Best 4 Person Tent

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 tents for you to pick from. We’ve chosen tents with a variety of features, shapes, ventilation options, and price points so you can choose the best 4 person tent for you 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

There are our picks for the best products

• Editor’s Choice – Coleman Skydome Screen Room Tent

• Head Space – Eureka Space Camp
• Easy Up – Caddis Rapid 4
• Year Round – Coleman PEAK1 4-Person
• Accessibility – SnowPeak Alpha Breeze
• Budget – Slumberjack Daybreak

Thing to Consider When Choosing a Product

When trying to narrow down 4 person tents to the best choice for you, make sure you’re taking into consideration your typical use and how it relates to the features below:

Max Height

Max height is the maximum height of the tent and is 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 head space. 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 6ft 8inches. On the reverse side, the Coleman Skydome (our Editor’s Choice) is only 4ft 7in. 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.

That being said, 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 fall and spring camping.

Shape

There’s a lot of factors that go into the shape of a tent, from the beginnings of the design to the presence of pre-curved poles or straighter walls. Sometimes you won’t know your preference until you’ve had a few tents, but if you think you may like one way or another you should follow that. Tents with near vertical walls will allow for more usable space, but the walls will also catch wind easier and leave you susceptible to breaking poles during gusts. A more curved design is meant to let the wind skate over the surface, which is better for adverse conditions.

Floor Size

Because these tents are all designed for 4 people, they have generally a similar square footage of tent space. However, we wouldn’t typically recommend a 4 person tent for 4 people unless 2 are small children. The capacity of a tent shows how many people can squeeze in mummy style, not necessarily how many people can sleep comfortably. This doesn’t leave any room for changing clothes, storing gear, or sitting in the tent. We personally use a 4 person tent for 2 adults, and enjoy having the extra space. This also allows for a queen sized mattress for us to sleep on, which is much more comfortable!

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 on sunny warm days, and is essential 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.

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.

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.

Weight and Packed Size

Since people rarely carry 4 person tents for backpacking, the weight and packed size isn’t necessarily a factor. If you do find an ultralight backpacking tent for 4 people, you can pretty much guess that it will be quite expensive. We’ve included the weight and packed size measurements for your reference, but we wouldn’t consider them to be a major factor for purchase because they’re all fairly similar and you don’t need to carry them long distances.

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.

Another option is a screen porch, as seen in our Editor’s Choice Coleman tent. This allows for a bit more usable space since it’s bug free and large enough for a couple camping chairs. Think of it as a front porch versus a vestibule is more like shoe rack outside your door.

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 use and what features you enjoy having. Our top pick is the Coleman Skydome because of its screen porch, classic design, 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!

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