It also costs more, though, and is less forgiving of a careless set-up. Easy to set up and pack away, the Mineral King 3 is a lightweight, two-door tent with a generous footprint and a sturdy dome shape. When testing the Napier Sportz SUV tent, I was immediately impressed by its compatibility with my SUV and how well it fit attached to the rear. I drive a Ford Excursion with a 6 inch lift and the vehicle sleeve adjusted perfectly. While the setup was slightly time-consuming on the first attempt, it became more efficient with practice—we were old pros after just a handful of tries.
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. A senior staff writer at Wirecutter, Kit Dillon has written about everything from backpacks and cooking gear to luggage and road-tripping. The mat shown above is a polyethylene similar to tents’ floors.
It can easily attach to an SUV or minivan, providing a convenient versatile shelter extension, but it also works as a free-standing dome tent. If you choose not to attach it to ozark trail shower tent your vehicle, you still benefit from two separate entries, offering easy access for everyone. I was particularly impressed with its durable and weather-resistant materials.
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. For this guide, we focused on tents that suit the most common terrains you’re likely to encounter when car-camping—grassy lawns or clearings, beaches, dirt campsites, and basic platforms—in spring, summer, and fall.
The directions were very detailed and are attached to the tent storage bag so you never misplace them. But it’s one of the least expensive tents we found that had no significant drawbacks and will truly cover your bases for three-season camping. The tent also comes with its own footprint, a groundsheet that protects the tent from abrasion, which we recommend that you have. A full rain cover, two vestibules, and an extra-sturdy pole structure make this the best choice for families who want to get outside in any weather. The structure is freestanding, but you have 10 steel stakes included for the tent and for the fly, together with all necessary guylines.