Best Budget 4-Person Tents of 2023
A camping or backpacking tent is your home away from home in the backcountry. So, it should be spacious, feature-rich, and easy to set up. The materials should also be durable and reliable without being too heavy so they should last a long time and give you confidence in bad weather. A good tent is also a breeze to set up and some extra features like multiple doors and an included footprint make a tent great value. The following is a list of the best 4-person tents that in my opinion are the kind of tents that can do it all. They are already made for whatever crazy adventure you have in mind. Finally, if you camp or backpack only a couple of times a year, a budget tent can be the right option for you.
1. Coleman Skydome
Weight: 13 lbs. 11.2 oz.
Packed Size: 24.5 x 9 in.
Interior Dimensions: 96 x 84 in.
Floor Area: 56 sq. ft.
Peak Height: 55 in.
Coleman is known for its affordable camping gear and the Skydome tent is no exception. This tent provides weather-worthy performance, a full-coverage rainfly, and pre-bent poles with near-vertical walls, all at an affordable price tag. You will also appreciate the pre-attached poles, which make the set-up and teardown a breeze. These pre-attached poles allow you to set up this tent in only five minutes. It also makes sure that the tent always fits in its carry bag without any hassle. There’s a wide door and a big vestibule that boosts overall convenience. The wide door is good especially when you are moving airbeds, sleeping bags, and other gear in and out.
The Skydome provides ample space for four people due to the near-vertical walls. These nearly vertical sidewalls also give 20% more headroom than traditional camping tents. The tent also comes with a rainfly with fully sealed seams. The WeatherTec System, a bathtub-like floor, and welded corners make sure you stay dry in a downpour. The tent has a strong frame that can withstand up to 35 mph winds. It provides interior space of around 96 x 84 inches with a center height of around 56 inches, enough to accommodate a queen size airbed with some extra room for your gear.
What I like: Quick and easy setup, big interior at a fair price
What I don’t: Only one door, poles are not very durable, only rainfly seams are fully sealed
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2. Stoic Madrone
Weight: 8 lbs. 8 oz.
Packed Size: 22 x 7 in.
Interior Dimensions: 102 x 90 in.
Floor Area: 63.75 sq. ft.
Peak Height: 52 in.
Stoic Madrone is a basic dome tent that comes with all the essential accessories you need such as stakes and guylines. On the top, there’s an air vent on each side, which is great. The rainfly of the tent has a kind of funky pattern on it but it does come in a solid orange color in case you don’t like that pattern. The tent has adjustable clips for rainfly attachment and a guyline on each corner to add stability. There’s a double-zippered door on each side so you can unzip it from both the top and bottom. The top zip can also be used as a sort of makeshift air vent, meaning that you can unzip it partially for an air vent or zipped it completely in a rainstorm.
You have a couple of places on the bottom corners that you could actually attach to the lines and pull out for better ventilation. But that doesn’t include the stakes or the strings for that. The tent body is made of mostly polyester. The materials are mid-grade and coated with PU waterproofing coating. The quality is decent but it doesn’t feel super premium. I’m not a big fan of this material but it doesn’t feel cheap either. There’s no ripstop so if you do get a tear, it may spread if you don’t act and repair it quickly. So keep that in mind. The interior is also polyester and you do get some accessory pockets on the inside as well. Up top, they do include a gear loft that you can attach or remove.
What I like: Very roomy inside, with two large doors with big vestibules
What I don’t: Noisy in the wind and the rainfly sags in between the tent poles
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3. Kelty Wireless
Weight: 11 lbs. 14 oz.
Packed Size: 24 x 8 in.
Interior Dimensions: 98 x 87 in.
Floor Area: 59 sq. ft.
Peak Height: 59 in.
Kelty Wireless is designed to offer reliable weather protection, lots of internal space, and easy setup at a budget-friendly price. Affordability means you can afford to go camping more. Setting up fast means more time to spend with your friends or family and setting up easy means less frustration and opportunities for little campers to help. Three wrapped fiberglass poles give the tent freestanding stability. Speaking of easy setup, color-coded components and pockets at each corner of the tent keep one end of the pole secure while you move around to insert the other end. Take it from someone who has set up a lot of tents alone, this is a great feature.
