Best Pop Up Tents of 2022: Review & Buyer’s Guide

Comparison Table

Moon Lence – Best Portability on a Pop Up Tent

The portability of the Moon Lence Instant Pop Up makes this tent a great option for those on the go. If you have limited storage space you’ll appreciate just how compact this tent is when it’s packed up. With the space you save you’ll have no problem packing in some extra gear for your camping trip. Its lightweight, compact design also means it a breeze to carry, making it a great option for those who are always moving spots.

The tent is spacious too. It has a large, open floor plan that’s meant for four to five adults and big enough to fit a queen size mattress. The ample window space adds to this roomy feeling and also provides generous ventilation.

Setup with this tent is easy enough for one person. It’s also a quick process that takes no more than a few minutes to completely set up thanks to the instant pop up mechanism. No matter what conditions you’re setting up camp in, it’s a real value to know the process is about as simple as it can be.

During testing, this tent didn’t perform as well as we would have hoped in terms of waterproofing. Although the rainfly has a high waterproof rating, the tent as a whole is not built to withstand much rain. Unless you know for sure that you’ll be camping in dry conditions, we’d suggest using waterproof spray to make sure you and your gear stays dry.

When it comes down to it, if you’re always on the move and looking for a portable and spacious tent, you won’t be disappointed with the Moon Lence.

BFULL Instant – Best User-Friendly Pop Up Tent

If you’re in the market for a pop up tent, the last thing you want is a tent that’s a struggle to set up. After all, ease of use is the core value of this type of tent. So when it comes down to our pick for the most user-friendly pop up tent, BFULL Instant is our top choice.

The automatic hydraulic system is a true stand out feature. It makes it one of the easiest and fastest tents to set up on our list. And, unlike some other pop up tents on the market that are prone to jamming and breaking, we found the construction and design of the automatic hydraulic setup system incredibly reliable.

In addition to being a very roomy tent, there are some cool little features we found useful. We liked the convenient storage pouches and the ceiling lantern hanger hook. The extra stakes included with the stock setup are also a nice addition.

One of the things we didn’t like about this tent is the windows. They’re just too small to provide adequate ventilation. You may not mind this if you’re mostly camping in colder weather, but once the weather gets warmer, this tent will be tough to air out.

We also weren’t too impressed with the waterproof ability of this tent. Although it can handle a modest amount of rain, we would definitely recommend using waterproofing spray to help increase its waterproof ability if you’re looking to camp in heavier rain conditions.

For anyone concerned about ease of setup, we highly recommend this user-friendly tent.

Quechua 2 Seconds – Best All-Around Pop Up Tent

After 3 years of existence of the review on best pop up tents we decided to change our top-1 pick from Coleman Galiano to Decathlon own-brand – the Quechua 2 Seconds. And here is why:

First of all, available in 2 and 3-person option The Quechua 2 Second is indeed very easy to put up, opening up in near enough to two seconds to give that claim the thumbs up. Only two guy ropes to peg mean it’s ready to use almost instantly, although thankfully to the rainfly that comes with the tent it is possible to survive most weather conditions like heavy rain and strong winds. The black out feature provides more privacy and sunlight protection which makes this tent also valuable in hot summer trips.

The rainfly and the black out interior are already two most difficult to find features on a middle class tent. Added 2 seconds set up, rainfly and wind protection put this tent at our #1 pick while affordable and popular Coleman Galiano goes at the second stand.

As it often happens, high quality comes with a high price. We admit you can easily find 100-dollar cheaper pop up tent that will suit your needs by a certain weather conditions. But we guarantee there will be no features mentioned in Quechua 2 Seconds for the price.

Wnnideo 4-Person Family Tent – Best Backpacking Pop Up Tent

This four-person popup from Wnnideo is an incredibly versatile tent. However, there is one thing we need to address right off the bat. The company advertises that it will fit 5 adults but this isn’t true. The reality is that this tent will comfortably fit two adults and two children. That makes it perfect for a small family but for any larger group, the advertised capacity isn’t realistic.

Even if you’re not camping as a family, we could also see this being a good option for a backpacking couple looking for extra storage and living space. Its lightweight and compact design make it easy enough to strap to your pack and hike with. And, with a 10x8 footprint, there’s plenty of room for a queen size mattress and gear.

