16 Pros and Cons of Pop Up Tents (From 3 Years’ Experience!)
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Over the past 3 years (since 2019), I’ve bought, used, and thoroughly tested 7 different pop up tents. While these pop up tents have many pros, they also do have a number of cons. In this article, I go through everything I discovered from the past 3 years of experience with pop up tents.
- Pro 1: Pops Open in 15 Seconds
- Pro 2: Takes Less than 3.5 Minutes for the Full Set Up
- Pro 3: Poles are All Pre-Attached
- Pro 4: Rainfly is Pre-Attached
- Pro 5: Takes Less than 3.5 Minutes to Pack Up
- Pro 6: User-Friendly Tent for Beginners & Kids
- Pro 7: Suitable for Many Occasions
- Pro 8: Generally Affordable
- Con 1: Packing Up Can Take a Little Practice
- Con 2: Extremely Bulky When Packed
- Con 3: Not a Good Backpacking Option
- Con 4: Rainfly Not Always Removable
- Con 5: Not Available in Large Capacities
- Con 6: Not the Sturdiest in Wind
- Con 7: Poles are Thinner
- Con 8: Shorter Lifespan than Regular Tents
- Conclusion
Pro 1: Pops Open in 15 Seconds
Most pop up tents in the market pop open in 15 seconds, basically the moment you take them out of the carry case. A great example of this are the Coleman Pop Up Tents, which is the most common type of pop up tent.
To pop open the Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent, all I had to do was take it out of the carry bag, and remove the black strap across the tent, which holds the tent together:
Awesome stuff – Check out these 3 pictures, which happened within 5 seconds of each other.
Here’s a table showing how long each of my 7 pop up tents took to pop open, from the fastest to the slowest:
Pop Up Tent | Time to Pop Up |
---|---|
Coleman 2-Person Pop Up Tent | 0.25 minutes |
Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent | 0.25 minutes |
Quechua 2 Seconds 2-Person Tent | 0.5 minutes |
Fresh and Black 2-Person Tent | 1 minute |
Fresh and Black 3-Person Tent | 1 minute |
Teton Sports 1-Person Vista Quick Tent | 1.25 minutes |
Teton Sports 2-Person Vista Quick Tent | 2 minutes |
Of course, not all pop up tents pop up as quickly as my Coleman Pop Up Tents (15 seconds).
My Quechua 2 Seconds tents took anywhere between 30 seconds to 1 minute, because there were a few additional buckles that I had to deal with. My Teton Sports Quick Tents took the longest (1.25 to 2 minutes), because the rainfly did not come pre-attached, and I had to buckle it up myself.
Related Reading: Are Pop Up Tents Easy to Set Up and Fold Up?
Related Reading: How to Set Up a Pop Up Tent – 9 Steps
Pro 2: Takes Less than 3.5 Minutes for the Full Set Up
Every single one of my pop up tents took less than 3.5 minutes for the full set up, and this includes staking down every single stake loop, and guying out every single guyline, which is incredible.
Here’s the full set-up timing for all 7 of my pop up tents:
Pop Up Tent | Full Set Up Timing |
---|---|
Coleman 2-Person Pop Up Tent | 1.5 minutes |
Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent | 1.5 minutes |
Quechua 2 Seconds 2-Person Tent | 2.5 minutes |
Teton Sports 1-Person Vista Quick Tent | 2.75 minutes |
Fresh and Black 2-Person Tent | 3 minutes |
Teton Sports 2-Person Vista Quick Tent | 3.5 minutes |
Fresh and Black 3-Person Tent | 3.5 minutes |
My Coleman Pop Up Tents are the fastest to set up, at 1.5 minutes, because there are only 2 guylines, 1 at the right, and the other at the left. There are also 6 of these loops at the base of the tent, 3 at the right, and 3 at the left.
On the other hand, my Quechua 2 Seconds Fresh and Black 3-Person Tent took the longest to set up, coming in at 3.5 minutes. This is because there are a whopping 7 guy-out points for 7 guylines, and 2 large additional vents to stake down as well:
General Rule: Tents with more features take longer to set up. This is because the more guylines, stake loops, and vents there are, the longer the set-up time.
Pro 3: Poles are All Pre-Attached
The biggest reason why pop up tents are so easy to set up, is because all the poles of the pop up tents are fully pre-attached. There are no poles to thread through any pole sleeves.
