Best 6 Person Tents for Family Outings

If you’re in a rush and want to find out what the best 6 person tent is, we recommend Nemo’s Wagontop 6 person tent.

Hanging out with friends and family in the great outdoors is a welcome treat, but it’s easy to run into logistical problems when trying to manage so many people. Do you have enough food? Is the tent big enough? What activities should you do?

There’s a lot to think about, and honestly, it can be hard to even know what to look for to find the product that will give you the experience you want. We know it can be a headache trying to prepare for a trip like this, so we thought we would pick up a portion of your burden by putting together some of the best six person tents for you to choose from.

In this article, we’ll be reviewing the following 6 person tents:

• UNP 6 Person Tent – Best Bang for Your Buck
• Moon Lence 6 Person Tent – Lightest Tent
• Coleman Weather Master 6 Person Tent – Best 4 Season Tent
• Mobihome 6 Person Tent
• CORE 6 Person Tent
• Coleman Dome Tent with Screen Room – Cheapest Tent
• Big Agnes Spicer Peak 6 Person Tent – Editor’s Choice
• Marmot Halo 6 Person Tent – Tallest 6 Person Tent
• Nemo Wagontop 6 Person Tent – Best Overall
• The North Face Wawona 6 Person Tent

Ventilation

Among one of the more important, yet often overlooked, features of a tent is its ventilation system. This network of windows and mesh openings does exactly what you might expect, which is to increase the amount of airflow taking place inside the tent. The reason why this is important extends beyond the need for a little fresh air inside an otherwise stagnant tent. 

Condensation builds up over time if there’s no airflow to whisk the moisture away. This water buildup comes from your breath, and is made even worse if it happens to be a particularly muggy day. If you don’t have a method of removing this extra moisture, eventually you’ll end up with droplets falling on you. Not to mention, a tent that will start to sag and get waterlogged.

Obviously, having windows you can open is the ideal option for maximum airflow. But during chilly nights or the middle of a rain shower, it’s understandable why you wouldn’t be keen on doing this.

Shape

Lower capacity tents almost exclusively sport the dome shape. This style requires less material, it’s more aerodynamic, lighter weight, and easier to transport. At the same time, the heavily sloped walls limit the amount of useable space inside the tent, and you’re a lot less likely to get a comfortable amount of headroom.

There certainly are many 6 person tents that follow this same style. Dome tents and extended dome tents are pretty common at this capacity, but it’s also a transition point where you start to see more cabin tents thrown into the mix. Characterized by taller peak heights and vertical walls, they really open up your tent, allowing you to cram more inside. Even better, in my opinion, is that you can often walk around without slouching. Stretching out and changing clothes won’t be a pain any longer, though it’s not without its own set of flaws to contend with.

The vertical walls are great at catching the wind, so you need stronger, heavier poles to help your tent keep its shape. This makes the shelter heavier and more clunky to set up than a dome tent, so you can’t transport it quite as easily.

Ease of Setup

You can have the best performing tent in the world, but still avoid using it if the setup isn’t simple and intuitive. Heavy poles, large amounts of canvas, and a lack of directions can make it a pain to put together a small tent, let alone something as big as a 6 person tent. While some effort is unavoidable, there are plenty of larger shelters that require far less effort to set up than you might expect – especially if you have someone else helping you.

There are a few 6 person pop-up tents out there, but they can be hard to come by. For “normal” tents, some of the things you want to look for are color coded poles and attachment points. This will give you a clear idea of where you need to put the individual components, saving you the hassle of doing it wrong the first couple of times before you find the magic formula. Certain tents can be set up in 5 minutes, while others only claim to be that easy to put together.

Always practice with your tent in your own backyard or inside your home before setting off on your maiden voyage. It will help you get more proficient with the process, and give you an idea of how much time you need to allot to complete the task.

