Buying the best tent to match your camping style is about more than just finding a piece of canvas that will keep the sun and rain off your face. The ideal tent needs to be based on the number of people you need to sleep, the type of campsites you like to stay at, and has enough space to keep all your camping essentials safely.  

If you need enough room for yourself on a hunting trip, then a swag or a small dome tent might suffice. If you’ve got three kids, you might need a 10-person family tent or a bell tent just to hold you all and keep the peace.

Tent Materials

The material your tent is made out of is a top factor in finding the best tent for your money. This includes not just what the walls and ceiling are made of, but also the floor.

Polyester tents tend to be a little more affordable, but they can be prone to rips, tears, and punctures. So, it won’t hurt to spend a little more on a tent made from Ripstop polyester. This material tends to be very breathable, and not ideal for camping in cold weather.

Nylon is more durable and a little more expensive than polyester. It can be prone to catastrophic tears, so a Ripstop nylon tent will have a longer lifespan. Nylon is slightly better at holding in heat and blocking out morning light than polyester.

Canvas is durable and less prone to ripping than other tent materials. It also does a good job of holding in heat and retaining cool temperatures, while still being breathable. It also does a decent job of blocking out the morning light. The drawbacks of canvas tents are that they tend to weigh more and are more expensive. Prolonged heavy rain can gradually start to saturate the material. Once it does, it takes a long time to dry the tent out. You can reduce this problem by spraying aftermarket waterproofing treatment on the tent.  

PVC is a very durable, and highly waterproof tent material. Most have a fabric material on the interior side, adding to their impressive rip resistance. The problem is that PVC tents tend to be heavy to pack and cumbersome to set up. These tents often need the support of rigid poles, which further adds to the weight.

Tent Pole Types

The type and material of the tent poles will also play a critical factor in weight and support. It can also be a factor in how well the tent stands up to strong winds and heavy rain.

Fiberglass tent poles are the most common and flexible support poles you find in modern tents. They’re light, inexpensive, and engineered to bend but not break. They hold up fine in moderate weather, but a strong storm can flatten a tent with fiberglass poles. If a pole breaks, it’s ruined, and depending on the manufacturer, finding a replacement can be challenging.

Aluminum tent poles are also lightweight, yet more rigid and harder to damage than fiberglass.  They tend to cost more, and over time the ends of aluminum tent poles can break down where they link with the tent base.

Steel tent poles are rigid, strong, and very heavy. You only find them in large family tents, and canvas tents that aren’t intended for hike-in bush campsites. Tents supported by steel poles offer superior resistance to strong winds, which is a bonus. However, you also pay a premium price for steel tent poles.

Carbon fiber tent poles offer a nice blend of strength and lightness. They’re relatively new technology, which you don’t find in a lot of tents, and they usually come at a higher price.

Tent Types & Shapes

Different tent types and shapes can sleep more people and hold more camping gear than others. Some simple tents like dome tents and swags are quick to set up, and light enough to pack with you bush camping. Whereas bigger 10-person tents and bell tents hold a lot of people and camping gear but are meant more for drive-up car camping in caravan parks.

Dome Tent

Dome tents come in a wide range of sizes, though most are meant to sleep 6 people or fewer. They are usually made from polyester or nylon with lightweight fiberglass poles for support, which makes them a good option for hiking tents and bush camping. A lot of dome tents let you use the rain fly as a full-cover roof. Then you can use accessory poles to create an awning or vestibule in nice weather. With minimal headroom, a dome tent isn’t the ideal place to hide out on a rainy day.

Pop-Up Tents

Pop-up tents are a form of dome tent where the lightweight fiberglass poles and the tent fabric are integrated. The tent can be folded or coiled into a small package for easy storage. It then sets up in seconds, springing to life as you release it from the pack.

Pop-up tents tend to be very lightweight and meant only to be a sleeping shelter. They’re a popular choice with spot-and-stalk hunters and hikers who like to go camping in the bush.