The Wireless tent offers several options for multiple residents with plenty of room inside for each person. Two doors provide easy access for all those people. Each door has a vestibule providing external storage space for packs or muddy boots. Durable polyester floor and rainfly protect from wet weather. Fully taped seams prevent water from sneaking in. Mesh on the body provides excellent ventilation something you’ll appreciate with a tent full of people.
Inside, there’re pockets to organize your stuff and maximize the space by keeping clothes and gear off the floor. The special night light pockets turn the beam of your headlamp into diffuse ambient lighting for reading or playing games. A footprint (sold separately) keeps your tent protected from the insults of sharp rocks, roots, and pine needles.
What I like: Great design and an overall good performance
What I don’t: Stepdown materials, limited ventilation with the fly on
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4. Caddis Rapid
Weight: 20 lbs. 8 oz.
Packed Size: 50 x 9 in.
Interior Dimensions: 96 x 72 in.
Floor Area: 64 sq. ft.
Peak Height: 80 in.
Caddis Rapid is a sturdy tent that is easy to set up. You can literally set this tent up in under a minute. While it seems like cheating the camping gods, it is great for you if you want to get on with the fun almost as soon as you arrive at camp. On the inside, the tent offers enough space for 4 full-grown people comfortable with some extra storage space for gear. This capacity is made possible because there is no vestibule to store gear such as your shoes. You get a total of 96 x 72 inches of floor area with 80 inches of peak height. This height is enough if you want to change clothes inside.
The roof of the tent is mostly mesh. It allows for good ventilation and offers a good healthy view of the sky. You also get windows on the side walls including the doors. No matter which way the wind blows, you can keep a breeze flowing through. The main door opens nearly 360 degrees allowing plenty of space to get that blown-up air mattress inside the tent. However, it is a better idea to blow your mattress inside the tent to avoid any snagging. On the inside, you get four storage pockets spread evenly throughout the tent. There’s also a detachable gear loft, which you can set up with the provided plastic hooks and loops on the ceiling.
What I like: Super easy to set up and take down in under a minute.
What I don’t: Bulky to carry and transport.
5. REI Skyward
Weight: 13 lbs. 11 oz.
Packed Size: 27.5 x 9.8 in.
Interior Dimensions: 100 x 87 in.
Floor Area: 60 sq. ft.
Peak Height: 78 in.
The Grand Hut is a cheap 4-person tent that offers a user-friendly design, a big interior space, and good weather protection. The tent is roomy and tall enough for 4 people. It features a floor area of around 100 x 87 inches and a peak height of 78 inches. The generous amount of headroom is made possible thanks to its pole structure, which includes a hub system. The tent has near-verticle walls and a rectangular floor plan, which maximizes liveable space. You can even change clothes inside your tent. However, the taller height makes this tent susceptible to high winds. The tent doesn’t perform well in the high wind due to its tall height. But on hot or rainy days, it performs well because it has good ventilation options and a full-coverage rainfly.
The tent has a stable and freestanding design with a separate roof assembly from leg poles. It makes setting up a tent a little easier. There’s a large D-shaped door that makes getting in and out easy. On the inside, you’ve got plenty of stash spots with a total of eight pockets. The tent also has an opaque material around the bottom half of the tent. It gives you some privacy if you are changing clothes when the fly is off. The tent offers excellent airflow and it is well-protected if you need to take off the fly on a hot and humid day. REI also includes a heavy-duty carry bag with pockets for poles and stakes.
What I like: Spacious interior, lightweight, great price, quick to pitch
What I don’t: Not very wind friendly due to its tall height
6. Coleman Sundome
Weight: 9 lbs. 12.8 oz.
Packed Size: 24 x 10 in.
Interior Dimensions: 108 x 84 in.
Floor Area: 63 sq. ft.
Peak Height: 59 in.
If you go camping once or twice a year in good conditions and need a simple and affordable tent, Coleman Sundome is the right option for you. I know a lot of experienced campers and backpackers reading this might be wondering why someone should waste time on a tent like this. But the reason is simple. There are a lot of new campers and backpackers out there who may not need the most feature-rich tent and may not know where to start. So, a cheap tent like this can be a good starting point for those beginners.
The Sundome is a simple tent with a small rainfly. The 4P version offers enough space for four campers with some extra room for gear. It offers a floor area of about 108 x 84 inches and a center height of 59 inches giving you enough headroom even for taller folks. Keep in mind that this is an entry-level tent so don’t expect fancy materials. However, it’ll get the job done if you go camping occasionally in good weather conditions. Additionally, the rainfly covers only the upper half portion of the tent leaving part of the sides exposed. Although a full-coverage rainfly is always preferred, as I said, it won’t make a difference in mild conditions.
