How to Choose the Best Pop Up Tent

After using pop up tents across a lot of camping trips, I’ve landed on 13 qualities that actually matter when you’re choosing one. They’re in rough order of how much difference each one made to me.

Part 1 of 13

1. Ease of set up

The single most important one. I time every tent twice: popping open on its own, and fully set up with every stake and guyline in.

Pop up tent	Pops open in	Full set up	Pack up	Full pack up
Coleman 2-Person Pop Up Tent	0.25 min	1.5 min	1 min	1.75 min
Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent	0.25 min	1.5 min	1.25 min	2 min
Quechua 2 Seconds 2-Person Tent	0.5 min	2.5 min	2 min	2.5 min
Fresh & Black 2-Person Tent	1 min	3 min	2.5 min	3 min
Fresh & Black 3-Person Tent	1 min	3.5 min	3 min	3.5 min
Teton 1-Person Vista Quick Tent	1.25 min	2.75 min	2 min	2.5 min
Teton 2-Person Vista Quick Tent	2 min	3.5 min	2.5 min	3 min

Five things drive those numbers, and they all pull the same way: more stake loops, more guylines, a more guided set up, a rainfly that isn’t pre-attached, and more vents to guy out all add time.

Part 2 of 13

2. Ease of pack up

Generally the longer the set up, the longer the pack up, and the same five factors apply. The Coleman tents pack away quickest because they have the fewest features.

But quickest isn’t the same as easiest. The Coleman pack up is the least guided, and I had to practice about 5 times before I got it. The Quechua tents are more guided, with color-coded red and yellow buckles and straps, and I had that one after a single practice run.

Part 3 of 13

3. Ease of cleaning

The most overlooked quality of the lot. Because the poles never come out, a pop up tent keeps its dome shape permanently, so you can’t fold it over to get at the base.

My adviceThe Teton Vista Quick Tents are the huge exception. Even with the poles attached I can lay the body flat on the ground, which makes wiping it down easy and takes up far less space while it dries.

Part 4 of 13

4. Capacity

Manufacturers assume everyone sleeps shoulder to shoulder with no gaps. I find that far too close for comfort, so I recommend going 2 capacities up from your group size.

Camping with my partner, the two of us were perfectly comfortable in the Coleman 4-Person, with room for an almost queen-sized mattress and gear left over.

If you need biggerPop up tents don’t come in 8 or 10-person sizes. For an easy set up at that capacity, look for the instant mechanism rather than the pop up one.

Part 5 of 13

5. Vestibule

A vestibule lets you leave gear outside the sleeping area but still under cover. I use mine for footwear, always, because shoes never come into the tent with me.

Only my Teton Vista Quick Tents have them. I measured both:

• Teton 1-Person1 vestibule, 12 in wide, giving 3.3 sq ft of extra space.
• Teton 2-Person2 vestibules, 15 in wide, giving 8.6 sq ft.

Part 6 of 13

6. Removable rainfly

Tents with removable rainflies ventilate better, and that matters more than it sounds. If the fly is fixed and the tent is short on vents, condensation forms overnight once you seal everything up.

That happened to me in the regular Quechua 2 Seconds. Stuffy all night, and a few drops of condensation on the roof in the morning. It was the only one of my seven that had any condensation at all during my overnight test.

So as a general rule I prefer a removable fly. You get ventilation and breathability, less chance of condensation, and you can stargaze at night. My Teton Quick Tents come off completely, and about two-thirds of what’s underneath is mesh.

Part 7 of 13

7. Number of doors

Pop up tents are small, so one door is the norm. My Teton 2-Person Vista Quick Tent has 2, one on each long side, and it’s a big part of why I love that tent.

• Cross ventilationAir actually moves through, instead of sitting still.
• Nobody climbs over anybodyTwo people, two doors.

Part 8 of 13

8. Rain protection

Waterproofing varies a lot. If rain is your worry, I’d point you at the 2 Seconds tents from Decathlon, which are the most waterproof of everything I own.

