ozark trail shower tentThe partial fly does a great job of keeping rain out of the upper, mesh areas, and cleverly placed vents maintain airflow so it never feels too stuffy. Marmot uses color coding smartly to help you position the tent as well as set it up. Both of the doors zip open to the side that’s color-coded blue, as opposed to zipping open to opposite sides. In other words, one partner—or one partner’s gear—is always going to get a dose of weather when they head out. Though the Wireless’s fly kept water out of the tent’s interior, it took longer to fully dry once the rain stopped than some others we tested.
Does it include a shower caddy or mesh dividers to store your soaps, shampoos, and washcloths? What about a space to hang your towel where it won’t get wet? Each individual product may be shipped from different fulfillment centers across the globe as our product research team spends the time to source for quality yet affordable products. There are circumstances that are out of control (natural disasters, holidays, weather, etc) that may cause shipping postponements.
It’s both the lightest and most compact tent on our list thanks to its “pop-out” design that packs down flat and goes up with a simple unfolding motion thanks to its spring-loaded frame. We love that G4Free included so many premium features in such a budget model. For instance, this tent shower includes both an overhead hook for hanging a solar shower as well as a velcro-sealed exterior port for folks who want to run an exterior water tank system.
The North Face’s color-coded poles make this process easy to navigate. (We were stubborn and didn’t look at the instructions.) Once you identify the front and back, the process is straightforward. The fly goes up and over the tent body, covering only the upper half of the mesh dome, and then forms the glorious vestibule with the aid of a third pole. Use the extra stakes and guy-lines provided to stabilize the vestibule as much as you need. After researching 30 six-person tents and testing 15 side by side on a total of five trips, we chose the Kelty Wireless 6 as the best entry-level camping tent for most families.
For instance, there’s no floor inside at all, which makes for excellent drainage, but also means you’ll need to bring your own (like a tarp) or plan on standing on wet ground. Overall the design is very solid once assembled, but getting it there can be a pain. That’s because the Texsport’s poles don’t fit as snugly as we’d like into their designated hubs, so having a pole or two pop out of place during assembly is a common occurrence. All things considered, the Texsport Instant Shower is about the most space you can get for the money, and makes for a great multi-use privacy area in the outdoors as well. Some campers might find the Wawona 6’s footprint unwieldy in smaller campsites, or they might simply prefer a tent with a more straightforward design. If you want a six-person tent made with high-quality materials but a traditional profile, we recommend the similarly priced Big Agnes Spicer Peak 6, or Nemo’s Aurora Highrise 6.
However, the Wireless 6’s poles were the best fiberglass ones we tested—they left no splinters, unlike those on the Camp Creek 6 or the Copper Canyon LX 6. Once you do, it’ll become an essential component in making your camping experiences as comfortable and hygienic as possible. You’ll be using it outside where there are plenty of sharp pointy sticks and stones around that it can get caught on. If the fabric your shower tent is made of tears easily, it’s not going to last very long. The poles should be made of materials such as fiberglass or steel. If the poles are made of a high-quality material, the tent will perform better in bad weather and you won’t have to worry about rust or breakage.
ozark trail canopy tentIt doesn’t have any windows or meshing at all, so it can get a bit stuffy. The large, zippered D-style door makes it super easy to get in and out of your shower, while the removable floor mat ensures you won’t be standing (or slipping) in any puddles of water. Another thing that isn’t great about this tent is that it doesn’t always provide total privacy.
Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). We found that company representatives are reluctant to estimate the lifespan of their tents. When pushed, most of the reps we talked to estimated five to 10 years, though the actual lifespan will vary widely depending on care and frequency of use (for more advice, read REI’s excellent tips). In conducting research for this guide, we heard multiple tales of careful campers who had been using the same tent for 15 years or more. The Wawona 6’s side-walls are high and straight, but the structure stays very stable in wind thanks to a final pole that wraps around the front and sides—and thanks to the absence of any acute angles in the poles.