The thin poles in low-quality pop-up tents are prone to premature failure. So, if you want to use a pop-up tent for a long time to come, you need to be willing to pay more for a high-end unit.

A-Frame Tent

A-frame tents offer a lot of headroom right at the peak. They tend to be very easy to set up and are usually light enough for hike-in campsites. Materials and pole types can vary. If you want to use it as a hiking tent, I’d recommend sticking to models that use aluminum or fiberglass poles with a ripstop polyester or nylon fabric.

Swags

Swags are essentially a tent and sleeping accommodation in one. They’re easy to set up and you can take them just about anywhere. However, even a large free-standing double swag can be a little tight for two people, and downright claustrophobic if you need to stay inside on a rainy day.

For more information on swags, check out our articles:

Multi-Room Tent

Multi-room tents are usually 6-person, or 10-person tents with hanging wall dividers to give everyone the feeling of having their own space. These are family tents that have a lot in common with dome tents but are typically larger and taller.

Since they’re so large, and weigh so much, a lot of manufacturers save weight with fiberglass poles. Unfortunately, this flexible structure and the massive walls of most family tents make them vulnerable to collapsing in strong winds.

Geodesic Tents

Geodesic tents are like dome tents that take intersection support poles to a whole new level. This gives these lightweight tents the added support to withstand strong winds, heavy rain, and even a fair amount of snow load. They’re a great option for hike-in bush camping enthusiasts and hunters.

Most geodesic tent makers claim their model is super-easy to set up. Unfortunately, a lot of them can be complicated to put up on your own, and the prices can vary for just a modest-sized tent.

Stretcher Tents

As the name implies a stretcher tent is a typical tent elevated off the ground by a stretcher or reinforced cot structure. It’s a great way to get your tent off the ground if you’re worried about snakes and insects.

Some stretcher tents have a swag, a dome, or a geodesic tent integrated with them. Others are just reinforced stretchers with the size and weight rating designed to handle a wide range of small tents. 

Tunnel Tent

Tunnel tents offer the easy setup of a dome tent with the massive size of a multi-room family tent. They’re light for their size as they’re essentially a series of very long fiberglass poles holding up a massively long sleeve of ripstop polyester or nylon fabric.

The challenge with tunnel tents is that they rely on a series of guy ropes to keep them standing. You need soil that can hold all the stakes with confidence. Even then a strong windstorm can sometimes manage to blow a tunnel tent flat.

Bell Tent

A bell tent is less than a yurt and more than a pole tent. They’re often made from heavy canvas and have a robust central pole that gives the tent a high central peak for optimum water shedding. Some even give you the option of mounting a chimney for a wood stove.

Bell tents have sidewalls like a yurt, but they’re not insulated. Yet lacks the lattice support structure. All this gives it superior internal space for a full-size bed and all the creature comforts people associate with “Glamping.”

Instant Tent

Instant tents, or inflatable pop-up tents use compressed air inside inflatable beam structures to support the body of the tent. They set up in minutes without you having to mess with poles and other structural components.

There’s a real concern with leaks in one or more of the air beams. They can leak at the seams, due to a puncture or even in a crease that develops from sitting too long in storage. So, it helps to prioritize an instant/inflatable tent with reinforced PVC or thermoplastic urethane air beams.

Wrapping up

The best tent for you is going to depend on where and how you like to go camping, as well as the number of people you need to sleep. If you have a large family with a lot of camping equipment, then a large multi-room tent like the Coleman Weather Master 10 Person tent might make sense.

If you just need a place to sleep that sets up quick at the end of a long hiking or hunting trip, then a swag or a single person stretcher tent like the Oztent Bunker Pro might be the best tent to meet your needs. They’re small, lightweight, and durable enough to last for years.

If your camping style is more like “Glamping” then you might want a spacious bell tent like the Happybuy Canvas Bell Tent or a high-end inflatable instant tent like the Umbalir Inflatable Glamping Tent with Pump. Both have plenty of room to sleep a family and can hold all the camping essentials you need to live the good life in the bush.

Happy camping!