7 Best Tents (2025), Tested: Camping, Family and Outdoor Palace

REI’s base camp tent is the best design, the best six-person tent I’ve ever used. It also proves itself to be one of the most waterproof tents we tested. This is a traditional dome tent design with two crossed poles and two side poles. The tent floor is high quality 150-denier (150d) polyester, while the sides are a combination of grid and 40d nylon. There are plenty of storage bags, double doors, excellent vents and huge windows that make it comfortable even in summer heat. It is also one of the few family-sized three-season tents on the market, and it’s almost full-length rainfly (made of 75 fans), making it suitable for those more prone to weather fall and spring trips (flying about 3 inches from the ground, so not four seasons like the Marmot below, but below is close). Given its height, its stability in the wind is also surprising (74 inches in the six-person model).

It’s very spacious inside. My family of five (two adults, two teenagers, one 10 years old) is effortless. There is plenty of room for five smaller sleeping mats, or you can double down on Exped’s Megamat Duo ($349) for an extra comfortable car camping setup. The vestibule is also spacious, providing storage space for the rest of your camping gear. If you really want some extra outdoor space, you can buy the Base Camp Vehicle Connector for $170 (untested, but on my list).

There are two huge gates, these have large, thornless zippers that are easy to enter and exit the base camp without stepping onto anyone. There are also a variety of storage options, including six pockets (one for each person), and there are many hanging rings stitched to the ceiling, allowing you to hang a light or clothesline. There are also a lot of mesh vents, which allow for a breeze in the tent on warm nights.