When the rain starts falling in earnest, even the best-planned family camping trip can turn ugly. No one wants to wake up in a puddle of rainwater and find their kit soaked, especially when you’ve promised your kids that this is going to be the best weekend ever.
Not to worry. This article will review 11 brilliant 6 person tents to use in heavy rain, as well as provide a detailed guide to prevent you from wasting money on a tent that isn’t up to the job.
Without further ado, here are 11 of the best waterproof 6 person tents on the market right now!
Best Waterproof 6 Person Tents - Our Top 5 Picks
The following 5 picks are our favorite 6 person tents for rainy days.
Teton Sports Mesa Camping Tent
The Teton Sports Mesa Camping Tent is a high-quality canvas tent that can handle everything the weather throws at it!
We selected this as our Best Choice tent because of the top-quality materials and skillful workmanship that go into a tent of this caliber.
The breathable waterproof canvas is excellent for the hot and stuffy summer months, but it will also keep you warm and dry in the rainy season. The high ceilings offer plenty of standing room, which will make you feel much less claustrophobic if you’re camping in lousy weather.
The Mesa tent is also great at handling heavy winds thanks to the heavy-duty frame and strong top bar. A fine mosquito mesh will protect you from insects, while the door can be pegged out as a sheltered canopy area.
Overall, this is a brilliant 6 person tent for heavy rain, though the canvas is heavy and bulky when packed down.
Pros:
- High-quality materials
- Strong frame
- Easy to set up
- Breathable canvas
- Suitable for all weather conditions
- Looks fantastic
- Insect mesh
- Built-in canopy
- Inner storage pockets
- Standing room
Cons:
- Not the cheapest (but does last a lifetime!)
- Heavy
Coleman Montana
If you are looking for something more affordable than the Teton Sports Mesa Tent, the Coleman Montana is another brilliant option.
This 6 person tent has an extended awning, so you don’t have to worry about water coming in when you open and close the door. You can open the angled windows to get fresh air without letting in the rain.
We chose this as our best budget pick because of its strong frame, protected seams and zippers, and waterproof floor. It can easily be set up in 15 minutes and handles powerful wind just as well as heavy rain.
Pros:
- Easy to set up
- Spacious
- Awning to protect the door
- Strong frame
- Protected seams and zipper
- Waterproof floor
Cons:
- No vestibule for kit, which means you have to bring it inside
NTK Colorado
The NTK Colorado is a 5-6 person dome tent with two doors and double zippers.
It is quick and easy to assemble, and the double-layered rainfly has been treated with a thermoplastic sealer to make it 100% waterproof. The tent material also provides 50+ UV protection.
The nano flex fiberglass poles are flexible and robust, connected with rust-resistant ferrule connectors and extra-strong elastic cord.
As well as being strong and reliable, the NTK Colorado has an ultra-thin mosquito mesh to protect you from biting insects. The anti-fungal tent floor has been treated with silver to prevent leaks.
This is a practical and trustworthy tent, though the ventilation is limited by the thick and sealed rainfly.
Pros:
- Easy to set up
- 2 doors and double zippers
- Sealed 100% waterproof rainfly
- Antifungal and anti-leak floor
- UV 50+ protection
- Strong and flexible poles
- Ultra-thin mosquito mesh
Cons:
- Limited ventilation when rainfly is used
- Not very spacious
Mobihome 6 Person Tent
The Mobihome 6 Person Tent is an affordable option that comes highly recommended by its users.
This is an instant quick-up tent, so it’s perfect for beginner campers or for putting up fast in rainy weather. The waterproof tent floor will stop any rain from seeping through the bottom of the tent, and the breathable rainfly will prevent condensation from building up while it keeps you dry.
The Mobihome is lightweight, a great value, and reliable. It deals well with wet and windy weather. This spacious tent also has an extended awning over the door so you can come and go without letting in the rain.
Pros:
- Quick-up design
- Watertight floor
- Breathable rainfly
- Lightweight
- Strong frame
- Extended awning
- Windproof
Cons:
- No vestibule for kit
NTK Indy GT
The NTK Indy GT is a waterproof 5-6 person tent with a spacious screen room where you can hang out in bad weather.
Thanks to a pin and ring system, this tent is quick and straightforward to set up. The high-quality tent floor is both waterproof and anti-fungal, which is perfect for camping in wet weather.
The porch has clear waterproof windows, so you can enjoy the scenery and natural light, even when the rain is pouring down.
Bear in mind that the porch area is not entirely watertight, so we recommend that you store any kit in dry bags. The sleeping area, however, will stay dry in even the heaviest rain.
Despite NTK’s product description, we think that this tent is too cramped for 5-6 people. Considering the sleeping space available, you’d probably be far more comfortable with 3 people or less.
Pros:
- Easy to set up
- Porch area has transparent windows
- Watertight sleeping area
- Antifungal bathtub floor
- Mosquito mesh
- Large screen room to hang out in
Cons:
- Porch area isn’t completely watertight—consider dry bags for kit
Six More Worthy 6 Person Tents for Rain to Consider
If none of our Top 5 Picks caught your fancy, the following 6 person tents are also great for camping in wet weather. Afterward, you will find a guide for checking how waterproof your tent really is.
