After researching nearly 100 tents, talking to tent designers and tent-pole manufacturers, and sleeping in a total of 51 tents on 12 weekend camping trips over seven years, we&#;ve concluded that the Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3 Tent is the best car-camping tent for two people, and the Kelty Wireless 6 is the best choice for most families.
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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.
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. It's the most expensive of our picks, though.
A full rain cover, two vestibules, and an extra-sturdy pole structure make this the best choice for couples who want to get outside in any weather. It&#;s pricey, though, and unless the other couples&#; tents we recommend, it doesn&#;t include a footprint.
This dome-style tent has nearly vertical walls, high ceilings, and a single vestibule the size of an actual mudroom. It&#;s also straightforward to set up, and it is made with sturdy, light materials. It&#;s expensive, but you get value for your money.
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.
With nearly 60 square feet of floor space plus two large vestibules, the Tungsten 4 is roomier than our top-pick tent for couples. It also costs more, though, and is less forgiving of a careless set-up.
Spacious and easy to pitch, this dome tent also has other features most families need: two large doors, roomy vestibules, and an affordable price. The tradeoffs: bulky fiberglass poles and flimsy stakes.
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. It&#;s the perfect choice for three-season multipurpose camping.
The Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3 Tent is the best car-camping tent choice for couples. It has everything you need for three-season camping, with the bonus of being light enough to double as an occasional backpacking tent. Although it&#;s designed to accommodate three people&#;hence the &#;3&#; in its name&#;we found that at 42.5 square feet, the tent is more comfortable for two, plus gear and maybe a medium-size dog.
A classic polyester dome tent, the Mineral King 3 uses two high-quality pre-bent aluminum poles, which maximize head and shoulder space, making this tent feel less cramped than other dome tents we tested. Two large doors provide easy entry and exit, and a vestibule&#;that&#;s camping speak for &#;mudroom&#;&#;outside each door adds significant sheltered storage. The Mineral King 3 has a full rain fly, which you can roll up halfway or completely remove for epic stargazing. It also comes with a groundsheet (aka footprint) to protect the tent floor.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe Kelty Wireless 6 is a spacious tent that is easy to pitch, and it offers solid weather protection and durability for a reasonable price. Like the Mineral King 3, it has a simple, dome-style design that maximizes livability and minimizes headaches. With 87 square feet of interior space, plus 28 square feet of vestibule space, the polyester tent fits four adults comfortably, or two adults with two or three children, with plenty of room to store gear and muddy boots. (As its name indicates, it&#;s meant to house six people, but we wouldn&#;t recommend that.) The Wireless 6 has two large doors and a full rain fly.
Like most tents we saw in its price range, the Wireless 6 uses cheaper materials: Its poles (two, plus a &#;brow&#; pole that supports the two vestibules) are fiberglass, and its stakes are too light for their size (two bent during testing). Unlike the competition, this tent is functional, durable, and a joy to inhabit in most weather conditions. (We did notice that the fly took longer to dry than others we tested; don&#;t put it away while it&#;s still damp, or it&#;ll mildew.) It packs into a duffle with a handy shoulder strap and weighs about 17 pounds&#;manageable for most people across short distances. As with most six-person tents we&#;ve seen, this tent&#;s footprint is sold separately.
Though the Marmot Tungsten 4-Person Tent lacks the Mineral King 3&#;s adaptable fly, which makes access and protection from the elements such a breeze, the Tungsten 4 provides more living space and equal protection against the elements. A full rain fly with easy-attach color-coded clips covers the tent body and adds two large vestibules. Like the Mineral King 3, the Tungsten has aluminum poles that are connected at the top (for lightning-quick pitching) and pre-bent, which increases the dome tent&#;s headroom. With pentagonal doors and a fly scaffolded by two brow poles&#;as opposed to the Mineral King 3&#;s single one&#;this tent provides excellent shielding from multidirectional wind and rain, providing you follow the setup instructions faithfully.
The Tungsten 4&#;s poles are bent at a more acute angle and closer to the ground, which, we discovered, can cause the tent to collapse in windy conditions if you don&#;t attach the poles to the fly using the Velcro tabs running under the seams. You can also set up the tent without the fly while retaining some privacy, since the tent body has a high polyester wall on one side. Like the Mineral King 3, this tent comes with a footprint.
