Finding a great tent for a large group of people can be a challenge. I wanted to make this easier, and so I have selected five of the best 12 man tents and reviewed them just for you.
Each tent in this list has great features to it, maybe even something unique in one or two of them, but no tent is perfect. Let’s find out what makes them great, and if there’s anything you should be cautious about.
We have a variety of different types of tents here, such as cabin tents and bell tents.
Read on to find out which of these 12 person tents is for you, depending on your preferences.
Best 12 Person Tents – Top 5
#1 NTK Super Arizona GT
This 12 man camping tent has dimensions of 20.6 x 10.2 ft x 6.9ft (L x W x H) and weighs around 18kg. It’s made with double layer 190T polyester laminated, with polyurethane 2500mm water column, and is partially aluminum, with heat-welded PU and UV protection, and is seam sealed.
Having such a tall center height is great because it means that anyone, even the tallest of people, can walk around easily inside the tent. I really hate having to crouch all the time, and if I’m on a long camping trip it does my back in.
The floor has a high tub design for extra protection from the elements and is made with heavy-duty anti-fungus seamless polyethylene, that has an inner silver coated layer that keeps you dry.
The poles are made with nano-flex shock-corded fiberglass, with an improved diameter to ensure the tent remains secure even if it’s windy. You only get 5 poles, which are color coded (two red and three white) so that it’s very easy and simple to set this tent up. The pin-and-ring system also helps speed up the process of pitching the tent.
It’s so easy to set up this tent that it can be done by just one person, but it is obviously easier with two people.
The rainfly is great because it protects the two doors and three windows, and reaches all the way to the bottom of the tent. The large D-style door can be rolled to the side so that it’s not in the way if you’d like to keep it open.
There’s plenty of mosquito mesh for protected ventilation, and this tent does come with a carry bag making it easier to carry around with you on your trip.
The bag’s size is 32 x 12 x 12 inches, and it’s very heavy-duty with reinforced straps that have compression buckles. There’s an external pocket for extra storage, and a long zipper to make it effortless to close the bag when the tent is inside. There’s even an ID label so that you can personalize it, and put your contact information just in case you misplace the bag.
Inside the tent, there’s a gear loft that has an O-ring to hang a lantern from in the center and an oversized inner utility pocket with a bottle holder. It’s great to have a place to keep small things like your keys and phones so they don’t get lost.
Included with the tent you get a detachable wall divider so that you can create two rooms, making this an excellent 12 person family tent.
Something that I love about NTK is that they offer a lifetime replacement on the poles. They are most likely the only company that has developed their own fiberglass compound, that has been tested for over decades. If any of your poles get broken by the force of wind, while your tent was staked down to the ground with all its strings, then they’ll send you a new one. It’s quite incredible, really.
With this 3-season tent, you don’t have to worry; you and your gear will be protected by whatever mother nature throws at you when inside this tent. Personally, this tent kept me dry throughout five days of constant rain.
One thing that disappointed me with this tent is that there’s no E-port. When you have such a large tent, with a large group of people, electrical power might be needed.
- Two rooms
- Full coverage rainfly
- 3-season tent
- Spacious
- Plenty of mesh/ventilation
- No E-port
#2 TETON Sports Sierra Canvas
This twelve person tent by TETON Sports is made with strong 100% cotton canvas. This natural fiber breathes better and repels water, providing you with plenty of protection and ventilation. Moreover, this material discourages condensation and lasts you for years and years to come.
Even through a rainstorm, you and all of your gear will remain completely dry in this all-season tent.
The dimensions are 12 x 12 feet, with a total area of around 200 ft², and a center height of 9’5”.
Setting up this 12 man tent is extremely easy. Bell tents have a single pole setup and can be done by one person. Even a complete novice can have this tent pitched in no time.
First, you need to stake out the tent. Carbon steel stakes are included, and they can drive through even the roughest of camping terrain. Simply put the center pole in place, set up the doorframe, and guy out the tent. The guy lines are equipped with metal friction locks that will hold the tent up even in strong winds.
