Ideal for Longer Stays
While it is entirely possible to have a camping holiday in a small weekend tent, we have found that if you’re staying more than three nights, then you need a larger tent.
A larger tent provides you with a lot more space for all the clothes, more food, and other stuff required to keep your kids happy.
We recommend you find a tent with multiple bedrooms and an excellent living area.
You will want to get some camping furniture for the living area to avoid the tent becoming an unorganised mess.
You will also want a tent that has a good entrance that enables you to come in and out of the tent in the rain without getting the interior of the tent wet.
You should also look to have a large porch area for storing cooking equipment, bikes, and muddy boots.
Larger Family Tents
You can extend many smaller two bedroom tents with add-on porches (also known as tent extensions). Add-ons to the tent mean you can use the same tent for weekend getaways and family camping holidays, only adding the extra space for longer trips. (Click here to see some weekend tents)
However, pitching extensions can sometimes be a hassle, so if you want a more extended stay, opting for a larger tent from the outset is worth considering.
For those of us with a larger family, a three bedroom tent is usually the minimum size. But even if you don’t need the extra room to sleep in, a spare bedroom is excellent storage (walk-in wardrobe) for those more extended camps during the family holidays.
There are a great many tents to choose from. Below are some tents that are worth having a look at.
Showing 1–24 of 48 results
- Great size for larger families or family camping holidays.
- Built-in porch.
- No-trip entrance.
- It has great features, but if you want more like Coleman BlackOut bedrooms and mesh to make your tent bug free, look at the Coleman Meadowood 6L or Coleman Castle Pines 6L.
- Great sized living space.
- Useful side storage area; ideal for a camping toilet.
- Darkened Bedrooms
- Built-in porch with door
- Additional Side door with rain-safe entry.
- The tent is quite large. This is ideal for holiday camping where you stay several nights, but the tent might be a bit large for regular one-night weekend camping.
- Great living space with inner living area and porch.
- Additional storage space behind the bedrooms.
- Darkened bedrooms.
- Rain-safe entry on all doors.
- Not too heavy for an inflatable tent.
- No-trip entrance at the main door.
- None found.
- Lots of features...
- Darkened Bedrooms
- Great living space size
- Built-in porch
- Bug-free mesh on doors and bedrooms.
- Cable entry on both sides
- Zip-up blinds
- UPF50 on the material
- 6000 mm hydrostatic head
- None found
- A great layout for family camping.
- Good sized living space, ideal for family camping holidays.
- Built-in porch - a big bonus.
- Zip-up Blinds.
- Darkened Bedrooms.
- Flexible cable entry points.
- No-trip entrance.
- Bug mesh on all the doors.
- Great hydrostatic head.
- Lots of features throughout this tent!
- Not heavy or bulky to transport or pitch.
- The price is exceptionally good for a tent with all these features.
- None found!
- Loads of space - ideal for long family camping holidays.
- Lots of features.
- Very useful three-zone layout.
- Being such a large tent, it is very heavy and bulky to transport.
- A practical family camping layout for longer camping stays.
- Good sized porch area.
- Good sized inner living space.
- Bug-mesh on exterior doors.
- The tent is a little on the large size if you are only planning on camping one night on a few weekends.
- Ideal if you have a large family.
- Darkened bedrooms.
- Longer Ambassador Master Bedrooms.
- Four double bedrooms.
- Massive living space.
- Quick and Quiet doors.
- A built-in porch that can be zipped up.
- 6000 mm hydrostatic head.
- Expensive, which is understandable for the size and features of the tent.
- Very heavy and large when packed, as you would expect for the size of this tent.
- Outwell Outtex Airtech polycotton tent material.
- Darkened and larger tent bedrooms.
- Large and flexible living space.
- Wing-lounge.
- Multiple cable entries.
- Optional groundsheet for porch area.
- Quick and Quiet inner doors.
- Tinted windows with zip-up blinds.
- Expensive.
- Bulky and heavy when packed.
- Larger Ambassador Master Bedrooms, with a depth up to 230 cm and cable entry.
- Darkened bedrooms.
- Good sized living space (though check out some alternatives for even more space).
- Split living zone, with the front one acting as a useful porch if you wish.
- Quick and Quiet doors (except main front door).
- Hook-track system for flexible lantern hanging.
- Large rear ventilation system.
- The tent in its bag is large and heavy but does come with trolly wheels to make this easier.
- This is also on the more expensive side, but I've listed some cheaper alternatives if your budget cannot stretch to this tent.
- Good sized bedrooms.
- Darkened Bedrooms.
- Built-in Porch.
- Large living space with wing-lounge.
- The downside with such a large tent is that it will take up a lot of space in your car, and it will need two adults to lift it in and out.
- 3 Bedrooms with flexible options
- Darkened bedrooms
- Huge living space, so plenty of space for furniture and storage.
- Front of the tent can be used as a large porch.
- Flexible door options
- None found so far
- Good layout with plenty of living space.
- Front porch for additional shelter.
- Useful enclosed side door.
- Flexible opening doors with bug mesh.
- Larger bedrooms, darkened, and with Quick and Quiet door.
- Large vents for better airflow when the weather is hot.
- Outtex 6000 Pro tent material with a whopping 6000 mm hydrostatic head.
- Steel tent poles.
- Tinted windows.
- A really good price for the features and level of specification.
- Steel poles can be heavy. The tent comes in two bags to make that easier, but check you have transport space for both bags and don't leave one of the bags behind when you go to the campsite ;-)
- Lots of layout options if you need the flexibility
- Polycotton
- Excellent rain-proof entrances to the tent
- Bug mesh
- Black-out bedrooms
- With all these features, it is at the upper end of tent prices.
- Great sized bedrooms
- Darkened bedrooms
- Really good living space
- Flexible front porch option
- Good ventilation for when it does get warm
- Carpet and footprint available (optional extras)
- As with most inflatable tents, the packed size of the tent can be large, so make sure you have space to get it to the campsite along with all the other items you'll want to take.
- Darkened Bedrooms.
- Large Living Space.
- Inflatable for faster pitching.
- Built-in porch with a great amount of space.
- Extra features like guy line storage and lay-flat groundsheet at doors.
- The pump attaches to tent valves, which makes inflating easier.
- Bedrooms are smaller than 5 people in practice. Better for two adults and two children.
- Velcro at bottom of tent doors may not be to everyone's liking.
- No bug mesh on the doors.
- Traditional yet high-tech.
- Simple to pitch and not bulky to get to the campsite.
- Ready for a tent stove.
- Plenty of space.
- If you need bedrooms, these are extra.
- A great size for long camping holidays, providing everyone with plenty of space.
- Optional 3rd bedroom gives you more flexibility.
- Darkened bedrooms.
- Longer Premier Bedrooms.
- Quick and Quiet bedroom doors.
- Bug mesh on door.
- HookTrack System.
- Privacy tinted windows.
- I think a bit large for just a one-night weekend camp - unless you have a large family to help, of course.
- A good flexible tent for a family of four.
- Darkened bedrooms.
- Moveable front.
- Quick and Quiet bedrooms.
- Larger Ambassador Bedrooms.
- Privacy Windows
- HookTrack System
- None I can think of.
- Flexibility with the moveable front.
- Darkened large Ambassador bedrooms.
- Good size living space.
- Quick and Quiet Bedrooms.
- HookTrack system.
- Inflatable for easier pitching.
- Optional groundsheet for the porch.
- Bug mesh to help keep the bugs out.
- Privacy windows - easy to see out but hard for others to peer in.
- Personally, I think maybe a bit large for just one-night camping, but ideal for longer stays.
- Lots of space for family camping holidays.
- No messing with large tent poles as this tent is inflatable.
- Four dark bedrooms with the option to remove them if you don't need them.
- Built-in wet-dry porch area.
- Additional side-door entrance.
- Good ventilation.
- Comes with a large case with wheels.
- Good features like window drain, lie-flat groundsheet, and easy blinds and curtains.
- Unless you have a family of eight, this tent is probably a bit large for just a single-night weekend camp. However, its ideal for longer stays where the extra space will be worth it. Check out the 4 and 6 person models if you want a smaller version.
- Being a large tent with lots of features, the Coleman Weathermaster 8XL is at the upper end of the Coleman tents price range.
- Lots of living space with flexible options for arranging your tent. This is great for family holidays.
- Large darkened bedrooms with Quick and Quiet entrance.
- Bug mesh door.
- Easy pitching.
- Good hydrostatic head.
- Personally, I think the dividing screen between the bedrooms could be thicker, but this is only a minor preference.
- I also think this tent a little too large if you just camp for one night. You will want to spend a few nights to make the most of it.