It’s time to take the whole family on an adventure or gather all your best friends for the trip of a lifetime.
If you’ve avoided camping in a group because the last time you shared a tent you barely had any space, were bumping elbows all night, or had to use your gear as a pillow because there was no room, you may need to invest in an 8-person tent.
Finding the best 8-person tent can make all the difference, ensuring you can stay warm, cozy, and comfortable all night and all day. There is nothing better than hanging out in the wilderness with a bunch of friends.
In this guide, we’ve hand-selected the best 8-person tents, from the tent with the best ventilation to the best for groups, the best for light sleepers, and the best bang for your buck.
Our top pick is the Big Agnes Bunk House 8. This high-quality tent has good weather protection, a divider so everyone can have personal space and tons of storage.
Whether you’re used to camping solo and you’re ready to bring the fam, or you have a bunch of Girl Scouts to guide, we’ve got you covered with our expert recommendations for the best 8-person tents for 2024. It’s time to relax, enjoy the company, and live comfortably in your spacious tent.
Best 8-Person Tents
Image by Big Agnes
The Big Agnes Bunk House 8 Tent is a spacious tunnel tent that is great for families and groups.
Constructed with a tunnel-shaped hubbed structure, the tent has a vertical door design with standing room to maximize interior space. With two doors and two vestibules, the tent is easily accessed with plenty of storage space for outdoor gear.
A full-coverage fly with vestibules means better weather protection as the tent body is protected by the vestibules. Additionally, the tent body is equipped with multiple interior mesh pockets, lightweight aluminum hook stakes, and loops for gear attachment.
It’s a roomy freestanding tent, supported by high-quality DAC aluminum poles, which are durable for holding the tent up. The attachments above the doors create tension in the canopy fabric, so the tent is stable.
It has taped seams and the polyester fabric of the tent has a waterproof coating of 1500mm on the tent body, tent fly, and tent floor, which offers enough weather resistance for three-season camping. The mesh panels ensure ventilation and airflow when it’s hot.
The tent is pretty heavy, so it’s typically used for car camping. It does come with backpack straps and turns into a carry bag so it can be carried on your back. Despite its bulky packed size, the tent offers ample space and protection from the elements, making it ideal for group camping trips.
One of the best features is the tent’s two-room configuration, separated by a removable divider, which allows for privacy and ample space for eight people.
The floor plan also has a central divider that can be easily moved aside to create a single large room, which is nice if it’s raining and everyone wants to hang out together.
Overall, the Big Agnes Bunk House 8 Tent is our top pick for a spacious larger tent with separate rooms, a room divider, and high-quality materials making it a favorite for camping tents.
Image by Coleman
The Coleman 8-Person Skydome Camping Tent is a dome-style tent designed for families and groups seeking a simple setup and a great night’s sleep. It has a freestanding structure with fiberglass poles, so it’s easy to set up. Coleman claims it takes less than five minutes.
While lacking a floor vent, the tent’s design allows for adequate air circulation. Ventilation is provided through ample mesh panels on the back and sides of the tent, ensuring airflow even with the fly attached. The tent includes one large door with a window for ventilation and a small brim for weather protection.
Constructed with a polyethylene floor and WeatherTec system for weather resistance, this tent will survive a downpour without soaking all your gear. The manufacturer claims it can stand winds up to 35 mph, which is impressive for such a large tent.
The highlight of this tent is the Dark Room technology that blocks 90% of sunlight and reduces heat inside the tent so you can sleep in past the first signs of light or enjoy an afternoon nap, even in warmer weather. The extra protection against the sun is a nice bonus.
This is probably not the best winter tent and is suited for warm-weather camping conditions.
Additional features include small wall pockets and a gear loft for storage convenience. With a declared capacity of eight, the tent provides 108 ft² of floor space, translating to 13.5 ft² per person.
The package includes steel tent stakes and guylines for stability, although the tent is freestanding.
Despite its capacity, the tent may be more suitable for a smaller group or families with one child due to space limitations and the fact that it is only one room. The tent’s height of 6 ft 4 in ensures there’s plenty of headspace, and it has near-vertical walls.
It packs down to 25.5 x 10 x 10 inches and weighs 22.4 lbs. The tent is moderately light and compact for transportation. It may not be ideal for backpacking or long-distance hiking trips but can be put on your back in a pinch.
Overall, the Coleman 8-Person Skydome Camping Tent is a budget-friendly option for a small group or whole family that wants more space and wants to make sure they get as much sleep as possible.
