The BEST 8 Person Instant Tents 2024 Core vs Coleman vs Ozark Trail

The rain fly also uses transparent PVC for the skylight windows, which helps provide further waterproofing while allowing you to watch the rain. But there are actually quite a few different 8 person tents, all with their own features, and which one will be best for you depends a lot on what you’ll use it for. They do not provide any info about its waterproof rating, but this is a tent with a minimal fly that covers the ceiling only. The windows and doors are with panels as mentioned above so you have all protection, but with so many zippers and windows, it is best to use it in areas without much rain.

This access allows you to charge any devices with ease, so you don’t have to rely on a car battery. It’s the same simple process, only backwards, and it folds simply to fit into the bag. The joints are plastic, but we don’t think this would affect the strong build. The cabin shape ensures a stable and durable design with reinforced corners.

ozark trail instant cabin

Not only does this Ozark Trail tent have the lowest peak height of any other 6-person cabin tent I’ve tested, it also has one of the least vertical walls I’ve ever seen. This isn’t an instant tent, but ease of use is still a high point of this model thanks to the simple setup. Just slide the roof poles into place, then plug the side and corner poles into their designated hubs and raise it all up. Two people can get this cabin set up in about five minutes, but setting the 2 Room Cabin up solo isn’t out of the question either. As this tent is meant to house 10 people sleeping side-to-side, a more realistic number is 6-7, as you still need space to move around the cabin.

There’s just a single door at the front of the tent, and to be honest, I didn’t really like it very much for a few reasons. So, if you’re taller than me, you literally won’t be able to stand up in this tent. There is some leftover space for gear at the foot of each mattress though. Every time I touched the wall of the tent, it started leaving a sticky residue on my fingers. I initially wanted to use and test this Dark Rest tent out for longer, but I decided to junk it after a few days cos it was really gross. Luckily, there is 1 single floor vent at the back of the tent, which measures almost a foot in width from the outside.

In contrast to the Mineral King 3’s triangular vestibules, the Tungsten 4’s vestibules are trapezoidal, opening via a central door with protected areas on either side. This design does a better job shielding the tent from incoming—and sideways—wind and rain. The Tungsten’s two brow poles create an especially effective awning over the tent door, so very little water gets in when someone comes or goes. Like the Mineral King 3, the Tungsten 4 has a mesh canopy, though the opaque polyester part of its walls go higher, and provide more privacy, than the Mineral King’s. The Tungsten’s fly is not adaptable in the same way the Mineral King 3’s is, but it is treated for extra UV protection, which should help lengthen the tent’s lifespan.

There was no info provided by Ozark Trail on the material of the flooring, but it feels like your regular polyethylene bathtub flooring, and doesn’t seem very thick. I forgot to measure the height of the bathtub flooring, but I think it’s about 5 inches. Also, I noticed that some water was already seeping through the blue fabric at the bottom of the tent, and the fabric is pretty much soaked. You can also leave the rainfly off, and stargaze at night when it’s not raining.

The Coleman tent is an instant setup design but it is also a dark-rest tent. Seasons-wise & climate-wise, I see it best suited for summer camping without much rain and winds. This is a tall and boxy structure so it is best to use it in a quiet area. But I have seen some users reporting of using it in the winds of 50 mph.

The tent itself is nice and roomy, and boasts a 6-foot peak height to make changing clothes a drama-free endeavor. After a full review of the best 8 person instant tents available on the market, our overall best choice is the Core 9 Instant Cabin Tent. When looking for the best 8 person instant tents, there are a few things you should check to see if it fits your needs. I’ve listed the different criteria below, to give you more info on how I selected these tents to be featured as the best of their category. Note also that the packed size is not so impressive, but again, this is normal for instant camping tents that come with telescopic poles.

If you’re going on a backpacking trip, then size & weight of the tent are very important; in this case, you’ll probably want to get the regular size. If you want to invest in a good tent that you will be able to use several times for your camping trips, then a good durable tent is what you’re looking for. With 7 mesh windows and a full mesh roof, the Ozark trail has great ventilation. It has a full mesh roof, and huge mesh windows, perfect for ventilation during those hot nights.

Measuring 10 by 10 feet, the Sundome covers an area larger than that of our family-tent top pick though its lower roof leaves it with less headroom. An avid hiker, camper, and long-haul road-tripper, Claire Wilcox has slept in (and occasionally improvised) tents in 11 states. ozark trail canopy tent She covers outdoor gear for Wirecutter and worked on the most recent update of this guide, testing couples’ tents and family tents. With nearly 60 square feet of floor space plus two large vestibules, the Tungsten 4 is roomier than our top-pick tent for couples.