- So, if you hate struggling with long poles and snaggy pole sleeves, pop up tents are one way to ease your pain.
- This also decreases your set up time from 5-10 minutes (regular tents) to 1-3 minutes (pop up tents).
The poles of pop up tents can be pre-attached in different ways. Some are pre-attached inside long pole sleeves, like the Coleman and Quechua tents:
Other pop up tents have pre-attached poles, which are not hidden inside long pole sleeves, but which are instead pre-attached with pole clips. A great example of this is my Teton Sports Vista Quick Tents:
Notice that black poles of the Teton Sports Quick Tent are fully visible, but are attached to the tent body with black pole clips. These come pre-attached for an easy set up.
Related Reading: Do Pop Up Tents Have Poles? (4 Answered Questions!)
Pro 4: Rainfly is Pre-Attached
Most of the popular pop up tents in the market come with pre-attached rainflies, in addition to pre-attached poles (from the previous point). A great example of this is not just the Coleman Pop Up Tents, but also the Quechua 2 Seconds Tents:
The rainfly of the Quechua 2 Seconds Fresh and Black Tent is the white outer covering. Notice that it was attached since I took it out of the carry bag (first picture above), and there’s no need for me to take the time to attach it while unfolding the tent (second picture above).
This really saves a lot of time and hassle. However, bear in mind that not all pop up tents have pre-attached rainflies, like my Teton Sports Vista Quick Tents. As such, these Quick Tents take an additional 1 minute or so to set up the rainfly.
Pro 5: Takes Less than 3.5 Minutes to Pack Up
Similar to the set up process, all pop up tents that I have take at most 3.5 minutes to pack up. As the poles and rainflies are pre-attached, there’s no need to take additional time to push the poles out of the pole sleeve, no need to pack it back into the pole carry bag, and no need to fold up the rainfly to fit the carry bag.
Here are the full pack up timings of all my pop up tents from the fastest to slowest:
Pop Up Tent | Full Pack Up Timing |
---|---|
Coleman 2-Person Pop Up Tent | 1.75 minutes |
Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent | 2 minutes |
Quechua 2 Seconds 2-Person Tent | 2.5 minutes |
Teton Sports 1-Person Vista Quick Tent | 2.5 minutes |
Teton Sports 2-Person Vista Quick Tent | 3 minutes |
Fresh and Black 2-Person Tent | 3 minutes |
Fresh and Black 3-Person Tent | 3.5 minutes |
Considering that all the pack up timings includes removing all the stakes from the stake loops, and un-staking the guylines, 1.75 to 3.5 minutes are pretty incredible timings.
Related Reading: How to Fold Up a Pop Up Tent – 9 Steps
Pro 6: User-Friendly Tent for Beginners & Kids
I would recommend pop up tents to beginner campers and kids who want a quick set up. There’s no need to fuss over long tangled poles, snaggy pole sleeves, and rainflies that are put on the wrong way (which need to be taken off and set up again). These can be really annoying, I know.
However, do bear in mind that some pop up tents can pop up in your face. The poles of the pop up tent are held together with just a single strap, and when released, all the tension of the poles in your face can really hurt.
To solve this problem, do always remember to toss the tent away the moment you release it from the strap or carry case:
Because this pop up action can be a little dangerous for kids, I recommend the Quechua 2 Seconds Tent for them instead. There’s no scary popping up action; instead, the set up is more gentle and more guided.
Pro 7: Suitable for Many Occasions
Pop up tents are wonderful for many occasions and events, such as:
- Backyard camping
- Living room camping
- Festivals
- Standing in line
Over the past couple of years (pandemic period), I’ve done a lot of backyard and living room camping, and personally love pop up tents for their ease of set up, as well as ease of take down:
They’re also great for festivals, queuing, standing in line, and other events, because you may need to move every few hours. Since pop up tents are easy to set up and easy to take down, they’re the perfect choice if you have to keep moving.
Also, all pop up tents are also freestanding, so you don’t have to stake them down or guy them out, which saves you a lot of time. This also gives you the option of picking them up easily, and shifting them to a new spot as easily as possible:
Related Reading: Can You Use Pop Up Tents for Camping? (6 Answered Questions!)
Related Reading: Can You Backpack with a Pop Up Tent?
