Coleman Carlsbad Dark Room 4/6 Person Camping Tent with Screened Porch

Why it's worth it

The Carlsbad pairs Coleman's Dark Room fabric with welded floor seams and a screened porch, so kids sleep past sunrise and the mud stays outside. It's the one to buy if this is your family's first tent and you'd rather not spend much finding out whether camping sticks.

If you have a toddler, the dark interior is the part you'll actually care about. Coleman's lab figures put the Dark Room fabric at blocking more than 90% of sunlight, which slows the morning temperature climb and buys you an extra hour before a five-year-old announces the day has started. Parents in family camping circles bring this up constantly, and it's the reason the tent keeps getting recommended. It isn't a gimmick.

The waterproofing punches well above the rest of the build. Coleman's WeatherTec system welds the floor seams rather than taping them, and welds don't peel. That matters more than it sounds: Backpacker Magazine's evaluation in Olympic Peninsula rainforest conditions found seam tape failure — not fabric wetting through — was the usual cause of a soaked floor in tents under three years old. Owners report sitting out an inch of overnight rain dry.

From our review of 3 all-weather family camping tents, by Genevieve Dubois, Home & Living Expert

What we like

• +If you have a toddler, the dark interior is the part you'll actually care about
• +The waterproofing punches well above the rest of the build
• +The screened porch is a real 10-by-5 room, not a stoop
• +Setup is quick. The Fast Pitch frame arrives with poles preattached to a hub and color coding on everything else, so one adult…

What to know

• –Ventilation is the weak spot
• –It's also the least wind-worthy tent here