Storage Options

When housing so many people, having enough space to store all of their belongings is a must. Without enough vestibules, pockets, loops, or other storage facilities, the belongings of 6 people will quickly take up more room than you might have bargained for. Where you once might have been able to squeeze in 6 sleeping bodies, you’ll barely be able to fit 4, if you don’t find another place to leave your gear.

Some tents, like the Big Agnes Spicer, have a vestibule that can provide some measure of outdoor storage. It is a relatively small amount of space though, especially when you think of all the gear that 6 people will be packing. Other tents, like the Coleman Weather Master, have a separate screen room that could easily be turned into a storage facility. But in the worst case scenario, you may just have to bring fewer people along for the trip. Because honestly, there are few 6 person tents that can actually fit 6 people comfortably, even when you don’t consider the extra space that gear will take up.

Weather Protection

This is what it all comes down to, really. The biggest reason why you have a tent in the first place is for protection against the elements, so it’s important to make sure that your shelter can actually fulfill this requirement. Is it waterproof? Will it stand strong even in gusty wind? Does it have UV protection? These things, among others, are thoughts that should be going through your head as you consider purchasing a tent. 

Regardless of how solid your tent claims to be in bad weather, I’d still recommend giving it a good coat of waterproofing spray. It’s an extra layer of protection against heavy rain, which is good for extending the life of your tent while giving you a little more peace of mind.

Center Height

Center height refers to the tallest point of your tent. Once you start entering the 6 person capacity and higher, shelters tend to take a big step up when it comes to this metric.

It’s not too uncommon to find 6 person tents with a center height over 6 feet. In fact, with so many people trying to move around inside for various reasons, having a tall ceiling is practically mandatory for a comfortable experience. Just be careful not to go too tall, otherwise you might end up catching more wind than your bargained for.

Poles

What kind of poles does your tent have? Aluminum is my favorite, because of how lightweight it is while remaining sturdy. It’s also one of the cheapest options out there, which is perfect for people on a budget.

Fiberglass can also be a good option, though I have to admit, it’s my least favorite pole material. It’s the least durable, and has a tendency to sliver, especially in colder temperatures. You’ll mostly find it used in entry level tents, or in products made by off-brands who want to keep their prices low.

And then you have steel. It’s obviously the most durable pole material, which is perfect for cabin tents that have vertical walls. This style of shelter can be a bit of a wind catcher, so it needs all the strength and support it can get. But as you might expect, steel is very heavy and can make it difficult to set up camp or transport your tent from one place to another. 

Material

The material of your tent will most likely be nylon or polyester. These have become common in the camping world because of how lightweight they are, while remaining durable and water resistant. However, the downside is that they don’t breathe, so making sure you have enough ventilation is key. 

Canvas, on the other hand, is heavier and needs to be layered in waterproof coatings, but still lets a good amount of air through the walls without leaking. Though it does require more maintenance than synthetic materials, canvas that’s well taken care of is still the superior option. 

Durability

Before we dive into the reviews, let’s just talk about one final point you should consider during the tent buying process.

Durability.

You and I both know that tents aren’t cheap, right? If you’re going to shell out a couple hundred bucks for a shelter, you want to know that it’s going to last you for the next several years. 6 person tents, in particular, see a lot of wear and tear simply because there are so many people walking back and forth, opening zippers, and sliding their gear around.

When we talk about durability, it really comes down to the two things we just mentioned above: poles and tent material.

Looking at poles, you can generally assume that steel is forever, aluminum can break but isn’t likely to, and fiberglass is the weakest of them all. Tent material is a little more complicated, because we need to look at the thickness of the individual fibers, referred to as “denier” (pronounced: den-yer).

Denier is measured in a pretty interesting way. Take 9 kilometers of fiber from a specific material, like nylon, and measure its weight in grams. The result is going to be the denier of that particular fabric.

For example, a 9 kilometer strand of human hair would weigh about 20 grams, so the denier would be denoted as 20d. The thicker the fiber, the higher the denier, the more durable the material will be. Generally speaking, you should look for a tent that has a floor denier of 150 and a canopy denier of 65. If you hit these numbers at minimum, you’re looking at a fairly durable tent.

