Best family tents 2024 | Tested and reviewed

Of all the family tents we've tested at LFTO, this one ticks the most boxes in terms of the way it looks, the way the layout works for kids and parents, and the way it feels like you're investing in something you'll be using on many camping trips for many years to come.

Everything about the Eagle Rock feels premium, from the aluminium poles and door toggles to the fabrics and the taped seams. The design is also quite understated, with the green and beige colours making it blend in nicely to the landscape on any campsite.

The colour scheme and quality combines to offer superb liveability. The living space is generous in both floor area and height. It's simply a very nice place to live while camping.  

Like everything from Robens, the Eagle Rock 5XP feels very durable and premium, that's also reflected in the high price, but this feels like money well spent if you want a tent that's going to last a long time and join you on many family camping adventures. The porch area is large, the features are plentiful, and there are two large entrances. We can't pick many faults in it at all.

It's perhaps no surprise to find Vango clutching the Best Value award. Its tent – and gear in general – occupies the space of the market that balances value and performance in equal measure.  

The Osiris Air 500 sits between the Robens and Decathlon tents here, both in terms of price and performance. It's a straightforward two-room setup supported by a trio of inflatable poles. We used it alongside its poled sibling, the Osiris 500, and found the Air was a good few minutes faster to pitch. 

We like the darkened (dividable) bedroom and the generous space they have. You really can sleep five people in this tent. There are also other nice little touches, such as lantern-hanging points. 

The Osiris Air 500 has a better waterproof rating than the Decathlon Quechua AirSeconds tent (3,000mm HH vs. 2,000mm HH). That, plus Vango's Tension Band System, means the Osiris Air 500 is very good at standing up to bad weather. 

There is also the point-scoring benefit of this tent being part of Vango's Earth Collection. This is because it's made from recycled Sentinel Eco Fabric from almost 160 plastic bottles.

It takes most people a long time to trust air tents for obvious reasons. But in all the years we've tested them, we've only ever had one proper blowout, and that was on a night when almost every tent on our campsite was demolished by storm-force winds.

With stability in check, buyers are still probably turned off air tents because of their high price. We tested a good, affordable family option from Easy Camp a couple of summers ago, which ticked the boxes in terms of lower price, but you paid for that with the lower quality of the materials.

Which is why we were so keen to review the Quechua AirSeconds 4.1 this summer, which at £350 represents absolutely incredible value. And we're not just talking about value in terms of the price being relatively low, but also in terms of the quality of tent you're getting for your money here. 

Pitching the AirSeconds 4.1 took less than 5 minutes thanks to its all-in-one inflatable structure, which you'd expect from most air tents. But what we didn't expect was the quality of the blackout materials used in the bedroom, which kept the interior impressively dark even in the midday sun.

There's a spacious living area inside the entrance, which is big enough for four camping chairs, plus good venting, internal storage pockets, and windows on either side. The sleeping area isn't huge for 4 people, so best for 2 adults and 2 young kids. But it would feel palatial for two adults by themselves. For a touch more room, you could opt for the AirSeconds 5.2 (five-person).

All in all, this is a fantastic lower-priced option for anyone wanting to try out an air tent for the first time. Plus, if you wanted even more space than the 5-man choice, check out the AirSeconds 6.3 (six-person).

Go back in time a few years, and hardly anyone had heard of a roof tent, but now, all of a sudden you can't drive down a motorway without seeing one every few miles. There are quite a few roof tent brands springing up now, but TentBox still seems to be leading the way in terms of popularity.

We've been using the first instalment of the Tentbox Lite – now known as the Tentbox Lite 1.0 – for a couple of summers, and not only is it a fantastic option for couples, but it also doubles up as a good family tent for two parents and one small child (or one parent and two small children) due to its king size mattress. But then, in 2023, along came the Tentbox Lite XL, aimed directly at the family camping market due to its 4-person capacity with a sleeping area of 240 x 183cm.

By now, you probably know the basic appeal of a roof tent. You attach it to the top of your car like a roof box, with the mattress and sleeping bags already inside it. Then simply pop it open when you reach your campsite, drop the telescopic ladder, then climb in. They make camping brilliantly simple and are just as easy to fold down and pack away when you're ready to leave.