Pro 8: Generally Affordable
Pop up tents are generally affordable, because they’re not made out of super expensive materials (along the lines of polyethylene, polyester, and fiberglass).
Most of the inexpensive pop up tents cost anywhere between $50 to $100, maybe even less than $50. Higher quality pop up tents will cost a little more than $100, and that’s what I would recommend.
Here’s roughly how much I paid for each of my 7 pop up tents, from the least expensive to most expensive (it’s been a while, so I’m trying to recall from memory):
Pop Up Tent | Price I Paid | Check Price |
---|---|---|
Coleman 2-Person Pop Up Tent | $55 | Check Amazon |
Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent | $80 | Check Amazon |
Teton Sports 1-Person Vista Quick Tent | $85 | Check Amazon |
Quechua 2 Seconds 2-Person Tent | $90 | Check Decathlon |
Fresh and Black 2-Person Tent | $100 | Check Decathlon |
Teton Sports 2-Person Vista Quick Tent | $120 | Check Amazon |
Fresh and Black 3-Person Tent | $130 | Check Decathlon |
Of course, you get what you pay for. I found the Coleman Pop Up Tents a little lower quality, but also less expensive. On the other hand, the Teton Sports and Quechua tents are higher quality, but more expensive at the same time.
Related Reading: Are Pop Up Tents Worth it? And, Should You Buy One?
Related Reading: How Long do Pop Up Tents Last?
Con 1: Packing Up Can Take a Little Practice
Not all pop up tents pack up the same way. My higher quality pop up tents (Quechua 2 Seconds and Teton Sports) have a much more guided pack up, while more affordable pop up tents (Coleman) don’t have as much of a guided pack up.
These less expensive and slightly lower quality pop up tents require you to struggle against the pole tension when packing up. The problem with this is that the first few times you pack up, you might lose your grip on the tent, and the tent will spring or pop back up again. (It can be quite frustrating, I know.)
For my Coleman Pop Up Tents, I had to practise taking down the tent maybe around 5 times before I finally got the hang of it. And because I had to use my knee to hold the poles down so that they won’t pop up again, I actually had some bruising on my knee.
But don’t worry, after you get the hang of it, packing up gets pretty easy.
Con 2: Extremely Bulky When Packed
One of the biggest problems with pop up tents are their massive packed size. They are extremely bulky when packed up. Unlike regular tents, where you can take out the poles and disassemble them, pop up tents have to be packed up with their poles attached. And there’s a limit to how much you can bend the poles, which give them their massive packed size.
On top of that, most pop up tents pack up in huge circular shapes (unlike my Teton Sports Vista Quick Tent in the picture above, which has a rectangular packed size). These huge circular packed sizes make it awkward for storing at home, and may not even fit into the boot of a small car.
Check out how big the Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent looks like when it’s packed up, versus a packed up tent with a more traditional set up:
Con 3: Not a Good Backpacking Option
Pop up tents do not make good backpacking tents because of their humongous packed sizes. Most of them are way too huge to be strapped to the outside of a backpack, let alone be packed inside a backpack.
Check out this picture below: My Coleman 2-Person Pop Up Tent is bigger than my backpack, in not just length, but also in width! It can’t fit inside, nor can it be strapped outside.
You might be able to go on short backpacking trips with a Teton Sports Vista Quick Tent, by strapping it to the outside of your backpack. But honestly, I highly recommend just getting a backpacking tent or even a regular camping tent which can fit into your backpack.
Con 4: Rainfly Not Always Removable
Earlier, in the “Pros” section, we talked about pop up tents having pre-attached rainflies, which really help to cut down on the set up and pack up timings. The biggest problem with this is that the rainfly is not always removable. If you have a non-removable rainfly, and your pop up tent doesn’t have sufficient vents, this could lead to condensation problems.
This was the very problem that I encountered when using my regular Quechua 2 Seconds Tent (not the Fresh and Black version).
The rainfly is full coverage, and extremely difficult to remove (basically, non-removable). It also has no vents, apart from a tiny rear vent (that I doubt helped at all).
So, whenever I sleep inside this Quechua 2 Seconds tent overnight, the air would always feel a little more stale and stuffy inside the tent, compared to the outside. Also, there would be a little condensation the next morning.