Best 6 Person Tent Reviews

UNP 6 Person Tent

• Best For: Car Camping
• Pole Material: Steel
• Tent Material: Polyester
• Weight: 20 Pounds
• Peak Height: 78 Inches
• Number of Doors: 1
• Comes with Footprint: No

Despite its large and heavy nature, you might be surprised to know that UNPs 6 person tent can be set up in under 3 minutes, no special skills required. Trust me, I was surprised too. Especially since it’s not even realistically possible.

I won’t banter on about the false advertising too much though, mostly because the tent is still quite easy to put together. Realistically, I would say that you and a friend could set everything up in about 6 minutes, after a bit of practice. That leaves you with more time to enjoy with the people around you, allowing you to get the most out of your time in nature. It’s spacious enough to easily accommodate 6 campers, and has a center height of 6.5 feet to make walking around and changing clothes simple and convenient.

There are two roof vents and a side vent, which create a “chimney effect” to funnel air through the tent. The nice thing is that there’s zippered access to these vents from the inside, so you can completely seal them off if it’s too cold or water starts to leak in.

It’s a little unfortunate that there’s only one door on a tent this big. If you’ve got a packed house, it may require some people on the edges to step over their companions in an effort to use the bathroom at night. But for a 6 person tent that’s this affordable, you’ve got to make sacrifices somewhere, and this is a pretty small one in my book.

Pros:

– Fast and easy to set up
– Good ventilation
– Can easily fit 6 people
– The near vertical walls create more usable space
– Solid steel poles for durability
– Affordable

Cons:

– Flimsy zippers
– Only one door

Moon Lence 6 Person Tent

• Best For: Car Camping
• Pole Material: Fiberglass
• Tent Material: Polyester
• Weight: 9 Pounds
• Peak Height: 59 Inches
• Number of Doors: 1
• Comes with Footprint: No

A nice lightweight option for those of you who value that, Moon Lence’s 6 person tent comes in at a shocking 9 pounds. While there definitely are larger tents out there that weigh less, this one is still way ahead of the game compared to many of its counterparts. And to make it easy to carry, it comes with a handy tote bag that’s big enough to easily slide the tent components in with no trouble. It comes with shock cord poles that make for an easier setup…so much so that one person alone could set it up in about 15 minutes, if they knew what they were doing. 

For ventilation purposes, it has a ground vent and two mesh windows to circulate the air. This will help prevent the buildup of condensation, as well as keep you cool during hot summer nights. 

I hinted at it earlier, but it might be a little bit of a stretch to call this a 6 person tent. Each person would only have about 18 inches of width to squeeze into, and I don’t know about you, but I’m broader than that. Now, if you were part of a family of 4, I’d say this is about the perfect size. There would be enough room for everyone to sleep comfortably, and extra space to store personal belongings and gear.

Pros:

– Lightweight
– Great carry bag
– Good air circulation
– Large rainfly

Cons:

– A bit on the tiny side for a 6 person tent

Coleman Weather Master 6 Person Tent

• Best For: Car Camping
• Pole Material: Fiberglass
• Tent Material: Polyester
• Weight: 32 Pounds
• Peak Height: 80 Inches
• Number of Doors: 1
• Comes with Footprint: No

Cabin tents are well known to be a great option for large groups of people to live in together, and Coleman’s Weather Master is no exception. Because of its larger size, you’ll be able to accommodate a greater number of people more easily. Not to mention, with a center height reaching almost 7 feet, no one will need to crouch down inside this tent. This is especially helpful if you need to change clothes or just want to stretch out a little.

Weather resistance is a key feature that any good tent should have. This tent has welded seams to eliminate needle holes that remain after the manufacturing process, so water won’t slip in through the openings. It also comes with steel poles for added durability and strength in the face of strong winds that might otherwise threaten to topple your structure. However, if the fabric becomes oversaturated, you may notice that it leaks a little bit. I’d suggest giving it a good coating of waterproof spray before using it in severe weather.