Decathlon lab-test every tent under 200 L/hour for 3 hours, plus field testing. I ran the regular 2 Seconds through 3 days of afternoon thunderstorms, about 3 hours of rain a day, and it stayed dry apart from a few drops at one back corner seam where the factory tape had degraded with age.

• Rainfly coverageMore coverage, more protection.
• Bathtub flooringKeeps standing water out from underneath.
• Hydrostatic headA higher mm rating generally means better rain protection.
• Taped seamsMore taped seams, fewer places to leak.

Part 9 of 13

9. Wind protection

Same story, different weather. Four things to look at:

• GuylinesMore guy-out points, better anchoring.
• Stake loopsMore chances to pin the base down.
• Pole thicknessThicker poles bend and flex less.
• Wind testedBrands that publish a tested figure tend to build better tents.

The Quechua 2 Seconds wins again here. Each one is tested in wind speeds up to 30 mph, and it has the most guy-out points of anything I own: 7, four at the front and three at the back.

Part 10 of 13

10. UV protection

For sun, look for blackout fabric. My Fresh & Black tents have it, and it does four things at once:

• Blocks daylightA significant amount of it, during the day.
• Darker at nightNoticeably.
• UV protectionSPF 50+.
• Cooler insideThan the same tent without the blackout treatment.

I didn’t buy the blackout version of the Coleman, though it exists now and I’d recommend it. Coleman call theirs dark room technology.

Part 11 of 13

11. Packed size

Most pop up tents pack into a circle, which is awkward at home and worse in a car trunk. A few pack rectangular, and that’s what I look for now.

Bear in mind that any pop up tent packs bigger than the same tent with a traditional set up, by roughly 40% to 50%. That’s the price of the pre-attached poles.

Part 12 of 13

12. Budget

Cheap pop up tents run $50 to $100, sometimes less. Better ones sit a little past $100, and that’s where I’d spend.

Pop up tent	Price I paid
Coleman 2-Person Pop Up Tent	$55
Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent	$80
Quechua 2 Seconds 2-Person Tent	$90
Fresh & Black 2-Person Tent	$100
Fresh & Black 3-Person Tent	$130
Teton 1-Person Vista Quick Tent	$85
Teton 2-Person Vista Quick Tent	$120

Part 13 of 13

13. Type

One last note. Not every pop up tent is a camping tent, and everything above assumes you want one you can sleep in.

• BeachLess durable and less water resistant.
• PrivacyFor changing or as a camp bathroom. Vertical and rectangular rather than dome shaped.
• CanopyFor events and parties, not for sleeping under.

The short version

Cheat sheet

If you…	Get	Because
Want the cheapest that works	Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent	$80, up in 1.5 minutes, fits a queen bed.
Camp in rain or wind	Quechua 2 Seconds Fresh & Black 3-Person	Tested to 30 mph, 7 guy-out points, SPF 50+ blackout.
Want the best one overall	Teton 2-Person Vista Quick Tent	2 doors, 2 vestibules, removable fly, lays flat to clean.
Camp solo and want light	Teton 1-Person Vista Quick Tent	$85, rectangular pack, 3.3 sq ft vestibule.

Common questions

Choosing a pop up tent: FAQs

What should I look for in a pop up tent?

Ease of set up, pack up and cleaning first. Then capacity, a vestibule, a removable rainfly, the number of doors, rain, wind and UV protection, packed size, budget and type.

How much does a pop up tent cost?

Inexpensive ones run $50 to $100, sometimes less. Higher quality ones go a little past $100. I paid between $55 and $130 for mine.

Where can I buy a pop up tent?

Mostly Amazon, Walmart and Decathlon. They aren’t top-of-the-line gear, so you won’t generally find them at REI, Backcountry or Moosejaw.

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Every measurement, timing and price here is from my own tents, bought with my own money. Nothing on this page is sponsored.