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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Five-person tent
Outdoor Revolution Camp Star 500 Bundle
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Five-person tent
Outdoor Revolution Camp Star 500 Bundle
This tunnel tent is a good option for small families wanting decent living and sleeping space on a weekend camping trip. The bedroom compartment can be split into two, with the more compact one ideal for kids. There's living space with good headroom and the integrated front canopy provides some welcome extra shelter for seating and cooking equipment if the weather isn't playing ball. And with a HH of 3000, keeping dry shouldn't be a problem.
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2
Seven-person tent
Easy Camp Easy Camp Moonlight Bell
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Seven-person tent
Easy Camp Easy Camp Moonlight Bell
Get the Glastonbury feel without the mad rush for tickets with a glamping trip in this classic bell tent. You can configure it how you like – we think it would be ideal for a group of four. With just one central pole plus the door set-up, it's super-easy to pitch. There's impressive headroom in the middle (2.65m) and very effective ventilation that stops condensation and keeps things cool if you're camping in the warmer months. The included bunting is a nice touch to get everyone into the festival spirit, too.
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3
Four-person tent
Pop-Up Single Skin 4 Man Tent
One for those who've sworn off the palaver of guy ropes and poles after one skirmish too many with them, Mountain Warehouse's pop-up single-skin tent might be less heavy duty than some of the other examples here but it more than makes up for that in ease of use. Just fold it out, and in seconds you've got your home for the night. This one's ideal for summer festivals if you want to keep things simple.
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4
Four-person tent
Quechua Air Seconds 4.2 Family Tent
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Four-person tent
Quechua Air Seconds 4.2 Family Tent
Decathlon's highly rated inflatable two-bedroom model would suit a family of four with younger kids (it might be a bit of a squash with teenagers). The sleeping areas with blackout technology frame the living room, which is large enough for a person to stand up (1.95m at the highest point) and provides a decent space to shelter in bad weather. Happy campers say it's "well worth the money" and "kids love it". Reviewers praise it for being quick to put up and take down but warn that it's heavy to carry.
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Four-person tent
Trail Outdoor Hartland 4 Man 2 Room Tent
5
Four-person tent
Trail Outdoor Hartland 4 Man 2 Room Tent
Now 35% Off
This good-value tent sleeps two-to-four campers comfortably for three-season camping. Satisfied users have said this one is "easy to assemble", "lightweight" and "good for short, family camping trips". Meanwhile, one camper added that they're beginners to camping and managed to get it up in 20 minutes.
There are two double bedrooms, which block out light, and a living area. The head room's not as generous as some on the list but the price makes up for it.
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6
Five-person tent
Vango Odyssey Inflatable Family Tunnel Tent
Vango's Odyssey inflatable tunnel tent takes minutes to set up and offers full stand-up height. The generously proportioned sun canopy makes it feel particularly spacious and we like that you can enter via the front and the side (the openings also allow for great ventilation if you're camping in the heat).
The light-blocking inner tents ensure the whole family has a good night's sleep. If you're after a speedy set-up and spacious living, this is the family tent for you.
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7
Six-person tent
Robens Klondike Tent
Robens makes top-quality tents and its tipis are a case-in-point. The robust Klondike is ideal for a family trip and if looked after properly will last years. You will all be able to stand up inside (this one is an impressive 2.7m at its highest point) and it makes a nice base for the whole group to shelter from the rain. It's also well ventilated to keep it cool in hot weather. If you want to section-off the main area, you can buy a separate sleeping compartment, which one reviewer was a fan of: "We have the inner tent as well to partition a sleeping zone, and although this reduces the apparent visual space it works well for a family of four."
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Here's a bigger version of the Quechua tent, this time with four bedroom compartments. One happy camper says: "Went up very well with simple easy-to-follow instructions, stayed in place during 40mph winds overnight."
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9
Four-person tent
Regatta Kolima V2 6-Man Family Tunnel Inflatable Tent
9
Four-person tent
Regatta Kolima V2 6-Man Family Tunnel Inflatable Tent
Now 60% Off
An inflatable tent can make your life easier, and this one does just that during the set-up process. It's quite large, so you'll need three people to pitch it, but our testers found this quick and easy to do. Putting it away was another kettle of fish, and they struggled to get it back in the bag, but once successful, they liked that they could carry it around like a backpack.
