When camping, there are some things that you’re supposed to have if you want to experience the best comfort. One of such things is a quality 12 person camping tent.
There are different tent sizes available for various numbers of campers. Your tent selection would be based on whether you’re solo camping or camping with family and friends.
With a tent that can comfortably handle up to 12 people, you and your family will have enough sleeping space at camp.
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Best 12 Person Camping Tent
If you want to get a good large tent, there are a couple of things to consider. As you attempt to make the right purchase, you’ll be presented with many tempting options.
Take a look at our top picks:
1. Core 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent
First on our list is the Core 12 Person Tent. This is a product that shouldn’t be overlooked when searching for the best instant 12 person tent.
It’s a tent that can be installed within a short timeframe (about 120 seconds). If you have 3 queen size beds, you won’t have any trouble putting them all in the tent at the same time. There’s enough space for you and your family in the tent’s three separate chambers.
You don’t have to be worried about hitting your head against the tent’s roof whenever you’re inside – there’s enough headroom for you to conveniently stand upright. The three chambers are adequately demarcated by full dividers. There are different mini-compartments integrated into the walls of the tent for added storage space.
Just like many other products, there are some downsides associated with this tent. There are reports of a tendency for the tent to get shifted away from its position if it isn’t properly secured. There’s also a need for the excess tent fabric to be reduced, and it lacks zip for air vents.
2. NTK Super Arizona GT Tent
The NTK tent provides you with nice features like customizable dividers that can be removed to increase chamber space.
There are three window openings and a pair of doors for easy entry and exit. You will be adequately shielded from heavy downpours – thanks to the 137-inch rainfly.
This camping tent has gained a nice reputation for its strength and reliability in outdoor conditions. It’s a 12 people camping tent that has been designed to satisfy high standards. It also remains firmly secured in place when there’s a strong wind.
Even with its great features and qualities, this camping product still has a few disadvantages. There have been reports about weak tent poles that don’t last long. You might also have trouble folding the tent into the storage bag when you’re done camping.
3. Ozark Trail 12-Person 3 Room Instant Cabin Tent
The Ozark Trail 16×16 instant cabin tent comes in a single hue. There are three separate chambers inside this tent. There are also more than six window openings and a sturdy rainfly. Installing this product is simple and straightforward – thanks to a quick-release feature.
This is a tent that has a considerably large living space. Its spacious interior has fetched it a nice reputation among campers. Its height also makes it possible to stand upright without scraping the roof of the tent. With the quality rainfly, you can be sure of full shielding from heavy rainfall.
However, even with all its great features, this tent still has a couple of disadvantages. Some campers have reported children falling over when commuting within the tent.
Also, this product doesn’t hold up well if damage is done to one of its poles. You might also need to make some improvised rooftop light hangers – as the tent is void of this feature.
4. CORE Lighted Instant Cabin Tent
The CORE Lighted tent is another spacious option for you. It has three customizable light modes – High: 950 lumens, 50h; Medium: 300 lumens, 110h; Night light: 35 lumens, 250h – which are switched between with the aid of a high-tech system.
This beautifully lit tent works well in outdoor conditions. The lights are designed in such a way that their beams fall uniformly across the interior areas. This creates a sort of filtering effect that solves the problem of overly concentrated light beams that disturb the eyes.
Installing this tent is a simple and straightforward process; it comes with ready-made posts that are fixed to the rest of the tent.
You can also get a nice view of the night sky while lying within the tent – you’d have to take off the tent’s rainfly first. There’s also a customizable air vent that can be adjusted to improve ventilation within the tent.
5. Tahoe Gear Ozark 3-Season Tent
When compared to the previously reviewed products in this article, this tent is even bigger. It’s a tent that can hold 16 campers at once.
There’s enough room inside for both people and camping equipment. It also comes with all the needed features to securely install it. The center pole has an 84-inch height – this means you won’t have trouble standing upright inside this tent. It also has a fast and simple installation.
With this tent, you can have your personal space to yourself – thanks to the dividers that split the internal space to different chambers.
It’s a quality and spacious tent that deserves to be added to your list of camping equipment.
6. Eureka Copper Canyon Tent
This is another tent that works well for a dozen campers. There’s also enough room under this tent for keeping camping equipment.
Its center pole has an 84-Inch height – this makes it possible to stand upright inside the tent. It has a pair of D-shaped doors. You can detach the chamber divider to create more room in the tent.
This Eureka tent has a lot of quality features that make it great for outdoor camping. If you’re hoping to buy the best 12 person camping tent, you should consider this one. Installing this tent is simple and straightforward. Even with its huge size, you can install it in less than ¼ of an hour.
In conclusion, this is a tent that works excellently in situations that require a large amount of tent space for many campers. It deserves to be added to your list of camping equipment.
7. Ozark Trail 12-Person Instant Cabin Tent
You can make use of the electricity port to light up the tent’s exterior. This feature also improves the security of the tent. You won’t have any trouble when folding the tent away after use.
Regardless of the lack of rainfly, there’s sufficient space to hold an alternative waterproof material to shield you from heavy rainfall.
The Ozark Trail cabin tent with screen room has plenty of room for everybody (maximum of 12). If you’ll be needing lots of tent space, feel free to add this product to your shopping list. It has a simple and straightforward installation process.
How to Find the Best 12 Person Tents for Camping
There are a couple of things that you shouldn’t neglect when looking for a tent that will handle your needs. They are:
Capacity
First thing to consider when looking for a spacious and instant 12 person tent is the capacity.
Apart from the provided height and area specifications, you can double-check the tent’s measurements by yourself so you can see if you can fit a car camping mattress; this will make sure that the manufacturer’s measurement tallies with the real thing.
Apart from looking out for the 12-person capacity, also ensure that there would be sufficient space left for other camping tools and equipment.
Material
The material used to make a camping tent says a lot about it – it determines how strong and durable it will be. The common materials used for cheap 12 person tents are nylon and polyester.
They aren’t heavy, which makes them portable. They also shield you from wind and heavy rain. The supporting poles are fabricated from metals and fiberglass.
Height
It’s always nice to have a tent that you can stand uprightly inside. The height of the center post will largely determine how much headroom is available for campers.
Also, the shape of the tent, and the angle of the walls, will also affect how much overhead space is available within the tent.
Weatherproof
Next thing to look out for is weatherproofing. Take note that there’s a significant difference between water resistance and being waterproof.
The latter usually has some unique layer that fends off every water droplet, while the former tends to allow some leakages in the event of a serious downpour.
Regardless of waterproof tents being the better tent for shielding against rain, it still has a disadvantage. These tents facilitate a rise in temperatures, causing more heat than usual during high-temperature weather.
Storage
The number of extra compartments/pockets, which are specially made to hold some tools and accessories, also matters.
It’s good to have storage features that can help to neatly keep your gear at an elevated position above the ground.
Doors and Windows
Ventilation is very important inside your camping tent and any other living space. This is why you must pay attention to the windows and doors in the tent.
It makes sense that bigger tents should have multiple entry and exit points. The windows should also be positioned in a way that there would be cross-ventilation and good airflow.
Rainfly
This is a feature that boosts the efficiency of your camping tent. The rain fly effectively shields you from the elements.
However, you might notice that the rain fly blocks some of the ventilation openings in your tent.
Room Dividers
This is a feature that separates one large tent space into multiple sections. Some are usually fixed, while others are detachable.
Dividers help you to have a personal corner that is blocked off from the other campers and their rooms.
Freestanding vs. Non-Freestanding
This is another thing to observe before making a final purchase. Most freestanding tents are either dome or cabin tents.
Freestanding tents don’t usually require staking. However, if you’re using a really large freestanding tent, it’s best secured with additional staking.
Shape
You need to consider the shape of the tent before making a final purchase. Different shapes affect the number of individuals that can comfortably fit into the tent at the same time.
Square: This is one of the common tent shapes available to pick from. The square shape of these tents makes it possible to maximize interior room, unlike inside tent walls that are slanted at an angle. The amount of room provided by these tents gives you the luxury of storing lots of camping equipment.
L-Shaped: Next is the L-shaped tent. These ones can also take lots of campers at once. There are dividers that separate the total available space into chambers. The trouble usually associated with this tent is that it’s difficult to fold away and store after usage.
Long Rectangular: Last is the long rectangular tent. Just like the L-shaped tent, this one can also be split into separate living chambers. These tents usually work best when there are multiple entry and exit points.
Price
Before buying any tent, you need to make sure that the price falls within your available budget. 12-person tents can go for as high as $400.
The lower prices start at about $190. Depending on the cost of the tent, you will be provided with varying features. The more expensive ones usually have the best features.
Final Thoughts
In our opinion, the Core 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent is the top pick among all the other mentions in this review.
It’s a tent that can be installed within a short timeframe (about 120 seconds). It can contain three queen size beds and has three separate chambers. There’s also enough headroom for you to conveniently stand upright.
The three chambers are adequately demarcated by full dividers. There are different mini-compartments integrated into the walls of the tent for added storage space.
Have you decided which of these 12 person tents for camping you will get? Please let us know your top pick in the comments. Thanks!