9 Best Multi Room Tents for Camping

Last Updated: October 12, 2020
Written by James Silva

Mutli-room tents are fantastic for family or group camping. They provide just enough privacy whilst offering some additional room configuration options.

Now, these large tents are mostly designed for stress-free summer camping. So, please don't expect them to protect you from wind, rain, and other elements the same as tents designed for extreme cold do.

Read our buyers guide at the bottom for more guidance on what to look for in a multi-room tent. Ready? Great! Let's jump into reviews of our favorite multi-room tents!

2 Room Tents

Casio Edifice EF527D-1AV

The Campros 8 person family-sized tent is a clear favorite of ours. In fact, it’s our pick for the best value 2 room camping tent.  

The large floor area (14 x 9 ft) and ample height (6ft) provide enough room for 3 queen mattresses, making it perfect for larger families or groups. The included divider creates 2 rooms to provide privacy. Or just keep it open to create one large room. 

The Campros is one of the most affordable 2 room tents on our list. We are also impressed with the 5 mesh windows and mesh top. This allows you to take the rainfly off and stargaze on those beautiful clear night. Not to mention the great ventilation provided throughout those hot summer nights. 

Setup can easily be completed by two people within 5 minutes. Tip: take note of the color-coded poles and match them to the same colored sleeve for a stress-free setup. 

Given the affordable price, we were pleasantly surprised by the waterproofing features, including the 185T polyester that is water-resistant to 1,000mm. Meaning that it will keep you dry until 1m of moisture hits the fabric over a 24 hour period. 

This is more than enough to keep moisture out for most summer camping scenarios, but we’d suggest opting for a higher rated 4 season tent if you’re planning on venturing into extreme cold conditions. 

The main improvement we’d like to see Campros address is the zipper on the main door that can get caught in the zipper covering. It’s not so much a problem for adults, but kids can struggle to get the zipper open. 

Overall, we recommend this tent for budget-conscious family adventures that need a tent primarily for long summer nights, but with enough waterproofing to allow extended use over summer shoulder periods too.

 

Specifications

  • Rooms: 2
  • Persons: 8
  • Weight: 17.4 lbs
  • Max Height: 6 ft
  • Floor Dimensions: 14 x 9 ft
  • Floor Area: 126 square feet
  • Ventilation: 1 large mesh door, 5 mesh windows & mesh ceiling
  • Storage: Internal only
  • Waterproofing: PU 1,000mm water resistance
  • Accessories: 14 stakes, 6 guy lines & carry bag
  • Pole system: 8.5mm fiberglass poles
  • Warranty: 1 year manufacturer's

Features

  • PU 1,000mm water resistance
  • 5 mesh windows and mesh roof
  • Removable rain fly for summer star gazing

Pros

  • Room divider for versatile configurations (& privacy)
  • One of the most affordable multi-room tents in our list
  • Large size can fit up to 3 queen-sized air mattresses

Cons

  • Front door zipper can catch
Best tent on the market for the price
"I am retired Army and I would use this tent had I been still in the Army."
What Male Campers Say

Craig R. Whitehead

USA

Casio Edifice EF527D-1AV

The 10 person cabin tent from Ozark Trail features 2 rooms with a removable divider. With 140 square feet of floor space and a maximum height of 7” 2’, this tent offers ample space for a family or group. The large height makes it ideal for taller individuals or those that really value vertical space. 

Given the large height, you can easily add some camping cots to maximize the existing floor space. 

The outer fly can be removed, allowing the 6 large mesh windows and the mesh ceiling to provide clear views all around you. Of course, you can always add the rainfly for when the weather starts to turn bad or you just want the privacy. 

With so much mesh in the tent, you’re guaranteed to have loads of ventilation during those steamy nights. But, given the prevalence of mesh, this tent isn’t well catered towards the colder seasons. 

They’ve included several handy waterproofing features. The 68D coated polyester fabric has a waterproof coating to 600mm and seams are factory sealed. The floor is a tub style, which allows the floor to extend 6” up the side. This helps keep the floor dry.  

Overall, this is a budget offering from a well-known brand, Ozark. We find it most suitable for cheap, relaxed summer family camping in favorable conditions. It will hold up well in mild winds, but it is not designed for extreme camping. The 7” 2’ of vertical space makes it ideal for taller individuals.

Specifications

  • Rooms: 2
  • Persons: 10
  • Weight: 13.5 lbs
  • Max Height: 7" 2'
  • Floor Dimensions: 14 x 10 ft
  • Floor Area: 140 square ft
  • Ventilation: 6 large windows and mesh ceiling
  • Storage: Small gear loft and storage pockets on the wall
  • Waterproofing: 600mm with factory sealed seams & 6" tub floor
  • Accessories: Carry bag
  • Pole system: Steel side poles with shock-corded fiberglass poles for the roof
  • Warranty: 6 month limited manufacturer's

Features

  • Taped, factory sealed seams & 600mm waterproofing
  • Electrical cord access
  • Removable room divider

Pros

  • Large inside area of 140 square feet
  • One person can easily setup
  • Loads of mesh for ventilation

Cons

  • No floor ventilation windows
  • Height makes it more susceptible to winds
Huge and tall tent
"This thing is huge. I'm 5'10" and even on the sides I couldn't touch the ceiling with my arms straight up. This was an awesome purchase."
What Female Campers Say

Karen

USA

Casio Edifice EF527D-1AV

Looking for a more permanent multi-room setup? The Wenzel Klondike is a 2 room camping tent that features a large main room, with a permanent separate screen room at the front. This smaller room is ideal for kids, a kitchen, gear, or just to chill in your insect-free zone. 

It’s rated as an 8 person tent, with 5 sleeping in the main section and 3 in the front. We like that you can fit a queen size mattress in both rooms. Note the different heights between the main and the screen rooms. The maximum height of the main room is an ample 78”, which reduces to 61” for the screen room. 

There is loads of ventilation in the Klondike. The entire front room is surrounded by mesh on 3 sides (including the door). The back room has 2 large windows on the sides and a smaller ventilation window at the bottom of the rear. This bottom window helps create a breeze, which can be especially useful at night when you’ve got the rainfly attached. 

The polyester rainfly is coated with 600mm PU coating to resist moisture and the welded polyethylene tub-style floor helps prevent moisture seeping in from below. 

The frame is a combination of shock-corded fiberglass for the roof, steel uprights, and corner elbows. This sturdy construction does come at the expense of weight. At 26.3 lbs, it’s not exactly a tent you’d want to take backpacking. The Klondike tent is much better suited for car camping situations. 

We love that Wenzel includes a 10-year warranty, but be sure to read the conditions. This is not a 4 season tent. So, they are not going to cover your torn and leaking tent if you’ve decided to venture into the extremes of the Alaskan wilderness…. There are positive reports of the warranty being honored provided you are mainly using it for leisurely summer camping. 

Lastly, this may not matter to some, but we appreciate that you can easily   

Overall, we recommend this super popular tent for small families that desire a permanent 2 room tent setup. The separate room comes in very handy. Even if you have a small group and just use it to separate your sleeping quarters from your living, this can really help keep your sleeping area clean and free from dirt/sand that can easily enter the front section of the tent. Just note that you’ll need a car to transport this tent because it’s kinda heavy.

Specifications

  • Rooms: 2
  • Persons: 8
  • Weight: 26.3 lbs
  • Max Height: 78"
  • Floor Dimensions: 11 x 16 ft
  • Floor Area: 98 square feet (main) & 60 square feet (front)
  • Ventilation: 6 mesh windows, 1 door, 2 side windows & mesh roof vents
  • Storage: 2 internal pockets
  • Waterproofing: 600mm PU coating & tub floor
  • Accessories: Carry bag
  • Pole system: Shock-corded fibreglass roof frame with steel uprights and corner elbows
  • Warranty: 10 year warranty

Features

  • 2 permanent rooms with loads of ventilation
  • Removable rainfly
  • 600mm PU water-resistant

Pros

  • Versatile setup with front room catering to many uses
  • Lots of sleeping space for a small family or group
  • 10 year warranty

Cons

  • No electrical cable access
  • It’s on the heavy side (car needed)
This tent is Amazing. It's a portable cabin more than a tent!
"I LOVE this tent! having a screened-in porch with an attached floor is amazing!!!!!!!! No bugs or frogs in our food! I love the space. This tent is great for summertime due to all the ventilation and mesh and thin walls."
What Female Campers Say

Mrs Smith

USA

Casio Edifice EF527D-1AV

Are we camping or glamping..? The Coleman 8 Person Tenaya Lake cabin tent features some very nice features for those that like a little luxury with their wilderness. 