A great solution to this is to just purchase the Quechua 2 Seconds Fresh and Black Tent. This tent has 2 large vents at the 2 sides of the tent, which can be left open not only overnight for some ventilation, but also in the rain, for some rainy day ventilation. I had no issues with condensation in this tent.
Con 5: Not Available in Large Capacities
Another con that I noticed is that pop up tents usually aren’t available in large capacities. The largest pop up tent that I have is the Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent, which isn’t exactly a 4-person tent, but more of a 3+ person tent. I could fit only 3 sleeping pads inside the tent, not 4:
This is because tents with much larger capacities are going to be extremely difficult to fold down, due to you having to fight the tension of the poles.
Tip: If you need a quick set up tent in a much larger capacity, look for instant tents, instead of pop up tents.
Like pop up tents, instant tents also have pre-attached poles. However, unlike pop up tents, which pop open right out of the carry case, instant tents require you to prop the poles up, and telescope them. While it takes a little longer to set up instant tents than pop up tents, instant tents are available in much larger capacities.
Related Reading: How Big Are Pop Up Tents? (I Have 8 of Them, Here’s my Input)
Con 6: Not the Sturdiest in Wind
All 7 of my pop up tents are made with fiberglass poles. The reason pop up tents are usually made with fiberglass poles is that fiberglass is flexible, and this flexibility is needed when trying to pack up the pop up tents back into their carry cases.
The next 2 pictures show you exactly how much flexibility is needed in a Quechua 2 Seconds Tent with fiberglass poles. It really needs to be able to bend and twist in shape to pack up.
However, the problem with the flexibility of fiberglass poles is that it can bend and twist easily in really strong winds. So, no matter how many guy-out points your pop up tent has, because it’s made of fiberglass poles, it naturally won’t be able to take extremely strong winds.
Related Reading: Are Pop Up Tents Good in Wind?
Con 7: Poles are Thinner
Apart from the poles needing to be made out of fiberglass (the con before this), pop up tents also have poles that are naturally thinner. The thinner the fiberglass pole, the more flexibility it will allow.
Check out just how thin the fiberglass poles of my Coleman 2-Person Pop Up Tent are:
This allows me to fold and bend the fiberglass poles and the pop up tent back into the carry bag:
However, thin poles naturally won’t last as long as thicker poles, which brings me to my next con.
Related Reading: What Are Pop Up Tents Made Of?
Con 8: Shorter Lifespan than Regular Tents
Last but not least, pop up tents tend to have a shorter lifespan than regular tents. This is mainly because of these points:
- Pop up tents are made of fiberglass poles, and these poles are thin for added flexibility.
- Because of the need to have the tent pop up, there’s a lot of tension on the poles.
- If any of the poles break, you’d need to buy a new tent altogether. There are no replacement poles for pop up tents.
In contrast, while regular tents can also be made of fiberglass poles, the poles tend to be a bit thicker, not so much tension is put on the poles, and if your pole breaks, you can always request for a replacement pole from the company.
Related Reading: How Long do Pop Up Tents Last?
Related Reading: 13 Qualities for Choosing the Best Camping Pop Up Tent
Conclusion
However, fret not. Despite all the cons of a pop up tent, there are still many pros. If you’ve always wanted a pop up tent for the ease of set up and take down, I still highly recommend that you get one (especially if you’re a beginner camper, or your kids want one).
With the proper care (and of course, not abusing your pop up tent in inclement weather), your pop up tent should be able to last a few years of light usage, just like all my pop up tents.
To find out which pop up tent is the best for you, check out this blog post where I bought, tested and thoroughly compared 7 different pop up tents.
Pop Up Tent | Full Review | Check Price |
---|---|---|
Teton Sports 2-Person Vista Quick Tent | Read Review | Amazon, Moosejaw |
Teton Sports 1-Person Vista Quick Tent | Read Review | Amazon, Moosejaw |
Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent | Read Review | Amazon, Moosejaw |
Coleman 2-Person Pop Up Tent | Read Review | Amazon, Moosejaw |
Quechua 2 Seconds 2-Person Tent | Read Review | Decathlon |
Quechua 2 Seconds Fresh and Black 2-Person Tent | Read Review | Decathlon |
Quechua 2 Seconds Fresh and Black 3-Person Tent | Read Review | Decathlon |
All My Pop Up Tent Resources: