The Best Pop Up Tents for Camping

Picture this: you, struggling to set up your tent with poles and stakes flying everywhere as your kids whine and moan in the background. Doesn't exactly sound fun, right? Now, picture this: you, setting up your tent in mere seconds, no tools needed, so you can enjoy eating s'mores and sitting around the campfire with your kiddos. If the latter sounds slightly preferable to you, then it's high time that you invested in a pop-up camping tent. Impressively, these "instant tents" can take less than 15 seconds to set up and under a minute to take down, and many of them can even handle light rain and wind. If you don't want to lug a bunch of gear with you on your next camping trip, and you also don't want to waste precious time setting up your tent, then a pop-up tent is for you. Here are a few of the best.

Moon Lence Pop-Up Tent

Camping has never been easier (or more fun) than it is with the Moon Lence Pop-Up Tent. This nifty instant tent is ready to go in less than a minute, so you can spend more time doing camp activities and less time pitching your tent. It’s roomy enough to comfortably fit four adults, and it touts two large doors and ground vents that help improve ventilation and breathability. And, this tent protects you from the elements more so than most thanks to its lightweight alloy pegs, guy ropes, and water- and UV-resistant materials. Talk about an uncomplicated camping experience.

Pros:

  • Very spacious and comfortable, at 94.5 x 82.6 x 49.2 inches
  • Lightweight and very easy to transport everywhere
  • Made from durable, breathable PU materials
  • Comes equipped with 10 alloy pegs and four guy ropes, so it’s very wind-resistant
  • Doors have high-quality SBS zippers that can be tightly closed
  • Very easy and quick to set up (it’s ready to go in less than a minute)

Cons:

  • It will leak a little if you try to camp in super-heavy rain

QT QOMOTOP Pop-Up Tent

Those with bigger families will love the QT Pop-Up Tent thanks to its comparatively spacious size options. Choose between a 10-person, 8-person, 6-person, or 4-person tent to fully accommodate your family’s needs. And, you can rest assured that this tent will keep you nice and dry since the PU taping and PE tube floor with welded corners work together to keep the rain out. Not to mention, this tent can be set up or taken down in just a minute’s time.

Pros:

  • Very roomy size options. The 10-person tent is even big enough to comfortably hold two queen airbeds
  • PU taping for both rainfly and inner tent seam keeps the inside of the tent bone-dry, even during heavy rain
  • Ready to go in one minute
  • The mesh roof and ground vent guarantee much better ventilation than most other pop-up tents

Cons:

  • Price point may be inaccessible for some

Coleman 2-Person Pop-Up Tent

Nothing says date night like a night out in the woods with your beloved, in which case you’ll wish you had the Coleman 2-Person Pop-Up Tent. This instant tent assembles in the blink of an eye (we’re talking under 10 seconds) and once it’s up, it offers the optimal balance of ventilation and protection with its multi-position rainfly, wind-strong frame, and weather-resistant seams. Perfect for music festivals, car camping, and date nights in the backyard, this tent even folds totally flat, allowing for easy portability.

Pros:

  • Assembles in just under 10 seconds – the pre-assembled poles pop into place almost immediately
  • Fire- and water-resistant
  • The multi-position rainfly offers awesome protection and ventilation
  • The taped floor seam keeps you dry even when the ground is wet
  • Engineered to have a strong, wind-responsive frame

Cons:

  • If you’re camping in the rain, you have to be extra careful when you open the door; otherwise, the rain from the fly slides down into the tent

Abco Tech Pop-Up Tent

If you don’t have a ton of extra dough to spend on a tent, no worries—just get the Abco Tech Pop-Up Tent. At half the cost of many other instant tents, this tent is perfectly functional and easy to use. It pops open in seconds and folds back quickly and compactly when you’re done using it, and it offers supreme breathability, with double doors on both the left and right sides (plus an inner-zippered screen and outer-zippered nylon layer). Basically, this is the perfect tent for casual, budget-friendly camping.

Pros:

  • Really excellent value
  • Pops open in a blink and folds back up quickly into a compact form
  • Has double doors on both the left and right side, allowing for easy access
  • Two mesh windows on the front and back help with circulation and breathability
  • Comes with a convenient carry bag

Cons:

  • Realistically, this tent can comfortably hold just a single person. It can get a little tight with two people

BFULL Instant Pop-Up Tent

Versatility is the name of the game with the BFULL Instant Pop-Up Tent. This handy tent works well as a rain- and water-proof instant tent, or you can detach the outer tent layer to use as a sun shelter when you’re at the beach, a concert, or anywhere else where you don’t want to be exposed to the elements. Crucially, this tent is lightweight, easy to carry, and finely crafted with sturdy fiberglass poles and fully taped seams.

Pros:

  • Has a double-layer design. The outer tent can be used alone as a sun shelter, or you can combine the outer shelter and inner tent as a camping tent
  • Super lightweight and easy to transport
  • Sturdy fiberglass poles (combined with solid, wind-stable construction) ensure stability
  • Protective seams and durable groundsheet keep you nice and dry, even if the ground is soaking wet

Cons:

  • It would be nice if there were doors on either side to help with ventilation

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should use a pop-up tent?

Essentially, pop-up tents protect you from the elements while you’re sleeping outside, but unlike regular tents, they barely require any work to set up. If you only go camping once or twice a year (or in other words: infrequently) and you don’t want to buy a fancy tent or a ton of camping equipment, a pop-up tent just might be perfect for you. Most pop-up tents can be set up in less than 30 seconds, and they don’t require extra stakes or tools.

What features should I look for in a pop-up tent?

Your pop-up tent should be water-resistant and able to withstand most rainy and windy weather conditions. Size is crucial, too, of course. Your tent should be able to comfortably hold you and your family. (Note: even if you’re just camping with one other person, it’s usually best to size up with tents. In other words, a three-person tent is a good size for two people). And above all, your tent should be extremely easy to set up and take down.