Best 4 Person Tent for Camping and Backpacking (2023)

Life is best when you’re camping, and we’ve done our fair share of getting out there to reconnect with nature and with ourselves. Not many things beat sleeping under the stars, roasting s’mores before bed, and waking up to the sun coming through your tent, and it’s one of our favorite things to do. When we go car camping, we bring along our four person tent, which is the perfect size for the two of us, plus some clothes and our super comfy mattress.

Four person tents are perfect for car campers such as couples and smaller families that consist of 1-2 people. Even though their capacity says four people, we wouldn’t recommend squeezing in that many campers (but more on capacity later). This size tent is where affordability and quality really peak, since any thing larger will inherently be more expensive, but you’ll also start to see companies start to cut corners to keep prices lower. They offer a decent amount of space, weather resistance, cool features, and a price tag for even the most budget campers.

A four person tent is easily one of the most popular tent sizes, and pretty much every brand makes their own version (or multiple versions in some cases). This leaves you with the paradox of choice, so we’ve assembled the top rated four person tents for you to pick from. We’ve chosen car camping tents with a variety of features, shapes, ventilation options, and price points so you can choose the best one for your situation. Make sure you’re taking into consideration factors directly linked to your typical use, like 3 season vs 4 season, max height, number of doors, ease of assembly, storage options, and more!

Best 4 Person Tents

These are the best 4 person tents:

• Editor’s Choice – North Face Wawona 4
• Runner Up – NEMO Aurora Highrise 4
• Easy Set Up – Caddis Rapid 4
• Head Space – Eureka Space Camp
• 4 Season – Mountain Hardwear Trango 4
• Accessibility – SnowPeak Alpha Breeze
• Budget – Slumberjack Daybreak 4
• REI Brand – REI Co-Op Base Camp 4 Person

How We Tested, Reviewed, And Rated These Tents

We love outdoor gear, and we love recommending gear that adds value to our outdoor adventure. We know and understand the importance of having gear that’s worth every penny, so we thoroughly research and test every product we recommend. No matter how we procure an item, our goal is to remain as unbiased as possible, and we put it to the test against its competitors to find the best and worst features.

We also understand that each adventurer is different, and our favorite may not be yours. That’s why we rate and review a wide variety of products currently available, so you can see a breakdown of all the features and pick what’s best for you and your situation.

We don’t recommend anything we wouldn’t personally use, so whether you’re looking for highest quality, an affordable price, superior weather resistance, a certain brand, or any other desirable feature, there’s sure to be a tent on our list that’s perfect for you.

Thing to Consider When Choosing a 4 Person Tent

When trying to narrow down tents to the best choice for you, make sure you’re taking into consideration your typical camping trip and how it relates to the features below:

Capacity

All of these tents are rated to sleep four people, but that number is for campers who sleep in close quarters shoulder to shoulder. While it’s possible to sleep four people, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.

There’s a lot that goes into calculating how much space you need in a tent, but as a general rule of thumb you should decrease the recommended capacity by at least two campers. This means that a four person tent would comfortably sleep two people or less, and we find this to be pretty accurate because it’s the best size for the two of us.

You could also look at the square feet of floor space in a tent, and use that to calculate capacity. We’ve included the square feet measurement in the specifications in each tent above, and they range from about 57-64 square feet. This averages out to about 14-16 square feet per person, but we would recommend somewhere closer to 28-35 per person depending on your sleeping setup. Even though these tents are all a 4 person capacity, you can see on the table above that they vary in square footage.

Max Height & Shape

Max height is the maximum height of the tent and it’s typically located in the center or apex of the tent. Because 4-person tents are typically smaller and shorter, there’s not usually much to talk about when it comes to headroom.

That being said, several of the tents on our list actually have a height that allows standing, especially the Caddis Rapid 4 that stands at 6 feet 8 inches. It’s a cabin tent, and that kind of shape typically allows for a taller max height, as well as more space overall because of the near vertical walls. The NEMO Aurora Highrise (6ft. 7in.) and Snow Peak Alpha Breeze (6ft.5in.) are both worth mentioning for a tall max height as well.

On the reverse side of a cabin tent is the dome style, such as the Slumberjack Daybreak, Eureka Space Camp, and several other tents above. They’re going to have more curved walls, which limits the amount of interior space. They’re also usually quite a bit shorter, so you’re more likely to have to stoop instead of stand upright.

If being able to stand in your tent is a big priority, then make sure you’re picking something at least an inch or two more than the tallest person in your party.

Weather Resistance

The max height involves more than just being able to stand up straight. You must also take into consideration that taller tents are harder to keep warm because warm air rises. If the tent is too tall, the warm air will rise and leave the cooler air on the bottom. This could be a benefit if you only camp in warm temperatures, but could be a major downfall if you enjoy winter, fall, and/or spring camping.

Taller options like the cabin tent above are also more likely to catch wind, whereas a smaller and dome-shaped tent would be contoured enough that most of the wind would fly over and around the tent body. In addition, shorter tents will usually have a more full coverage rainfly, which is essential if you are exposed to rain and wind. It will do a better job of keeping moisture out than a small rainfly paired with zippered windows.