One of our favorite features for this tent the water-resistant doors and window seals. These are two areas of the tent that are very vulnerable to leaks, so it’s great to see that Wnnideo has taken the initiative to add some extra protection here.

Although the tent’s fabric has a high waterproof rating, it still falls a bit short in the weatherproofing department due to the small rainfly. The company recommends purchasing a professional waterproof cover if you want a more efficient weatherproof setup--and so do we.
This tent’s ability to withstand wind is also very impressive. Its frame has been specifically designed to hold up in heavy winds, with some reports up to 50 mph.

Whether you’re looking for a quick and easy family tent, or a lightweight and compact backpacking tent the
Wnnideo four-person popup is a great option.

Hewolf Instant Tent – Best Bang for the Buck

Anyone looking for a balance between budget and value will appreciate the Hewolf Instant Tent. It’s our ‘Best Bang for the Buck’ pick for some good reasons.

We really like all the useful features that Hewolf has included here. The bug net is one of our favorites, allowing excellent ventilation while keeping mosquitoes and even the tiniest bugs like no-see-ums out. Not all mesh walls are small enough to block these tiny bugs and anyone who’s had to deal with the annoyance of a no-seeum attack understands just how valuable this feature is.

It also has some convenient pockets for efficient interior storage and seriously strong double zippers for increased durability.

If you follow the guidelines for proper tent set up, which includes the use of guy-lines, this popup is made to resist a good amount of wind, especially for a tent at this price point.

This brings us to a core reason this tent is a great bang for the buck--the price. You can buy this tent for about $80. Considering all the included features it’s some serious value.

As is the case with most budget-friendly tents, there are a few downsides that need to be taken into consideration.

The floor material is pretty thin. As you move inside the tent and shuffle gear around, the floor takes some heavy abuse. Over time, this abuse will lead to a wearing down of the floor and may eventually lead to rips.

Considering how thin the floor material of this tent is, it’s bound to wear out and rip sooner than other more expensive tents.

We’d also caution against using this tent in heavy rain unless you take additional steps to improve its water resistance. It’ll serve well enough in light rain, but if the heavy stuff starts coming down, there’s a chance you’ll have to deal with a leak.

Even considering these drawbacks, the Hewolf popup provides incredible value at an affordable price point.

Coleman GALIANO – Best Pop Up Tent to Keep in Your Car

Unlike the 60 SECOND model, Coleman’s 4-man pop up features an included rainfly and reinforced seams, meaning it can take more of a beating when it comes to inclement weather. It sets up in about the same amount of time, meaning you don’t have to sacrifice the ease and quickness of a pop-up.

It is surprising to us that this tent is selling for as low as it is (~$65). That seems like a steal considering it’s about the same price as the 60 SECOND but offers even more protection against the weather.

Also present is a mesh skylight, which you might know by now happens to be my favorite feature when it comes to tents, as there is simply nothing like falling asleep beneath the stars. Unfortunately the skylight is positioned in a way that it can’t be fully utilized by all four people in the tent (if you were to fill it to capacity).

While we’re on the subject, it might be a bit of a stretch to call this a 4-Person tent. If it was 2 adults and 2 children then maybe, but four adults would have a hard time fitting into this thing with all their sleeping gear. In reality, I think this is the perfect sized tent for a 2 person camping trip because you would have plenty of space left over for your gear without everything getting cluttered.

The carrying strap is a bit small; it would be helpful to add a shoulder strap to the carrying case to make it easier to lug to and from the campsite, but this is a minor issue.

And just in case you need it, here is Coleman’s official GALIANO IV setup and breakdown video:

ZOMAKE Pop Up Sun Shelter – Best Beach-Going Pop Up

The ZOMAKE pop-up sun shelter is our official best beach-going pick for a couple of reasons. The first is the mesh screened skylight, a feature still not available on most traditional tents that allows you to lie beneath a shimmering sky full of stars without having to worry about any bugs getting in.

The second is how open and breezy this thing is when it is fully set up. With mesh windows on all sizes, you won’t feel cut off from the world, even if you need to take a break from the sand flies or mosquitos. If too much sun is getting in you can zip the windows completely shut with the nylon flaps and have a bit more privacy.

In terms of setup, this thing is almost instantaneous. Once you take it out of the bag it pretty much does the rest of the work all by itself. For the impromptu beach party or tailgating event, this is certainly the best option on the market.

Break down, on the other hand, can be a bit more complicated. I am not going to lie, it took me a while to figure out how to get this thing back in its case. It was a lot of trial and error and me cursing to myself, but that’s only because I didn’t watch the handy YouTube video beforehand. If you decide to go with the ZOMAKE Pop Up, it wouldn’t hurt to practice folding it back up a few times before you take it out for a day on the sand.

The stitching on the ZOMAKE is about what you would expect from a pop-up in this price range, so I would expect that heavy use and/or the destructive nature of multiple children might cause some wear and tear.

Oileus Pop Up Tent – Best Pop Up for Stretching Your Legs

Equipment manufacturer OILEUS makes a little bit of everything, from Footbaths to 4K Cameras. It may be a surprise then to find out that not only do they also make a fast-pitch pop up tent, but it’s actually one of the most functional pop-up tents in its class, and for about the same price as some of the more recognizable outdoor brands out there.

What we like: the Oileus pop-up tent is perhaps the tallest pop-up tent that we had the pleasure of looking at. This can make a big difference in your camping trip as having the room to stand up makes your tent that much more livable. It’s also long enough that all of the occupants can have enough space to wiggle around some in the night. It’s advertised as being able to support 4-6 people, but in our opinion 6 would be a bit of a stretch.

4 people? Very comfortable. 5 people? A tight fit. 6 People? Nah. Not going to happen.

The whole thing folds up into a very nice little circle. This would be a piece of cake to store in the back of even the most crowded SUV. But we found two flaws with the Oileus tent:

First, the floor of this tent is the same vinyl material as the walls and roofs, meaning that it’s too thin and flimsy to offer any moisture protection, and could be vulnerable to tearing by sharp rocks and thorns. The easy solution to this is to utilize a heavy-duty tarp as your footprint, but that will add more weight to the equation, which isn’t ideal for every camper.

Secondly, the window rain covers are only accessible from the outside of the tent. So it’s entirely possible that you fall asleep beneath the stars only to wake up beneath a sudden rainstorm. In this case you will have to get out of the tent to close them back up, and quite possibly dampen your socks in the process!

G4Free Swift Open – Best Value Pop Up

You aren’t going to find a more affordable pop-up shelter on the market, so you can stop looking. The G4Free Swift Open tent offers 100% of the convenience and speed of a pop up tent without the increased price. Sure, there will be some tradeoffs in terms of overall quality (we’ll get to that shortly) but sometimes you just need a good, affordable tent to get you through your next adventure.

Online retailers are advertising this as a backpacking tent, but we think that’s a bit off the mark. It is true that it’s relative lightness (~4.5 lbs) puts it well within range of other backpacking tents, but it simply doesn’t have the durability or element resistance that is necessary for that kind of use.

WATCH: How to Break Down Your G4Free Pop Up Tent.

For one, this tent is only water resistant, meaning that even a short storm has the capability of introducing a bit of water to your home-away-from-home. A full on rain storm would leave you completely soaked. Seeing as how there is no rainfly available, the G4Free Swift Open might be better suited for other applications.

Like a hot day in the park or a beachside BBQ, when all you really need is to get out of the sun for a quick nap. It folds down small enough that it will fit well in your vehicle, giving you the capability of an instant shelter wherever you go.

And don’t get us wrong: you could totally spend the night in this thing. Just keep an eye on them rainclouds.

HUI LINGYANG Outdoor Dome Tent – Best Pop Up for Music Festivals

There is not a whole lot of information available about the tentmaker HUI LINGYANG, except that they have a few different tents that very recently hit the market and have been garnering a lot of attention amongst the outdoor community for their style and ease of use. We got our hold on the green 4-person model and were able to see for ourselves what all the fuss was about.

First things first: this is not a rugged adventure tent. It simply is not designed to handle any kind of bad weather, from strong wind to constant rain. It’s more of a tent that you can rely on for an immediate, simple shelter when you need one, such as a warm summer night beneath the stars or a three day stint at your favorite music festival.

WATCH: The HUI LINGYANG Pop-Up Tent in Action

Our favorite thing about the HUI LINGYANG tent is the size of its floor. It is both long enough and wide enough to fit a queen size inflatable mattress, which is a really good thing for those of us that like to camp in comfort when the opportunity presents itself. A lot of the other pop-up tents out there are too narrow to support a queen size mattress or even a double size mattress, forcing us to go the old school route of thin and narrow sleeping pads.

