10 Best Tents With Vestibules (2022 Updated)

The first time we used our Big Agnes Blacktail Hotel 3, we had a multi-inch downpour within 30 minutes of putting it up. Then it poured several times for hours over the next few days. The vestibule got wet but the tent inside stayed dry (be careful with the top vents being open during downpours though as you can get misting).

The edges of the vestibule got wet inside at the edges. it was raining so hard the splatters were going up a foot so a lot of this was splatter under the fly, or just flooding water flowing past the tent.

Negative, from my perspective it is huge, but we went from 2 person to a 3 person + large vestibule and small vestibule fly. The negative is it is harder for one person to put up and you need more space to set it up.

The large vestibule could likely fit a bike and while awkward during downpours due to the fly slopping the vestibule openings helped with entry exit to keep the main part of the tent dry. Having only used it once it is still odd to match all the tabs in the right place for the footprint and fly when erecting the tent due to the two different sized vestibules.

The tab color coding could be better. You also need to add a lot more tent stacks to tie down all the fly points than the tent comes with. That said I’d likely buy it again.

I love my 3-person Agnes. I am an avid kayak camper and so was looking for something smaller that would accommodate two adults and would fit in my kayak. This fits the bill really well. Pros: – feels airy and spacious inside – feels solidly built with nice poles and material – easy to get in and out through large doors – great pocket placement inside tent – good ventilation (no condensation at all!) and has additional vent poles that can be raised when you need more air – the bottom part of the screen tent has a darker coulour for privacy (i.

e. , if you sleep with the vestibule doors open, people can’t really see you)! – did awesome in fairly heavy rain – fits two regular-sized adults, a dog and some gear in the vestibules. Cons: – a bit heavier and bigger than I thought it would be, which would be an issue if I was backpacking – does not come with the drop sheet which needs to be bought separately (I am using a small tarp which works fine) – light colour of floor shows all dirt – does not fit my son who was 6’6 this summer (his feet and head touch when he lies down – he can sleep in tent alone if he lies diagonally) My elderly parents used it on a recent camping trip and are going out to get their own because they loved it so much.

I highly recommend.

This is like an expedition tent only for 3 seasons into late autumn. It’s very easy to pitch and is very roomy. I can use this even into October using my winter bag. I was able to have room to spare inside with my 2 person sleeping bag and backpack and clothing.

The vestibule is roomy and adds more living/gear space. I recently spent a week primitive camping and I had zero issues with the tent. A couple of days were cold and windy and with the tent staked out there was no giving with the wind whatsoever.

With the vestibule door and main interior door zipped I stayed warm and the interior of the tent was comfortable. One thing I found beneficial was the rear exit through the body of the tent and unzipping the back vestibule.

It actually has 3 doors altogether. I did use a ground cloth. I think 50 dollars for a footprint is a pretty steep. I bought an 8 dollar plastic drop cloth to use under it instead. I definitely recommend using a ground cloth in the front vestibule as well.

It keeps allot of debris out of the tent. This is heavy for backpacking. However, for car camping, it works great. Overall, I’m quite happy with this purchase. Big Agnes are very high quality products and you won’t throw good money after bad with any of their products.

I bought this based on the reviews that I found on YouTube and it was a very good purchase for me! Setting up and taking down the tent is very easy, even for just one person. The system of putting the tent up is quite easy and seamless and it only takes me less than 10 minutes to put it up.

The yellow/golden color of the rain fly is very attractive and it gets a lot of compliments, especially when they see the brand name! One really nice and convenient thing about the tent is that it has two entry way, which two persons can use either side so that they don’t have to clamber over the other when getting in our out.

The zippers work fairly well as they would snag at times, but not that frequent as long as you do it in a deliberate careful fashion. I also bought the matching ground foot print for it, which helps keeping the bottom of the tent cleaner and adds a tiny bit of cushioning from small imperfections of the ground.

During our first time using it, it got tested by heavy rain and strong winds. I made sure at the start to guy out the tent properly during set up. Aside from mud getting splattered inside one of the vestibules that was facing the direction of the wind, the inside of the tent was completely dry! A testament to the name brand perhaps! The only thing that made me return this product in exchange for something else is that I wanted a tent that I can stand in.

Otherwise, I would have kept this tent as it is that good!.

This has been my backpacking tent for a few excursions in the 2-3 night, 10-mile hike range, nothing too wild. It’s quick to set up (there are a couple quirks you’ll figure out after a few times) and take down and has plenty of space inside and enough but not too many pockets and loops.

Symmetrical so you don’t need to worry about which way goes where, you can always just flip around inside for whatever reason. I had tons of room for just myself (6′), could easily go smaller but at the same time I wouldn’t say it would be spacious for 2 unless you’re both small and pack light.

But we all know that already about any 2P tent. This tent is not the lightest or most compact by a long shot in this category. But it definitely lives up to its name. One of these trips we had a surprise storm, 12 hours of constant, serious rain.

I stayed as dry as a bone inside (except for my gear that was already soaked and wouldn’t dry in the humidity) listening to the rain for hours and hours, and later discovered due to my own setup the tent was lying on a puddle and never let a drop in.

So, I can vouch for its weather readiness and comfort, but if you’re trying to stay UL this isn’t the one for you. Casual 3-season backpacking in the NW, though, this is perfect for.

We just trialled this 2-person tent on a short backcountry excursion. Its not an ultralight tent by any means, but holy moly is it comfortable and spacious inside. Most of our other equipment is on the light side so I did not mind splurging in weight for the comfort factor of this tent.

Also, we were splitting weight between 2 ppl which is helpful. Although, I could probably take it solo as well. The weight solo would be comparable to our split weight items anyways. Like others have stated, a 2-way zipper would be awesome – but we didn’t have much inconvenience with the one-way.

The tent was super easy to set up. I set it up solo while my husband started on supper…it took me less than 5 min. We also had a rainstorm through the night and into the morning – the tent stayed dry and cozy, the vestibule areas also remained dry.

We had an extra tarp on one side entrance which did not make a difference on the dryness of the opposite vestibule entrance. There were 2 adults and one large dog. We had plenty of room. We definitely could’ve had all our pack items in the tent without the pup along or rearranged to have items inside even with the pup.

If you don’t mind the few extra pounds, this tent is a heck of a deal. It also includes the footprint (don’t understand why that’s not always included with higher priced tents). We love the tent so far 😊.

I wish I had read more reviews before purchasing. There’s a lot to love about this tent. It’s easy to put up and the pole design is great. It’s super spacious and, as a tall person, I really appreciate the head room and the ability to stretch out without touching the sides.

That said, there are two issues: one minor and one major: 1 (Minor): there is some slack in the tent, even if you stake it well, that makes opening and closing the doors one handed fairly difficult. 2 (Major): The single zipper design is a critical design flaw.

That alone forces me to rate this tent as a DO NOT BUY! Since there is only a single zipper you do not have the ability to adjust their location. As a result, with the rain fly on, you have to reach deep into the vestibule to unzip and you have to fully open the door to get in which causes water to enter the tent in the event that it’s raining.

I hate saying this since I really do think it’s a great purchase outside of those two issues, but I wish I could return this tent. And, if you’re reading this and think that a double sipper is no big deal, trust me, it is.

You will regret getting this one.

After researching various tents, the Marmot Limelight 3-Person Tent is what I decided to go with. My main concerns was the water resistance when it would rain. Living in the SouthEast we get some strange weather every so often and it go sideways quickly.

I have camped in this twice for a total of six days and it rained pretty hard on one of those days. That was my test to decide if we would keep this and it passed with no issues. Kept my family dry (wife, dog, and myself).

I checked all the stitching from the inside and the bottom corners and it kept all the water out without a drop inside. The gutter system along the zipper to open the vestibule works great! We had one weekend get low in 30 degrees Fahrenheit weather and yes it kept wind from hitting us.

It’s definitely cold but that’s not its purpose to keep you warm, just some protection. We had no condensation issues during both times we camped. Keep in mind we faced cold nights and some warm humid nights with rain and 60s temp.

The flaps it has for air circulation work well in my opinion. We do enjoy the roll up and tie in place feature of the vestibule as we like to keep some air circulation going throughout the day. Size is perfect for my wife, myself and our dog.

Don’t think we could fit another person comfortably with our dog (about 60lbs) at least to sleep in. If no dog on a trip, you can fit 3 people a little tight but nothing too bad. Definitely spacious for 3-4 people to sit in and play some cards or other games.

What else is there to say, easy to setup, functional, maybe better colors could be made? Overall, we love this tent and hope to use it for many years to come!.

I have a one person tent but wanted something to take car camping and backpacking with friends. It fits three people snugly and is light enough in weight that I can split it up between two people and backpack it out for only a couple oz more than my one person tent.

Set up is simple and fast. The poles are a bit to wrangle if you are setting it up alone compared to my one person tent but easier than any 2+ person tent I have ever set up. I really wanted a tent body that was all mesh on top for stargazing and this has been absolutely perfect for that.

I love that it comes with a ground cloth as opposed to needing to purchase separately. Guylines are bright so you do not trip on them. Most of the time I am pitching the tent without guylines and if I need them, I just use tent stakes from my one person tent + the blizzard stake I carry for cat holes, so for me this was not something to ~not~ buy the tent over.

The pre-bent poles made a big difference- I have yet to end up sleeping against the wall of the tent even on a larger air mattress. Plenty of pockets, hooks, and loops inside. The light diffuser pockets work with a headlamp or a phone.

I love stand alone tents for times when the ground is too tough. Recently took it to the Olympic mountains and was worried we would get wet since I could not get the rainfly taut in the gravelly campsite ground.

It rained all night and we woke up completely dry. I imagine in heavy rain you would want to make sure you have a taut set up, but I was impressed. I expect if I take good care of this tent- gentle with the poles rather than letting them snap together, etc I will be able to make a lot of memories with it! Not related to function- but this is also my dream color of a tent :,~) I much prefer to blend in than be bright orange.

I carry a bright sleeping bag if I need to signal my whereabouts.

Sturdy little tent and very easy set-up! I can get this all set up by myself in a few minutes. Very spacious for two people and two medium sized dogs. Three people with gear might be pushing the limits though.

My only concern was some slight leakage. Granted, this was a full blown thunderstorm in the Ozarks, I was still a little disappointed to see some water getting through. Even so, I’m still very impressed and would trust the tent for less intense trips.

If you’re goal is some pleasant camping with easy-setup then I would absolutely recommend.

I bought this tent for backpacking with my family a few years ago. Great straight-wall design maximizes the interior space as most tents slope in immediately from the floor. Our first use was a backpacking trip with my wife and twin 7 year old children, all four of us (head to toe) fit inside this tent.

One of the nights was gusting rain where 2 of the other 3 tents that were used during this trip failed to stay dry. The tent held up to the thunderstorms and kept all of our gear bone dry. In fact, a buddy of mine that went on this trip ordered this same tent after we got home after seeing how well mine held up.

As our family continues to grow, I say that this tent comfortably holds two adults, I’m 6′ 1″ at around 190lbs. I like to stow gear in the tent as well. The two large doors enabled easy entry and exit from either side, plenty of inside storage pockets to hold gear overnight.

Although some backpacking tents may be a little lighter, for the added benefit of trusting that your gear remains dry in wind blown rain is a good feeling. I’ve used this tent for all four seasons, including light snow and it seems to hold up great.

If you’re on the fence like I was, this tent will not steer you wrong.

This could be a good fun summer camping tent. However you would need to know 100% there will be not rain whatsoever. The tent leaks all over. the floor leaks. the awning captures water until it leaks inside the tent.

I sent my 17 yr old son with it camping up a 1 mile hike to the top of a 1 hr hike up Black Rock Mountain. temp dropped to 34* and started raining. EVERYTHING in his tent got soaked. This is a call you never want to get in the middle of the night.

So then I thought he may had set it up incorrect. 3 weeks later it turns out my 20 year old daughter went to the same site to camp by herself, called me to come up to be there when threat of thunder storms came in.

I took the same tent with me. Well, I made it up the mountain and set up just before the storm. Unfortunately the tent did the exact same thing. Leaked everywhere. I’m a seasoned hiker and camper. This tent was so disappointing.

Like I said if you can guarantee dry weather it’s a good 1 person tent. Never with water.

I have used this tent for both backpacking and car camping. It is SO easy to set up with two people and pretty easy for just one person. Typically, I’m using this with my partner and we sleep on a Klymit air mattress.

If the weather looks sketchy, we put our packs in the tent with us, which is why we got a 3 man tent. There is also a vestibule, and we like to put our shoes there but if you put your packs there it wouldn’t be easy to get up and out of the tent when it is dark.

The rainfly keeps the interior pretty cozy in cooler climates. My only critique is that the rainfly is either on our it is off. It would be nice to be able to have the option to open it to see the stars but still be able to easily cover the tent if you woke to rain, but I’ll forgive this awesome little workhorse of a tent.

The included stakes are really high quality, too.

Have taken this tent on two outings. One 1 trip it rained steadily for 8 hours to the point that puddles formed under the tent. The fly stayed dry but the floor began to wet through. I think we’d have been in trouble if it had rained longer.

I wouldn’t take this tent anywhere where my health or safety depended on it. Even in dry weather, there’s a good bit of condensation in the vestibules. Seems well made of good quality materials. Decent amount of space for 2 people.

Not luxurious but decent. Bit heavy for backpacking.

I’m very impressed with this tent. It’s the simple design that makes it stand out above most other tents. This is by far the biggest tent that I’ve ever used but since it’s a family tent the size is still well within what I would expect.

I believe the weight comes in right around 16 and a half pounds which does seem heavy but we are using this as a car camping and canoe camping tent so I can live with it. The closures are extremely smooth.

I love the big D closures on the tent body. The only thing that I would change as far as closures and entry points go is I do not care for the double zip flap on the one side of the fly. I would much rather have two D closures on the fly and move away from the idea that I’m going to bring trekking poles with me to set up an awning that really wouldn’t protect me from a whole lot.

My other only gripe is the amount of stakes given with the tent. So there’s four corners on the tent and then for each fly there’s two points to anchor. These all have stakes but in my opinion the two most important stakes that you could possibly put in this tent would be to stake out the side of the fly.

Staking out the side of the fly is critical because it will allow you to use the tent with minimal condensation. It seems to me that the choosing to save a few cents by not including stakes for the side fly Guy out points is a pretty bad decision.

So basically add two steaks and I think this would be the whole package deal. Other than that I’m super impressed, the floor is bomber, the pockets inside for lighting are awesome all the extra storage pockets inside were great.

My wife and I have three kids and the amount of pockets gives everyone a safe place for headlamps and phones or whatever else they might need. The vestibules are perfectly sized, they give us plenty of space for storage of shoes and gear and allow easy entry and exit.

The basic shape of the tent is perfect and allows us to use it in every spot that I had to so far. Many of the oddly shape tents and longer tents don’t fit on camping pads and that can be a real pain in the butt.

I currently own four tents all from different manufacturers and the quality and design of this tent is equal to if not better than my previous favorite solo and two person tents from Big Agnes and MSR.

Keep up the good work but next time don’t cut corners and add the two extra stakes!.

We bought this tent with the intent of taking our family (6 people, 4 kids) on a trip to Glacier National Park and several other state parks this year. It was a large tent and simple to set up, though we did buy heavier duty stakes to secure it into the ground.

Our whole family fit, including a pack ‘n’ play, with no issue. Storage space was incredible, as each corner had a pocket at the top, and there were pockets throughout the base of the tent for books, glasses, and flashlights.

The tent did not come with the awning poles, though, which was a minor inconvenience. More importantly, the rainfly did not perform well, as we dealt with water dripping in from above during our nights of rain.

The fly also did not function well over the vestibule/storage area, and could benefit from an additional staking loop in the middle, to keep water off of the wall and out of the tent. The biggest negative, however, is that the tent does not stand up to wind in the least.

At the end of our trip, the two main (not pre-bent) poles ended up bending to 90 degrees and one snapped, while every other pole has mild to significant bending. One of the velcro straps also tore away from the rainfly, rendering it useless.

We loved the space and storage in the tent, however the overall performance left us disappointed for the price. I would recommend this tent if you are certain that the weather is fair, but if there is a chance of rain or wind then something else will be more suitable.

