That mesh also keeps the tent feeling airy and cool in hot climates. A senior staff writer at Wirecutter, Kit Dillon has written about everything from backpacks and cooking gear to luggage and road-tripping. An avid hiker, camper, and long-haul road-tripper, Claire Wilcox has slept in (and occasionally improvised) tents in 11 states. She covers outdoor gear for Wirecutter and worked on the most recent update of this guide, testing couples’ tents and family tents. All you have to do is pay close attention to the materials used to make your tent and make sure they don’t let any light through under any conditions.
One night during testing, for example, clouds loomed in the distance with clear skies overhead. After we pitched the tent, the Mineral King 3’s adaptable fly let us leave half the mesh dome uncovered. At the first sign of rain, it took only a few seconds—and a quick hand stuck outside the tent—to unfurl the fly and secure it for a dry night’s sleep. When we awoke, we could roll back one part of the vestibule, make coffee, and watch the sky lighten even though it was still raining.
ozark trail instant cabinDon’t worry though, if you’ve ever put up a tent, you won’t have any issues setting these up fairly quickly. It’s made of water-resistant materials and has a flexible steel frame. At 3.3 lbs it’s ultra-lightweight, making it super easy to take with you on any trip.
The mat shown above is a polyethylene similar to tents’ floors. From the name and from the pictures you realize this is a 2-room construction with a shower room and a changing/utility room, both the same size. But if this is not enough, note that this EasyGo Product Shower Shelter is larger. An avid swimmer, surfer, hiker, and camper, she currently lives on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, where she can be found, as much as possible, in water. We also appreciated the shepherd’s hook stakes that come with the tent. Most of the tents we tested came with basic L-shaped stakes, which tended to spin around in the soil and slip a line.
The Ozark Trail is designed with a mesh roof and windows on both sides, which allow air to circulate freely through the tent while you bathe. There are also plenty of pockets and a rack to store your clothes and towel. After spending countless hours digging deep into the topic, I’ve come up with a list of the best shower tents on the market. The 2-room shower tent from Ozark was a clear winner in my eyes.
A shelf and storage pockets keep your toiletries off the floor. The Ozark Trail Deluxe Shower Tent can also be used as a changing station or a lavatory. The mesh ceiling and window ensure ventilation while allowing for privacy. Hang a lantern on the hook at the top of the tent for nighttime use.
ozark trail instant cabinUnder certain lighting conditions, it can be slightly transparent. Depending on who you’re camping with and where, this could lead to some potentially awkward scenarios. One thing to take note of is that this model doesn’t include a base. This means you’ll be standing directly on whatever terrain is under the tent, which may not always be ideal.
Last but not least, the Green Elephant Camping Shower Tent includes an additional rain fly that can be placed over the netting. This is perfect for any unexpected rain showers that catch you off guard during your outdoor adventures. This gives you the option of deciding whether or not you want to use it, depending on what you’re using it for and what kind of terrain you’re on.
It’s unlikely to be as durable, though, as the softer, stronger polyester found in our other picks. The separate fly, which covers the upper half of the tent, uses a third, shorter “brow” pole to form protective peaks over the door and the back window. In our tests, an experienced camper took only about six minutes on the first try to set up the tent body alone and stake it out. Getting the fly placed and staked properly took about five more minutes. Like the Mineral King 3, the Tungsten 4 has a mesh canopy, though the opaque polyester part of its walls go higher, and provide more privacy, than the Mineral King’s. Its tape-seamed bathtub floor and fly had no problem handling rain.
MSR’s Habitude 6 is also a good tent, but it costs about $200 more. Unfortunately, you have to buy a separate groundsheet for the Wawona 6 and for most other tents its size as well. It’s natural to focus on the quality of a tent’s rain fly—you need that piece to work when the skies open up. But according to our experts, the durability of the floor of your tent is actually more important.