The biggest drawback to this tent aside from the lack of waterproofing is probably the breakdown process. Even if you are familiar with how the process goes it can be difficult to get it closed with any less than two people. The setup is far easier and quicker than the breakdown, but I have found this to be the case with most camping equipment.

EasyGo Products MINUTO – Best All-Around Pop Up

There is no other way to say it the MINUTO by EasyGo Products is just a great little tent, perfect for following you to any park, beach, or mountain campsite. I don’t know what it is, I just LOVE setting this thing up by pitching it into the air. Then POP! The tent is setup. Breakdown is a bit more complicated, but after doing it a few times I’ve got it down to about 30 seconds.

Like most of the pop-up tents in this class, the MINUTO is not waterproof and is only somewhat water resistant. This means that you are going to want to check the weather before you decide to haul this thing deep into the Rocky Mountains. There is also no rainfly available meaning that the only way to make it work in bad weather is to string a tarp up over it, something that is possible but something of a hassle.

The MINUTO suffers from one major flaw, and that is the zippers. They just don’t seem to work that well and are often getting caught in the fabric or getting stuck altogether for no visible reason. This makes it hard to get in and out again and do it quickly, so if it’s bug protection you are looking for this might not be the best option.

The included stakes are also too pliable for effective use; we recommend investing in a set of titanium tent stakes to make sure that they last.

VITCHELO 2 Person Ultralight – Best 2-Person Pop-Up

Newcomers to the outdoor gear scene, VITCHELO has managed to create a product that is both affordable and functional, and is selling well on a number of online retailers to mixed reviews.

While this is certainly not the most durable tent that we took a look at, it had all the function and ease of use than the rest of our tents on the list. To sum it up: it’s a fast-pitch shelter designed for low to moderate outdoor use in ideal conditions.

Some sites are advertising this product as waterproof, and that is incorrect. The manufacturer themselves admit that the fabric is only water resistant, meaning that it will keep you dry only long enough to pull the car around and start packing up.

However this has everything you need for a good day or two on the beach, and in warm and dry summer conditions you will have no problems spending multiple nights in it.

Construction Material – What makes a great Pop Up Tent?

For the most part, pop-up tents are made of the very same fabrics and materials as more traditional tents. The only difference is the way the internal metal or fiberglass support poles are shaped and installed.

With some exceptions, pop-up tents are made of polyester or vinyl, and synthetic materials are more adept at providing weatherproofing qualities like water resistance and wind resistance while still being lightweight and easy to pack.

Pop-up tents also feature zippered mesh in the construction of their windows, allowing light to get in but keeping the bugs out.

Size & Weight

Just like regular tents, pop-up shelters and tents come in a number of different sizes, accommodating anywhere from 2 to 10 people depending on the specific circumstances. Selecting the right size for you is all about considering how many people will be using it and how much stuff they will be bringing along with them.

Unless you are looking for a test for long distance hiking, chances are that the weight of the tent itself is not a matter of great concern. If that’s the case, then it is our recommendation to always select a tent that is a bit bigger than the one you think you need.

For instance, a 2-person tent might not have enough room for 2 people to be completely comfortable. When you factor in backpacks, clothes, shoes, coolers, and anything else you might want to keep out of the elements, space starts to become an issue real quick.

A 4-person tent on the other hand would be capable of holding all your stuff without the space feeling cramped or cluttered.

Ease of Use

The reason why we love pop-up tents so much is not only because they are SO MUCH FUN to throw up in the air and watch pop into place, they also eliminate the need to navigate a tangle of clanking tent poles just to get your shelter setup.

Once the tent is popped-up, you will have to utilize a good set of tent stakes to keep it from moving around. Most tents on the market come with their own tent stakes, but they are rarely as strong as the ones you can find separately online or at your local outdoors store. When it comes to tent stakes, we recommend titanium.

Breakdown is another issue entirely. Because pop-up shelters are designed to be compacted back into their carrying case, they need to be folded up in a very particular way or else they will not fit back into their carrying case. It is usually possible to find instructional videos on YouTube for this purpose, but we also recommend practicing the setup and breakdown a few times before embarking on your outdoor adventure.