We recently purchased this tent and took it out for a camping trip in the Olympics. There were frequent showers, but no sort of major rainfall for any significant amount of time. Maybe 5-10 minutes at best.

It probably lightly rained 50-60% of the day. After less than 36 hours the rain fly already started to give and it started raining inside the tent and woke me up at about 4AM. All the gear we had hung in the vestibule area also got soaked.

The way the vestibule is built also allows water to pool right above where the zipper is, and even with both sides of the vestibule staked out, every time you opened the door, water would pour on your head/back as you got in or out of the tent.

There were also not even enough stakes included to stake down all points of the tent, let alone guy lines. It’s appalling enough that for the price you don’t get a footprint included. There should at least be enough stakes to properly set the tent up without having to use your own or improvise a solution.

While the tent might be 63″ tall, the interior is closer to 58 or so. Standing was a no-go. On the plus sides, the tent was easy to put together. It was returned to REI the next day.

I live in my tent. I get the same design every time as it seems they upgrade the tent every year so far. It’s been soaked in snow, overheated in desert heat, and blown flat by high winds and it keeps standing.

WE have occasionally had to repair poles and I usually keep my tent for a full season of abuse before I replace it with a new one. I always keep replacement poles from previous tents for this reason.

The primary weakness of the tent is two: the tent needs a better bracing to keep the tent from drooping. If we had a tab to attach a pull line to in the center of the front and back we could steak down to increase tension that would help.

Otherwise the rain fly can droop and connect to the webbing and cause a little dripping. The other problem is the zipper. Once you accidentally get off the track just once, you often can’t use the zipper anymore.

a metal one would make all the difference. Other than that i just love the design!.

I bought this tent for my family of 5 to go camping. We are a Scout family so we camp often. At the time there wasn’t much to choose from. My 10 year old and I put this tent up first time with ease and it is spacious.

I wasn’t crazy about the entire top being mesh but the rain fly covers it so whatever. We used the tent a second time with no problem and both times the tent was taken down careful and stored on a shelf downstairs.

We just used it for the third time and the metal connection piece on one of the poles busted and ripped through the fabric it slides through. Luckily I was able to rig it so it would stay together and it didn’t rip the tent itself.

This time we took it down, balled it up, and trashed it. Three uses in 1 year for 90 bucks.

We bought this tent for hikinging. 2 adults 3 children. We did our first 6 day hike then had to put the tent in storage because of health reasons. After more than a year of recovery I was was able to have our 2nd hike.

We noticed that after only 2 multiday hikes the floor is not water proof even with ground sheet and the seam seals are falling apart. The velcro ties on the fly are falling off. The tent was dry stored at home so no reason for deterioration.

The supplier offered to fix or refund. I love the size, weight and ease of putting up but I won’t be recommending this tent. I will try another brand next time.

Over all this tent is ok. Two main complaints, the doors are just slack enough to prevent one handed unzipping and the rain fly Velcro vent props are sown in the wrong spot preventing an adequate opening slit.

I thought it was my initial set up that was causing the slack doors but after multiple re-adjustments of all tent stakes and rain fly tie down straps and ensuring all tent hooks were hooked onto the poles inside, the doors and surrounding wall were to slack to pull the door zipper one handed allowing it to fold on itself causing the material to get sucked in the zipper.

To ensure I never cut the screen material I have to use both hands to open the door. Also, it would have been nice to have the larger side of the vestibule to be at the head of the tent near the sloping up portion of the tent wall and allow the flap of the smaller side of the vestibule to be tied up into the fly so as to have a view outside while sitting in the tent.

I chose Marmot because of there reputation and to avoid some of these exact issues in cheaper tents. At this price point I think I would go with something else next time.

We bought both a Tungsten 4p for our 3 kids and a 2p for my husband and I to live in over the past month. These tents are a breeze to set up with great color coated poles and clips, and the fly cinches are easy and effective.

We have stayed dry through many downpours and appreciate the well designed vents on the fly. The 4 person Tungsten has a very spacious design- though I do wish it would fit two double size air mattresses; we have one double mattress and then two single backpacking mattresses in there.