We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
The ones to buy now for stress-free camping holidays this autumn Canvas Tent
With the arrival of the autumn camping season, now is the perfect time to invest in a trusty tent so you can round up the family and head into the great outdoors for a night under the stars.
Whether you're a small family of three or a big group of eight, there are some brilliant tents out there that the whole clan will adore.
To help you shop smartly, our expert testers and editors have found the best family tents for pitching up in comfort, luxury and ease during the 2023 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.
How we test family tents
Country Living sent each tent to a family of camping enthusiasts and asked them to set it up, sleep in it for at least one night and take 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 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.
The tents stamped with the Country Living Approved logo have been expert-tested as above, but there are also some great editors' picks to browse.
Flexibility is the big draw here: the dark zone bedroom can be turned into two smaller compartments, plus there's a main living area where all but the loftiest family members will be able to comfortably stand up under its 205cm-high ceiling. The guy ropes are smart too: some are joined together to make sure the tension is equal all around the tent, and so give you the best wind resistance possible.
Get the Glastonbury feel without the mad rush for tickets with a glamping trip in this huge bell tent. You can practically fit a small festival crowd inside it – there's space for seven sleepers – and there's a consistently good air flow into the tent from the roof vent to make sure there's no condensation dampening down the good vibes.
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. It's big enough to sleep four too.
Decathlon's highly rated inflatable two-bedroom tent for a family of four is spacious, portable and easy to set up. It's designed for those who like plenty of room, with blackout technology to keep the two bedrooms cool and dark. The sleeping areas frame the living room, which is large enough for a person to stand up. The waterproof tent boasts a zip-in ground sheet, too. Happy campers say it's "well worth the money" and "kids love it".
This double skin design is one of the best family tents available, sleeping two to four campers comfortably for three season camping. Satisfied users have said it's "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.
The family tent features a communal area, two double bedrooms and a sunshade entrance. We like the 3000mm Hydrostatic Head waterproof rating for rain protection and bedrooms with sewn-in groundsheets and privacy doors.
A stylish, practical family tent from Vango, the Farnham is the perfect size for group camping trips. There's a sewn-in groundsheet, lights-out inners for a great night's sleep and bedroom pockets to keep your essentials close. The family tunnel tent has large, clear windows to let all the light in when you want it and an attached front section to give you an extra living space.
You'll also find multiple lantern hanging points, high and low ventilation to reduce condensation and provide maximum air flow, and a large double-section living area with plenty of space to socialise.
Vango's Odyssey family tent is the perfect five-person option for pole-free pitching. It takes minutes to set up and offers full stand-up height, as well as a sun canopy for relaxing outside. The roomy living and sleeping areas are great for families to stretch out. The tent offers all the features you'd expect: mesh doors, linked-in groundsheet and storage pockets.
There are also lights-out inners to block out the light and ensure you have a good night's sleep. If you're after a speedy set-up and spacious living, this is the family tent for you.
Looking for a tipi that fits more than just two? This one from Robens will sleep six and features easy access through a vertical door. The eaves go around the tent to protect the door and walls from any wet weather, too. The groundsheet can also be rolled away at the door to make a safe area to use the stove or keep dirty gear separate.
On especially hot days, the nifty Internal Apex Vent Control can be adjusted to control the ventilation from the inside. One happy camper says they "love the room and space," as well as the tent being "straightforward to pitch".
Made for large families of eight, this tent is very easy to set up and dismantle, with four bedrooms, a mosquito net window and storage pockets in the living room and bedrooms.It's ideal if you want less heat and light in your tent, so you can decide when to wake up. One happy camper says: "Went up very well with simple easy to follow instructions, stayed in place during 40mph winds overnight."
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.
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 and a lightweight package, as well as several large windows for plenty of light.
The two bedrooms are extra-large and comfortably fit larger airbeds, while the BlackOut Bedroom 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. The zipped cable entry points allowing access for powered accessories and multiple lantern attachment points are particularly handy.
Take your family camping trip to the next level with the gorgeous Nova Dome Tent from Boutique Camping. The canvas pod pumps up in a few minutes and offers a glamorous night under the stars. Ideal for travelling with fussy teens who need to be impressed, you could turn the one-room tent into a luxurious space by adding bunting, glamping chairs and more.
The family-sized tent is designed with air beams, canopy overhang, large windows with external window flaps and a heavy duty zippable groundsheet. A manual air pump and rubber mallet are included.
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.
One of Amazon's best-selling dome tents is a family-sized style that offers 360-degree views from the six windows. It's sturdy and easy to pitch thanks to the colour-coded poles.
The family tent comes as one extra large room with a removable partition curtain so you can separate it into two areas if you wish. It's 100% waterproof thanks to Coleman's Weather Tec system combined with taped seams and a fully sewn-in groundsheet to keep you dry.
"Just wow," is how one camper describes this family tent from Decathlon. The four-person inflatable option allows all of you to sleep in one room and for socialising together, there's a separate living space. It's both easy to pitch and transport, for a practical family tent that comes as an all-in-one inflatable design.
It's waterproof, offers ventilation during warmer days with the flysheet in the living area and you just need a pump (not included) and you're ready to go. Happy camper Jodie says: "Best. Tent. Ever. I honestly cannot recommend this tent enough! I’ve just returned from five days, five nights camping and I can confirm, I put the tent up myself and packed it away myself with no issues." The satisfied shopper added: "It absolutely poured down one night and there was not a single leak in the tent! To say I am impressed is an understatement! Worth every single penny!"
If you're in the market for something a little special, this tipi-style tent will tickle you pink. 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.
Loved for being spacious and easy to pitch, this five-person family tent from Decathlon was designed by campers, so you can be confident that it does the job well. The inflatable tent has enough space for sleeping and socialising, with one bedroom for two people and another for three.
The blackout technology means it stays cool and dark and the heat-reducing material ensures it doesn't get too warm. On satisfied camper says: "So quick and easy to put up and take down, the blackout meant the kids didn’t wake up at the the crack of dawn and the tent stayed lovely and cool." Another said: "I've had this tent for well over two years and I can say it's been fantastic, there's plenty of room to move around and with it being airbeam it's huge compared to pole type. The living area is massive and so are the bedrooms and with it being blackout you do sleep longer and it's cooler."
Small families looking to take their first camping trip will love Vango's Tay 300, an entry level three-person dome tent with just a 10-minute pitching time. It has a gothic arch pole design to increase stability and keeps the tent strong and sturdy during turbulent weather, while offering more headroom.
The Lights Out technology in the bedroom helps block out light so you can get a good night’s sleep and the large windows allow light into the porch area, giving you great visibility.
The best waterproof jackets to buy
The best hiking boots for women and men
The best outdoor wildlife cameras for your garden
The best beach trolleys to buy now
The best inflatable paddle boards to buy now
The best inflatable kayaks in the UK
The best beach tents for 2023
8 best wetsuits to buy for wild swimming
The best winter breaks in the UK for 2024
22 best weekend getaways and breaks in the UK
Britain's best Christmas hotels for 2023
The best experience days for couples in 2024
Country Living, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network
We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
Tension Membrane Tent ©2023 Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ. Registered in England. All Rights Reserved.