The most popular feature of this tent is the closet. Yes, this 2 room tent comes with a built-in closet that protrudes from one side. This creates additional space rather than take space away from the interior. The closet is 2 x 2 ft and comes with its own support poles. To access the closet from the inside you have a curtain with a vertical zip. The closet comes with shelves and a hanger bar. 

We’ve seen some people turn the closet into a little bathroom by adding a portable toilet. But, it’s pretty small, so I wouldn’t generally recommend it. 

Let’s talk about Coleman’s “fast-pitch”. They claim that their fast-pitch design allows 2 people to set up the tent in only 9 minutes. Whilst we aren’t entirely sure about that claim, we do know that these tents are a lot faster to set up than other Coleman tents that don’t have fast-pitch. We suggest allowing for around 15 mins set up time for two people (more if it’s your first time setting up). 

Fast-pitch works by automatically attaching the shock-corded roof poles to the top hub element where they all meet. This also takes the guesswork out of deciding which pole goes whereas there are no decisions to make. Other poles supporting the tent are shock-corded, but they are not attached to the tent in the same way. 

Don’t confuse fast-pitch with an instant tent setup. To be clear, the Tenaya Lake cabin tent is not an instant tent. 

The other feature that sets this tent apart is the hinged door. Two fiberglass poles bend to construct a D shape, forming the rigid door. The door is secured via velcro for easy access but also shuts tight with a zip for a more secure door. Having a functional door without needing to unzip and then zip every time you enter the tent is very user friendly. Especially if you have kids that struggle with zips or sometimes forget to close it after themselves. 

We clearly like this multi-room tent, but the main improvement we’d like to see is an additional door. You see, there is only one door so if you have a 2 setup, you need to go through one room to get to the other. This is not ideal for groups or couples sharing the tent. 

Overall we recommend the Tenaya Lake tent for those that are perhaps more familiar with glamping than camping. You don’t need to leave all of your creature comforts behind when using this tent. It’s a great size for a small family to enjoy relatively mild weather with occasional rain. However, we don’t recommend it for extreme weather conditions. 

Specifications

  • Rooms: 2
  • Persons: 8
  • Weight: 34 lbs
  • Max Height: 76"
  • Floor Dimensions: 13 x 9 ft
  • Floor Area: 117 square feet
  • Ventilation: 5 windows, door & mesh roof
  • Storage: Closet (2 x 2 ft) built-in
  • Waterproofing: "WeatherTec" system with welded floors & inverted seams
  • Accessories: Carry bag with wheels
  • Pole system: Coleman's Fast-Pitch with fiberglass & steel poles
  • Warranty: 1 year manufacturer's

Features

  • Hinged door
  • Closet
  • Fast pitch

Pros

  • User-friendly features set this tent apart from many others
  • Plenty of ventilation, including a mesh roof with rainfly
  • Quick and easy setup thanks to fast-pitch

Cons

  • Closet is great, but we’d still like to see more storage
  • Seam construction could be more watertight. Suggest waterproofing yourself before use.
Absolutely amazing! 6 stars, not just 5
"The first time we took this tent out it stormed. Not just rained, but 60+ mph winds, lightening, thunder, hail, the whole package. My husband and 3 kids managed to sleep and get rested up while I was in panic mode ready to abort the camping trip at any moment… We didn’t get a single drop inside our tent."
What Female Campers Say

Monica Martin

USA

Casio Edifice EF527D-1AV

Also from Coleman is their 6 person Elite WeatherMaster with 2.5 rooms. We’re calling it 2.5 rooms because the screened room doesn’t have a floor. So, the screen room is definitely usable during the day, but not really somewhere you’d want to be sleeping at night. 

The main room is completely sealed off from the screened room and the divider can be used to separate the main room into two. A practical setup is to use the rear room for sleeping, the middle room as a living area/night storage, and the front screen room as a kitchen or just to sit and chill. 