But really, it’s hard not to love the additional screen room too. This particular feature is quite versatile, whether you need some extra room to store your gear or want a sheltered location to stargaze. If you’re trying to pack a lot of people into the tent, you could also use it as another sleeping area for a few adventurous souls.

Pros:

– Very roomy
– Tall center height makes it easy to stand straight
– Welded seams
– Steel poles
– Separate floorless screen room

Cons:

– Doesn’t protect against heavy rain very well

Mobihome 6 Person Tent

• Best For: Car Camping
• Pole Material: Steel
• Tent Material: Polyester
• Weight: 14 Pounds
• Peak Height: 43 Inches
• Number of Doors: 1
• Comes with Footprint: No

Even though it’s a larger tent, Mobihome’s 6 person tent boasts a surprisingly quick setup. With a special hub system for single operation, you can set this tent up all by yourself in a matter of minutes. Just unroll the tent, lock your poles, and pull the drawstring to get everything set up. 

It comes with 2 big top mesh windows that open up the sky for a great night of stargazing during clear weather. This is a nice touch, especially if you’ve got kids with you who would enjoy staring at the night sky. And if that doesn’t give you enough ventilation, there are also 3 mesh windows and a door to offer even more airflow, even when covered by the rainfly. 

In spite of everything this tent comes with, including 14 steel tent stakes, it’s only about 14 pounds. So if you’re looking to get your money’s worth without getting too weighed down, this is a great option to consider.

My only real complaint has to do with the size and shape of the shelter in general. You’ll notice that the sides are sharply angled inward, cutting off quite a bit of headroom in the process. It limits the total amount of usable space, and can make it difficult to move around, stretch out, or change clothes.

Pros:

– Fast setup
– Mesh roof for good airflow and skylight
– Relatively lightweight
– Steel stakes

Cons:

– Low height
– Fitting 6 people comfortably is difficult

CORE 6 Person Tent

• Best For: Car Camping
• Pole Material: Fiberglass
• Tent Material: Polyester
• Weight: 12.7 Pounds
• Peak Height: 72 Inches
• Number of Doors: 1
• Comes with Footprint: No

Though it might be a little tight, fitting 6 people in Core’s tent is certainly possible. With enough room to inflate 2 queen size air mattresses, you’ll be packed in there, but that’s to be expected when you try to fill the tent up to its maximum capacity. 

While this tent doesn’t have much in the way of bells and whistles, that doesn’t mean it isn’t still a quality product. Made out of polyester, it’s fairly lightweight and water resistant, especially since it comes with Core’s H2O block technology to prevent moisture from slipping in. Not only that, it also has a gear loft and several other pockets on the interior walls, so you’ll have plenty of storage space to keep your belongings out of the way. Which is a good thing, since there’s not much to speak of when it comes to outdoor storage.

Ventilation is great, and the door is large and fairly easy to get through. As I’ve mentioned with a few other products, I do wish there was more than one door on the tent. However, it’s a minor detail that’s overshadowed by this shelter’s ability to keep the elements at bay for an extended period of time.

Pros:

– Weather resistant
– Plenty of storage space
– Fairly tall center height
– Adjustable ground vents
– Electrical port access

Cons:

– A little cramped
– Zippers can cause frustration

Coleman Dome Tent with Screen Room

• Best For: Car Camping
• Pole Material: Fiberglass
• Tent Material: Nylon
• Weight: 9 Pounds
• Peak Height: 68 Inches
• Number of Doors: 1
• Comes with Footprint: No

As if a normal six person tent wasn’t enough, Coleman took it up a notch by adding in a screen room to this tent. In addition to creating a nice, enclosed seating area, this extra room can also act as another sleeping space if it’s starting to feel a little cramped in the main tent. It has the same floor as the rest of the tent, and the windows all have zip up flaps to block out any wind or rain. Unfortunately, the main entryway is all mesh, so there’s no helping it if there’s a rainstorm – you’re going to get wet if you sleep out there.