The all-weather skirt runs the full perimeter of the tent, and the tent offers an oversized door so that it’s effortless and quick to load and unload your gear. The A-frame door has canvas outer doors that can be rolled out of the way and tied back to reveal a no-see-um mesh screen.
There are four low windows that are gusseted to keep water from seeping in at the corners, and the tent also has three built-in weatherproof top vents.
Those top vents are really high up once the tent is pitched, so make sure you arrange them beforehand. They’re really great for improving vertical air circulation if needed.
The floor is made with super-duty leakproof 19 oz interwoven polymer with sealed seams – welded and not stitched so that any ground water stays on the outside of your tent where it belongs.
You can transform this tent into a stylish canopy, which is perfect for beaches and festivals. All you need to do is unzip the floor and roll up the walls.
Teton offer a limited lifetime warranty because they want their tents to be a home away from home for everyone, and it also ensures high quality.
I really do love this tent – it’s waterproof, breathable, and spacious… but it weighs 36kg and is rather pricey. It does come with a durable carry bag for the tent at least.
- Removable floor
- Four windows
- Single-pole structure
- Very large meshed door
- Waterproof
- Pricey
- Bit heavy
#3 Omnicore TeePee Camping Tent
The Omnicore TeePee tent is made out of durable and tough 70D/190T ripstop polyester with a 3000MM PU waterproof coating and factory sealed seams.
Ripstop is a special reinforcement to increase resistance against tearing and ripping. This is achieved by using a special thread at regular intervals to form a crosshatching, grip pattern to improve the strength of the polyester.
PU coating is a Polyurethane coating that is applied to the ripstop polyester to create a waterproof barrier.
The 3000MM is the fabric’s waterproof water measured in millimeters. It means that the fabric has been tested to sustain 3000MM of water before any leakages.
It has a footprint of 18’, and a center height of 9’. This gives you and your group plenty of space to stand and move around easily, and still have space leftover inside for everyone’s gear. This tent has been designed keeping in mind even the tallest of people.
It is only listed with a 12 person capacity based on the industry standard of measuring the number of sleeping pads (80” x 20”) that would fit according to the floor plan, but it is not the recommendation for comfort.
So, even though this is a 12 person camping tent, you may want to reconsider the number in your camping group. Even more so if everyone has a lot of gear with them.
The steep cone shape effectively sheds off wind, snow, and rain. The tent has guy lines and tensioners that work to ensure that the structure remains stable, even in strong wind.
The polyethylene tub-style floor is sewn-in, adding extra protection from the elements by keeping water and insects out.
Also, the huge A-shape door makes it incredibly easy for multiple people to enter and exit the tent, and loading and unloading your gear is even easier too.
There is one feature that I find unique and have never seen before; the vented roof that you can manually open and close whenever you please.
This is very innovative, and you can easily open and close the peak roof with a two cord (red/green) design. This doesn’t just improve ventilation, but also means that you’re able to stargaze at night! An absolute must for me.
This 12 people tent is better in warm conditions and manages fine if it’s just a bit cold. When it’s hot, the large meshed door and ground vents will provide plenty of air flow to keep you cool.
In late spring or early fall, with the door and vents closed some warm air should remain trapped inside. I can’t imagine this tent insulating well when it’s winter, though.
Compared to the previous tent, this one is not heavy-duty because the material is thinner.
- Spacious
- Easy set up
- Well ventilated
- Water-resistant
- Not heavy-duty
- Only for warm conditions
#4 Browning Camping Cabin Tent
This 12 person cabin tent by Browning Camping is perfect for large groups of campers.
The base size is 10’ x 15’, when packed up it’s 12” x 30”, it has a center height of 87” and a total weight of 34lbs and 11oz.