Image by Gazelle
The Gazelle T8 Hub Tent is a spacious and versatile cabin-style 8-person camping tent suitable for four to eight people. This 8-person instant tent has 10 mesh windows for excellent ventilation.
The tent comes with two doors so you can bounce between shelter and the great outdoors with no problem. The tent walls have a two-room configuration, divided by a sewn-in divider for privacy.
This 8-person tent is a pop-up with pre-attached poles and setup takes literally no time. Its easy setup makes it great for groups looking to save time. Many tents have separate poles you must feed through, but this tent has them built in.
Featuring a tall peak height of 78 inches, the tent offers plenty of headroom with steep walls to maximize interior space. The generous height means it’s great for longer stays.
It’s made with a 210-denier Oxford weave shell and a 300-denier Oxford weave floor, and it has a waterproof rating of 2000mm for the shell and 5000mm for the floor, so your group will be well protected against rain and moisture. The tent also has UV50+ protection.
The removable floor adds convenience when you’re taking down the tent, and it allows you to adapt the tent to different camping scenarios, like for a beach day or tailgate.
The tent’s extensive storage options, including mesh pouches, lofts, shelves, and organizer pouches, enhance organization and tidiness in the camping environment.
This 8-person tent has some drawbacks, including its heavy weight of 47 lbs and bulky packed size, requiring transportation by car. The fiberglass poles may not be as durable as those of other tents. But the convenient setup, high ceiling, and easy take down make this tent a great choice for families and groups.
Image by Eureka
The Eureka Copper Canyon 8-person tent is designed to accommodate eight people comfortably and has the best ventilation for hot days.
This tent has six windows with a tall mesh ceiling and a spacious interior that allows campers to stand upright throughout the tent.
It features a box-shaped design for extra circulation without the risk of bumping into fellow tent-dwellers. It has multiple giant windows for even more airflow, particularly valuable on hot days.
While this 8-person tent offers excellent ventilation with its mesh roof ceiling, its weather-resistance capabilities may be somewhat limited. While the mesh ceiling allows airflow, when it’s covered by a rain fly, it may not provide sufficient protection in heavy wind and rain conditions as the mesh ceiling may allow moisture through.
Without vestibules, there isn’t much protection against wind and rain, so it’s best to use this mesh roof tent in fair weather. In terms of setup, this 8-person tent may pose some challenges before mastering your technique.
Reviews have reported difficulties with pole joints getting stuck during assembly, which can potentially lead to damage to the tent material if not careful. Despite these challenges, the tent can be set up within a reasonable time frame once you master the directions.
This 8-person tent is a great option when you just want to be cool and comfortable and enjoy the air from the mesh screens on a hot day.
Image by CORE
The CORE Lighted 10-Person Instant Cabin Tent is a great instant tent with a screen room, extra spots to stash gear, a room divider, and plenty of mesh ventilation.
The poles are built in this screen-room tent, unlike most tents, for an almost instant tent setup, so campers can quickly assemble the instant tent in under two minutes.
The instant tent has more than one room separated by a divider, along with a screened room that serves as the entry area, which is great for large groups. The screen room can easily accommodate gear or is a convenient spot in the tent to cook with protection from the great outdoors.
Despite its heavy weight of 47.8 lbs, the tent’s spacious interior and tall peak height of 84 inches make it comfortable for a large group.
The instant tent has weather protection, including H20 Block Technology and taped seams on the tent fly. It has steel tent stakes to safely secure it to the ground. In general, it had questionable waterproof ratings, so this tent may be best in good weather.
The tent’s ventilation system, consisting of mesh openings, panels, and ceiling vents, ensures optimal airflow during warm-weather camping. The adjustable ground vent means air can move easily through the tent.
This instant setup 8-person tent offers the best livable camping space for the price with a screen room and a mesh front porch. While it may not be suitable for harsh weather conditions, it is super fast to set up and is well-sized compared to most camping tents.
Buyers Guide for the Best 8-Person Tent
Before buying an 8-person tent, check the tent features to see how durable it is, whether the design makes sense for your comfort needs, and whether the tent has the weather protection you will need.
Design and Shape
Cabin-style 8-person tents have vertical walls and big interiors with lots of headroom. Dome tents are rounded in shape but have better stability and wind resistance for various weather conditions.
Tunnel tents have an elongated shape and typically offer a large living area and multiple rooms, ideal for families or groups who want privacy. Simple teepee-style tents have a single pole, making them popular for campers.