What I like: Bargain price, a good option for entry-level campers
What I don’t: Below average built quality and limited rainfly coverage
7. Marmot Tungsten
Weight: 8 lbs. 11 oz.
Packed Size: 24 x 9 in.
Interior Dimensions: 93 x 82 in.
Floor Area: 53 sq. ft.
Peak Height: 52 in.
The whole line of Marmot Tungsten has become a fan favorite over the past few years and it’s easy to see why. I took it outside to get a closer look at all the features and I found it really easy to set up. One person can set it up fast. Although this is a freestanding design, it’s always recommended to stake out with the footprint underneath. The tent poles are simple, easy to use, and they go on easily with clips and grommet. The rest of the clips are also placed strategically, which increases the interior space. The tent is roomy for its weight and there’s enough space for four people.
One of the good things about the Tungsten is the Pre-Bend pole structure. It’s a small detail but it makes a huge difference. The Pre-Bend poles allow you to create near-vertical sidewalls, which gives a little more room for you and your gear. This extra space becomes even more important for taller people in a 4-person tent that they might be sharing with others. The tent comes with a polyester rainfly, which is completely waterproof and an included footprint provides extra protection from the ground. The ceiling is all mesh, which keeps the weight down and gives plenty of ventilation in hot and humid temperatures.
What I like: Gives maximum interior space for its price and weight, looks good, and is easy to set up
What I don’t: Small vestibule, asymmetrical fly, difficult to taut rainfly, cheaper looking materials
8. Kelty Discovery Basecamp
Weight: 8 lbs. 8 oz.
Packed Size: 23 x 6 in.
Interior Dimensions: 97 x 79 in.
Floor Area: 53 sq. ft.
Peak Height: 58 in.
Kelty Discovery Basecamp is a budget 4-person tent that is suitable for car camping. The tent features a huge door and extra-low clearance for easy ins and outs. The setup is super simple. You just need to find a good flat surface to start pitching. Spread the tent body and cross the two long poles making an X mark. Now, slide the tips into the Kelty’s Quick Corners and the poles will stand on their own. Next, raise the roof and clip it all into place. Now to set up the rainfly, take the shorter pole and set it into the grommet. Line up your fly with the color-coded corners and snap it in. Rotate the shorter pole and secure it with Velcro. Guy out with the attached guylines and you are good to go.
The Discovery Basecamp is a 3-season tent that features a full-coverage rainfly and a large D-shape door for easy access. The tent is equipped with Kelty’s Quick Corners that allow for lightning-fast and easy setup. The rainfly is fully waterproof and it keeps you dry even in heavy rain. The poles seem sturdy and provide a solid structure to the tent’s body. The guylines are pre-attached for additional stability during windy conditions. There are plenty of internal storage options for storing your small essentials.
What I like: Fairly inexpensive, a good balance of price and performance, a large D-shape door
What I don’t: Questionable durability
9. Marmot Limestone
Weight: 11 lbs. 11 oz.
Packed Size: 27.5 x 10 in.
Interior Dimensions: 100 x 86 in.
Floor Area: 60 sq. ft.
Peak Height: 61 in.
The Limestone tent is a perfect option for 2 couples on a budget. This tent is super easy to set up despite its size. You’ve got four total poles. The longer poles slide through the sleeves to create the main volume of the tent. The shorter poles can be attached right around the outside. There are points at the front and back where the poles stay put. Beyond the sleeves, there are strategically placed clips that can easily snap onto the poles to draw out that massive tent interior. Orienting the rainfly is super easy. Marmot stitches red tabs on the corners of the fly which match up to the same red tab on the tent body. Make sure you stake everything out to get the most out of interior space.
The rainfly is nice because it gives you full weatherproof protection but also maximizes venting for those more humid nights. The seams are all taped, the material is polyester so it won’t sag or stretch much, and overall it’s robust. There are additional guy-out points on the outside but you’ll need to get some extra cords and stakes to make use of those guy-out points. Overall, this is a big and simple tent compared to other family tents on the market. You can likely set it up by yourself but it’s much easier with the second set of hands.