The Tentbox Lite XL certainly isn't cheap, but it's brilliantly engineered, extremely durable, and could save you a fortune over the years if you choose it instead of a campervan. You also get two skylights, a dual-layer memory foam mattress, and a 'flat-step' ladder that's covered by a new annexe design to make climbing in and out safe, dry and simple. Plus, of course, you can park up and pitch this tent anywhere, making it the standout option for spontaneous family camping adventures.

The key thing to remember when buying a family tent is that when a tent is described as 4-person, that usually means it's literally big enough for four people to lie down packed into it side by side. So for longer family camping holidays where you want a bit of comfort when you go to bed, look for something that says it can hold maybe one or two more people than are planning to stay in your tent. 

The Avondale air tent range from Outwell comes with four, five and six-person options, and the one we've spent the last couple of summers thrashing is the Outwell Avondale 5PA. And it's a good size for a family of four sleeping on two double-air beds. And although some people may prefer bedrooms at opposite ends of the tent, in terms of security with young kids, our preference has always been this type of design with the sleeping areas all at the same end.

Like all air tents, the Avondale sets up easily despite the fact this is a real beast of a tent. The packed size is substantial, and the Avondale weighs in at a hefty 30kg. But even though it takes a while to lay out and prepare for inflation, you then simply pump up the four air chambers then peg out the rest of the structure to secure it. We normally get it all ready to go in around 10 or 15 minutes.

The Outwell Avondale is a more expensive option than some of the family air tents we've tested, but what you're getting here is a very high-spec tent from a very well-respected camping brand. The hydrostatic head of 4,000mm means it has good waterproofing credentials, and we love some of the little features like magnetic internal doors, which mean you can sneak in and out of the bedrooms without a loud zip waking everyone up. 

The deep canopy allows you to keep the front of the tent open so you can sit in a covered living area during light showers, and also offers up plenty of shade on sunny days. Plus, of course, it can all be sealed up to create a spacious and protected internal living space when the weather properly closes in.

So, if you're looking for a large family air tent and have the budget to go for something a bit more premium, the Outwell Avondale range ticks a lot of boxes.

A few years ago, we got our hands on the Coleman Octagon, which was great fun for sleeping out with kids in warm summer weather and for using as a garden play tent, but never really felt like a serious piece of camping kit. The launch of the updated Coleman Octagon range for 2023, however, seems to have moved things on a lot. This one feels like a cross between a glamping tent and a fully sealed gazebo.

The Octagon is still very much a high summer camping tent, but then if you're camping as a family that's probably when you're most likely to use it anyway. The colour-coded steel and fibreglass pole design makes the frame very simple to pitch, with a sewn-in bathtub-style ground sheet making the base water-tight. It feels incredibly spacious inside, with just one big octagonal room (not just a clever name) and a fairly consistent internal height, which peaks at 215cm in the centre. So it's a good option for taller campers.

The real beauty of the Coleman Octagon range, though, is the panoramic views it offers. The flysheet goes on after the rest of the tent has been constructed, so on a warm and clear night, you can leave it off completely for full 360 views showing off your surroundings and the night sky. The mesh inner will keep the bugs away, but otherwise you'll feel completely absorbed in nature. Or if you're not feeling quite that brave, simply roll back the windows top open it up on all eight sides to get the views.

The hinged door is a nice touch, and the fact this is an 8-person tent means it's a good option for bigger families. Although with just one room inside, you'd better make sure you all like sleeping in tents together before committing to a weekend away! Rather than 8 people, we'd say the Coleman Octagon is more perfectly suited to a family of four.
Read our Coleman Octagon review

Sometimes, supplied tent pegs struggle to pierce hard ground, get pulled from the ground when the weather conditions get really windy or turbulent, or they will bend out of shape over time. You won't need to worry about your tent discharging from the ground with these steel pegs. They are 6mm thick and 200mm long with a sharp pointed end for piercing hard terrain or stones.

Modern campsites come with all the commodities of home life, and with this socket supply, you will be able to ensure your tent can be fitted with electricity. With the added modern touch of two USB ports, this Hi-Gear plugboard is easy to keep tidy with a roll-up 15-metre cable. It also has three regular UK plugs and makes campsite charging and power supply very easy.