Stepping into your first 6-person tent feels like winning the tent lottery. If you’re upgrading from a two or four-person model, prepare to be astounded by the tallest ceilings you’ve ever seen, a cavernous floor plan, and maybe even an entire covered front porch if you’re lucky.
The best 6-person tents are the ideal shelter for families and small groups to go car camping in style and luxury. You’re in queen-sized mattress territory now. Full-sized quilt territory. Stand up straight and take a nice morning stretch territory. Leave those peasants (your friends) to their sleeping pads and mummy bags, we’re in 6-person tent country now, folks.
Our Favorite 6-Person Tents of 2021
With those features in mind, plus all the outdoor essentials like material quality, weatherproofing, and ease of use, we evaluated all the best 6-person tents currently on the market and settled on the six models below as the cream of the crop for 2021. Whether you’re looking for the absolute best or just the best on a particular budget, you’ll find the backcountry mansion you deserve on the list below.
The North Face Wawona 6
With its full-sized vestibule garage, extended dome design, and simplified setup, the North Face Wawona 6 takes the cake as our favorite 6-person tent of 2021. The fact that it’s not even in the running for the most expensive tent on our roundup seals the deal even further.
Where other tents either charge extra for a garage or don’t offer one at all, the North Face Wawona insists on one, and we certainly appreciate that. And while that feature justifies Wawona’s asking price on its own, there are some other premium features baked into the cost as well.
We particularly like the use of upgraded DAC MX aluminum tent poles, which are both lighter and stronger than previous versions. They’re also color-coded, which makes setup that much easier. Really the only thing this tent is missing is a footprint, but the same could be said for more expensive tents on this list so we won’t complain too loudly.
REI Co-Op Kingdom 6
REI Co-op’s line of Kingdom tents has always been popular, and their most recent version of the Kingdom 6 has more to love than ever.
Nearly vertical walls, six-foot ceilings, and a generous floor plan make for a big roomy interior that feels more like a little cabin than a camping tent. The Kingdom also gets the nod from us for its included room divider, which adds converts the tent into a two-bedroom situation with each room getting its own door for entry and exit.
Another stand-out feature of the Kingdom is its extended vestibule, which zips into three sections and converts into a shaded awning for a few extra poles in guylines.
All things considered, the Kingdom is an excellent tent at a reasonable price with a ton of great features, but a few issues kept it from topping our list. At this price, we would at least like to see the additional poles/guy lines to convert the awning included as part of the package, but they’re sold separately for $35 each from REI, or you can find similar ones for less from places like Cabela’s.
The same goes for the REI’s “mudroom” attachment, which costs an extra $100 and converts the Kingdom’s regular vestibule into an extended garage that’s big enough to house a few chairs, bikes, or whatever else.
Nemo Wagontop 6
The Nemo Wagontop is a feature-rich group camping tent that checks off just about every one of our boxes for big tent features. It’s got vertical walls that extend nearly all the way to its impressive 80-inch peak height, a massively extended vestibule that’s spacious enough to stand inside of while you strip off wet gear, panoramic windows that provide tons of ventilation, and a surprisingly simple four-pole design that makes setup way easier than most tents this size.
Inside you’ll find double doors that make entry and exit convenient for multiple campers, plenty of extra pockets and places to hang and organize gear, and over 97 square feet of floor space for your whole tribe to stretch out inside.
The Wagontop 6 is definitely one of the more expensive 6 person tents out there, but it’s also backed by Nemo’s lifetime warranty, so you can rest assured your investment is protected. We’ll also point out that if the big extended vestibule isn’t quite big or extended enough for your taste, Nemo also sells a companion “garage” for the Wagontop that is big enough to pack bikes, boats, coolers, and then some underneath with room to spare.
Kelty Rumpus 6
If you’re shopping for a full-sized shelter but aren’t looking to break the bank, the Kelty Rumpus 6 packs some luxury tent features into a department store tent budget.