What I like: Simple design, large vestibule, good weather protection, classic look
What I don’t: Limited interior storage options, low ceiling height
10. Marmot Guest House
Weight: 15 lbs. 1.5 oz.
Packed Size: 29.5 x 10 in.
Interior Dimensions: 157.1 x 88.2/88.2 x 63.8 in.
Floor Area: 95.9 sq. ft.
Peak Height: 63.8 in.
The Guest House tent offers lots of internal space as well as a screened-in front porch for you and your guests. Storage pockets, a flexible divider wall, and four doors make this tent a great option for family or a group of friends. The full-coverage rainfly keeps everybody dry and opens for shade when the weather is nice. This sprawling tent measures 157 by 88 inches offering you 113 square feet of internal space and a peak height of 64 inches. There are three vestibules and they offer another 23 and a half square feet of external gear storage.
The tent uses pre-bent DAC aluminum poles which give you strong support and create lots of usable space inside the tent. There are four large doors to accommodate the comings and goings of a full tent. The walls and floor of the tent are constructed of highly durable 70D taffeta polyester. To increase weather worthiness, the floor uses taped seams and a weather-resistant treatment. The 68D taffeta polyester rainfly is also taped sealed and coated to provide you with full weather protection. Integrated vents help to promote air circulation and reduce condensation. In pleasant weather, one of the doors of the vestibule can be unzipped to form a shady awning.
There’s a large open area separated by an interior divider. Marmot calls this the Front Porch. You and your group can gather here to enjoy the view afforded by the extensive 40D no-see-um mesh while it keeps the bugs at bay. This is built as a four-person tent but quite frankly, you could easily sleep two more folks out here on the porch. Inside, the integrated room divider creates a little privacy when you want it but can be unrolled when you don’t. There are numerous storage pockets both small and large. Some located overhead convert your headlamp beam into diffuse comfortable ambient lighting.
What I like: Two separate rooms, lots of windows, great looking
What I don’t: Not very budget-friendly, no privacy without the fly
Budget 4-Person Tents: Comparison Table
| TENT | WEIGHT | PACKED SIZE | DIMENSIONS | FLOOR | HEIGHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coleman Skydome | 13 lbs. 11.2 oz. | 24.5 x 9 in. | 96 x 84 in. | 56 sq. ft. | 55 in. |
| Stoic Madrone | 8 lbs. 8 oz. | 22 x 7 in. | 102 x 90 in. | 63.75 sq. ft. | 52 in. |
| Kelty Wireless | 11 lbs. 14 oz. | 24 x 8 in. | 98 x 87 in. | 59 sq. ft. | 59 in. |
| Caddis Rapid | 20 lbs. 8 oz. | 50 x 9 in. | 96 x 72 in. | 64 sq. ft. | 80 in. |
| REI Skyward | 13 lbs. 11 oz. | 27.5 x 9.8 in. | 100 x 87 in. | 60 sq. ft. | 78 in. |
| Coleman Sundome | 9 lbs. 12.8 oz. | 24 x 10 in. | 108 x 84 in. | 63 sq. ft. | 59 in. |
| Marmot Tungsten | 8 lbs. 11 oz. | 24 x 9 in. | 93 x 82 in. | 53 sq. ft. | 52 in. |
| Kelty Discovery Basecamp | 8 lbs. 8 oz. | 23 x 6 in. | 97 x 79 in. | 53 sq. ft. | 58 in. |
| Marmot Limestone | 11 lbs. 11 oz. | 27.5 x 10 in. | 100 x 86 in. | 60 sq. ft. | 61 in. |
| Marmot Guest House | 15 lbs. 1.5 oz. | 29.5 x 10 in. | 157.1 x 88.2 in. | 95.9 sq. ft. | 63.8 in. |
How to Choose a 4-Person Tent for Camping?
There are so many different places to camp and there are so many different kinds of tents and choosing the right tent for the place that you’re going to be camping in is very important. This guide will walk you through the process of choosing the right tent for the right adventure.
What kind of tent do you need?
The very first question that you need to answer of course is what are you going to be using the tent for? Is it primarily going to be a winter camping or car camping tent? By car camping, I mean that you’re going to drive to a campsite and set up your tent in which case, weight, and bulk is going to be far less of an issue.
