Best 3 Person Camping Tents

Here is our selection of the best 3-person camping tents in various styles and genuinely unique features from the best-known brands in the outdoor industry.

When at the campsite, you benefit from the extra space you get from a 3-person camping tent. The extra floor area makes life easier and more comfortable than a 2-person tent. Most of the time, when camping, storage is a secondary priority, as your car is often nearby. However, a backpacking 3-person tent is a much better option if you are trekking into the wilderness or traveling light.

We have highlighted some lightweight three-person tents below that blur the lines between camping and backpacking tents. Therefore, you may find something that will suit your specific needs.

Our list of best camping tents for 3 people

The 3 person camping tents in the list are ordered by the total area, including the inner floored space and the area under the porch or vestibules if the tent has any.

We have done our best to include various styles and types of 3 person camping tents. This is to highlight the advantages each type has in certain circumstances, such as dome tents, cabin tents, and tunnel tents.

1. KAZOO Family Camping Tent 3-Person Saturn

The KAZOO Family Camping Tent, 3 Person Saturn, is one from the series of 3 tents; the other tents are Saturn 4 and Saturn 6. When you see its features, you will realize why we have included it in our list, although its floor area is relatively modest. 

The base is 7.8 x 7.8 ft (2 x 2 m), so the floor area is only  4 square meters. This is all you have here; there are no vestibules.

But it comes with a pair of extra poles to create the awning shown in the picture. This extends the useful and covered area a lot, so you can use it for sitting and cooking whenever the sky is clear.

Best Seller

Pros:

• Incredibly quick to setup.
• Full-coverage flysheet for lots of protection.
• Windows for ventilation and checking the weather.
• Pre-attached extendable aluminum poles.
• Very good price.
• Additional awning for sitting outside.

Cons:

• Quite a small area.

Available from:

AMAZON

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But this is a cabin-style instant setup tent. Kazoo says it takes about 5 seconds to set up, which clearly makes no sense. But you can indeed have this tent ready in a minute or two. The frame is a combination of aluminum and fiberglass poles, which are pre-attached to the tent, so you just need to extend its telescopic poles, and it is almost ready

You have a full-coverage flysheet for complete protection from the elements. This makes it unique among instant tents. These tents usually only come with a partial coverage flysheet. Note that you also have windows on the fly, and the steep walls give you plenty of volume inside.

The tent is fully freestanding, but you have stakes to secure it properly. There are 2 doors, the total height is 53 inches (135 cm), and the weight is 11.9 pounds (5.4 kg).

The inner tent fabric is B3 mesh and 190T breathable polyester. The fly is 190T ripstop polyester with a 3000 mm waterproof rating. The floor is 150D Oxford polyester. The packed size is 35 x 6.7 x 6.7 inches (89 x 17 x 17 cm).

2. Coleman 3-Person Connectable Tent

The Coleman 3-Person Connectable Tent is a very unique cabin-style freestanding tent. It can be used as it is, as a 3-person camping tent, but you can also combine it with its bigger 6-person cousin. In fact, you can connect several of these 3-person tents with a core 6-person tent. So this is an excellent option for larger families with kids, as you can expand your tent village.

Best Seller

Pros:

• Unique construction.
• Connectable design to create a small village.
• Well-priced.
• Well-ventilated for warm nights and comfort
• Easy to set up
• The 2 doors add convenience

Cons:

• It’s quite heavy

Available from:

AMAZON

If you click this link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

The tent is very easy to use because of its Fast Pitch system. This implies that roof poles are shock-corded and pre-attached to the top hub element. The tent has 2 doors and 2 separate windows, but the doors also have mesh windows paired with panels for privacy and protection. Small external brims over both doors are created by short poles, so you can enter the tent without getting all your stuff wet.

We like this tent’s height at 57.6 inches (146 cm). The steep walls also add to the headroom. Here are a few more numbers that you will want to know:

• Weight: 15 lb (6.8 kg).
• Dimensions: 8 x 6 ft (244 x 183 cm).
• Area: 48 ft² (4.46 m²).

3. Coleman Tent OctaGo

The Coleman Tent OctaGo 3-Man Tent is a freestanding cabin-style structure with an octagonal base. The walls are steep, so you have plenty of shoulder space. The peak height is moderate, 57.87 inches (1.47 m).

