many excellent tents with never-ending ranges of features all vying for your attention… and hard-earned money.
Each year we undertake the substantial task of testing and reviewing the latest tents ranging from four to eight-person models, so we can find the very best models for family camping trips. And trust us, it isn’t easy. But pitching, sleeping in and then packing away all those tents allows us to compare them on everything from features, living space and price, to how easy they are to stuff back into the bag once we’ve taken them down.
A family tent is a great investment that should last you for many years to come, so scroll down for our shortlist of the best family tents for 2025, then keep reading for our full reviews.
Editor’s note:
This article was updated in June 2025 when we removed any tents that are no longer available and added two additional reviews of family tents.
Best family tents at a glance
Best family tent overall:
Robens Klondike Tent
Best value family tent:
Quechua Arpenaz 4.1 F&B
Best inflatable family tent:
Outwell Colorado 5 Air
Best roof tent for families:
TentBox Lite XL
Highly rated:
Nordisk Thrymheim 5 PU
How we tested
The
LFTO
team
is made up of true outdoor gear experts and enthusiasts (you could even call us geeks) who not only spend many days and nights on mountain treks, but also have lots of experience using and testing family tents and all the latest camping gear and gadgets.
Many members of our team have young children, and all of us camped with our parents as kids so have plenty of opinions on what makes the best family tents.
The tents recommended below were tested by our group editor
Oli Reed
, freelance outdoor journalist
Alex Foxfield
and former senior writer
Chris Williams
(above).
Our picks of the best family tents have each been included here on their own merit, with many having standout assets, be it value for money, clever design or space. If you want to learn more about which tent is right for you, scroll to the bottom of this article to find our buying advice.
When camping as a pair, we often like to be cheeky and pitch a
three-person tent
for that extra room. The same idea can also apply for a large group – some of these five- or six-person options are also brilliant picks for a family of four with a load of gear and a giant cool box to store.
When assigning ratings to the tents below, we considered a range of key criteria, including: weatherproofing, comfort/living space, features, weight, pack size (if has to fit in your car, after all!) and value for money.
For more detail on our review process, see our ‘
how we test
‘ page.
Best family tents reviewed:
How to choose your family tent
What sort of camper are you?
Consider your aims and experience level. If you’re a first-time camper, it’s worth purchasing a beginner’s tent that isn’t too complicated ro pricey just in case the camping life isn’t for you.
On the flip side, if you do have some outdoor experience, then be sure to go for a tent that suits the way you and your family like to camp. If you prioritise space or luxury, there are plenty of tents to suit.
Similarly, if you’re the type of camper who takes the bare essentials, keep things simple with a more basic option.
Weight and packed size
Are you a camping minialist or more of a glamper? Will your tent go up right by your car, or will you have to carry it a distance? These are all good questions to answer before looking for your family tent.
No family tents are particularly small or lightweight, but there is a huge weight and size range, from around 10kg up to 40kg+. The weight and size are important to check as you’ll need it to fit in your car alongside your other gear, and you’ll want to avoid lugging around an excessively large tent if you are walking for any distance.
What type/shape of tent is best for a family tent?
To start narrowing down your options, consider what kind of outdoor adventures you’re hoping to have, then pick the type of tent that best suits your needs.
Tunnel tents
are great for weekend and summer camping as they offer lots of space, are easy to pitch, and can use traditional or inflatable poles. However, they are often heavier than other shapes.
Dome tents
are good for hikers and trekkers because small dome tents are quite stable and lightweight. They are also cheap and work well in moderate wind.
Geodesic tents
have crisscrossing support poles, making them much more capable of dealing with high winds and harsh weather. Geodesic tents sacrifice space and are a little more complex to pitch than other styles, but are great for camping in extreme environments. Less suitable for casual campers and families.
What waterproof rating should a family tent have?
Next, make sure you’re familiar with
waterproof ratings:
– 1000mm HH: Will keep out light rain. We’d call this rating more water-repellent than waterproof.
– 2000mm HH: Enough to fend off some rain and is the bare minimum you’d want for family tents.
– 3000mm HH: Waterproof and will keep out rain.
– 5000mm HH: Will keep out heavy rain.
– 10,000mm+ HH: These ultra-durable tents deal with driving rain and snow and the extra pressure applied onto tent floors by people and equipment.
How easy is it to set up a family tent?
Given that most family tents are quite large, it’s best to have at least two people to pitch them.
And in order to have the best family camping experience, make a list of items you need to take before you pack.
What materials are best for a durable family tent?
Most family tents use polyester for the main fabric, a thicker groundsheet made from polyethelene, and poles either made from fibreglass or are inflatable.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the ticker materials offer the best durability (they also make the tent weigh more). So, for the best durability, look for tents that have a polycotton main fabric and, although not essential, aluminium poles.
How do I ensure my family tent is weather-resistant?
In addition to good waterproof ratings (which we’ve covered above), weather-resistant tents are stable with good anchorage to the ground. You can also boost underfloor waterproofing by using a footprint (an additional groundsheet in the shape of your tent) or tarpaulin.
Extra equipment for family tents:
In order to improve your camping experience, there are some valuable extras that you might want to consider so everything will run smoothly.
How do I clean a tent?
This is pretty easy. Simply get
Grangers Tent + Gear Cleaner
or
Nikwax Tent & Gear SolarWash
and clean the fabric as instructed. This helps rid the tent of muck that may hinder its performance and degrade it if left uncleaned. You can follow a step-by-step guide in our article on
how to clean a tent
.
Periodically, you’ll want to reproof the fabric, too (see our guide on
how to waterproof a tent
for more on that), to maintain its water repellency and protect against UV damage. You can do this with
Grangers Tent + Gear Repel UV
or
Nikwax Tent & Gear SolarProof
.
About the authors
The reviews you read in this article have been written by group editor
Oli Reed
, freelancer journalist
Alex Foxfield
and former senior writer
Chris Williams
.
Oli spends many (if not most) of his spring, summer, and early autumn weekends camping with his two young boys, and Chris spent most summers on family camping trips when he was growing up in New Zealand.
For his part, Alex is a qualified Mountain Leader, avid wild camper and a family man, who’s spent far too many evenings fighting with others for space in the tent.
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