Here you have a selection of great 12 person instant camping tents, all incredibly large yet easy-to-use outdoor shelters suitable for summer family camping and for groups.
All the tents here are very large, yet their official setup time is just a minute or two. This is due to their frame that is pre-attached to the tent, and due to telescopic poles. One person can easily pitch any of these tents.
These are large structures built for comfort, with many windows and with a minimal fly for unobstructed views. They are tall and boxy, and they are usually freestanding. But do not miss staking such a tent properly to avoid problems in the case of sudden winds.
My list of best 12 person instant camping tents
- Ozark Trail 12-Person 3-Room Instant Cabin Tent with Screen Room
- Coleman Camping Tent Skylodge Instant 12 Person
- Core 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent
- CORE Two Room 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent with Side Entrance
- Ozark Trail 16 x 16 Feet 12 Person 3 Room Instant Tent
- Bushnell Shield Series 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent 18 x 11
- Ozark Trail 20 x 10 Dark Rest Instant Cabin Tent
Below you have only some basic information, for more details please follow the links to my full texts. The tents are ordered by the floor area from smaller to larger.
1. Ozark Trail 12-Person 3-Room Instant Cabin Tent with Screen Room
This Ozark Trail 12 tent offers an area of 168 ft² (15.6 m²), so it is huge but it is still inferior by size to its competitors below. Space is organized into 3 rooms and the front room in the picture above is a screen room.
This is why I have included it also in my list of tents with a screen room. The screen room is fully protected so you have a sealed floor and zippered panels on all sides.
The tent is a very typical cabin-type, tall and pleasant, the peak height is 76 inches (193 cm), and with steep and straight walls. The frame is pre-attached to the tent and the packed size is 50 x 12 x 12 inches (127 x 30 x 30 cm). The poles are steel so this is a strong and stable structure.
The fly is minimal, and its waterproof rating is only 600 mm. So this tent is perfect for summer camping and for calm weather conditions without much rain and wind.
2. Coleman Camping Tent Skylodge Instant 12 Person
So this Coleman Camping Tent Skylodge Instant 12 Person is here because of its official capacity and its instant setup. But this is also a very tall tent with its 7.4 ft (226 cm) peak height and it is added to my list of very tall family camping tents. It is the largest tent from their series that includes many tents built in the same style.
This is an easy-to-use 2-room tent most suitable for calm weather family car camping in the warmer part of the year. The weight is 52.71 lb (24 kg) and the area is 170.5 ft² (15.8 m²).
3. Core 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent 18 x 10
So here you have two tents, one is shown in the picture, but they also have a version under the name Core Lighted 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent.
The tent has 3 rooms, and it offers 180 ft² (16.7 m²) of the area. This should be enough for 12 people but as usual, it is best to downgrade the number of users. It can accommodate 3 queen size beds. In spite of its size, this tent’s setup is 2 minutes.
You have 2 huge doors with windows, and they are on opposite sides. In addition, there are 7 separate windows. The tent is nicely ventilated with all mesh windows, but it has also 2 large vents close to the floor. The overall dimensions are 18 x 10 feet (549 x 305 cm).
4. CORE Two Room 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent with Side Entrance
The area of this tent is 180 ft² (16.7 m²) and the declared capacity is 12 people. In spite of such a size, this is an instant setup tent and one person can make it ready in under two minutes. It is included also in my list of best 12-person tents.
The tent is fully freestanding, and the frame is steel. This is what makes it heavy, it weighs 40 lb (18.1 kg). But this is a very strong and stable structure and its overall cabin-style shape makes it perfect for summer camping.
The side door mentioned in the name is more to distinguish it somehow from the other 12-person tents of this brand. In fact, the main large door is on its narrow side and you can see it in the picture on the right.
This is a very pleasant structure with 5 huge windows and those are all double-layer type with mesh and panels. As you see, they go almost to the ground, so ventilation is excellent. The peak height is 80 inches (203 cm). There is a divider inside so you have two rooms.
5. Ozark Trail 16 x 16 Feet 12 Person 3 Room Instant Tent
This is a large structure, but note that it is L-shaped. So the numbers 16 x 16 in the name do not describe its inner area. You have around 192 ft² (17.8 m²) of the floored area, and it is organized into three separate rooms, each big enough to accommodate a queen-sized bed. They are all the same size 8 x 8 ft (244 x 244 cm).
In view of this, the tent is very suitable for several couples and for big families or groups of friends. Its official setup time is two minutes (when you know how to do it). This is an instant tent of course with telescopic vertical poles. But one extra detail here which makes it different from competitors are telescopic poles even on the roof.
It also offers a large awning shown in the picture. There are 7 windows, an E-cable port, and 2 ground vents which can fit airconditioners.
6. Bushnell Shield Series 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent 18 x 11 ft
This Bushnell Shield Series 12 Person Instant Cabin Tent 18 x 11 is the largest from their Shield series that includes also a 6-person tent and a 9-person tent. This is just to know if you feel that this tent here is too large for you.
Namely, the area is 198 ft² (18.4 m²) so this is an enormous construction and it is included also in my list of extra large family camping tents. It is tall with 80 inches (203 cm) peak height. With its boxy cabin-style shape the tent is best suited for summer camping without much rain and wind.
The tent is supported with a steel frame, and the inner area is organized in 3 rooms, this is why I have included it also in my list of best 3-room tents. You have 8 large windows, an awning, and multiple storage features.
7. Ozark Trail 20 x 10 Dark Rest Instant Cabin Tent
This tent is one of the best-known tents from the dark rest type. So you have a great combination of an instant design and dark rest design, and the tent is huge. It offers 200 square feet (18.6 m²) of floor area, and it is with dividers so you can make 3 separate rooms in the tent.
This is a livable structure with large doors on the two sides, and with large windows everywhere around. It is also equipped with vents, and you have an electric cable port.
They used a dark material for the body, and the tent is with dark panels zippered underneath the ceiling mesh. This allows you to regulate the amount of light you want to have and you can considerably reduce glare in the tent.
Final thoughts
So this was my selection of best 12 person instant camping tents, and the list will be updated whenever I find a tent that is worth adding here. You might want to bookmark this text and visit it again, this will keep you informed.
I hope you realize that you have some truly great options here, all the tents are large, tall, pleasant, and livable with their numerous large windows and multiple rooms. But some have extra features, and these include dark rest design, additional floor vents, awnings, etc.
Let me know if you have questions, there is a comment box below. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, the subscription box is also below. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.
Leave a Reply