best 6 person tents

The 5 Best 6-Person Tents for Your Outdoor Adventures

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Anyone who has gone on a camping trip with a small tent will understand the difficulties and back strain that go with it. Not only do you have to bend over every time you go through the doorway, but you have to remain bent over, or move around on your knees, the entire time you are inside. There is also no space inside a small tent to store your belongings or to relax comfortably out of the rain. The answer to this problem is a lovely, spacious, six-person tent.

Whether you are a family of four, a family of six, or simply a couple who enjoy their space and luxury, a six-person tent will take care of all your needs. Of course, not all six-person tents are created equal.

We’re here to help you choose a six-person tent that will suit you and your camping habits while keeping you dry, warm, and safe, and doing the same for your belongings and equipment.

Our Top Picks

1. Coleman Steel Creek Fast Pitch Dome Tent

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The Coleman Steel Creek Fast Pitch Dome Tent features a spacious 10 x 9-foot floor area, with an extra 5-foot screen room which is perfect for lounging and view gazing out of the reach of insects and bugs. It can also be used as an extra sleeping room if you’re camping in a warm climate and provides excellent ventilation for the rest of the tent.

This six-person tent is built with Fast Pitch technology and can be set up in just seven minutes, with the help of color-coded poles and a logical design. Mesh storage pockets in the walls will ensure that there is plenty of space for everyone, and a high-quality rainfly will keep everything dry.

With a strong, alloy streel frame, and tent fabric made from durable Polyguard, this tent will stand up to most kinds of weather. The WeatherTec system will ensure the inside stays completely dry, with a waterproof floor, inverted seams, and weatherproof zipper cuffs.

Window awnings will ensure you still have enough ventilation in bad weather, and a waterproof e-port allows you to run an electrical cable into your tent for all the comforts of modern life. An expandable carry bag and easy disassembly ensure that the end of your trip is as simple as the beginning, and to top it all off, this tent weighs just 19lbs, making it easy to transport to your campsite, even by hand.

2. The North Face Wawona 6 Tent

The new Wawona 6-Person Tent by The North Face is a redesign of their old favorite of the same name, featuring re-engineered, color-coded poles for easier setup, and double-wall construction. No weight has been added in the redesign process, despite the stronger pole system.

The tent, which comes in two color combinations (orange and tan, or gray and green), has two large mesh doors, each with its own vestibule for extra seating space or dry gear storage. It also features ceiling pockets for smaller belongings, such as headlamps, phones, and tablets.

This large tent has excellent interior height, great ventilation, due to the two doors, and is extremely well weatherproofed, standing up well to high winds and heavy rain. It comes with a 10 x 32-inch stuffsack, for easy repacking and transportation, and it weighs just over 20 lbs., which is still a very reasonable weight for such a large, spacious tent.

3. Marmot Torreya 6-Person Tent

This stable, durable, upgraded family tent comes with new premium details and hardware, such as large, ergonomic zipper pulls, and oversized tent stakes, which are durable and easy to use. The extra high front door is complemented by an overhanging porch, which can be converted into an awning when not needed. The rear door also has an awning, to protect the tent from bad weather, and the interior features numerous gear loops and organizer pockets, so nothing needs to be left on the floor, taking up precious space.

A lampshade pocket provides a convenient space for a flashlight or headlight to be placed and diffuses the light for a better all-round glow inside the tent.

Small windows in the sides of the tent provide ample light and air, while the seam-taped, full-coverage fly and catenary-cut floor ensure that the tent is completely weatherproof.

For ease of setup, the tent comes with color-coded, Easy-Pitch tent poles and clips. Weighing in at just 20 lbs. and 11 oz, this tent is light enough to carry short distances to your campsite and easy to fit in the car with all your other gear. A lifetime warranty provides peace of mind and shows Marmot’s confidence in their Torreya 6-Person Tent.

4. REI Co-op Wonderland 6 Tent

The REI Co-op Wonderland 6 Tent is a 3-season tent, built to handle all weather conditions aside from snow. Featuring large awnings and 360° views, this is the perfect tent for summer camping in a beautiful spot. The tent has a room divider wall that zips into the center to create two private rooms and can be easily removed to create a bigger space for gatherings, family meals, or game nights.

The tent has two doors which, when unzipped, conveniently pack away into storage pockets for a neater entryway. The tent has almost vertical walls, and a rectangular shape for the best use of space, and contains multiple interior storage options. The walls, windows, and doors feature bug-proof mesh paneling, making sure you get the best views and plenty of fresh air.

Many vertical tents tend not to hold up to high wind conditions, but the Wonderland 6 Tent is built with a triangulated center pole and an extended ridge pole for extra strength and stability. The seam-sealed, cut-in floor ensures the tent is waterproof from the ground up, and awnings at both doors provide covered entry and shelter while adding stability. For ease of setup, the tent, fly, and poles are all color-coded, and the tent has a peak height of 75 inches for ensured comfort.

Weighing in at 22 lbs. and 15 oz, this tent has an 83.3 square foot floor space – plenty of room for a couple, their two children, and the family dog.

5. MSR Habitude™ 6 Family & Group Camping Tent

The MSR Habitude™ 6 Family & Group Camping Tent is built as tough as they come, designed to withstand the rigors of the outdoors, as well as the prying fingers and playful natures of children. An extra sturdy frame ensures the tent will stand up to unpredictable weather, and the robust fabric and stainless steel YKK zippers will handle the rest. The Habitude™ is built with limited mesh, for a good balance between privacy and ventilation, and the door can fold away into a pocket for easier entry.

The tent features a large vestibule for gear storage, saving significant floor space, and the inside of the tent has a storage pocket for each occupant, as well as hanging loops for any gear that can clip to them.

The tent has an excellent standing height of 77 inches, and a floor space of 83 square feet, yet despite all of this, it is the lightest tent on our list, weighing just 13 lbs. and 6 oz. The design is simple, with hubbed poles, and large, color-coded clips, so you will have no problem setting this tent up quickly and easily. A limited warranty will ensure that any manufacturing problems are dealt with fairly.

What to Know Before Buying a Six-Person Tent

Buying a six-person tent is a big decision. They are more expensive than smaller tents, with good reason, and before you spend that kind of money, there are a few things you need to consider, to ensure you get the tent that is just right for you and your needs.

Proper six-person tents have plenty to offer you, including extra space, convenient storage, upright posture inside, higher durability, better weather protection, and plenty of comfort and luxury. So before buying your tent, use our guide below to consider all the necessary angles, and ensure you get all those things that are most important to you, your family, and your camping needs.

Floor Space

When choosing a tent for you and your family or camping buddies, consider how many people the tent will need to service. If you tend to go on camping trips with just your spouse and two kids, almost any six-person tent will be big enough for you. But most six-person tents only fit six people at a squeeze, so it’s best to buy a larger tent if you’re looking for a tent for a family of six unless the kids are small. If you are a group of six adults, we don’t recommend a six-person tent for your needs – at least, not just one.

If a six-person tent is what you need, consider the belongings that will need to fit inside it along with the occupants, and choose a tent with enough floor space for everything. Camping is certainly no fun if you end up stuck in a tiny space on a rainy day, with no space to stretch out and relax.

Peak Height

The six-person tent is the first size to offer a tall interior, and this is an excellent reason to look into buying one, even for smaller groups of campers. Tents with a six or seven-foot peak are not only great for taller people but also just for the sense of spaciousness and livability that it brings. Bear in mind when looking at the height of a tent that taller tents will catch the wind more, and should be designed and built to withstand higher wind speeds, especially when combined with vertical walls.

Tent Shape

Here is where the weather at your typical camping spots will come into play. If you usually camp in a place and season that is very windy, you should rather look at dome-shaped tents. These bear the wind better, but you lose space in the interior, due to the concave walls. If your camping spot is seldom windy, you can look at cabin tents, and other more upright options. These points are similar for rain, with dome tents generally holding up better in wet weather than upright tents.

Packing Size and Weight

Six-person tents are on the border between small, portable tents and larger, heavier options that are no good for taking anywhere a car can’t go. At 20 lbs., a tent can still be carried a fair distance by a stronger person, and this seems to be the average weight of a six-person tent.

If you would like to be able to take your tent backpacking and be able to carry it long distances, but you still need a larger tent, you should look at lighter options, like the MSR Habitude™ 6 Family & Group Camping Tent, which weighs only 13 lbs. 6 oz. Also, take into account the size of the tent when packed – it’s no good buying a light tent, only to find that it is enormous when packed away, and unwieldy to carry any distance.

Weather and Seasons

When buying a six-person tent, consider the types of weather it might be exposed to, and the need to protect you. If you like to go camping all year round, be sure to look for a four-season tent that will keep you safe and warm in the snow, yet well ventilated and cool in the summer.

If you’re happy to skip winter camping, a three-season tent will do the trick, but be sure it is built to handle heavy wind and rain, and that it won’t let you down. The tents with the biggest floor space may not necessarily be the best in bad weather, so be sure to find that perfect in-betweener that fulfills all your needs.

Durability

When choosing any tent, take into account the materials used, the shape and design, and the high-use items like zippers and pole attachments. Look for tents made with high denier fabrics that will last a long time, and strong poles made of aluminum or steel. Look at the strength of the parts of the tent that will take the biggest beating, like the floor, the zippers, the places where the poles attach to the tent, and the guy lines and pegs.

Storage

Keeping organized is essential when a number of people are sharing a small space. To ensure that nobody feels encroached upon, each camper should have its own storage space for smaller items, like phones and flashlights. You should also look for tents with sizeable vestibules or gear garages, to ensure that your camping gear is not taking up space inside the living area.

Easy Setup

Six-person tents tend to be a little more time-consuming to set up than smaller tents, and there are very few well-made pop-up options in this size range. The larger tents get, the more effort they take to set up, so be patient, and don’t expect miracles. However, you should definitely look for tents that have logical designs, aided by color-coded poles and attachments.

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