Because so much of this tent is open to the elements, I’d probably suggest you use it as a one season tent. You’ll get colder more easily during chilly fall and spring nights, and winter is totally out of the question. But if you play it to it’s strengths, all of the ventilation is a luxury when you’re trying to sleep when it’s hot and muggy outside. Especially when you have the extra body heat of six other people to contend with!

Setup is quick and easy, and tear down is even faster. When you’re in the main body of the tent, the taped seams and rain fly do a great job of keeping water out too. It’s mostly when you’re in the screen room that you have to be more concerned about the weather.

Pros:

– Well ventilated
– The screen room makes for a fun, unique experience
– Waterproof
– Can easily be pitched by one person
– Tearing it all down again is just as simple

Cons:

– The porch will get wet in storms
– Doesn’t do well on chilly nights

Big Agnes Spicer Peak 6 person Tent

• Best For: Car Camping
• Pole Material: Aluminum
• Tent Material: Polyester
• Weight: 14.5 Pounds
• Peak Height: 80 Inches
• Number of Doors: 2
• Comes with Footprint: No

It’s a little difficult to tell from the picture, but the Spicer Peak 6 person tent is surprisingly spacious. You’ll be able to squeeze two queen sized air mattresses (or cots) on the inside, which is usually enough room to snugly fit six people. If you’re like me, though, and hate feeling like a canned sardine, it makes a perfect 4 person tent as well.

Setup is quick and easy, oftentimes taking a mere 5 minutes or so to put it all together. I wish I could say it went back into it’s storage bag just as easily, but there’s an art form to it that you’ll discover through trial and error. The tub style floor and waterproof rainfly ensure that you’ll stay dry even in a torrential downpour, and the dome style makes it less of a wind catcher than some of the products I’ve mentioned above.

On the inside, you’ll find plenty of options for gear storage, including mesh pockets and a loft. There’s not much in the way of windows, and ventilation could use a minor improvement, but overall, it’s a solid tent that does it’s job very well.

Pros:

– Easy to set up
– Surprisingly spacious
– Tub style floor
– Waterproof
– Very durable

Cons:

– Difficult to put back in the carry bag

Marmot Halo 6 Person Tent

• Best For: Car Camping
• Pole Material: Aluminum
• Tent Material: Polyester
• Weight: 20 Pounds
• Peak Height: 81 Inches
• Number of Doors: 2
• Comes with Footprint: No

Marmot is a high end brand that you can’t help but love. Their Halo 6 person tent, in particular, is a product that has all of the features that you could want in a family sized shelter. The near-vertical walls have to be my favorite part about the whole design, because when you’re packing so many people into a confined space, you want all the extra room you can get. Having so much extra headroom is a lifesaver, allowing you to stretch out and feel like you can breathe.

Despite being a bit of a wind catcher with the tall walls, the sturdiness of this tent is something to be admired. In high, sustained winds, the poles might bend a little bit, but it will take a lot before they break. Not only that, but you also won’t have any trouble staying dry in heavy rainstorms either. The weatherproof design will keep you cozy in torrential downpours, beach winds, or light sleet and hail.

Color coded clips and poles make setup a breeze, and there are a couple other features that will make your experience more enjoyable as well. For example, there’s a privacy panel on the front door to keep prying eyes from peeking inside. The extensive amount of internal storage is also handy when you’ve got several people who need a place to store their belongings.

