When I was a kid, there weren’t too many options for tents. You basically got a dome-shaped tent or an A-frame tent. Now, there are tons of options — including pop up tents.
Well, lots of options doesn’t always mean good options!
I get the appeal of pop-up tents. Dealing with tent poles can be really annoying. And there are countless stories along the lines of “a group of engineers went camping and couldn’t figure out how to put up the tent…”
But, while pop-up tents seem really cool and practical, they absolutely suck. Don’t believe me? Here are 9 reasons NOT to buy a Pop Up tent!
1. They Are 27 Inches (70cm) Across!
Pop Up tents vary in size when folded, but most of them are around this size when folded. They basically look like a giant disk when folded.
I once had Couchsurfing guests come visit and they were carrying a Pop Up tent with them. The huge thing was really difficult for them to carry. It was really windy and a gust of wind almost blew the tent out of their arms. I had a vision of them flying away with the Pop Up tent in their arms!
So you can forget about using a Pop Up tent if you plan on backpacking. The massive size means they are only practical if you are camping close to your car.
The Pop Up tent is twice as wide as his backpack!!
2. Condensation Forms in Pop-Up Tents
Pop up tents are made from a waterproof, non-breathable material. When the temperature drops at night, the temperature inside the tent is warmer because of your body heat. This temperature difference causes condensation to build up within the tent.
As one UK camper had to say of his experience using a Pop Up tent,
“Unlike the other traditional style tent which had no condensation, the Pop Up tent had literally a puddle in the morning. No bed wetting jokes please!”
Note that this is a problem with all single-layer tents. However, good single-layer tents have vents to reduce condensation. Most pop up tents are cheap and don’t have ventilation. Thus, the only solution to solve condensation is to leave the door open. But mosquitoes anyone?
Also read: How to solve tent condensation
3. Pop-Up Tents Are Not Waterproof
Most pop-up tents are made from waterproof fabric, but they have “glued seams.” The glued seams eventually come undone and rain starts leaking through!
Tent seams can be really confusing. What you need to know is that quality tents will sew or weld the seams with waterproof material between the seams. Really high quality tents will have the seams sealed. They still eventually may need to a new coating of waterproofing, but not for a long time. You can read more about seam sealing a tent here.
Scared of bad weather? Read: What to do if it rains when camping
When your tent isn’t waterproof, you’v got to find another solution.
4. Wind Is the Enemy of Pop-Up Tents!
The moment a gust of wind hits your pop-up tent, it is going to bend up like a pretzel! Don’t believe me? Just look at the video below. I find it particularly ironic that the wind isn’t so bad that his sandcastles are still in perfect condition but the pop-up tent is wobbling like crazy.
Most people who use pop-up tents say that they take them down when it gets windy. That is kind of ridiculous – especially if it is raining.
5. Pop-Up Tents Don’t Have a Garage
This might not seem like a big deal, but one of the first rules of camping is to always leave your boots and shoes outside. Otherwise the tent gets stinky and lots of dirt gets tracked inside.
Most modern tents have a little “garage” in front of the tent where the rain fly extends over. You can keep your boots and some other gear there so it doesn’t get wet if it starts raining.
Without a porch, you’ll have to put ALL your gear in the tent or just hope it doesn’t rain. Or that a slug doesn’t crawl into your boots at night and make them all slimy. 😉
6. They Are Easy to Get Up but Hard to Get Down
Yeah, you might be able to get a pop-up tent setup in 2 seconds, but getting it folded back down can be tricky. Some models require multiple people.
Kudos to this protester – especially because he stuck it out in a pop-up tent!
7. No Replacement Poles
The poles in pop-up tents are really flimsy and prone to bending. This happens with other cheap tents too – but the difference is that you can usually find replacement poles or splints for standard tents. I’ve also used the medical tape in my first aid kit to repair a tent pole in a pinch.
Some brands of pop-up tents do have replacement poles, but most do not. So, that basically means your tent is going in the trash when the poles inevitably get bent.
8. It Isn’t That Hard to Put Up a Standard Tent
The main draw of a pop-up tent is that it is easy to put up. For people who have never been camping before and are worried that you need an engineering degree to put up a tent, this is a huge draw.
But it isn’t really that hard to put up a standard tent.
My daughter learned how to do it when she was 4. If she was tall enough, I am sure she could even do it by herself.
Tip: If you find it difficult to put up standard tents, get one with pole clips. Clips are easier and faster than pole sleeves.
9. Pop-Up Tents Cost $30
As the quote goes,
“I am too poor to buy cheap things.”
This doesn’t just apply to pop-up tents, but to most camping gear. If you try to save money by buying cheap gear, you will end up paying for it in the long term because you’ll be replacing the gear so often.
