In early March, we took our second trip to the oceanside Sycamore Canyon Campground (PDF) near Oxnard, California. A later check of the weather at nearby Point Mugu Naval Air Station confirmed top recorded wind gusts of 40 miles per hour. We later used the shelters on group trips at Wheeler Gorge Campground near Ojai, California, and at the La Jolla group campsite at Point Mugu, as well as on a trip to the El Mirage Dry Lake in the Mojave Desert. A canopy tent is a purchase most regular car campers consider after stocking up on the basics. After all, you can find plenty of smaller and less-expensive items to help you fight bugs, guard against the sun, and shrug off rain. Our favorite of the eight canopy tents we tested, the REI Co-op Screen House Shelter ticks all those boxes.
The included hanging shelf makes for a great spot to store your soap and shampoo nearby. The top shower attachment will accommodate most 5-gallon shower bags (bag not included). There is a full-length zippered door that makes getting in and out a breeze. The sturdy frame poles are easy to assemble and will last year after year. Enjoy the small comforts of home and don’t be left without this convenient outdoor shower and shelter. This durable shower/changing shelter can only be found in a store near you.
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. It’s spacious, easy to set up, has weather protection, and is durable, all at an affordable price. The Wireless 6 lacks some of the premium materials found in pricier tents, but it features solid workmanship and should provide dependable, comfortable shelter in most three-season camping situations. Any $75 canopy tent from a big-box store—we’re talking about the common square canopy with four spindly metal legs—can provide shade during midday.
Experience the great outdoors intimately with a well-crafted camping tent. Each tent for sale in this selection offers the durability to protect you from the elements and ensure a great trip. They come in a variety ozark trail shower tent of styles, from traditional cabin and dome tents to fun kids’ tents decorated with their favorite characters. Whatever the environment, these tents provide a comfortable place to come back to after an exciting day.
However, this model is too big to fit in the trunks of most sedans, and the muted colors look good when it’s sunny but can feel a bit gloomy if it’s already rainy out. The Ozark Trail Blue Utility 1-person Camping Shower with waterproof bottom is the perfect addition to any outing or ozark trail canopy tent campsite. While being over 7-feet tall and 4-feet wide, there is plenty of room for not only showering but easily converts to a changing shelter. With the attached mesh accessory wall pockets, you won’t have to leave any accessories behind and are perfect spots to store dry clothes.
It also comes with a groundsheet (aka footprint) to protect the tent floor. Like our couples’ tent pick, the Wireless 6 is a dome-shaped tent with a tried and true two-pole design. It has an interior footprint of 87 square feet, which sleeps four adults on single pads, or two adults and two or three children, and can accommodate a crib. That wasn’t the tallest we encountered—the Eureka Copper Canyon LX 6 and the Alps Mountaineering Camp Creek 6 each topped out at 7 feet—but it’s enough space for most adults to maneuver standing up. The tent comes with a full rain fly that adds two vestibules for storage (each 14 square feet), totaling 115 square feet of livable space—which is fairly generous yet still practical for most campsites. And this tent is easy to set up and pack down, especially considering its size.
Getting the fly placed and staked properly took about five more minutes. One night during testing, for example, clouds loomed in the distance with clear skies overhead. After we pitched the tent, the Mineral King 3’s adaptable fly let us leave half the mesh dome uncovered. At the first sign of rain, it took only a few seconds—and a quick hand stuck outside the tent—to unfurl the fly and secure it for a dry night’s sleep. When we awoke, we could roll back one part of the vestibule, make coffee, and watch the sky lighten even though it was still raining. Finding a small, light tent is the logical approach when you’re backpacking.
These two shelters are the same size and shape (7-foot peak height, 17 pounds) with an almost identical design. The cap-like roofs on both models provided far less shade than we wanted, especially in the beating desert sun. The mesh walls do have a ribbon of polyester at the foot, but even carefully staked they can leave gaps at the ground; if bug protection is your main concern, these tents would likely fall short. Finally, these shelters feel noticeably smaller than any of our picks. We also tested and liked the Coleman Mountain View 12 x 12 Screendome Shelter; it was an also-great pick until Coleman discontinued the model.