The best-selling Coleman Sundome 6-Person Tent has a footprint larger (100 square feet) than that of our top-pick tent for families, but it felt smaller because it has a lower ceiling, no vestibule, and only one door. Nevertheless, it still comfortably accommodates four people, and it&#;s a roomy choice for two. This no-nonsense tent is intuitive to set up, has mesh on the top halves of two walls, includes a partial rain fly that&#;s easy to put on and stake out, and feels cheery inside and out. (We don&#;t recommend the smaller version of this tent for couples who might actually take it on the road; it was just too flimsy in our tests.) Also note that this tent does not come with its own groundsheet. Coleman says that the tent doesn&#;t need one, probably because its floor is a crinkly (though tough) tarp-like polyethylene, not a taped-seam polyester as in our other picks.
The North Face Wawona 6 costs $200 more than the Wireless 6, but if you can swing the price, the tent offers a superior combination of livable space, smart design, and durable, high-quality materials (aluminum and heavy-duty polyester and mesh). Its fly extends into a huge front vestibule that can store large items like bikes, or even accommodate a table and chairs. Adults over 6 feet tall will be able to walk upright inside this tent&#;which has almost-vertical walls that can easily accommodate beds, cribs, and cots&#;as well as in the vestibule.
We also appreciated the tent&#;s construction, which combines good ventilation (the upper part of the canopy walls are mesh) with campsite privacy (those mesh bits are covered by the fly, which reaches only halfway down the tent on the back and sides). And this tent is easy to set up and pack down, especially considering its size. (It comes with a carrying bag equipped with duffle-style handles.) You&#;re unlikely to find a similar-sized tent that matches the Wawona&#;s quality and features for less money&#;most comparable tents we tested cost much more. As with most six-person tents, the Wawona 6&#;s footprint is sold separately.
Car campers who plan to brave miserable weather will appreciate the extra strength and protection of the REI Co-op Base Camp 4 Tent. The main bodies of our other picks are structured with two main poles with added support from smaller brow poles. The Base Camp, by contrast, has four full-size aluminum struts woven throughout it, somewhat like a basket, plus an additional brow pole that frames the front entrance and supports the larger of the two vestibules. The Base Camp also offers more privacy compared with our other picks&#;with or without the rain fly. Our other favorite features are the tent&#;s two wide doors, which you can open halfway from either direction or open fully (you can tuck the doors into &#;roof pockets&#; to keep them out of the way), turning the tent into a useful beach tent or sun shade.
Families who regularly pitch their tent in rainy locales need a wind-fighting tent with a good-size vestibule for storing wet shoes and gear, as well as a full rain fly for added weather protection. With almost 45 feet of vestibule space and four stability-enhancing criss-crossing poles, the next size up of REI&#;s Base Camp, the Base Camp 6 Tent, offers the best combination of space and features among the six tents we tested that fit those criteria. A footprint for each model is sold separately.
New outdoor gear can be very expensive and purchasing products at full price isn&#;t always in my budget. Here are the places I shop for my gear when I&#;m looking for a deal.
My priority when buying new outdoor gear is balancing quality with the price tag. I want to make sure my gear is built to last, but I don&#;t want to pay an arm and a leg for it.
My go-to stores for buying gear tend to be REI for hiking and camping and Garage Grown Gear for ultralight backpacking. However, if I&#;m looking to score a deal, I often look elsewhere to see if I can find what I&#;m looking for at a cheaper price.
Sometimes you can find last season&#;s model at heavily discounted prices, and the only difference is the color. I got my latest Patagonia Nanopuff at more than $150 off simply because it was a discontinued color&#;but it required shopping around for it.
If you want to save money on gear, here are the best places I typically look for new and used gear to hunt down a good deal.
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Run by the gearheads at Backcountry.com, Steep and Cheap is an online outdoor retailer that offers daily steals and bargain prices for the deal-hungry shoppers out there. You can find big-name brands, daily deals, plus plenty of apparel and equipment to get geared up for an epic time outside.
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One of our favorite outdoor retailers, REI, is a go-to for reliable and multi-functional gear that is built to last. But did you know that you can snag some budget-friendly and awesome discounted outdoor gear in their online gear shop, REI Outlet? Yep. They have daily deals as well as ongoing sales that cover a wide variety of outdoor gear categories from footwear to backpacking tents and so much more.
Also, be sure to sign up for REI&#;s emails to be alerted about new deals and sales. And if you become a member you can receive yearly dividends from gear that you purchase as well as member-only coupons. A lifetime REI membership is only $20 and it definitely pays for itself!
Considering becoming an REI Member? Check out all of the REI Member Benefits that I love.
