Best 4 Person Tent – Buyer’s Guide

When purchasing a new tent there are a number of things that need to be considered - price, material of the tent, protection against the elements, durability of the tent material, various features of the tent, design, pole material, stake strength, and difficulty to assemble (to name but a few).

Thankfully, there's no reason for you to do hours of research! We've answered some of the most important questions you should consider when asking yourself "what's the best 4 person tent?"  Read on to find out more!

The main reason a company may charge high rates for their tents is because they are made with high quality materials, and receive extensive weatherproofing during the manufacturing process.

Buying equipment for camping can be daunting - whether it's choosing the best hiking pants or best camping stove, there's a lot to consider.  Thankfully, the average person who only camps a few times a year at designated campgrounds will only need to spend between $50-150 to find a perfectly suitable camping tent. Most people who are car camping for the weekend just need something that’s easy to assemble and can keep them dry if it rains. Anything beyond that price point and you are paying for some additional features that you find important.

Mountaineering is the exception, as you will most likely have to spend more for a durable product that can hold up to the elements.

When purchasing a tent, it is important to know your comfort requirements. If you are looking to get away for a weekend and sleep in, then you will want a tent that can keep out the morning sunlight. If you are a bare bones camper, then a basic $50 tent will be just fine for you.

Don’t assume that you need to break the bank in order to enjoy your adventure in the backcountry.

The tent material is the first thing you should check when buying a tent. Materials can have different strengths, durability, weight, and purposes of use.

Not long ago nearly all tents were made of a cotton canvas that, once weatherproofed, would last for many years. These heavy canvases were great for car camping, but made it very difficult to take on long adventures.

In the first half of the 20th century, bulky cotton canvas tents were replaced by Nylon, and have since expanded to include other synthetics such as Polyester and Polyethylene, which are a much lighter alternative.

One of the only drawbacks to using synthetic materials is that the quality can quickly deteriorate under UV exposure from the sun.

Polyester has become the most popular material for weekend use tents. This material tends to be more durable than Nylon, and holds up better under UV light.

Almost all large 5+ person tents are made of cotton canvas and will have a thick coating of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) to protect against water.

A small portion of tents will be made from Polycotton canvas, which is a combination of cotton and polyester.

Nylon has a much larger range of quality than cotton and other synthetics. Nylon is used in cheap tents for children, and the most expensive expedition tents. It’s quality is dependant on the extent of weather treatment it receives from the manufacturer.

Nobody wants to wake up in the middle of the night to a steady drip of water on their forehead, or find out they pitched their tent over a divot and part of their gear is laying in 2 inches of water. This is why it is important to know what the weather will be like at your campsite.

If you will be camping in a warm area with plenty of sunshine, then you will want to find a tent with high UV protection, as synthetics will deteriorate and become more vulnerable to rips and leaks.  If you're feeling flush, you could even splash out on a good tent air conditioner. There are also many additional spray on UV protection options that can be purchased at the store and easily applied at home.

If you are camping in the rain, you will want to make sure to properly seal the seams of your tent, as this will usually be the first place a tent will leak. The best waterproof tents will have a factory sealed seam in the floor and the rain fly.

If you wake up in the morning and see some water on the walls of your tent, do not panic. This water is most likely condensation from your breathing throughout the night, and not due to a leak.

If you purchase your own waterproofing, you should not waterproof the walls of the tent as they are not designed to be waterproof. The walls are designed to breathe and keep the tent from getting too stuffy at night.

Always make sure you bring your rain fly and attach it as directed. Guy lines should be staked into the ground at an appropriate distance to form a taut rain fly to ensure that water runs off the tent as designed. An improperly attached rain fly can lead to sagging, which will collect puddles that can weigh down the tent and put more stress on the frame.

Some tents will have additional protection with a bathtub floor, where the bottom of the tent will wrap around about 6 inches up the wall. This will protect the floor seems from puddling that can develop between the footprint and the floor of the tent.

For snow camping you will want a mountaineering 4 season tent. You will want all of the same waterproofing as preparing for the rain.

Four season tents come with one or two walls and must be quick and easy to set up. The big difference between the two is that the 2-walled tent has twice the protection from wind and rain, thus making it warmer inside.

There are a few different ways to measure the thickness of a tent material.

One method of measurement is a Denier (D), which determines individual fiber thickness. The thicker fibers create a stronger more durable material.