Consider the season
The next question that you’re going to need to answer is when you will be using your tent. You get 3-season and 4-season tents and if you’re not going to be using your tent in winter at all then I would recommend looking at the 3-season tent because they tend to be a lot cheaper. If you do plan to be camping in really cold weather, you definitely should look at the 4-season options. These tents tend to have fly sheets that come all the way to the ground. They have more solid-looking inners to retain warmth, less ventilation, and more intersection of the poles for snow loading. This is not to say that you can’t use a three-season tent in mountainous winter conditions but I would not recommend getting a three-season tent for winter if you are a beginner camper.
Capacity
Another very important consideration when you’re buying a tent is how many people you’re going to need to fit inside it. My rule of thumb is to try to get a tent that is advertised as being able to sleep one additional person to the number that you’re actually trying to fit. So, if you’re going to be 3 people sleeping in the tent, try to get a four-person tent. The reason why I say this is because that will allow you a bit of extra arm and leg space and will also allow you to store the gear inside of the tent with you.
If you’re going to be car camping and are looking at much larger tents, you can also think about how many rooms you want your tent to have. Is it adequate to just have one big room tent or do you want separate rooms? You should also know that different tent manufacturers use different metrics for figuring out how many people can fit inside a tent. So, always make sure what actual dimensions your tent is offering.
Budget
You should exactly know what your budget is especially when you are shopping online. For instance, a tent like Hilleberg Allak is over $1000 and it’s by far the most expensive tent I have ever set up. On the hand, a tent like Coleman Sundome is around $99 and is by far the cheapest tent I have ever purchased. So, what exactly is the difference between the two and how much money should you spend? Keep in mind that the tent’s cost can also vary due to its size, features, and weight. If you are looking for a good traditional camping tent for the money, I’d suggest spending around $100 to $250 because, in this price range, you can get a decent 4-person tent.
Waterproofness
Waterproofness is another important consideration. A good way to check the waterproofness is to check the seams inside. Seams should have tape or some sort of other waterproof sealing so that water doesn’t get through the sewing holes. I have seen a lot of budget tents that have absolutely no waterproofing on the seams whatsoever and when it rains, there is going to be leakage through those seams. Some tents I have pitched and have seen daylight through the stitching holes. So, check the seams on the tent that you’re planning to buy.
Wind friendliness
It’s especially important to not only think about how they will do in cold or wet weather but in windy weather as well. For example, The Black Diamond Squall has the most intersecting cross overs poles, which makes the tent super stable. In comparison, most budget tents would not stand up well in heavy winds. So, do check the stability if you are planning to camp in windy conditions.
Durability
Something else that you need to check is how durable the tent material is. A cheap tent like Coleman Sundome is not going to stand up to beings ripped through thorn trees or put on very rocky ground. However, a canvas tent like Kodiak Canvas Flex-Bow Deluxe can last for years and withstand quite a lot of abuse. In fact, these tents are generally the tents of choice for people who go and camp in nature reserves like Yosemite National Park because they do tend to be a lot of thorn trees and a lot of uneven rocky ground and these tents just shrug that off. They are made of incredibly durable material and they also lost a very long time.
Weight
Weight is not critical if your primary goal is camping or car camping. If you will be backpacking with your tent, then obviously this is a very important consideration. But even if you’re going car camping, how heavy the tent is and how bulky it is can put you off if you don’t have a lot of space in your car. If you’re planning to fly with the tent, then getting a backpacking tent that is smaller and lightweight is probably your only option.
Livability
The next thing that you should look at is the livability of the tent. Quite a few factors come into play here such as the number of doors, the number of vestibules, and what sort of heights you have to deal with. Car camping tents in general are really livable. You can not only sit up straight in them but you can stand up straight, which makes getting changed inside the tent a whole lot easier. Backpacking tents, on the other hand, tend to be a lot lower but you can’t find ones where you can at least sit up straight. If you’re a taller person, you definitely need to look at the floor plan of the tent and make sure that when you’re lying down, your head and your feet aren’t going to be touching the sides.
Some other features the tents can include to improve their livability include things like pockets and hooks for hanging items from the ceiling. Some of them even have gear lofts where you can place headlamps or lanterns, which is a very nice feature.
Ease of pitching
Finally, when looking at a tent, see how easier it is to pitch. Some tents require two people to set up so it would be very difficult to set them up on your own. It’s not impossible but it’s very difficult and takes longer to set up.
