How to Choose a Waterproof Tent (9 Tips, REAL Pictures!)

“How do I choose a waterproof tent? What should I look for?” Those were my questions when I got back into car camping 4 years ago. Thirty-plus tents later, this is the answer: six features that decide it, and three that are only good to have.

Part 1 of 10

Brand

My adviceThe single most useful thing I can tell you: buy a higher-end tent from a reputable brand. Everything below is easier when you start there.

Those three are not waterproof out of the box, though you can do the prep work yourself. Detail on both: how waterproof Coleman tents are and are Ozark Trail tents waterproof. And if you would rather skip straight to the shortlist, these are the 5 waterproof tents I bought and ranked.

Part 2 of 10

Rainfly length

You want a full-coverage rainfly, not a partial one. My REI Base Camp 6 is my only family tent with a full-length fly, and in my heavy rain test the water dripped off the fly straight onto the ground without touching much of the inner tent. After an hour of really heavy rain there was not a single drop inside.

Worth knowingFull-length flies stop just short of the ground — that small gap at the bottom is deliberate, for ventilation.

Part 3 of 10

Vestibules

Somewhere to dump wet, dirty gear that is not the bit you sleep in. The best I have seen is on The North Face Wawona 6 — a single front vestibule at a whopping 51 square feet, which fits two big camping chairs and a full camping table at once.

Peak height in there is 74 inches and the lowest point is still 65 inches, so at 5’3 I can stand up anywhere in it.

0 of 18budget tents I tested had a vestibule at all

That is 18 tents from Coleman, Core Equipment and Ozark Trail. They are plain dome or cabin tents: inner area, no sheltered outer area. Another point for buying a good brand.

Part 4 of 10

Vents

You want vents you can open and shut from inside the tent. Without ventilation you get condensation, and a tent streaming with condensation is nearly as miserable as a leaking one. Not all of my waterproof tents manage it.

• REI Base Camp 6The best I have used. 4 vents, all operable from inside — 2 roof and 2 floor, which gives a chimney effect: hot air out the top, cool air in at the bottom. I never had a condensation problem in it.
• Teton Mountain Ultra 24 vents, but only 2 are usable. The 2 rainfly vents at the top are out of reach from inside and their angle lets water in, so I keep them shut when rain is coming. The 2 vestibule vents I can work from inside.
• The North Face Wawona 64 vents — 2 side window vents and 2 smaller ones near the windows. None reachable from inside, which TNF could fix. No leaking from any of them though, even after 3 days of heavy rain and strong wind.

Part 5 of 10

Door design

Overlooked, and it matters. When it is pouring and you dive back into the tent, you do not want everything sitting on the roof to slide off through the open door.

My higher-end tents solve it two ways. The Base Camp and Wawona have vestibules that shelter you completely while you unzip the inner door. My REI Wonderland 6 has no vestibules — they were an extra I was too broke to pay for — but it has door awnings that throw the water off to the sides instead.

Part 6 of 10

Taped seams

On The North Face and REI Co-op tents, every seam without rainfly protection is thoroughly taped. You can see it: a strip of plastic-like tape over the seam.

Budget tents use inverted seams instead — the fabric is stitched then folded inward, so the seam only shows inside. They claim that improves waterproofing. I have not found that to be true: inverted seams never last long in heavy rain, and taped seams are the way to go.

Worth knowingTaped seams on a budget brand — ahem, Ozark Trail — and their waterproofing generally do not last as long either. Seam sealing is something you can do yourself, though.

My adviceThat is the end of the features I think a waterproof tent genuinely needs. Everything from here is good to have, not essential.

Part 7 of 10

Hydrostatic head rating

Polyester and nylon are not waterproof on their own, so they get coated — polyurethane on polyester, silicone on nylon. Thicker coating, more waterproof, and the hydrostatic head test puts a number on it in millimetres. There is a whole article on hydrostatic head ratings if you want the full thing.

The reference pointMost waterproof tents rate at least 1,000mm. Below that it is water-resistant, not waterproof.

My Wawona 6 rates 1,200mm on the rainfly and body and 1,500mm on the floor — floors always run higher because they take the weight of the campers. After 3 straight days of heavy rain the back wall was damp and the floor had not leaked at all.

Brand	HH rating	Heavy rain
Ozark Trail	None	0 minutes
Coleman	450mm	30–60 minutes
Core Equipment	600mm	30–60 minutes
The North Face	1,200mm	3 days

But plenty of waterproof tents publish no rating at all. Neither my REI Base Camp nor my Wonderland 6 has one, and both are exceptionally waterproof. Canvas tents are rarely tested for it either, since the material is naturally water-resistant and does not need a coating. Whatever the number, still run a groundsheet under the tent to protect the floor from sharp rocks and twigs.

Part 8 of 10

Bathtub floors

A tent has one when the floor material extends up the sides of the walls, usually 5 to 15 inches. If water pools around the tent and stays below that line, nothing gets in. Full detail in my article on bathtub floors.

Not necessary though, as long as the seam taping is thorough. During my 3-day rain test one corner of the Wawona sat in 2 inches of standing water and nothing got in — because the taping around the corners is exceptionally good.

Part 9 of 10

Storm flaps

An extra lip of fabric sewn over the zipper tracks — also called rain flaps or rain covers. The reason this is last on the list: every tent I have tested has them, so there is nothing to check.

Part 10 of 10

Size, and the two I would buy

One thing that applies to every tent, not just waterproof ones: capacity. The rule of thumb is to knock 2 off the stated number, so a 6-to-12-person family tent really sleeps 4 to 10.

The North Face Wawona 6

I would put no more than 4 campers in it — 2 on each queen bed — even though 6 single sleeping bags technically fit.

It is easily my best overall waterproof tent: that huge vestibule, thorough seam taping and a strong waterproof coating. It also has 11 guy lines and DAC MX aluminium poles, and stood up to 40–50mph winds. A champ in rain and wind both. Check the best price on Amazon.

Teton Mountain Ultra 1–4

A really good inexpensive option, in capacities from 1 to 4 people. I prefer my 2-person over my 1-person: it fits 2 campers on one queen bed with far more room, and has 2 vestibules, 2 doors (the 1P has one), good vestibule vents, solid seam taping and a full-length rainfly. The mesh panels also make it great for stargazing on hot nights. Check the price on Amazon.

These two are not the only waterproof tents I have tested. The other three are the REI Base Camp 6, the REI Wonderland 6 and the Quechua 2 Seconds Fresh and Black 2/3.

Quick questions

FAQ

What is the most important thing in a waterproof tent?

The brand. The North Face, REI Co-op, Big Agnes, MSR and Nemo make waterproof tents; Ozark Trail, Coleman and Core Equipment do not, out of the box.

Do I need a high hydrostatic head rating?

At least 1,000mm if the tent publishes one. Plenty of genuinely waterproof tents publish nothing at all — neither my REI Base Camp nor my Wonderland 6 has a rating.

How many people actually fit in a family tent?

Take the stated capacity and subtract 2. I would sleep 4 in my 6-person Wawona, on 2 queen beds.

Keep going

Where to next

I bought every tent on this page myself. Every measurement, timing and photo is from my own testing.