One of the main differentiators of this tent is the built-in LED light with a switch. The light is attached to the ceiling and the switch is on the inside wall. The 100 lumens LED is powered by 4x D batteries (not included). The switch has two buttons; one for a dim orange LED and another controls a white LED. You can cycle between low, high, and off. 

Have you ever been laying inside your tent, needing to go to the bathroom but you just lay there until you almost burst because you really don’t want to have to deal with a dodgy zipper? Well, I have... 

Hinged doors remove this problem. Like Coleman’s Tenaya Lake, the WeatherMaster Elite comes with a hinged door comprising two fiberglass poles. One is bent and the other is straight - combined they create a D shaped door that attaches with velcro and/or a zipper. It’s a very handy feature that eliminates the mini-anxiety around entering/exiting the tent. 

The rainfly comes with a 450mm waterproofing coating and whilst they indicate the floor is waterproof, unfortunately, they don’t provide a rating. We can say the floor generally holds up well in the rain. Like most tents, the weakest spots are the seams. Coleman has tried to seal up the seams by inverting them, allowing the holes to be inside the tent. Even so, we definitely recommend waterproofing the seams before use. 

Whilst the total floor area of the tent is 153 square feet, this includes the screen room. The actual sleeping area is 99 square feet - big enough to fit two queen-sized beds. It’s a good size for a small family and the separate rooms provide privacy. 

There is a lot of ventilation, with 4 mesh windows and the inner layer has a mesh top that they call a skylight. Whilst there are no floor vents, there is still a lot of ventilation in this tent, especially for those warmer, clear nights where you can safely risk removing the outer fly. 

They’ve also included an e-cable port to easily pass through additional cables should you need. 

Overall, this family-sized tent has some very handy features. The hinged door, separate screen room, and the built-in LED bring some lovely modern features to your rustic outdoor adventures. We see this room suitable mainly for smaller families (2 adults + 2 kids) as opposed to groups because there are no separate entrances for each room.

 

Specifications

  • Rooms: 2.5
  • Persons: 6
  • Weight: 35.8 lbs
  • Max Height: 76"
  • Floor Dimensions: 17 x 9 ft
  • Floor Area: 153 square feet total, 99 square feet sleeping area
  • Ventilation: 4 mesh windows, mesh skylight, and screen room
  • Storage: 2 storage pockets
  • Waterproofing: 450mm PU coating water-resistance
  • Accessories: Built-in LED & switch, carry bag
  • Pole system: Steel poles for frame and fiberglass for roof
  • Warranty: 1 year limited manufacturer's

Features

  • Built-in LED light and switch
  • Hinged door
  • Skylight

Pros

  • Modern features of LED light and hinged door are great
  • A separate screen room increases the usable area by 50%
  • Can fit 2 queen-sized mattresses

Cons

  • Waterproofing the seams highly recommended
  • Heavy at 35.8 lbs. Car camping only
My favorite tent!
I am thrilled my favorite tent was actually a lot cheaper than my other ones! The door makes me realize how much I avoided going in and out of the tent with the zipper. The porch is great for morning coffee. The windows roll up nice and neat. The net roof is beautiful to wake up to (trees all above). And the light is great!
What Male Campers Say

Nickdxx

USA

3 Room Tents

Casio Edifice EF527D-1AV

The Core 12 Person Instant Cabin tent excels at three things. Privacy, ventilation, and a super quick setup. How quick you ask? Less than 2 minutes! 

There are 2 removable dividers included which can turn the tent into 3 separate rooms. The two main rooms each have their own door, making it ideal for a couples camping scenario or even smaller groups. Of course, this is also ideal for families as having separate entrances for kids and adults means you can sneak in and out without waking up the other room.  

For further privacy, they’ve included zippable privacy panels for the windows and doors. This allows you to open them nice and wide when you need more ventilation, but can easily close them should you want the additional privacy. 

The ventilation regulation system also impressed us. Ground ventilation on either side of the tent takes in the cooler air, whilst the warmer air can escape via the mesh windows and ceiling. The ground vents are adjustable and have their own guy lines to allow maximum airflow. It’s a neat system that not many other tents in this price range have. 

The 180 square foot interior can fit 3 queen mattresses (one for each room), but given the vertical height available a better use of space might be to use stackable cots instead. It’s your call. 

