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- 16 best family tents to buy for 2024
The ones to buy now for stress-free camping holidays this spring
With spring around the corner, now is the perfect time to invest in a trusty tent so you can round up the family and head into the great outdoors.
Whether you're a small family of three or a bigger clan, there are some brilliant tents out there that campers of all ages will adore.
To help you shop smartly, our expert editors and testers have found the best family tents for pitching up in comfort, luxury and ease during the 2024 camping season.
Not only are they all ideal for camping holidays around the UK, but also for use in the garden, for family picnics or when the kids fancy getting cosy in a sleeping bag on a chilly night.
Our top picks include teepee-style tents, luxury designs with king-sized bedrooms and cheaper options if you're after something affordable. You'll also find inflatable family tents with no poles required, for an easy breezy camping trip with the gang. What type of tent do you need?
What size tent do you need?
You will see that all the tents on the list indicate how many people they can theoretically fit. However, this is based on people lying side by side and doesn’t account for any movement or extra kit. The general advice is to divide the number by two. A tent billed as a four-person model, would very comfortably sleep a couple with luggage. Likewise, a six-man would accommodate three with room to spare. Children obviously take up less space than adults so you can work out the configuration that works best for your family.
Increasingly tents have bedroom compartments in fabrics designed to block out light. Different brands will have varying terminology for this feature but it will do more or less the same job.
What are inflatable tents?
Some tents now come with inflatable poles. These inflatable models, or air tents, swap fibreglass or metal poles for ‘beams’ that support the tent. They’re integrated into the body of the tent so super-quick to put up – no more struggling to thread poles through the fabric! You just inflate them using the pump provided.
Is hydrostatic head important?
A tent’s hydrostatic head (HH) measurement is the waterproof rating. A 2000HH head should be adequate for the British weather, whereas a 3000HH or above will keep you dry in the most extreme rainstorms. The models on this list range from 2000-5000HH.
How we choose family tents
Country Living editors have chosen their top buys. The models stamped with the Country Living Approved logo have been tested by families of camping enthusiasts who've set it up, slept in it for at least one night and taken it down again. Our testers fed back on how spacious their tent felt inside and how much light and fresh air it let in. They also scored their tent on its instructions, ease of use and design. Back in the lab, our in-house team tested each tent's waterproofing capabilities using a hydrostatic head machine.
Happy camping!
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Outdoor kit
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