Pros:

– Vertical walls
– Sturdy design
– Weatherproof
– Sleeps 5 comfortably or 6 tightly
– Zippers don’t snag easily

Cons:

– Price

Nemo Wagontop 6 Person Tent

• Best For: Car Camping
• Pole Material: Aluminum
• Tent Material: Polyester
• Weight: 27 Pounds
• Peak Height: 80 Inches
• Number of Doors: 2
• Comes with Footprint: No

How many of you have ever seen a tent that looks like this one before? Nemo’s Wagontop 6 person tent might have a unique design, but that’s one of the best parts about this shelter. The vertical walls provide a generous amount of interior space, and though it might be hard to see in the picture, the peak height of the tent is 80 inches! Regardless of how tall you are (unless you’re crazy tall), you’ll be able to freely walk through any portion of this tent without needing to duck.

Unlike any of the other tents mentioned in this review, the Wagontop is a single layer tent, meaning there’s no rainfly. The tent material itself is waterproof, reducing the overall weight and hassle associated with setting up a shelter this large. It also pairs nicely with Nemo’s Victory blanket and their garage add on, both of which are not included.

What it does come with, though, are plenty of large windows and a giant vestibule. You’ll have to seal the windows up on rainy days to keep water from getting in, but when the weather is cooperating, they provide excellent ventilation. The vestibule is also a very decent size, offering a reasonable amount of space to store the gear of 6 people without too much issue.

Pros:

– Really tall peak height
– Vertical walls construction
– Single layer design is lightweight
– Self contained hub system
– Easy to set up by yourself
– Excellent ventilation

Cons:

– More likely to get dripped on by condensation due to single layer wall design

The North Face Wawona 6 Person Tent

• Best For: Car Camping
• Pole Material: DAC MX
• Tent Material: Nylon
• Weight: 20 Pounds
• Peak Height: 80 Inches
• Number of Doors: 1
• Comes with Footprint: No

A large shelter with a massive vestibule, the Wawona 6 person tent is great for those of you planning on bringing a lot of people with a lot of gear. The giant vestibule is probably the most noteworthy feature of this product, and really the only thing that makes it stand out against its competitors. You can expect the usual high quality standard from The North Face that we’ve grown to know and love – the tent is incredibly waterproof, the poles are light, and it’s all very easy to set up.

On the inside, there’s an interior height of 80 inches, which is large enough to accommodate just about anyone who wants to stand straight without hitting their head. Ventilation is also quite good, though it does have a tendency to accumulate a lot of condensation. This usually isn’t a big issue, though, because of the double wall design.

Unfortunately, the directions aren’t very helpful, so I’d recommend watching a couple YouTube videos on how to set it up first. Given the height of the tent, shorter folks may struggle to get the rainfly over the whole shelter as well. If these are gripes that you can live with, however, I’d wholeheartedly recommend going with this option to comfortably house 6 people or less.

Pros:

– High quality poles
– Massive vestibule
– Easy to put together
– 80 inch interior height
– Good ventilation

Cons:

– Not the greatest carry bag
– The tent stakes are subpar at best

At Untamed Space, we’re passionate about helping you have the best camping experience possible. Our team of experts have experience camping and backpacking all over the world, allowing them to provide insightful and relevant content to guide you in your outdoor pursuits.

All of our reviews are based on a combination of firsthand experience, extensive research, and an analysis of customer feedback. We are an independent website and do not receive payments or incentives from manufacturers to promote their products, and we continuously update our content to provide new information based on product availability. Wherever you are in your journey, whatever gear you’re searching for, you can be sure to find unbiased and up-to-date reviews for all of your needs.

FAQ

Conclusion

Finding the right tent to fit you and your companions can be an exercise in frustration. However, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t one of the more important things that needs to be done. Not only do you need to find a shelter big enough to fit everyone, but it should also be able to withstand the elements and have enough room to store your belongings.

Nemo’s Wagontop 6 person tent checked all of the most important boxes for us that we look for in a tent. Not only does it actually fit 6 people comfortably (unlike many other 6 person tents), it’s also very easy to put together, in spite of the large poles. If you’re looking for something that will protect you from the weather, but is still big enough where you can stand at full height without hitting your head, you’ll love this tent.

Like the large tent size, but want something a little different? Take a look at these cabin tents!

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