Marmot Guesthouse
The Marmot Guesthouse is a brilliant choice for foul weather camping. In addition to the watertight sleeping compartment, there is a spacious screen room where you can shelter from the rain.
This tent has a strong frame and a seam-taped rainfly, which provides total coverage of the inner tent. It is easy to put up and down, and the top vents will help reduce condensation.
The vertical walls give you plenty of headroom and a more spacious sleeping area than dome-style tents. What’s more, there are 3 vestibules where you can store your kit, giving you more space inside the tent.
Pros:
- Seam-taped rainfly
- Vertical walls for extra headroom
- Spacious
- 3 vestibules
- Sheltered screen room
- Easy to set up
- Exceptional user reviews
Cons:
- Expensive
Coleman Steel Creek
If you like the idea of a spacious screen room, you might want to check out the Coleman Steel Creek.
The protected zippers and seams prevent rainwater from leaking into the tent, and the strong frame will stand up well to windy weather. There are awnings around the windows, so you can open them up for fresh air even when it’s raining.
The bathtub-style floor also prevents water from seeping in through the ground, making the Steel Creek a great tent to use on rainy days.
The spacious screen room isn’t 100% watertight, but it’s still a nice place to relax on a camping chair when it’s raining, thanks to the canopy above.
The screen room also helps prevent insects from entering because the walls are made with a fine mesh that you can close before opening the sleeping compartment door.
Pros:
- Spacious screen room
- Mosquito mesh
- Protected zippers
- Sealed seams
- Wind-strong frame
- Watertight floor
- Quick and easy to set up
- Window awnings for ventilation
Cons:
- Screen room isn’t watertight
Marmot Orbit
The Marmot Orbit is a high-end 6 person tent that performs very well in rain.
The screen room has a huge double door that you can peg out as a large canopy area for extra outdoor space. The rainfly is fully taped and sealed, but it does have some vents to help with the airflow.
The floor is sealed to protect you from groundwater, making this a great option for exceptionally wet weather.
Thanks to the color-coded poles, this tent is easy to set up for less experienced campers.
Pros:
- Spacious sleeping compartment
- Screen room with an additional canopy area
- Taped and sealed rainfly
- Good ventilation
- Watertight tent floor
- Easy set up with color-coded poles
- Extremely waterproof sleeping compartment
Cons:
- Vestibule not as waterproof as sleeping compartment
Hui Lingyang Pop Up Tent
If you’re looking for a spacious pop-up tent for rainy weather, you should check out the Hui Lingyang 6 Person Pop Up Tent.
This instant tent puts itself up for you; all you have to do is release the strap! The tent has a waterproof vestibule area where you can store your shoes and kit, and the ground vents will help keep you cool on stuffy days, without letting in any rain.
What’s great about a pop-up tent like this is that the inner and outer layers are integrated. That means you don’t have to pitch the inner tent first and risk it getting wet.
As with many 6 person tents, we don’t think you’d be comfortable with more than 3 people sharing this tent. The person capacity provided by the tent manufacturer is always an absolute maximum and doesn’t realistically consider the campers’ comfort.
Pros:
- Instant-pop-up design
- Vestibule area for kit
- Integrated tent layers
- Ground vents for ventilation
- Waterproof and sealed rainfly
Cons:
- We recommend a maximum of 3 people (officially a 5-6 person tent)
- Putting away the tent isn’t easy on the first try—make sure you read the instructions or watch a video online (it’s simple once you know what you are doing!)
Rei Coop Base Camp Tent
The Rei Coop Base Camp Tent is high-quality and reliable. This tent does not have a screen room where you can hang out, but there is a vestibule where you can store your kit.
The rainfly is resistant to stretching, and the strong waterproof floor is designed to prevent punctures, so you can be confident that this model will last a long time.
The watertight sleeping compartment is nice and spacious, and 2 separate doors make coming and going a lot more comfortable when you are sharing the tent with other people.
The dome design offers less living space than some of the other tents that we have recommended, but this is for a good reason.
The low walls of a dome tent handle heavy wind exceptionally well, making this design far more suitable for serious weather than tents that come with screen rooms and steep walls.
Pros:
- Made for serious weather—this is the tent that you can really trust
- Two large doors
- Anti-puncture floor
- Watertight sleeping compartment
- Designed to withstand heavy rain and severe wind
- Top-quality materials
Cons:
- The vestibule isn’t watertight—be careful about which kit you store there
- No screen room
UNP 6 Person Tent
The UNP 6 Person Tent is a spacious cabin tent.
It’s more comfortable for a family camping trip than the REI tent mentioned above, but it won’t handle the worst weather. That being said, it does have a waterproof rainfly and taped seams, so it will keep you dry in most heavy rainfall; just be cautious before using it in a storm.
We love the UNP 6 person tent because there is plenty of standing room, so you will feel much less cramped if you are stuck in the tent due to bad weather.
It’s easy to set up, has large windows to let in natural light, and is a brilliant choice for taller people who are sick of walking stooped over in their tents.
