The North Face Wawona 6 Six-Person Camping Tent

Product Information

The downside of this tent compared to the North Face Wawona 6 is that there’s limited vestibule space. The tent is relatively easy to set up, even if you’re doing it by yourself. It weighs more than some other 6-person tents (22.5 pounds), so it’s definitely a car camping tent, but it’ll provide a comfortable home away from home at a reasonable price. The star of the show here is the Bunk House’s rainfly, which is the definition of full coverage and fully waterproof, but it does much more than just keep you dry. Fancy a nice shady hangout on a sunny day? The front vestibule converts into a sizable pole-supported awning with room to relax underneath. The fly even functions as a standalone shelter without the inner tent when desired, which means this waterproof tent doubles as a shady cabana for picnics and beach days as well.

Because these support poles extend well beyond the body of the tent, they create an “awning effect” once the rainfly is in place. This allowed us to leave both windows wide open for extra views and tons of airflow in everything but the most intense wind-blown rains. Our testers also lauded the Aurora Highrise for its bright colors and unique printed floor, high-quality and highly-durable materials, and excellent all-around build quality. Weather resistance plays a huge role in a tent’s versatility and livability. Pretty much any tent serves its purpose by keeping the bugs at bay during fair weather, but as we all know, mother nature doesn’t always play nice. The main factors we look for in evaluating a tent’s weather performance are waterproofing and wind resistance. Easy to pitch and nails all the essentials. A well-made tent from a well-established brand at department store prices. See Review

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The tents above are given a “_ person” capacity, which typically ranges from four to eight people. This listing is based on the number of standard adult sleeping pads that can be laid (usually side-by-side) inside the tent. For example, the six-person REI Co-op Skyward is 120 inches long, so six standard pads (20-inches wide) technically will fit. But this doesn’t mean you necessarily want to max out your tent.

A spacious car camping tent with windows that can be left open in the rain. Outstanding materials, interior space, and external storage. See Review As we touched on in the section above, a weather-worthy tent is one of the main reasons to upgrade to a premium camping model. In most cases, the pole materials (aluminum is better than fiberglass) and designs are more robust, seam sealing and waterproof fabrics improve in quality, and the inclusion of full-coverage rainflies help keep out blowing rain. It's good to keep in mind that the weather can still get plenty rowdy in the summer, particularly in the mountains (and some national parks). Partial-coverage rainflies fall short in inclement weather Only three poles were needed to erect the main structure and they’re made from a high quality, flexible aluminum material. In addition to floor area, peak height and pole structure make a big impact on overall livability. Peak height in particular is an indication of whether or not you’ll be able to stand upright, and most car camping-style tents have a peak height of around 72 inches. However, this number is just part of the equation, and it’s important to also look at the slope of the walls and pole design. Dome tents with simple, X-shaped pole structures only allow you to enjoy that peak height at the middle of the tent. On the other hand, a tent with a more advanced pole system can create nearly vertical walls for walking around. This is one of the main reasons we love the REI Wonderland and Marmot Limestone: Both ends of the tents have vertical walls, and the pole designs truly opens up the interior. The cabin-style The North Face Wawona, REI Skyward, and Big Agnes Big House are other standouts in maximizing interior space. The Big Agnes Big House has a generous 80-inch peak height Capacity: How Many People Actually Fit in These Tents?But you’ll need to offset this against how often you’ll be using the tent and in what weather conditions. This change of mind return policy is in addition to, and does not affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law including any rights you may have in respect of faulty items. Since the Alps Mountaineering Camp Creek tent comes with a partial rainfly rather than a full-length version, I’d rate this as a 2-3 season tent. Taking all the above factors into account, we found the North Face Wawona 6 to be the best waterproof tent overall. We love the Wawona because it combines weatherproof construction with excellent material quality and tons of external storage, and does it all at a price that’s almost too good to believe.

The amount of mesh fabric underneath the fly will determine how much ventilation you get in summer versus how warm you’ll stay in winter.

What Other Camping Tents Should You Consider?

A CAMPER'S RETREAT. We've refreshed our much-loved 6-person tent from single to double-wall construction, re-engineered its poles and made it easier to set up. Don't worry, we've kept the huge vestibule that makes it feel more like a home than a tent. If you sleep on a cot, this may also mean that you have to move the cot further into the center of the tent to avoid rubbing up against the tent wall. Tunnel Tents The Trango has been the go-to for hardcore expeditions and mountaineering pursuits since 1995, which means Mountain Hardwear has been steadily improving this shelter for nearly three decades at this point. The Trango has been our tent of choice for high-elevation camping this year, and our testers all agree that every inch of this shelter is as bombproof as they come. What we don’t: Quite a bit less spacious than a dedicated camping tent (and the new version is even smaller than its predecessor). Speaking of vestibules, we also love the two-door, two-vestibule design, which makes the Spur ideal for sharing with another hiker. Big Agnes also went a step further by engineering both vestibules to function as pole-supported awnings (trekking poles, that is), which boosts living space and ventilation in sunny weather or even light rain.

Dome-style tents are generally better at standing up to bad weather and many come with full-length rainflys for added protection in heavy rain or snow. We’ve been outspoken fans of the North Face Wawona line of tents for some time, so it should come as no surprise that the Wawona 6 takes our top honors as the best waterproof tent overall. This tent also took top honors in our recent camping tent field test, and our testers all had universal acclaim for just about every aspect of the Wawona.

A close-up of the seam stitching on the Mountain Hardwear Trango, which expands when wet to firm an even tighter seal. Nemo Aurora Highrise 6: A smart alternative to the Nemo above if you’ve got the money but prefer traditional vestibules. Tons of headroom, outstanding weather protection, and premium quality materials throughout. Read our full test and review of the 4-person model… To put it plainly, if you’re camping in harsh conditions, this tent has no equal. Unfortunately that unparalleled quality comes at a price, and the Mountain Hardwear Trango 4 is easily the most expensive tent on our list by a healthy margin. Chances are the Trango is overkill for about 99% of campers out there, but if durability and uncompromising weather protection are what you’re after, the Trango makes a great tent year-round, and the best in the business when the weather is at its worst. Read our full test and review of the Mountain Hardwear Trango 4… Pros: