It can be tough to find the perfect tent for summer camping expeditions. Summers can get pretty hot, and tents that are designed to keep you dry during the rainy seasons can get boiling hot when the sun is beaming down.
In this guide, we help you find the best tent for hot weather. The tents in this guide offer all the necessary protection from natural elements but won’t feel suffocating.
What Are The Essential Features for Hot Weather Tents?
Stepping into a normal tent on a hot day feels like you are stepping onto the training grounds for hell. These tents can be overwhelming and often has that plastic tent smell that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.
Luckily, there are quite a few ways to cool a tent but the best and easiest way that’ll save you time is to find the right tent to begin with. To find a tent that stays cool during the hotter seasons while offering the necessary protection from other elements in nature, you should keep a look out for the following features:
- Waterproof – Waterproof fabric or a waterproof fly will help you stay dry during rainy weather. You can also learn how to waterproof your tent yourself.
- Lots of vents – Vents at the top allow hot air to escape so you will feel more comfortable in the tent.
- Breathable fabric – Thinner, breathable fabric reduces the likelihood of the plastic smell and allows hot air to escape.
- Screen room – Screen rooms are ideal for sleeping without getting bothered by pesky mosquitoes.
- Large windows – With large windows, you have a lot more control over the airflow in different weather conditions.
- Awning – An awning is a little roof that is for sitting under and enjoying the sun while you eat or enjoy a drink.
Find the Best Tent for Hot Weather Here
For this guide on the best tent for hot weather conditions, we looked for tents with the above essential features and compared customer reviews to find the most suitable and highest quality tents.
If you live in a region predominantly with hot weather where you could fry an egg on the sidewalk, then consider the following tents.
1. The Coleman Instant Setup Cabin Tent – Overall Best for Hot Weather
The 4-person tent has large windows to help you stay cool and the rainfly will protect you from rain. The front door is nice and big so you can easily get in or prop it open and use it to shade yourself from the sun.
Specifications
- Weight – 18 Pounds
- Color – Black/brown
- Occupancy – 4, 6, or 10 People
- Closure type – Zipper
- Fabric type – 150C Polyester with taped seams
- Pole material – Steel
- Max height – 4.17 Feet
- Floor Area – 562 Square meters
- Seasons – 3 Seasons
- Included – Dome, poles, storage, and all other components
Pros
- Able to set tent in a short amount of time
- Lots of different sizes available
- Large windows for airflow
- Rainfly will keep you nice and dry
- Made of durable materials
- Large zipper door
- Height of the dome is relatively high
- Darkroom tech blocks 90% of sunlight
Cons
- Thick fabric isn’t breathable
- Darker colors can absorb lots of sunlight
- No awning to sit under
2. The Wenzel 8 Person Klondike Tent – The Runner Up for Warm Temperatures
The tent has large windows that bring lots of ventilation. If it gets chilly or rainy, you can quickly install the rainfly that will keep you nice and dry and when you zip up the windows. With the dome and the added room, the tent will become nice and warm.
The tent is not the lightest, but it is a great pick for families to use on summer camping trips.
Specifications
- Weight – 27.3 Pounds
- Color – Blue
- Occupancy – 8 Person
- Closure type – Zipper
- Fabric type – Ripstop nylon
- Pole material – Fiberglass with steel
- Max height – 78 Inches
- Floor Area – 98 Square Feet
- Seasons – 3 Seasons
- Included – Tent, storage bag, poles and other accessories
Pros
- Nice and spacious
- Includes a large awning with mesh walls
- Has lots of large mesh windows
- Ventilation at the top
- Removable rainfly is rainproof
- Window awnings keeps you dry inside the tent
- Screen room or awning room has a floor
- Screen room windows can be zipped up
Cons
- Not the toughest tent under strong wind conditions
- Dark colored rainfly can increase the heat while it’s set up
- Too heavy for backpacking
3. The Pacific Breeze Beach Tent – The Best for Adding Shade
This tent pops up in a few minutes. It features large mesh windows at the back that can be covered up if you want to block out some wind. The front is completely open so you can get a nice view of your surroundings while you sit back and relax.
The light colors of the tent doesn’t absorb much sunlight. The thin fabric is nice and breathable, but not quite as durable as thicker tents.
Specifications
- Weight – 6.5 Pounds
- Color – Blue
- Occupancy – XL and XL with extended floor for 3 to 4 people
- Closure type – Zipper
- Fabric type – Polyester
- Pole material – Fiberglass
- Max height – 52 Inches
- Floor Area – 95 x 51 Inches
- Seasons – Beach or shading only
- Included – Tent, storage bag, stakes and poles, 5 sand pockets
Pros
- Perfect for keeping sun and wind out on the beach
- Ideal for creating more shade at campsites
- Open front provides easy access and plenty of ventilation
- Large windows allow cool breeze into the tent
- Light fabric color doesn’t absorb as much heat
- Can handle a lot of wind
- Easy to set up
- Very light thanks to thin fabric and fiberglass accessories
Cons
- Larger awning in the front could have been nice
- Not suitable for sleeping because it is an open tent
- Tougher and thicker fabric would’ve increased durability
4. The Mountainsmith Morrison Tent – The Best Small Tent for Staying Cool
When it rains and you need to block out some of the sun, you can install the rainfly. The rainfly reaches all the way to the ground, which is ideal for blocking out chilly winds. Sometimes the rainfly can make the tent feel a bit stuffy on days when the humidity is high.
The tent is very light and easy to set up. We only wish that it included an awning to sit under if the temperatures spike.
Specifications
- Weight – 5.53 Pounds
- Color – Citron green
- Occupancy – 2 Person
- Closure type – Zipper
- Fabric type – Polyester
- Pole material – Aluminum
- Max height – 43 Inches
- Floor Area – 35
- Seasons – 3 Seasons
- Included – Tent, fly, poles and stakes
Pros
- Features large windows
- Part of the roof is mesh and is ideal for stargazing
- Plenty of ventilation
- Doors are nice and large
- 2 doors allows for a draught
- Light fabric colors doesn’t absorb as much heat
- Large rain fly will keep you dry
- Easy to set up
Cons
- No awning to sit under
- Can feel stuffy if the fly is added
- Not too wind resistant unless the cover is in place
- Not the lightest 2-person tent
5. The Coleman Sundome Tent – A Good Alternative Small Tent for Summer
A rainproof fly will keep water and excess wind from bothering you while you sleep. A slight awning can help block out the sun so you can rest comfortably. The tent is also very light and portable so you can take it on backpacking adventures.
Specifications
- Weight – 3.32 Kilograms
- Color – Green or grey
- Occupancy – 2, 3, 4 or 6 people
- Closure type – Zipper
- Fabric type – Polyester taffeta with 75 denier flysheet
- Pole material – Fiberglass
- Floor Area – 35
- Seasons – 3 Seasons
- Included – Dome, poles, rainfly and stakes
Pros
- Light and portable tent
- Available in bigger sizes
- Mesh top allows hot air to escape
- Doors are nice and big
- Rainfly will keep you dry since it is waterproof
- Can stand wind gusts up to 35mph
- E-ports for easy electric access
- Easy to set up
Cons
- No awning to sit under
- Mesh windows are positioned high, which means it might not get lots of wind
- Not suitable for stormy weather
The Toasty Takeaway
All these tents are ideal to keep cool during hot summer camping trips. We hope that this guide helped you find one that suits your needs to perfection.
If you are also in the market for other terrific camping gear like the best tent for stargazing or the best family tents for bad weather, feel free to look at some of our other guides.
