However, for someone who frequents events and trade shows, the price is worth it. The canopy and the entire frame fold down to 47 inches long by 8 inches wide by 8 inches deep—small enough to fit inside a car trunk. The takedown process wasn’t exactly intuitive, and the instructions lacked any details to help. However, overall this canopy is a lightweight solution when a little privacy in a public space is needed. Every canopy was set up and broken down several times to test the release and slider mechanisms as well as how well the canopies fit into their provided storage bags.
The models we’ve picked could handle rain and wind and offered some perks we hadn’t expected. The Wireless 6 goes up easily, using the same kind of intuitive pole and clip method as our couples’ pick. The fly is equally simple to attach and orient with color-coded clips. This type of pole tends to be less flexible and bulkier than pricier aluminum, and it can be a pain to handle.
Adults as tall as 6-foot-3 can move about this tent standing upright. With a 44-square-foot vestibule, and 86 square feet of interior living space, the tent has plenty of room to house beds, cribs, gear, pets, and camping furniture. Zippered doors can enclose the vestibule fully, so it serves as a separate room for the tent, or you can leave one or both open, so the vestibule can act like a porch or mudroom.
Manufacturers of vinyl and polyester canopies often treat the material with a vinyl resin to add waterproofing and UV protection. UV protection prevents fading, tearing, and material breakdown caused by sun exposure. Manufacturers of wedding tents/canopies and pop-ups meant for more permanent use vinyl because of its high durability. This ABC Canopy also has a center pole and crank that adds yet another layer of stability. It comes with tie-downs, sandbags, and heavy-duty tent stakes to hold it in place. It collapses and fits inside a roller bag with a side storage pocket.
Two large doors provide easy entry and exit, and a vestibule—that’s camping speak for “mudroom”—outside each door adds significant sheltered storage. The Mineral King 3 has a full rain fly, which you can roll up halfway or completely remove for epic stargazing. It also comes with a groundsheet (aka footprint) ozark trail canopy tent to protect the tent floor. A full rain fly with easy-attach color-coded clips covers the tent body and adds two large vestibules. Like the Mineral King 3, the Tungsten has aluminum poles that are connected at the top (for lightning-quick pitching) and pre-bent, which increases the dome tent’s headroom.
That wasn’t the tallest we encountered—the Eureka Copper Canyon LX 6 and the Alps Mountaineering Camp Creek 6 each topped out at 7 feet—but it’s enough space for most adults to maneuver standing up. The tent comes with a full rain fly that adds two vestibules for storage (each 14 square feet), totaling 115 square feet of livable space—which is fairly generous yet still practical for most campsites. The Kelty Wireless 6 is a spacious tent that is easy to pitch, and it offers solid weather protection and durability for a reasonable price. Like the Mineral King 3, it has a simple, dome-style design that maximizes livability and minimize headaches. (As its name indicates, it’s meant to house six people, but we wouldn’t recommend that.) The Wireless 6 has two large doors and a full rain fly.
After researching 30 six-person tents and testing 15 side by side on a total of five trips, we chose the Kelty Wireless 6 as the best entry-level camping tent for most families. It’s spacious, easy to set up, has weather protection, and is durable, all at an affordable price. The Wireless 6 lacks some of the premium materials found in pricier tents, but it features solid workmanship and should provide dependable, comfortable shelter in most three-season camping situations. The geodesic structure of the Base Camp tents is built to withstand wind and rain. It has two main that thread through sleeves, stretching between the four corners of the tent.
We tested the 15-square-foot changing area while camping and used it as a shower tent. We hooked up a portable shower to the frame and zipped the door shut when in use. The four sidewalls provide sun or rain protection for one or two people, and the flaps tie open so users can view the scenery or watch a game.
Heavier materials like polyethylene, polyurethane-coated canvas, and vinyl weigh more, which gives them extra wind resistance. However, unless you securely anchor them, they could still blow away. Most pop-up canopies come with tie-downs, stakes, and/or sandbags so they can be secured to the ground. Models designed for the beach may have specially designed stakes that burrow deep into the sand for better stability or sandbags that don’t require digging at all. Ultralightweight models may only have a center pole with a canopy stabilized with several stakes for less formal but highly portable sun protection. The top pop-up canopies are usually made of durable materials and come with extras that make their designs convenient and easy to use.
Though the Wireless’s fly kept water out of the tent’s interior, it took longer to fully dry once the rain stopped than some others we tested. If you don’t have time to let the fly dry before you pack the Wireless in its duffle, we recommend laying it out when you get home so it doesn’t mildew in storage. One night during testing, for example, clouds loomed in the distance with clear skies overhead. After we pitched the tent, the Mineral King 3’s adaptable fly let us leave half the mesh dome uncovered. At the first sign of rain, it took only a few seconds—and a quick hand stuck outside the tent—to unfurl the fly and secure it for a dry night’s sleep. When we awoke, we could roll back one part of the vestibule, make coffee, and watch the sky lighten even though it was still raining.