Best Tent Brands For Fun Camping Trip
Are you planning a camping trip with your friends and family? You need to do some preparations ahead, like searching for the best tent brands, gear, and beds to make your trip fun and comfortable.
If you are a regular camper, you must understand the importance of all the things you need to carry. However, if this is your first time camping, we are here to make the first step in getting your backpacking gear ready.
The most important thing to carry on a camping trip is the best camping tents and sleeping bags. Based on your requirement, you can pick the right tent for your trip and choose from different available brands.
Best Tent Brands For a Fun Camping
Whether you enjoy exploring the forest or riverside camping, ensuring a safe trip is extremely important. A camping tent is an important camping apparatus that you should carry with you. A good camping tent will keep you safe from heavy rain, scorching sun, and wild animals. Check out our favorite picks.
Big Agnes
Big Agnes is one of the most loved and best camping tents. The Copper Spur series has been sold for more than one decade now and has gained a lot of popularity among backpackers. The new HV UL2 model tops our list for best tent brands because of its ultra-lightweight and large size among many other best camping tents.
With this winter camping tent, you do not have to compromise on convenience as it comes with trekking pole supporters, and the designs are excellent hits for the middle ground. However, the biggest drawback of Big Agnes is the cost of a tent as it retails for $450 for two people sizes and if you wish to buy Platinum or Carbon variations, then get ready to spend more than $1000.
If you are looking for an all arounder with a mix of lightweight, strong build, usable space, and all-around performance for backpacking trips, then Big Agnes is the clear winner.
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MSR
Mountain Safety Research first started in 1969 as a safety promoter newsletter for avid climbers and mountaineers. The engineer and founder Larry Penberthy’s effort to make safe, reliable equipment started collecting donations from subscribers to fund his field tests and the development of new products. Since then, the brand has curated a huge collection of mountaineering, backpacking tents to portable stoves, poles, snowshoes, water filters, and so much more.
Compared to Big Agnes, the design of MSR tents is more weather resistant and made of robust fabrics with sturdy constructions. This is one of the best tent brands and has recently launched its Habitute series. Their old Hubba series is also highly impressive, featuring elements like rubber pole and full coverage rainfly.
REI Co-op
REI is known for being value-oriented and gives tough competition with its in-house luxury camping tents in terms of quality and performance. They offer the best family camping tents with Grand Hut 4 retaining for $299. This tent features almost vertical walls, aluminum pole structure and is 75 inches high.
You also get some organizational features in REI Co-op tents like large pockets and vestibules along the inside, loops for attaching light and gear. The Half Dome is always a favorite when paired with a roomy interior and ease of use. No wonder it’s one of the best tent brands at a competitive price tag.
Although it is a little heavier, they have now shifted towards creating more luxury camping tents with lightweight material. You get many perks of shopping at Rei, like a warranty and co-op membership with benefits of yearly dividends, additional coupons all year round.
Nemo Equipment
Nemo Equipment was founded by Cam Brensinger in 2002 after spending a sleepless night atop New Hampshire fame Mount Washington known for its unpredictable weather conditions. The brand has curated a thoughtful and well-researched selection of best-designed camping tents available in ultralight models to specific backpacking options and 4-seasons ready shelters, along with many others.
Their most popular category is Dagger due to its extreme lightweight feature, roomy interior, easy-to-pitch freestanding build, durable construction, and full feature set. Like Big Agnes, you have to pay a hefty amount to buy these luxury camping tents from Nemo, starting from $430.
Keeping the premium price aside, Nemo is known for its extreme attention to detail and well-designed tents with a balance of weight, durability, and livability. Nemo first started only with pad lineups and sleeping bags, which are equally good and one of the most comfortable designs ever.
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Marmot
Marmot was started by two students from U.C. Santa Cruz who met on Alaskan glacier during the early 1970s. Since then, Marmot has become popular and one of the best tent brands combining spaciousness, quality, and price in their products.
We are fond of their backpacking options and crossover car camping, including limelight and tungsten. Both their tent versions are reliable, offer plenty of space and long lasting construction for two adults at competitive prices.
Marmot is not as competitive as Nemo, Big Agnes in the lightweight tent market; however, they utilize good quality materials with roomy interiors and have switched to PFC-free waterproofing.
Hilleberg
This camping tent brand started in 1971 and is owned by the Hilleberg family specializing in crafted tents for harsh weather conditions and high altitude places. Made using Kerlon fabric, it is triple coated with silicone on three sides and is incredibly strong, tear-resistant, and weather-ready.
Hillberg labels their tents using a helpful labeling system- Black Label models, making them the most weather-resistant camping tents built for 4-season conditions. Red Label tents are lightweight and are one step down in terms of protection. Then comes the yellow label tents made for a snow-free and warm outing, Blue label tents specialize in specific activities.
Hilleberg may not be the right choice for the best tent brands in mild conditions, but for the right environment, no one can beat them.
Zpacks
Joe Valeska started the brand Zpack in 2005 after not being able to find the right gear to hike on the Appalachian Trail. Sixteen years later, now Zpack is one of the biggest players in the market with its ultra-lightweight yet durable tents for minimalist backpackers. The main reason behind the success of the Z Pack tent is the use of Dyneema, a high-tech fabric used for its strength-to-weight ratio and hydrophobic properties.
UL Zpack tent model is our favorite in a two-person Duplex collection which includes bathtub floor protection and is 48 inches high. One biggest compromise with the Z Pack tent is convenience and cost, as the Duplex retails for a whopping $599 and requires practice to set up. These tents are not suitable for the average camper; this is why they are highly popular among users.
Kelty
If you are a usual camper, then Kelty will check all the boxes with the best selection of backpacking and camping tents. Most of their models are available between $100-$300/ they also offer the best family camping tents with incorporated fun and kid-friendly touches.
This is one of the very first tent brands to include stargazing features in their tents with mesh-heavy bodies and rain flies allowing open views of a starry night. Dirt Motel 2 is our favorite pick from Kelty, retailing for $260 and weighing 4 pounds 13 ounces with roomy interior and 28sq feet floor space.
You will not find any ultralightweight model in the Kelty lineup, and these are also behind the innovation field but offer good quality at reasonable prices. This is the best tent brand for casual campers who do not like spending huge amounts on the camping setup.
Critical Camping Tent Considerations
CHOOSING A TENT SIZE
Capacity rating increases the number of people a tent can house, so it is best not to rely on the specified numbers until you want to sleep scrunching the whole night. One rule of thumb is to always upsize by 1 or 2 people for a comfortable sleep. If you are claustrophobic, tall, or will share tents with your pet and kids, always consider an extra elbow space for an enjoyable trip.
Also, you can buy multiple small tents instead of one large one to accommodate the entire group. You can always check the tent size guide to find the best fit for your family.
PEAK HEIGHT
If you have been camping for many days and are planning to spend time hanging out in your tent, you must pick something tall enough where you can move around. Tents that come with high peak and vertical walla offer the most usable space but may also cause problems in windy situations. Use appropriate guylines and stakes to support large tents and avoid any issues.
VENTILATION
Having good ventilation in a tent is crucial for internal condensation. Search for tent designs with pepper roof vents allowing fresh air circulation, shine, or rain. Sleeping in a muggy tent is not fun at all without any vents.
Some camping tents come with zippers to allow access to top vents using a kickstand from the inside. Remember to stake out rainfly sides to provide proper air circulation.
NUMBER OF DOORS
Having more than one door in your tent is essential for camping. Being able to enter and exit and have access to gear without disturbing others makes the trip fun for everyone.
Having adequate vestibule space and doorway is important when it’s raining, and people want to go back into the tent or get out without getting their clothes dirty or wet.
EASE OF SETUP
The first time setting up a tent can be challenging, but it gets easier with practice. Most tents are designed to be quick and intuitive to pitch with buckle clips, color coding, and simple directions.
Make sure to pick a tent with manageable weight and size that you can easily handle, especially if you are setting it alone. Having large camping tents is fun, but do not pick something that is complex to pitch as it can ruin the whole mood of camping.
WEIGHT
The weight of your camping tent is not very critical but make sure that it is lightweight enough so you can carry it around without hurting your back. Tents weighing under 4 pounds are suitable for backpacking.
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Final Words:
We hope this list of best tent brands will help you pick the right product. All the listed tents are among the most popular brands in the market. Every brand has something unique that differentiates them from others. Go through the essential considering things, and then pick the right camping tent for yourself.