One of the excellent features of this tent is its full-coverage flysheet with vertical zippers so you can open it as shown in the picture and have lovely views around you. There is only one door, but there are 8 windows, making it light and breezy when you want it.

Best Seller

Pros:

• Full coverage flysheet.
• Many windows for light and ventilation.
• A strong steel frame structure.

Cons:

• No vents on the roof and on the floor.
• Heavy.

Available from:

AMAZON

If you click this link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

The strong steel poles hold the 8 legs and roof poles. The design gives you a stable structure, even on the most blustery nights. The polyester fabric has a 2000 mm waterproof rating. The windows are with a No-see-um mesh, and all seams are taped. The floor is waterproof polyethylene.

The weight is 25.6 lb (11.6 kg), and the dimensions are 9.61 x 8.86 ft (2.93 x 2.7 m). The floor area is 64.6 ft² (6 m²), and the packed size is moderate, 25.6 x 7.87 x 7.87 inches (65 x 20 x 20 cm).

4. Crua Tri 3 Person Thermo Insulated Waterproof Family Tent

The Crua Tri 3-Person Tent has some truly incredible and unique features. It is here because, officially, this is a 3-person tent that offers a 68.5 ft² (6.36 m²) total covered area. The inner floored sleeping area is 19.5 ft² (4.6 m²), and the rest is a fully covered and protected vestibule or porch. The porch is large enough to use as a front room.

To continue with numbers, the tent weighs 48 lb (22 kg) and is pretty bulky. Its packed size is 33 x 24 x 19 inches (85 x 61 x 48 cm). The overall dimensions are 126 x 79 inches (318 x 200 cm) and 62 inches (160 cm) high. There are some excellent reasons for such weight and packed size.

Best Seller

Pros:

• Totally dark for a great night’s sleep (or a lie in).
• Great ventilation.
• Excellent sound insulation.
• Spacious enough for three people.
• Completely unique tent.
• Very durable & tough materials.

Cons:

• It’s expensive.
• It’s heavy and bulky.

Available from:

AMAZON

If you click this link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

This tent is a dark rest type that includes an inner insulated tent that acts as a thick cocoon within the shell tent. The inner cocoon gives it an R-value of 4. So when you close the tent, there is no light inside. This same cocoon gives it sound insulation as well. The inner cocoon tent is with two large internal windows with insulated flaps. Note that it is also on our list of extreme cold weather camping tents.

The outer fabric is a high-quality waterproof but breathable mixture of cotton and polyester, or polycotton, with a ratio of 80/20. The waterproof rating is 5000 mm. The picture above shows its solid windows as yet another exceptional detail; there are two of them here.

The tent is tunnel-type, supported by 4 loops. The loop poles are shock-corded strong aluminum, and you also have 2 shorter poles that support the inner cocoon.

The tent is well-ventilated, with three separate vents equipped with dual stiffeners and Velcro tabs. The one-layer mesh door is deep under the porch, so you can have it open or closed without much chance of rain getting in.

5. ALPS Mountaineering Backpacking Tents Acropolis 3 Person

The ALPS Mountaineering Backpacking Tents Acropolis 3-Person tent is an excellent example of a typical dome tent. This type of tent usually offers total protection, and they perform well in windy and harsh conditions. They also pack nicely and are light and compact for transportation, so you do not need a car.

The Acropolis is from a new series of this brand. There is also a 4-person version available. This version uses aluminum poles and a full-coverage flysheet. You have 2 doors and 2 vestibules for storage.

Best Seller

Pros:

• Small sized when packed.
• Lightweight for easy transportation.
• Full protection flysheet.
• Stong aluminum poles.

Cons:

• Not a lot of room inside.

Available from:

AMAZON

If you click this link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

The poles are solid and thick 7000 series aluminum with an 11 mm diameter. The fly fabric is also made from durable 75D 185T polyester with a 1500 mm waterproof rating. The bathtub floor is the same 75D 185T poly taffeta but with a 3000 mm coating. All seams are factory-sealed.

Other features include extra-large zippers on doors and vestibules, mesh storage pockets in the corners, and a gear loft. Here are some numbers. The tent has a floor area of 49.5 ft² (4.6 m²), and the two vestibules add 22 ft (2 m²). So the total protected space is 71.5 ft² (6.6 m²).

Note that the word Backpacking in the name is part of its official name, but the tent weighs 10 lb 4 oz (4.6 kg); therefore, this is not really a great backpacking tent. The peak height is 51 inches (130 cm), and the packed size is (L x D) excellent 24 x 6 inches (61 x 15 cm). You can transport it even on a bicycle.

6. Big Agnes Copper Hotel HV UL3 Tent

The Big Agnes Copper Hotel HV UL3 is far from an ordinary camping tent. In fact, it is much more than this. It is a dome tent with a huge porch and a smaller vestibule on the other side.

Best Seller

Pros:

• Incredible porch area.
• Great ventilation.
• Ultralight.
• Ultra-compact.

Cons:

• The price.

Available from:

AMAZON

If you click this link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

The huge porch and vestibule are fully covered and add 9 + 27 ft² (0.9 + 2.5 m²) of space. The inner tent floored area is 41 ft² (3.8 m²). So the total protected area is 77 ft² (7.2 m²). Now you realize why it deserves to be here; this is a lot of space.

We like how lightweight this tent is at 4 lb 9 oz (2.07 kg), putting it firmly in the category of ultralight backpacking tents. The downside is that this tent is only 43 inches (110 cm) high. But the packed size is excellent (Lx D), 21 x 5.5 inches (53 x 14 cm). The waterproof rating is 1200 mm, but this is a silicone-treated material. The poles are top-notch DAC Featherlite NFL, and one is added to support the porch.

7. Coleman Waterproof Tasman Unisex Outdoor Tunnel Tent 3 Person Plus

The Coleman Waterproof Tasman Unisex Outdoor Tunnel Tent 3 Person Plus. Has a bizarre name, as how can a tent be unisex, and surely all tents are to be used outdoors? But when you look past the name, you get a tremendous 3-person tunnel-shaped tent with a huge waterproof rating and lots of space.

So to start with numbers. You have a relatively modest inner tent room of 41 ft² (3.8 m²). But there is also a porch, or you can call it a vestibule or even a front room, that adds 45.2 ft² (4.2 m²). So the total protected space is enormous at 86 ft² (8 m²).

The front area is with a removable bathtub floor. You can roll it to the side when cooking or using camping chairs. The tent has 3 doors and solid windows. The tent has been on the market for many years, so it is a tried and tested option.

Best Seller

Pros:

• Great space for all inhabitants
• Solid windows.
• Great price.
• Great waterproof rating.

Cons:

• Fiberglass poles.
• Silly name

Available from:

AMAZON

If you click this link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

It is supported by three externally positioned loop poles. This allows for a dry setup. There are also several roof vents.

The inner tent is built of breathable fabric, and the door has a mesh section. The flysheet is made from polyester with a 3000 mm waterproof rating. The seams are taped for added protection from the elements.

This is a fire-retardant material, and it offers UV protection comparable to the UPF factor of 50+. The floor is highly waterproof polyethylene. The poles are fiberglass.

A few more numbers:

• Weight: 11.46 lb (5.2 kg).
• Dimensions: 14.44 x 6.56 ft (440 x 200 cm).
• Peak height: 61 in (155 cm).
• Packed size: 19.7 x 5.5 x 5.5 in (50 x 16 x 16 cm).

Final thoughts

You can see that some of these options are more than just camping tents, some with very different features. If you cannot decide what to choose, here are a few tips that may help.

Protection

This is the primary purpose of any tent, so choose a tent that corresponds to the climate and weather conditions where you plan to use it. If you camp in windy places with lots of rain, go for a low profile and aerodynamic configuration and a tent with a full-coverage flysheet. This means a dome or tunnel tent.

If you’re camping in extreme cold, you’ll benefit from an insulated tent. On the other hand, choose a pleasant cabin tent with windows and mesh openings for ventilation in warm and calm weather conditions.

Ease of use

There are significant differences here. You have seen some tents that are instant-type; most of the time, these tents are the easiest to use. However, some are heavy and bulky, built for maximum protection, which makes them less user-friendly.

Price

The price of your tent will depend on the type, the climate for which it is built, and its versatility. As with most things, you get what you pay for.

Related Articles

You might want to see also ourseparate list of the best 4 person car camping tents in a variety of styles and sizes. For something smaller see our list of best camping tents for 2 people.

Thank you for reading. There is a comment box below, so let me know if you have questions or comments.