Sierra Trading Post is a discount outdoor retailer run by big names like HomeGoods, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx. They&#;ve got a wide selection of everything from shoes to camping gear, although you do have to do some digging to find quality products. It can be helpful for scoring small pieces of gear and expensive clothing that would usually cost a lot at regular retail price.
Backcountry is one of the largest online retailers for outdoor gear and they have some amazing sales and discounts on a variety of gear. Shop Backcountry&#;s sales page for current deals and sign up for their to be the first to know about special sales events.
Outdoorplay has grown to become one of the largest specialty outdoor gear retailers in the country. While their roots are in kayaking, they&#;ve expanded to include products for rafting, stand-up paddling, hiking, camping, and more. Check out their sale section for deals and keep an eye out for different gear promos they run throughout the year.
CampSaver is an online retailer that is dedicated to providing the best gear at the best prices. You can find big-name brands alongside smaller specialty brands in categories that span a variety of outdoor gear from sleeping bags and pads to kayaks, skis, and snowboards. While all prices at CampSaver are a deal, you can find extra bargains in the CampSaver Outlet.
Active Junky is a rebate website that offers cashback when you shop through their portal. Simply sign up for a free account and start shopping! You can earn cashback rewards with online brands such as Backcountry, The North Face, Oakley, Chaco, and dozens more. Get up to 20% off select brands just by signing up to be a free member.
Patagonia is dedicated to keeping your well-loved gear in use for the long run with their Worn Wear program. If you own Patagonia products and apparel that have run their course but still have a little life left in them, you can trade them in for store credit or buy some pre-owned gear for yourself!
Patagonia also offers repair services so you can fine-tune your favorite fleece or simply update your gear to keep it in action longer.
Did you know there&#;s an entire REI Used Gear section on their website? It&#;s a great place for outdoor enthusiasts and gear lovers to score deals on hundreds of pre-loved products for way less than new price tags. Plus, all the discounted outdoor gear on their site has been inspected for quality so you can save some moolah while still knowing that you&#;re getting something in good condition.
If you have outdoor gear that you&#;re ready to part with, you can use the Trade-in program to turn your used gear into REI gift cards.
This Burlington, Vermont-based outdoor gear shop sells a large selection of pre-owned and lightly used gear in addition to new products for every season. Not in Vermont or New England? Check out Outdoor Gear Exchange&#;s online consignment shop. It&#;s perfect for out-of-state gearheads who want to buy or sell their lightly used products. One thing that is cool about using Outdoor Gear Exchange is that consignment gear that doesn&#;t sell after 8 months is donated to charities, including refugee groups.
The Gear Room was founded by two brothers from Tucson, AZ. It&#;s a consignment shop in Salt Lake City for outdoor lovers but they also list most of their stock online for easy online ordering. I picked up a discounted pair of backcountry skis from the Gear Room a few winters ago and they were great!
GearTrade is essentially the eBay of used and discounted outdoor gear. On this online used gear marketplace, you can find anything from packrafts to backpacks, to bikes, and more &#; and everything is sold by the owner. Sometimes you can even find deals on gear that is practically brand new! Be sure to keep your eye on this site if you&#;re looking for something in particular.
If you&#;re looking for discounted bike gear, The Pros Closet is a great place to start. Located in Boulder, Colorado, this online marketplace sells Certified Pre-Owned bikes that have been inspected, serviced, and readied for a new owner. You can also trade-in your current bike and put that money toward an upgrade or new components. Shop for your next road bike, mountain bike, or gravel bike!
There are a plethora of gear exchange groups on Facebook including regional gear exchanges such as Arkansas, Colorado, Las Vegas, etc. There are also women-specific groups and groups dedicated to cycling, backpacking, climbing, etc. Just do a quick search of &#;outdoor gear exchange&#; and you&#;ll find dozens of groups.
Another option is to use Facebook Marketplace, which is similar to Craigslist. You can find tons of great outdoor gear deals on the Marketplace and many sellers are willing to ship. Facebook even has their own payment system to protect sellers and buyers from fraud.
A great way to get new-to-you gear is to have your own garage sale and get your family, friends, and adventure buddies to bring their used stuff over to swap. Almost everyone has gear that&#;s been collecting dust in the corner, so this is a good chance to give your old or unused products a new life and snag something new (or old!).
We hope this post helps your bargain-hunt for discounted outdoor gear. For more tips and ideas on budget-friendly gear, be sure to check out our post on the Best Cheap Backpacking Gear.
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