Most notably is the massively extended rainfly, which you won’t find on other 6-person tents at this price point (or even some well above it). It’s also got a respectable peak height that’s over 6 feet at its highest point, and although the Rumpus’ classic dome roof tapers down toward the sides, you can pretty much stroll casually through the back door and out the front due to the sheer size of the thing.
Other convenience features include four large internal pockets so everyone has a spot to stash their essentials and guy line storage pockets integrated into the vestibule that makes setup and takedown that much quicker.
No, you don’t have the option to divide it into two rooms, and yes, Kelty uses fiberglass poles rather premium aluminum ones to keep the price low, but there’s really no other 6-person tent out there that’s this good for this price.
Eureka Boondocker Hotel 6
The Boondocker Hotel 6 is Eureka’s flagship 6-person tent which makes a strong argument for its premium price with a few unique features.
The first and most obvious being Eureka’s unique take on the whole extended vestibule thing. For starters, you’ll notice the Boondocker Hotel features a side-mounted gear garage. We like that the main door is left unobstructed, as this gives the Boondocker a nice “pass-through” floor plan that you’ll appreciate with four or more sleepers inside.
Aside from the garage, the vestibule also includes a modular sun awning beside the front door, which you can throw a few extra poles under or simply guy out to extend your shady outside space on sunny days.
Vertical walls, six-foot ceilings, fantastic ventilation, and a simplified setup all further sweeten the deal. If the North Face above wasn’t such an absolute steal at $200 less, we’d have a hard time picking anything else over this Eurkea.
Eureka Space Camp 6
If you’re a fan of Eureka tent but aren’t quite ready to drop Boondocker money on one, check out the Space Camp 6.
Near vertical walls extend into a peak height of nearly six and a half feet, which makes the Space Camp the tallest dome-style tent in our lineup. It’s got a respectable 83 square feet of floor space to match those vaulted ceilings as well, so it’s safe to say interior space won’t be an issue.
And while the Space Camp doesn’t boast a gear garage like some other tents on our roundup, it’s got its own thing going with a unique dual-vestibule design. As you see in the picture above, the front vestibule is an extended three-part design that converts into an awning for extra space and easy access in good weather. The rear vestibule, on the other hand, is nearly the same size but uses a simplified single zipper design to create a standard shelter for your gear outside the back door as well.
If you’re looking for a super roomy tent with some premium features, but don’t want to fumble with setting up and staking a gear garage every time you camp, the Eureka Space Camp might be the perfect blend of simplicity and affordability for your next camping excursion.
Important Features To Consider In 6-Person Tents
Moving up from two or even four-person tents into a six-person model is a big step. These tents are considerably roomier, and therefore can fit a lot more creature comforts into their design that you’ll want to look out for.
Multiple Doors
Because 6-person tents are often shared with other friends or family members, each group having its own path of egress adds a big degree of livability in a tent. Waking up your partner in the middle night by crawling over them to get outside and pee is bad enough. Don’t do it to your guests, too.
Extended Vestibules
A.K.A backcountry front porches.
One of the biggest differences between just having a giant tent and having a 6-person tent that really stands out is that bonus area you get from an extended vestibule.
Some of them are just spots to stash your pack, shoes, and any other smaller items to keep them out of the rain. Others are so spacious you can literally park a few mountain bikes under to keep them out dry and out of sight or just stick a couple of camp chairs and a cooler under them and hang out in the shade. For our money, we want the biggest vestibule we can find. Why not?
Vertical Walls
Yes, interior peak height is important, but wouldn’t you rather be able to stand up anywhere in the tent rather than just in the middle? The most convenient six-person tents out there have “cabin” style walls, meaning they extend nearly straight up until they reach the top of the tent. The ideal outcome is a tent that is six feet tall (or higher) from wall to wall, so you don’t have to stoop down inside regardless of where you’re standing.
Room Dividers
6-person tents are the first size where splitting a tent into two rooms really becomes an option. While most either don’t have the space or just don’t offer the feature if you’re planning on splitting your 6-person tent with another couple or want some privacy from the kids, having an interior room divider gives you some extra privacy for changing clothes and whatnot.
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