Denier is a good method of measurement for two of fabrics of the same strength. A material made of 200 D Nylon will be stronger than 180 D Nylon. If you are comparing two tents that are made of different materials, then you can not compare their denier strength.

Nylon is stronger than Polyester, so it would not be accurate to compare a 200 D Polyester fabric to a 150 D Nylon fabric.

Another typical measurement is thread count (T) just like how we measure the sheets on our bed. The thread count is determined by the number of threads within one square inch of the fabric. Higher thread counts are associated with higher quality materials.

As a general rule of thumb, Nylon is the strongest synthetic and should be strongly considered for any extreme expedition.

The most important feature in a 4 person tent is a storage vestibule. The average 4 person tent will have little more space than sleeping room. If you have a storage vestibule on each end of the tent, it can be the difference between a good night sleep and a kink in your neck from using your pack as a pillow.

You can watch a helpful video of how to make a do it yourself vestibule from a poncho here.

When you are squashed next to four of your mates in a tent there will be a lot of heat produced throughout the night, and it is very important that you have proper ventilation. You will want to make sure your tent has two doors and mesh vents near the top to let out body heat.

If a tent doesn’t have proper ventilation, you will wake up in the morning with a lot of condensation. If you are camping in one place for the weekend, the condensation won’t be a huge issue. If you are hiking, it will require you to wipe down the inside of the tent before you pack it away, which wastes valuable time that could be spent hiking before the sun gets overhead.

An easily overlooked feature is a quality zipper.

One of the biggest failings of a cheap tent is a zipper that gets caught in the material and quickly gets pulled off track. When I am looking at tents I look for a thick zipper that will keep out little bugs and make sure that there are no loose hanging materials anywhere close to the zipper track.

There are two common reasons for needing a 4 person tent: you’re going on a leisurely camping trip, or you are going to a site where you will need to pack in your gear.

If you are going on a leisurely camping trip, then a cabin tent will best fit your needs. Cabin tents are a little more spacious and may even have a divider for privacy.

If you need to pack in your gear, you will want a dome tent which is a happy medium between comfort and high quality expedition equipment. A dome tent will have a roughly 9 x 7 foot floor space and will be about 5 feet in height. This is just enough room for 4 people to lay shoulder to shoulder.

The ideal 4 person camping tent will be less than 9 pounds and should easily fit horizontally into your pack. The tent should come equipped with reflective guy lines to avoid tripping in the night.

A great feature to a 4 person tent is a seating area outside of the main tent that can be enclosed with a mesh netting to keep out insects. There is nothing worse than being swarmed by mosquitos and forced into your tent much too early.

When choosing your tent poles you have three common options: fiberglass, aluminum, and carbon fiber. The biggest difference between these pole materials is their durability and lifespan between seasons.

Fiberglass poles are usually associated with low quality tents that will only see a few uses. Poles that are made of inexpensive fiberglass materials have the least strength and are susceptible to splintering under stress. This lack of pole strength really hurts the tent’s value as you store it away.

Most of us have a storage area where our gear is haphazardly thrown about and something may get placed on top of the fragile tent poles for months on end. Any stress throughout the offseason will make the poles more fragile and decrease their lifespan. Nobody wants to get to their campsite and find that their poles have split in the offseason.

Aluminum has become the most common frame material for mid quality tents. It is an outdoorsman's dream as it is extremely strong and incredibly lightweight for a relatively inexpensive price.

Aluminum poles come in various strengths depending on your expedition requirements. The only drawback to using aluminum poles is that they can corrode if they are stored in a damp area.

Outdoor companies are always innovating to create the lightest, strongest, materials possible.

Carbon fiber poles are currently the most durable material on the market. This lightweight material is incredibly strong and is recommended for the most extreme adventures. Carbon fiber is most commonly used in technical mountaineering because it can hold up very well to extremely low temperatures and high winds.

For most 4 person tents I would recommend investing in aluminum poles simply for their storage strength compared to fiberglass and their affordability compared to carbon fiber.

As a general rule of thumb, your ideal tent should be made of a lightweight synthetic material, receive appropriate weatherproofing, include storage to accommodate 4 people, have aluminum poles, and include heavy duty stakes.

If you follow these suggestions you'll have the best 4 person tent for your outdoor needs!

Happy camping!