Internal storage consists of a gear loft and 4 hanging storage pockets. But, they are pretty small, so you can’t really store much in these. For such a large tent, there is not a lot of storage room available, so bear this in mind if you’re trying to squeeze in 12 people. 

The 68D polyester comes with a waterproof rating of 600mm thanks to their H20 Block Technology that repels water. They’ve also factory sealed the seams, but of course, we still recommend waterproofing the seals. 

The payoff for having a setup time of less than 2 minutes is the weight. You see, the steel poles pre-attached to the tent are very strong, but also heavy. This results in the tent weighing a hefty 52 lbs. Not such a big deal if you’re car camping, but you don’t want to be lugging this with you on the Appalachian trail! 

Overall we really like this tent for couples, group camping, and larger families. The separate entrances, room dividers, door, and window privacy screens create a private setting. Whilst the super quick 2 minute setup time means you can spend more time immersing yourself in nature, and less time arguing over setup instructions.

 

Specifications

  • Rooms: 3
  • Persons: 12
  • Weight: 52 lbs
  • Max Height: 80"
  • Floor Dimensions: 18 x 10 ft
  • Floor Area: 180 square feet
  • Ventilation: Adjustable ground vents, mesh ceiling & windows
  • Storage: Gear loft & 4 hanging pockets
  • Waterproofing: 600mm water resistance with thermal welded seams
  • Accessories: Carry bag
  • Pole system: Instant setup with steel poles
  • Warranty: 1 year limited manufacturer's

Features

  • Instant setup less than 2 mins!
  • Separate entrances for both main rooms
  • Adjustable ventilation system

Pros

  • Numerous privacy features
  • Each of the 3 rooms can fit a queen bed
  • Excellent ventilation

Cons

  • Heavy at 52 lbs
  • Storage space is limited
Super easy set and comfortable for the whole family!
"This tent is the bomb-diggity… My kids love that they have their own ‘room’ and can section off using the included dividers. The tent has ample ventilation so even on a warm summer night we were able to get plenty of airflow"
What Female Campers Say

Kathleen Holt

USA

Casio Edifice EF527D-1AV

The Ozark Trail 11 person instant cabin tent is a great pick for budget-conscious campers that value privacy, multiple rooms, and a generously sized living area. 

Whilst Ozark Trail calls this an ‘instant’ tent with a 2 minute setup time, there is an important caveat to be made. The main structure of the tent is indeed instant and goes up very quickly. But, the private room comes with an additional pole that is not attached. You need to push this through the sleeve, so it does add a little bit of time. So what you have is a mostly instant tent setup. It’s still a very easy and quick setup which we appreciate. 

The design of this tent is rather unique, with the private room protruding from the back. It’s completely hidden from view if you’re looking at the tent from the front. This can add your privacy if you’re able to set up your campsite in a manner that only exposes the front of the tent. 

We really like the additional room configurations that are enabled by the inclusion of the private room. The 48 square feet provided by the private room is big enough to comfortably include a queen size mattress. Effectively allowing you to have 3 queen-sized mattresses (one in each room) in the tent. 

There is a room divider included that can be used to separate the main living area into 2 rooms. Making this an ideal summer camping tent for families or groups. 

The large front awning adds some additional space for relaxing or cooking etc. It’s actually pretty rare for cabin style tents to also include a front awning, so we were happy to see it included here. 

Ventilation is a breeze (pun intended!) with the 6 large mesh windows and the mesh ceiling. However, there is no ground vent to aid vertical circulation. This shouldn’t be that much of an issue given all of the mesh windows but would have been a nice inclusion. 

There is also an electrical cable access port included should you need to pass cords into the tent. 

The biggest improvement we’d like to see is around water/weatherproofing. Unfortunately, Ozark Trails don’t provide a lot of documentation on the waterproofing features and rating, which leads us to assume that this tent has a minimal waterproof coating (approx 500mm PU). 

The seams are factory sealed and the rainfly does a good job of covering the majority of the inner tent. But, given the large vertical height of the cabin style tent, it’s very hard to properly protect from side winds and there are some reports of rain getting through. We absolutely recommend using a groundsheet and waterproofing the seals yourself. 