Its separate sleep pod and large porch area provided plenty of space, the windows let in natural light and the hook for hanging a torch proved handy.
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10
Four-person tent
Coleman Meadowood 4 Person Large Tent With Blackout Bedrooms
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Four-person tent
Coleman Meadowood 4 Person Large Tent With Blackout Bedrooms
This large family tent for four has an extended open front porch area offering more living space with protection from the elements during the Great British summer. The front porch can be closed off for extra weather protection, too. The tent offers good head height throughout, as well as several large windows for plenty of light.
The two bedrooms are extra-large and comfortably fit larger airbeds, while the black-out technology blocks daylight and reduces the temperature during the day. You'll also find zipped window shades on the windows, ensuring flexible levels of privacy.
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Five-person tent
Nova Nova Air Dome Tent
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Five-person tent
Nova Nova Air Dome Tent
Boutique Camping is known for its bell tents and this innovative inflatable domed-shaped one is part of its range. It pumps up in a few minutes and offers a glamorous night under the stars. We like the large windows (something you don't usually get on a traditional bell tent) and as it's all one space, you can configure beds how you like – to make it extra special, you could add the likes of rugs and a table for a glamping feel. This one also comes in three and four-man sizes.
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12
Four-person tent
Halfords 4 Person Vis A Vis Tent
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Four-person tent
Halfords 4 Person Vis A Vis Tent
No prior camping experience is required to put this tent into action. With clear instructions, colour-coded poles and pre-attached guide ropes, two people were able to pitch it in hardly any time at all. The inner pod was really easy to fit, too.
Inside, there wasn't enough height to comfortably stand, but it otherwise felt spacious. Expect ample room for two people in each pod, plus some storage space in the middle. Comfort-wise, it felt light and airy, and our testers liked that the door doubled as a shade. At this price, it's great value.
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One of Amazon's best-selling dome tents, this allows for everyone to fully stand and it can be configured to suit your needs, including as a luxuriously large glamping tent for two. It also comes with a removable partition curtain so you can separate it into two areas if you wish.
It's easy to pitch thanks to the colour-coded poles. and this one comes into its own in good weather. You can remove the outer shell and expose the six windows. The tent's well ventilated but at night some users reported it being chilly due to the gap between the mostly mesh inner and the outer layers – this is best one to use in the summer months.
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14
Six-person tent
Alfheim 12.6 Technical Cotton
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Six-person tent
Alfheim 12.6 Technical Cotton
If you're in the market for something a little special, this tipi-style tent will hit the mark. Its design lends it a glamping feel as well as making it easier to pitch, since it only requires one connecting pole. Our tester's children loved the removable top, which is intended for air circulation but doubles as a stargazing window.
This tent felt very spacious, with a good standing height, but this did make it quite heavy to carry. Another snag was having to zip in the ground sheet, which came separately to the rest of the tent. Still, all of that feels like a small price to pay for a beautiful, high-performing tent.
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Vango's Tay models are ideal for short camping trips. They pitch in 10 mins and are really lightweight (so they are also ideal for lugging across a festival campsite). With a dome tent you don't get the space or headroom of a tunnel model but the arched-shaped front of this one gives a little extra height. If you're travelling as couple, there's also a three-person version. "Waterproofing well tested in a twelve-hour period of constant rain," said one happy (and dry) reviewer.
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This tent did a great job of protecting our testers from the elements; not only did it keep them warm on a cold night, but it also came with cross-bracing straps that stopped the tent from bending in the wind. You can unclip said straps to free up more space, but there's plenty – two queen-sized bedrooms, a living area and storage pockets.The instructions were mostly clear, though they didn't mention the front porch feature, and our testers pitched up with little difficulty. They did advise being careful with the poles, which felt like they could snap if handled with too much force. The pros far outweighed the cons here, though – this is a lightweight, spacious tent that's also made from recycled plastic for eco credentials.