There are higher quality pop-up tents available. But when you compare the cost vs. quality, you’ll get a lot more value with a traditional style tent. My 3-person tent cost about $50 and has held up very well over 5-years’ worth of intensive backpacking trips in 6 different countries. There were serious winds and rains during some of these trips (I also have this cheap ultralight tent which only cost about $120).
By comparison, you can expect your cheap pop-up tent to last for a few trips – assuming no hard winds or rains.
A pop-up tent isn’t a bad choice for festivals when you know that all the tents will look like this at the end of the week!
When Pop-Up Tents Actually Make Sense
Pop-up tents aren’t completely useless. I have friends that use them when they go traveling in Greece. In Greece, wild camping is illegal. But, when dark falls, they quickly put up the pop-up tent.
However, these friends also bring a large, durable tent. This is what they use when they are somewhere remote (and don’t have to worry about being stealth). They definitely don’t use their pop-up tents when it is windy or rainy!
There are a few other times pop-up tents are great:
- Your kids want to “camp” in the backyard
- Festivals when you know the tent is going to get ruined anyway and you’re too drunk to care (though it is appalling that thousands of tents are discarded at festivals!)
- When you are prepared to shell out the cash for a quality Pop Up tent with a waterproof rating (hydrostatic head) of at least 2000 and with vents to prevent condensation and allow wind to flow through
- You’ve got arthritis and can’t put up a normal tent but still want to go camping
- You also bring along a standard tent to use in bad weather
Yes, There Are Some Decent Pop-Up Tents
I still advise against pop-up tents in almost every situation. But, if you are going to get one, then make sure it has:
- Strong poles so it can withstand windy conditions
- Ventilation
- Sealed seams
- Guylines for staking out the tent walls in bad weather
Below are some good options.
1. Coleman Pop-Up Tent
This pop-up tent has a roof panel that provides extra rain protection and ventilation, so condensation is less of a problem. It’s more durable than other pop-up tents and has gear storage inside.
2. Quechua Pop Up Tent
Quechua is a brand which makes good quality gear for budget prices. Their pop-up tent is one of the few that has ventilation windows that you can leave open when it rains.
You are still better off with a standard tent.
Below are some tents which are easy to set up. As you can see, they all have the same type of construction: 2 poles which criss/cross over each other. The inner tent gets clipped in place. Then you throw the rain fly over and secure it down.
It might not be as fast as a pop up tent, but it’s still pretty quick. And these tents will hold up better, won’t leak condensation on you, and can be used in the rain.
Mountainsmith Morrison 2 Person Tent
This tent can be set up easily because it is free-standing and uses clips for the two poles. I particularly love that it has 2 doors, so you can get in/out without waking up your camping partner. Get it here.
Alps Mountaineering 4-Person Tent
This tent is really similar to the Mountainsmith tent above. The difference is that it is much larger. There are all the features you’d want in a camping tent: quick setup, waterproofness, ventilation to prevent condensation, pockets, and good headroom. Get it here.
Read this guide to tents to get more recommendations.
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Image credits:
“٢٠١٥٠٣٢١_٠٩٣٥٢٣” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by AlBargan
“Baggage for Lowlands (https://www.flickr.com/photos/gray_um/2787388731/)” (CC BY 2.0) by Graham of the Wheels
“roskilde_festival_2007 1490” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by @nightgolfer
“Snow Day! 02/02/2009” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by DG Jones
“P1080540” (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by al_green
4 Comments
Federico Vazquez
March 17, 2022 at 9:34 pmI had a thermos pop up tent canvas and it was great also in the rain and wind the best tent I ever had
Kayla
March 30, 2022 at 6:03 amDisagree. There are a million high quality pop up tents, so this is really misleading. Any $30 tent is going to be a piece of crap. No one should spend that little for a tent. You get what you pay for. I’m obsessed with my pop up tent from Front Runner and will never go back to a standard tent.
Pierre Boucher
June 24, 2022 at 1:07 amI’m used to primitive camping for decades using various types of tents. I don’t like dome tents very much because of the telescopic poles. I had an Outbound popup for a couple of years. No major problem. Never used the stakes, the camping gear weight inside was enough to stabilize the tent. The tent kept dry in a normal rain… but I usually spread a tarp over my tents as a better rain protection. I sold it because we needed more space and height. I bought a teepee style tent that sets up fast, tent and rainfly get in place in one set up.
CHASE.
May 22, 2023 at 6:11 amAny tent will blow away in that wind if the guide lines ain’t attached.😄 There are some darn good pop up tents out there if you do your homework.