Interior, Floor Space, Storage, and Ceiling Height
The floor space in your 8-person tent should provide enough room for sleeping and moving around comfortably. Storage features like pockets, gear lofts, and vestibules help keep belongings organized and off the floor.
The ceiling height of instant 8-person tents is important to check, especially for taller campers. Higher ceilings in general create a more spacious and airy feel inside the tent. Check if the 8-person tent has multiple rooms, screen rooms, vestibules, storage pockets, and electrical ports, which are nice to have during group camping trips.
Weather Resistance and Materials
Check the quality of materials in the 8-person tent, including the tent fabric, poles, and tent stakes used, to ensure the tent can withstand regular use and outdoor conditions. Look for tents made of robust fabrics like polyester or nylon with a high denier count for strength.
Make sure tents have waterproof coatings and sealed seams to keep out moisture. Choose tents with reinforced floors and strong frames, such as aluminum or fiberglass.
Consider aerodynamic designs and features like guylines for stability in wind. Additionally, ventilation or mesh ceilings are essential to prevent condensation buildup inside the tent and to keep campers from overheating in warm weather.
Packed Size and Weight
If you plan to hike or backpack with your tent, consider its weight and packed size. Lighter tents are more suitable for backpacking, while heavier tents are better suited for car camping or short-distance carrying.
Setup
Instant setup, instant tents, or pop-up tents can save you time and effort during setup, while traditional tents with poles that must be fed through may take longer but offer more stability and durability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest family tent to put up?
Instant setup tents or pop-up tents streamline the pitching process and are the easiest to set up. Look for tents with pre-attached poles or components, as they eliminate the need for users to insert and secure multiple poles, reducing assembly time and frustration.
Tents with color-coded or simple pole systems make it easier to match corresponding poles and attachments. Freestanding instant tents without tent poles save time as they can be pitched without the need for stakes or guylines to support the structure, although securing the tent with stakes is recommended.
Is it hard to set up an 8-person tent?
Generally, larger tents like an 8-person tent are designed to be set up quickly.
Some 8-person tents may have more complex pole structures or require more stakes and guylines to secure them properly. However, many modern tents are designed with user-friendly features such as color-coded poles, pre-attached poles, or pop-up designs so they can be easy to set up.
Are family tents waterproof?
Many family tents are waterproof or water-resistant to varying degrees, which is essential for keeping occupants dry during rainy days, but they may not be the most weather protective. If frequently camping in rainy areas, check user reviews and the tent specifications to see if they hold up well in bad weather.
Look for materials like polyester or nylon with a waterproof rating at least above 800mm and, preferably, closer to 1200-2000mm. Look for sealed seams and a rainfly.
Do large tents stand up to the wind?
Large tents can generally withstand moderate wind conditions, but their ability to withstand strong winds may not be as strong as backpacking tents. Check out the tent design, construction quality, setup method, and whether you use guylines and stakes.
While many larger tents are built with sturdy materials including multiple poles, reinforced seams, and guyline attachment points, they may still be susceptible to damage or instability in very high winds due to how large they are.
Stake down all corners and guylines and position the tent to minimize exposure to prevailing winds. Some tents are specifically designed to withstand strong winds, which often have aerodynamic shapes.
How many rooms is enough for an 8-person tent?
For an 8-person tent, having at least two separate spaces is generally sufficient to provide comfortable sleeping space and some level of privacy for occupants.
Dividing the tent into multiple rooms allows for better organization and separation of sleeping areas, which can be especially beneficial for larger groups or families.
With two rooms, occupants can have separate sleeping quarters while still enjoying the communal space in the tent’s central area.
The Best 8-Person Tents
Choosing the right 8-person for you and your family or larger groups is crucial. A great 8-person tent can drastically enhance your group camping experience.
With so many options available, it’s essential to consider important factors before making your purchasing decision, like how well the tent stands up to weather, the standing room, options for storing gear, whether it has instant setup or not, or how much ventilation it provides.
Our top pick for the best 8-person tent is the Big Agnes Bunk House 8. This roomy tent has a tunnel structure with tons of places for storing gear, a spacious interior for eight sleeping bags, and great weather protection.
Whether you prefer the excellent protection of the Big Agnes Bunk House 8, the ventilation of the Eureka Copper Canyon LX8, or the sun blackout of the Coleman Skydome Dark Room, there’s an 8-person tent out there to suit everyone.
Why have multiple crowded camping tents when you could have one spacious tent and enjoy spending time in the great outdoors together as a group?
The post 5 Best 8-Person Instant Tents of 2024 appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.
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