Looking For A New Tent? Here's 2025's Most Reliable Choice, Based On Reviews

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A reliable tent can make or break a camping experience, and outdoor enthusiasts are always on the hunt for the next best brand. In 2025, one tent has risen to the top based on user reviews, and it might be worth checking out if you are in the market to upgrade your car camping setup.

The North Face Wawona 6 retails for $550, and while not the cheapest 6-person tent out there, it gets top marks from users. Camping gear reviewers on Better Trail and Switchback Travel both ranked the Wawona 6 as the best overall in 2025, rating it highly for space, storage, and quality. And if you are going to spend over $500 on a tent, durability is important. Reviewers of the Wawona 6 routinely cite its quality of construction as a selling point, with user Clever Hiker saying they were impressed by its durability after testing it out on a six-week road trip. 

In a Reddit discussion about the Wawona 6, posters noted that this tent performed well in the rain and generally loved its storage capacity and large vestibule. Several commenters noted it is a nice size for family camping, although one poster said it was ideal for just two people. While a few reviewers commented that it isn't an easy tent to set up alone, YouTuber TACOMANZ demonstrated a 10-minute solo setup time for this tent, though they also noted that it would be easier to set up with another person. 

Weighing in at over 19 pounds, the Wawona 6 isn't a tent you can easily carry while backpacking, and some reviewers noted this weight and bulkiness as a drawback. But with over 86 square feet of indoor space, this is a spacious choice for a multi-day trip for the family at that perfect campsite you booked. Campers know that storage is key for tents, and the Wawona 6 includes several large pockets and gear hooks for toiletries and other camping must-haves. 

The 76-inch peak height is taller than many equivalent tents on the market, allowing even tall campers to stand up comfortably. A large rain fly extends to create a huge vestibule that is almost as big as the tent itself, where you can put chairs, a cooler, or even bikes to keep them out of the weather. There are two doors and two windows in the tent that allow for cross-ventilation on warm days, although some users noted that all that ventilation made for a chilly space on colder days. 

If you don't want to fork over more than $500 for a tent, there are a couple of other highly-rated options of a similar size to the Wawona, but at a much lower price. The Amazon Basics 3-Season Dome Tent retails for around $100, and users like its breathability and quick set-up, but some issues with waterproofing were reported. The simple Coleman Sundome 6 comes in at around $150 and provides all the basic needs of a full-size car camping tent, getting five-star ratings from over 17,000 users. These two less expensive choices don't have the same spaciousness or durability ratings as the Wawona 6, but could be good alternatives for the occasional camper.

Ranking articles, like those found in New York Times Wirecutter and Gear Junkie, were reviewed to find 2025's stand-out tents, and these reviews were compared with user reviews on recent camping blogs and Reddit discussions. These sources showed that the North Face Wawona 6 was a top pick, and this finding was supported by multiple YouTube demonstrations and user reviews on sites like Amazon and Pinterest.