Overall, this tent is ideal for privacy lovers that want an affordable tent with multiple room configuration options for summer camping. We love the super quick setup time and large floor space but wish it had a little more storage. 

 

Specifications

  • Rooms: 3
  • Persons: 11
  • Weight: 33 lbs
  • Max Height: 76"
  • Floor Dimensions: Main section (14 x 8 ft) + private room (8 x 6 ft)
  • Floor Area: 160 (112 + 48) square feet
  • Ventilation: 6 mesh windows & mesh ceiling
  • Storage: 2 small internal pockets
  • Waterproofing: Factory sealed seams
  • Accessories: Carry bag
  • Pole system: Instant setup with steel and fiberglass poles
  • Warranty: 6-month limited manufacturer's

Features

  • Private room at the back of the tent
  • E-cable port access
  • Large front awning

Pros

  • Multiple room configuration options with private room and divider
  • Lots of usable living space (160 square feet)
  • Very affordable given the size

Cons

  • Not a lot of storage space
  • Limited waterproofing features 
Everything you need
"We love this tent. It takes less than 10 minutes to set up completely on your first try. Plenty of windows, lots of space. The third room fits a queen size air mattress. We were able to fit 3 of them in there comfortably. There are rings in the top to hang lanterns in the inside and pockets for personal belongings. We love it"
What Male Campers Say

Ryan Kjenstad

USA

4 Room Tents

Casio Edifice EF527D-1AV

Do you have a large group or family that need separate rooms? The Fortunershop family cabin tent might be the perfect tent. Each of the 4 rooms comes with its own door so each camper can come and go as they please without disturbing anyone else. So now you can all camp together, but with more independence than other tents can provide. 

Each of the 4 rooms is big enough to hold a queen size mattress, with an additional mattress able to go in the center section, making it suitable for a total of 5 queen-size mattresses. Just be warned that if you go with this configuration then you won’t have a lot of spare room for storage. A more comfortable configuration would be to stick with one queen mattress in each of the 4 rooms but keeping the center area for storage. 

Each of the 4 rooms has 2 windows (one on each side) and another large mesh window on the door. The ceiling is also constructed of mesh. This ensures that each room has ample ventilation. Also, as each room is the same, there are no more arguments over who gets the better room! This is a persistent issue when we go camping with our kids that I could live without... 

They’ve provided a much-needed flysheet to cover the ceiling, but it doesn’t extend to the sides. This makes the tall cabin structure susceptible to side wind and rain. So, we see this squarely as a 2 season tent for camping in mostly fine conditions with the occasional drizzle. 

There is one cable port access vent, which is good, but not great for 4 rooms. So if you’re camping in a group you’ll need to split the connection if more than 1 room requires access to charge the essentials.  

Despite the size, this tent is not freestanding. You’ll need to anchor it using the supplied stakes and ropes. Setup is straight-forward, but it’s not an instant tent. It should take two people around 20 minutes to get set up. And no, you can’t just set up one or two rooms and leave the others if you have a smaller group. You need to erect the entire tent. 

Overall we recommend this tent for larger groups or families that all want to camp together but still maintain some privacy and independence. It is ideal for small tour groups too. Just bear in mind that it’s heavy and not designed to withstand substantial side-winds and rain. 

Specifications

  • Rooms: 4
  • Persons: 14
  • Weight: 54 lbs
  • Max Height: 78"
  • Floor Dimensions: 20 x 20 ft
  • Floor Area: Unknown
  • Ventilation: 12 mesh windows & mesh ceiling
  • Storage: Storage pocket in each room
  • Waterproofing: Taped seams
  • Accessories: Carry bag
  • Pole system: Steel poles for body & shock-corded fiberglass for roof
  • Warranty: Unknown

Features

  • Can fit 5 queen-sized mattresses
  • Room dividers can create 4 rooms
  • Electrical cable access port

Pros

  • Each of the 4 rooms has its own entrance
  • Queen size mattress fits in each room (2 in the large room). 
  • Loads of ventilation in each room

Cons

  • Not an instant tent. Setup time takes approx 20 mins. 
  • Heavy (54 lbs)
Very spacious and easy to assemble
"This tent is awesome!! It has so much room and was not hard to assemble!!"
What Female Campers Say

Crystal

USA

So, which multi-room tent is best for you?

