£499.99, Go Outdoors (with Go Outdoors discount card) Every element of the Mackenzie feels like great quality, but it does take a while to get the knack of erecting it quickly.īuy now Hi Gear Vanguard Eclipse Six Man Tent Ideal for big families, the Mackenzie can sleep five or six with plenty of room for gear (there’s even a built-in clothes rail), and we love the generous living space with standing room and wide doors on each side. This is our favourite “blackout” tent on test, coming with three roomy and pitch-black bedrooms that mean kids won’t wake up at dawn (well, it won’t be the tent’s fault if they do) and are still delightfully cool and breathable on hot days. Key specs – Weight: 35.5kg Size: 6 man Material: Polyester Waterproofing: 4,500mm Bedrooms: 3 The compact Buxton might not be a tent you spend lots of time in, but as a comfy base on camping adventures it’s great, and comes in at a very affordable price. We also found the Buxton easy to pitch, with colour-coded poles making it intuitive to erect. The living space isn’t huge but there is good headspace, and the tent was one of the most breathable we tested, with plentiful vents for hot nights. We’re impressed by how much you get for your money with Mountain Warehouse’s Buxton tent, which includes one roomy bedroom that can easily be converted into two as children get older. Key specs – Weight: 17kg Size: 4 man Material: Polyester Waterproofing: 4,000mm Bedrooms: 1 or 2 It’s the ideal option if you’re off on a camping holiday in the Mediterranean or for taking the family to a summer festival. While they tend to only be water resistant and won’t withstand torrential rain, canvas tents are ideal for hot weather, as they are cool and breathable, and they also tend to be very spacious, with plenty of head height. If you’re after something a little different, consider investing in a canvas “glamping” style bell tent instead of a polyester one.
It’s worth having a go at putting your new tent up in the garden before your holiday too, as big multi-room tents can be fiddly to erect. If you’re moving a lot or are only going away for a weekend, you may want to pick something lighter and more portable. If you’re staying at one campsite for a week or two, a heavy but roomy tent is worth the weight, as you’ll only have to pitch it once.
These “air” tents can be a real time-saver if you have a decent pump.
Newer family models are now often inflatable with pumps instead of erected with traditional poles. A roomy porch, especially one with plastic windows, is great for hanging out in on wet days, and some standing room is a big help for sorting out gear.īig family tents are heavy, take up space and can be fiddly to erect, so make sure you’ve got space in the car to store a weighty model. Separate bedrooms are great for longer trips, or if you have older children or teenagers who need to their own space. We recommend halving the number to work out how many the tent will sleep in comfort, so a six or eight man tent will usually fit a family of four nicely, with plenty of space for gear and cooking kit. “four man” or “six man”) – this usually means how many adults you could squeeze in at a push, sardine style.
Be wary of the number of people a tent claims to sleep (e.g. Working out the right sized tent for a growing family can be confusing. The floor of the tent should also be fully waterproof – look for a sewn-in groundsheet with a coated nylon floor. Look for the “hydrostatic head” rating of a tent’s outer material – this is usually measured in millimetres, and anything over 1,000mm will stop rain seeping in and keep you dry. The waterproofness of your new tent is a key feature, especially if you’re planning on camping in rainy Britain. Family tents don’t come cheap though, but it’s worth investing in as good a quality model as you can afford – with care it will last you decades of camping holidays in Britain and beyond. You need somewhere roomy, waterproof and comfortable, both to sleep and hang out in, especially if the weather isn’t looking so balmy. Planning a summer camping holiday with the kids? A great family tent is probably the most important element to ensuring a gang of happy campers. Products are tested and reviewed independently of commercial initiatives. We may earn a small commission on purchases made through one of these links but this never influences our experts’ opinions.
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