Pros:
- Spacious—plenty of standing room for tall people
- Easy to set up
- Large windows and doors
- Bathtub-style floor
- Sturdy frame
Cons:
- Cabin tents aren’t the best for stormy weather (not streamlined)
- Rainfly doesn’t reach to the ground
How Do You Know if a Tent Is Really Waterproof?
A lot of tents claim to be waterproof. But when it comes to camping in heavy rain, you don’t want to blindly trust what the manufacturers are saying about their products.
This guide will give you some helpful tips, so you know whether the tent that you are buying is really up to the job.
Preparation
Basic Checks
It’s always good to do some basic checks before using your tent on a wet weather camping trip.
First, set it up at home and check for any tears or imperfections that will leak. If you discover these before using the tent, you can still send it back for a refund.
However, after a camping trip, there’s no way to prove that the tent arrived damaged!
Ideally, you will set up your tent outside and leave it for a few days, especially if wet weather is rolling in. If rain isn’t in the forecast, you can try spraying your tent with a hosepipe to identify leaks.
Waterproofing
No matter which tent you choose, you should spray it with a waterproofing solution before heading out on a camping trip. To ensure that it remains waterproof over time, reapply the solution after each trip if your tent took a lot of rain.
Many people don’t realize that they are supposed to do this and are shocked to find out that their tent is letting in water.
Tent Floor
Ideally, your tent should have a bathtub-style floor. This means that the floor material is thick and waterproof and that it extends partly up the tent walls.
You can also use a tent footprint to protect the tent floor from punctures and scratches that could lead to leaks. This does not make the actual floor more waterproof, though.
The tent footprint must be smaller than your tent, or else water will gather between the layers and seep through to your sleeping compartment.
Vestibule
Many tents come with vestibules where you can store your kit out of your sleeping area. This is useful when your gear is damp, as it prevents condensation in your main compartment.
However, vestibules and screen rooms are generally not entirely watertight.
As a rule, if the vestibule doesn’t have an integrated floor, then water can splash or flow beneath the rainfly. In this case, you should store your shoes and clothes in dry bags or sealed boxes if you plan on keeping them out there.
Rainfly
Materials
A rainfly can be made of synthetic materials or canvas. Both can be suitable for rainy weather if they are treated with an appropriate waterproofing solution.
Ideally, your tent will be precoated, with a silicone-based waterproof covering of at least 3000mm. The higher the waterproofing coating, the better.
However, this isn’t the only thing to look out for.
Seams and Zippers
Seams and zippers are weak points in the tent, where water can leak through. For wet conditions, look for a tent with heat-sealed or double-stitched seams, and ideally with covered zippers.
Rainfly Set-Up
When it comes to setting up your rainfly, make sure it’s pegged out tightly and use the guy lines to prevent it from flapping. This will help prevent moisture from passing through to the inner tent.
Also, consider how the tent is designed to be set up. With some tents, you must set up the inner tent first, leaving it vulnerable to getting wet whilst you wrestle with the rainfly.
Tents like teepees and pop-up tents can typically be set up without this problem.
Doors and Windows
The following tips don’t actually make your tent more waterproof, but they will make camping in the rain a lot more comfortable, so I wanted to mention them anyway!
When you’re camping in the rain, it’s much better to have windows that open and close from the inside. This means you can close them without going out into bad weather.
If the windows are angled, you will be able to keep them open without letting in the rainwater. This prevents your tent from getting stuffy and also reduces condensation.
If you don’t have angled windows, you should choose a tent with a ground vent, so you can get some airflow whilst the rainfly is secured down.
It is also preferable to have either a screen room or an extended awning over the door so that rain doesn’t fall straight into the tent as you come and go.
FAQs
What's the best family camping tent for bad weather?
The best family tent for bad weather will depend on your personal needs and group size
Are cabin tents water-resistant?
Dome tents are generally better for wet weather than cabin tents because the curved walls direct water away from the roof. That said, plenty of cabin tents are water-resistant; just use the guide in this article to make sure you’re choosing the right one.
How long do tents stay waterproof?
A tent will be less waterproof each time it goes through heavy rainfall. So, after each wet weather camping trip, make sure you spray it with another silicone coating.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to camping in heavy rain, we think the Teton Sports Mesa Camping Tent is the best 6 person waterproof tent you can buy. This spacious tent is made from top-quality materials, keeping you dry in some of the worst weather you can imagine.
If your budget doesn’t stretch that far, the Coleman Montana is a great-value alternative. The angled windows and door awning make this a brilliant tent for rainy weather, and it’s easy to set up for beginner campers.
If you’re not sure how to determine if a tent is really waterproof, just refer to our guide in this article and you can’t go wrong. Don’t forget that so-called ‘6 person tents’ are usually more comfortable for a maximum of 3-4 people.
We hope you found this article helpful, and we wish you many happy camping adventures in your new tent!
Rachel Horne
Rachel is a freelance adventure writer and founder of Highly Sensitive Nomad. When she isn’t writing, she can be found wild camping in the mountains and swimming in the lakes of Europe.