Our favorite affordable 2 room tent is the Campros 8 Person 2 Room Tent. We like that Campros has taken waterproofing seriously with the 1,000mm PU coating. This opens up the tent for genuine 3 season use. It's a good size too, with enough room for 3 queen-sized mattresses.

The other 2 room tent that really caught our eye is the Coleman Tenaya Lake cabin tent. It's just filled with creature comforts like the built-in wardrobe, hinged door, and fast-pitch (but not instant) setup.

For a larger, 3 room tent we really like the Core 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent. We love that the instant setup design takes less than 2 minutes to erect and each of the main rooms has it's own entrance. It's also one of the only tents on our list that features adjustable ground vents to increase vertical ventilation.

Multi Room Tent Buyers Guide

What to look for in a multi-room tent

How much privacy do you need?

One of the core reasons multi room tents are so popular is because they allow for more privacy than a regular, open plan tent. But, not all multi room tents provide the same level of privacy. Some of these have removable dividers that allows for more configurations, but these dividers may not provide the same level of privacy as a permanent barrier.

Either way, it's still important to be realistic with the amount of expected privacy. After all, we are talking about a thin layer of plastic. It's not going to drown out any noise and silhouettes may still be visible. But, it's certainly better than no barrier.

What size tent?

Tent sizing is a real sore spot for us. Manufacturers continue to label their tents as suitable for X number of people based on squeezing them in like sardines. This is not realistic as I don't know anyone that camps like this (unless at a music festival etc) and we wish a new sizing format would be adopted by tent manufacturers.

Until that happens, we recommend you take a conservative approach in sizing the tent by taking 2 persons off the manufacturers' rating. Ie, if they say it's a 4 man tent, then we think it's much better suited for 2 adults with some gear.

Let the floor size we've provided be your best guide for determining how big the tent really is and how many people you can expect to fit comfortably.

How many rooms?

We've divided our reviews based on the number of rooms each tent has. Don't forget to factor in whether your camping group is happy to share rooms? If not, you may even be better of with several smaller affordable lightweight 4 season tents.

Does the number of seasons matter? 

Most tents on this list are best suited for easy summer camping. But, some are designed with weatherproofing in mind which allows them to withstand more elements of the 3rd season. These are rated as 3 season tents and we've highlighted these where appropriate. Choose a 3 season tent if you're likely to be using it during the shoulder summer periods too.

Quality 4 season family-sized tents can be very expensive. We've reviewed our favorite extreme 4 season tents, but they are generally much smaller and without rooms. 

Weight

Most multi room tents are big, heavy, and not built for hiking trails. You'll need to accept that most of these tents will require a car to transport to the campsite. The instant tents are particularly heavy.

But note; more weight isn't always a bad thing in tent construction. Thicker material weighs more, but also provides better weather protection.

Build quality

We've focused our reviews on the cheaper multi room tents in today's market. Quality is a key criteria for selection and we've only included tents that we consider to have good built quality. However, these are mass manufactured and quality issues can arise. This is why it's always important to consider the available warranty and take basic precautions like waterproofing your tent before use.

Shape

The shape of the tent can play a large role in how waterproof it is. The tall cabin tents provide a lot of vertical height (which we love), but they are also susceptible to rain blowing in from the sides and potentially causing issues if you aren't careful. Lower profile tents are generally easier to keep dry, but obviously they aren't as liveable - especially for taller campers.

Setup time

Instant tents are great if you're on the move and setting up every day. But, if you're moving at a more leisurely pace, then perhaps setup time is not as important as some additional features such as awning configurations or other extras.

Ventilation

As most of these tents are designed for easy summer camping, they should have enough ventilation to ensure a nice breeze can find it's way through. In addition to numerous windows, many provide a mesh ceiling to further improve ventilation. Some even include ground vents to allow deeper vertical ventilation.

Why are tents with rooms so popular with groups?

Pros

  • Privacy
  • Independance: Different schedules for kids and adults. Stay up late without interrupting the kids!
  • Designate specific rooms - ie perhaps you have a camp kitchen dedicated to one room, or to store gear, etc. 

Cons

  • Larger tents are more susceptible to winds. 
  • Quality tents with multiple rooms can be very expensive. 
  • Weight. They are heavy. 

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