The mat shown above is a polyethylene similar to tents’ floors. There is also a sewn-in shower mat and a 5-gallon solar-heated shower that uses natural light to help heat up the water. I myself have a couple of these bladders ordered separately.
Despite having the smallest capacity of the tents we tested—42.5 square feet—the Mineral King 3 easily fits two people with a full-size mattress, or two sleeping pads, and gear. Two large vestibules add nearly 40 square feet combined—that is, 18.75 square feet on either side. Temperatures ranged from the 50s at night to the 80s during the day. Great for backyard overnights, this simple dome-style tent is for anyone who doesn’t want to spend more than $150 on a tent but also doesn’t want to buy another one next year. It has a partial rain fly, but only one door and no vestibule.
The peak height is 84 inches (213 cm), and when packed its size is 42.6 x 8.3 x 8.3 inches (108 x 21 x 21 cm). 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. Whether you’re thinking of hitting the road or staying close to home for your next car-camping adventure, you and your loved ones will need a comfortable place to sleep. Our Also great picks, the REI Co-op Base Camp 4 and Base Camp 6 tents, have been temporarily phased out for the season. Regarding best use and purpose, this is a utility shelter for families and for groups of friends. It is convenient to have such two rooms, you can use the change room also to place a portable toilet inside.
It is also important to consider the way in which the tent poles attach to the tent. Many of our picks use grommet attachments, which are more secure and simple to repair than key attachments if anything should break. This Ozark Trail Instant 2-Room Shower/Changing Shelter Outdoor is a freestanding fully-featured structure with a pre-attached steel frame, 2 windows, very easy to use, and affordable.
But note that there is only one entry door and it is on the front change room. 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. You will realize that these privacy shelter tents are all are more or less freestanding. The meaning is that you can move them around and rotate even after you set them up. But they are all tall and boxy, so never miss staking them properly.
But according to our experts, the durability of the floor of your tent is actually more important. If the tent you buy doesn’t come with a footprint (two of our recommended tents, the Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3 and the Marmot ozark trail canopy tent Tungsten 4, do), we recommend purchasing a companion footprint, if one is available. A footprint doesn’t take up much space, is relatively inexpensive, and is much easier to repair or replace than a tent bottom if it tears.
If the Mineral King 3 is out of stock, or if you’d like a slightly larger tent, we recommend the Marmot Tungsten 4. The Tungsten 4 shares many of the Mineral King 3’s best features, and provides 10 square feet of additional living space as well as excellent weather protection—as long as you set it up properly. Like our top pick, the Tungsten 4 is a sturdy, two-door dome-style tent that can be deployed in about 5 minutes.