If height isn’t a priority, or if you consistently camp in windy conditions, then perhaps consider purchasing a smaller, dome style tent that would be better equipped for adverse weather (like these tents for high winds, which has the Snow Peak Alpha Breeze from above as our Editor’s Choice).

Ventilation

Because the sun’s rays can go through the tent material but the resulting heat can’t escape, a warm sunny day will make your tent more of an oven than anything else. Ventilation allows the warm air to escape, keeping you more comfortable – this is especially important for getting your tent cool enough to sleep in at night.

Ventilation is not as important for cold weather camping, and can actually hurt you by making your tent too cold. This is why a 4 season tent will have less ventilation and less mesh than a 3 season tent.

If you typically camp in spring, summer, and fall, you’ll want to make sure your tent has ventilation options like a mesh ceiling, mesh windows, mesh on the doors, and some even have vents in the rainfly.

One of our favorite tents when it comes to ventilation is the Aurora Highrise. It has rain protected windows that open/close from the inside, so you can have some air flow even during rainy weather.

Weather Protection

Some tent companies put a lot of effort into weatherproofing their tents, while others include it as an after thought. If you are someone who typically gets exposed to adverse conditions like wind and rain, you should put more emphasis on picking a tent that can withstand these conditions. This means a more robust rain fly and sturdier poles like aluminum instead of fiberglass. If you only camp on perfect sunny days, this will be less of a factor for you.

When it comes to weather protection, there’s no doubt in our minds that the top pick on this list is the Mountain Hardwear Trango 4. It has a higher price tag, but the quality materials, full coverage rainfly, and high waterhead rating make it ready for any kind of adverse weather you can throw at it.

Ease of Setup

Some tents on this list take only a few minutes to set up, while others can take upwards of 10+ minutes depending on construction. Generally a quicker set up time is preferred, unless the tent takes longer to set up because of a desirable feature like being a larger, taller tent or having extra vestibules or multiple rooms.

The Caddis Rapid 4 is one of our favorite instant tents and it has the quickest setup time on this list. All the other tents will still set up quickly enough, and will probably take 10-15 minutes depending on how many adults can help out.

Weight and Packed Size

Since people rarely carry 4 person tents for backpacking trips, the weight and packed size isn’t necessarily a factor. If you do see any ultralight backpacking tents for 4 people, you can pretty much guess that they will be quite expensive. The materials needed to make something so large so lightweight are high quality, so most backpacking tents will be smaller than a 4 person capacity to keep cost down.

That being said, the Mountain Hardwear Trango above can be used as a backpacking tent, but it’s more intended for mountaineering expeditions where weight isn’t quite as much of a factor as it would be for a regular lightweight backpacking tent.

We have included the weight and packed size measurements for your reference, but we wouldn’t think of them a major consideration for many family car camping tents, especially since they’re all fairly similar and you don’t need to carry them long distances when you’re car camping.

Vestibules & Porches

Not all tents have a vestibule, which is a small area of space under the rain fly but outside the main tent, typically located outside a door. This area is mostly used for gear storage such as muddy shoes and backpacks, or anything else that doesn’t need to be in the main tent space. Some vestibules can be converted to awnings, as seen in the Slumberjack Daybreak and Snow Peak Alpha Breeze.

Price

The tents on this list were selected for their quality, and they’re all tents that we would personally consider buying. They have a decent waterhead rating, thick fabrics, cool features, and much more. If price is a main factor for your purchase decision, then we have some options for you. If price isn’t as much of a concern, then we have several tents that offer more features and durability in exchange for a little more money.

The best budget option on this list is the Slumberjack Daybreak 4. It’s quite affordable but still has cool features like a full coverage rainfly and lots of mesh. If you’re willing to spend a little more to get more, then most of the other tents on this list are pretty fairly priced.

While there are some super cheap tents on the market, we would typically recommend avoiding them. There are options out there that balance affordability with quality, but purchasing something too cheap will just lead to broken poles, stuck zippers, torn fabric, and lots of frustration.

‘Cry Once’

We have a saying when it comes to camping gear, and that’s ‘cry once.’ If you’re shopping around for your next favorite piece of equipment, and you choose a cheap or low rated option, you’ll probably just end up circling around in the future to purchase the option you really wanted.

Skip the circle and just purchase a product that’s high quality – something that’s actually built to last. In a tent that means, aluminum or steel poles, high waterhead ratings, thick fabrics, and a full coverage rainfly.

That’s not to say you won’t be happy with something more affordable, especially if you are a budget outdoor enthusiast or a beginner, but there’s a balance that’s worth finding before picking out your perfect tent.

FAQ

Conclusion

There’s a lot of factors that go into picking the perfect tent for your situation, but it really comes down to your typical camping trip and what features you enjoy having. Our top pick is the North Face Wawona 4 because of its classic design, quality materials, and affordable price, but all tents on this list could be a “top pick” for someone depending on their desires. That’s why we have included a large variety of shapes and prices, so you can pick what’s best for you!