This is a very cheap 12 person tent, with a wall divider so that you can create two rooms. It’s also freestanding, with fiberglass poles and steel uprights which provide extra strength and stability. It’s built to last, and the hub design helps make the setup process easier.
The tent can be set up by one person, but it is easier with two.
There are two doors, six windows, and a meshed ceiling. The doors can be rolled to the side so that they are out of the way if you want to keep them open. The windows are large, and the mesh ceiling means that you can stargaze at night. Together, all of these provide a lot of ventilation and prevent condensation from building up overnight.
Cabin tents are superior to other styles because they have vertical walls, providing you with even more space inside the tent. Everyone can easily keep all of their gear inside. Also, it generally means a higher ceiling so that you never have to bend or crouch.
Included with the tent you get the guy ropes and steel stakes that you need to pitch it, and a rainfly that provides protection over the entrances and windows from rain.
Inside the tent, you have two integrated mesh storage pockets in the tent’s walls so that everyone can keep small things like keys and phones organized in one place.
Overall, this tent is great – good quality, well ventilated, and spacious. However, I have to argue that the tent isn’t exactly family friendly.
This is because the tub-floor is twelve inches to the door, so for children or dogs, they would need to step over 1 foot high to get in and out. That’s too tall for their little legs. The zippers are not child-friendly either, because they are quite delicate. Mine didn’t even last 24 hours before getting damaged.
Moreover, the floor is quite thin so it would be a good investment to get a footprint for this tent.
It’s a shame that the wall divider is not removable, because I’d have preferred having it somewhere else. Also, there are only storage pockets in one room.
- Vertical walls
- Mesh ceiling
- Two doors & rooms
- Affordable
- Easy set up
- Wall divider is fixed
- Delicate zippers
#5 Hikergarden Camping Tent
Even though this is one of the best 12-person tents, it’s not actually for 12 people. This Hikergarden tent is more suitable for groups of ten people, and it is the biggest one available as of now.
The dimensions are 168 x 132 x 74 inches, the tent weighs 20.5lbs, and it has a center height of 74 inches. This way, campers won’t have to bend over and can move around easily inside the tent.
Three queen-sized air mattresses can easily fit inside, or ten sleeping bags.
It’s easy to install this tent and can be done by two people in under ten minutes with just a few steps. The pole sleeves are continuous, easily connected, and snag-free.
Spend less time pitching up your tent and get right into enjoying your camping trip, and spending time with your friends or family.
The tent is made with 185T Polyester and is PU1000mm water-resistant. The thick and sturdy fabric, with long nails at the corners, and high quality fiberglass poles ensure stability despite strong winds.
The fully taped, removable rainfly is fixed with hooks and can never be blown away. You just need to connect poles to the tent with the pins of the grommets.
There’s an E-port for easy access to a power source, which really comes in handy when you’re in a large group.
The tent has a large meshed door, four windows, and a meshed ceiling for extra ventilation and stargazing. Enjoy a bug-free trip with plenty of fresh air circulating in.
All zips are 2-way for smooth and sturdy zippers that never get stuck.
Having plenty of airflow coming in is crucial to stop condensation from building up overnight.
With this tent, you do get some privacy, as there is a wall divider curtain so that you can create two rooms. Also, there’s a hook that can be used to hang a lantern from instead of the wall divider.
There are two mesh storage pockets sewn into the inside of the tent’s walls so that you can keep small items, such as your mobiles, organized, save space, and avoid clutter on the floor.
Included with the tent you also get a carry bag for it, making it more convenient to take around with you wherever you go. You also get the rainfly, five poles, 18 stakes, and the divider curtain.
Due to the increased amount of ventilation this tent provides, I’d say that it’s a 2-season tent. Ideal for late spring, summer, and early fall. It’s not because it can’t repel water, because it is water-resistant, but tents that have meshed ceilings don’t usually do well in cold conditions, even with the rainfly on.
- E-port
- Mesh ceiling
- Spacious
- Quick & Easy setup
- Wall divider
- Not for cold conditions
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