Whether your family is growing or you’re simply looking for space to spread out, it’s becoming increasingly common to opt for a 10-person tent. These tents provide ample space for ozark trail shower tent groups of four or more while still coming in at surprisingly affordable price points. But how hard is it to set up these tents, and do they offer the same level of protection?
To find out, I called in five of the best 10-person tents and set them up side by side for a rainy Memorial Day weekend. Our only quibble with the Mineral King 3 is that it comes with only six stakes. (Our runner-up pick comes with eight.) Six is enough to secure the tent and fly but not to fully secure the tent’s extra lines in very windy conditions. This shouldn’t be an issue in most situations, but if you’re headed into a particularly windy place or simply want some backup, we suggest picking up four extra tent stakes at your local outdoor shop or online. These inexpensive stakes are comparable to the ones that accompany the Mineral King 3; these slightly more expensive stakes will serve you well in any car-camping terrain. The Mineral King 3’s fly attaches intuitively with plastic buckles and has well-placed guy tabs.
I’m sure this tent is good during a wind storm and rain/condensation issues. Unfortunately — and inexplicably — one of the steel support poles bent while I was assembling the tent. This was a surprising result (I’m not that strong) and suggests that the materials used to create this tent are not especially good quality, despite the higher price point of this tent. Once the tent was up, however, it was easy to see that it had all been worth it. Most taller individuals will be able to walk around the interior without needing to crouch. I also liked the shape of this tent, which was more square than others that I looked at.
If the Mineral King 3 is out of stock, or if you’d like a slightly larger tent, we recommend the Marmot Tungsten 4. The Tungsten 4 shares many of the Mineral King 3’s best features, and provides 10 square feet of additional living space as well as excellent weather protection—as long as you set it up properly. Like our top pick, the Tungsten 4 is a sturdy, two-door dome-style ozark trail shower tent tent that can be deployed in about 5 minutes. It uses high-quality materials such as aluminum poles, breathable mesh, and water-resistant polyester fabric, and it comes with a full fly and a footprint. The Tungsten 4’s larger size accounts for the higher price tag (about $40 more), but campers who would like that extra room may find the expense worthwhile.
Every detail was exactly the same, just in a different colorway. It was a familiar scenario for anyone who has been camping in the Pacific Northwest. Reservations were made for a Memorial Day weekend group site months ago, but as the actual long weekend got closer, the forecast started to look bleak. The North Face Wawona 4, which we used to list in our Other Good Tents section, has been redesigned; it’s now made of polyester, not nylon. Weighing just 7 pounds, the tent is light enough to double for backpacking trips, especially if you divide the pieces among hikers. We were surprised at first to see the Mineral King 3 come out on top because it was the smallest tent in our test group.
It’s pricey, though, and unless the other couples’ tents we recommend, it doesn’t include a footprint. Bigger tents offer more headroom, and more space for families to spread out. On the other hand, they are more difficult to set up, and they take up more space. In my tests, the best 6-person tents still fit comfortably on tent pads at most campgrounds. Larger tents, including the best 8-person tents and the best 10-person tents do not. Ten-person tents will comfortably fit six people, but are becoming increasingly popular for families of four looking for plenty of floor space to spread out.