If you’ve got kids or are planning a trip with friends, the bigger the tent the better. With 12 person tents offering many rooms and compartments, you’ll have room to spare.
Long gone are the days of leaky canvas tents. Large tents on the market now range from multi-roomed luxury to technical and trail-ready. For family campgrounds, heading to a festival, or want a full-size fort for your garden. There are options to please every member of your group.
In this article, we are going to review the following 12 person tents for camping:
- Core Instant Cabin Tent – 12 Person
- CORE Extra Large Straight Wall Cabin Tent – 12 Person
- CORE Lighted Instant Cabin Tent – 12 Person
- Tahoe Gear Prescott Family Cabin Tent – 12 Person
- Ozark Trail 3 Room Instant Cabin Tent – 12 Person
What are the benefits of having a 12 person tent?
A larger tent allows you to share one living space with friends and family. This offers everyone a place to come together and rest in the evening. No need to separate your group.
Have meals together as a family without bugs, play card games or give small children a safe place to play.
If you are looking for inspiration, you can find some advice for planning a camping trip with friends here.
Convenience
These tents are convenient. They save you the time of constructing many tents. Instead, pitch one large tent and you are ready to go. They are also convenient for families as everyone can stay in one place together.
What features to look for when choosing a 12 person tent?
Space
When camping as a family or group, you will never regret having a bigger tent. You need this space forest and running around. You might even want a communal place for meals or games in the evening.
Look for a tent with enough space for your group and camping gear. Manufacturers will mention how many people a tent sleeps or how many air beds it can fit. Think about how you want to use the space – for sleeping or even for card games in the evening. Consider the center heigh. Make sure everyone can stand tall and walk around.
Room dividers in a 12 person tent
These are essential with such a large group. Room dividers help to create rooms for separate living and sleeping spaces. This helps to add privacy and comfort.
Rooms in a tent also make it look more like a house. The internal compartments help to regulate temperature. Kids can also be sensitive when sleeping.
Ventilation
Look for tents that have vents included to let hot air out and cool air in. Features such as large doors and mesh windows are also terrific for helping air to circulate in the day and night while you are sleeping. Without proper ventilation, your tent can become stuffy and uncomfortable. You also risk having condensation which can make things damp.
Weather protection
With a group of 12 under one roof, you want to stay dry if there is a rainstorm. Select a tent that has a water-resistant fabric. The hydrostatic head (HH) rating is the measurement for waterproofing in tents. I recommend a rating of 1500mm or higher. Look for sealed seams and accessories like rainfly and awnings for added protection. Finally, remember to make sure the flooring is waterproof as well.
1. Core Instant Cabin Tent – 12 Person
The Core Instant Cabin Tent has an 18’ by 10’ floor plan. It can sleep up to 12 adults in sleeping bags or fewer campers with gear. There are front and back doors to make it easy to share this space with many people. Both the front and backdoor have awnings for added protection. There is also a removable rainfly with heat tape on the rainfly fabric. You can enjoy stargazing through the oversized mesh ceiling panels.
Pros
- Instant setup in 2 minutes or less
- Water repellent rainfly. Removable in warm weather to expose mesh ceiling for stargazing.
- Two entryway and three-room options
- Enter from the side D-door or side T-door
- Create multiple living and sleeping spaces with 2 room dividers
- Includes tent, rainfly, awning poles, two-room dividers, tent stakes, and carry bag
- 1 year limited warranty
Cons
- Lighter material is less durable
- Not for heavy winds
>> Check Price on Amazon <<
2. CORE Extra Large Straight Wall Cabin Tent – 12 Person
The Core Extra Large Straight Wall Cabin Tent has 16’ by 11’ of floor space with a center height of 86’’. This tent sleeps 12 people and space will allow you to stand, stretch and move around with ease. The extra tall ceiling also makes it easier to change clothes and arrange your space.
This tent also has a water-repellant rainfly that is removable in warmer weather. When removed, the mesh ceiling is exposed to let you enjoy clear summer nights. There is also an advanced venting system with adjustable air intake vents. Draw in cool air from the ground while the mesh ceiling allows hot air to escape.
Pros
- Sleeps, 12 people
- Fits 4 airbeds
- Water repellent fabrics
- Active bead technology for faster water runoff
- Sealed seams on rainfly, doors, and windows
- Enter from the front or back door
- Attachable room divider for separate living and sleeping spaces
- Spacious cabin with 16 feet by 11-foot floor plan.
- 7’ 2’’ inch center height.
- Straight cabin walls allow for additional space
Cons
- Multiple people required for assembly
>> Check Price on Amazon <<
3. CORE Lighted Instant Cabin Tent – 12 Person
The CORE Lighted Cabin Tent has an 18 by 10-foot floor plan with an 80’’ center height. You can create three rooms with the provided room dividers. This gives you three private spaces or separates your gear from your sleeping space.
This tent offers built-in led lighting. A wall mount controls the three brightness settings. There is a diffusion panel to disperse the light throughout the tent.
With an instant design, you can set it up in 2-minutes. The poles are pre-attached to the tent. You need to unpack, unfold and lift the legs into position. Extend until they click into place.
Pros
- Sleeps, 12 people
- Center height of 80 inches
- Water-resistant PU coated fabric
- Taped seams to keep moisture out
- Time-saving setup in 2 minutes
- Front and back doors make it easy to share this space
- Doors are covered by awnings
- Room divider. Create 3 private living spaces
Cons
- 4D batteries are required and not included
- Not for heavy storms
>> Check Price on Amazon <<
4. Tahoe Gear Prescott Family Cabin Tent – 12 Person
The Tahoe Gear Prescott Tent has a generous 200 square feet of space and a 6.5-foot center height. It is ideal for your group’s next outdoor getaway. This tent can sleep up to 12 campers and also has space for gear.
The tent body and rainfly have a durable 190T polyester with a 1200mm coating. The rainfly has taped seams to protect you from the rain. The floor is also made from a 120-gram polyethylene sheet.
The tent includes floor air vents to increase ventilation. There are also large mesh roof windows that you can open and close for ventilation. It helps keep you cool on hot summer nights. There are also 2, fully sized doorways on either side of the tent allowing for easy exit and entrance.
Pros
- 200 square feet of space
- Sleeps, 12 people
- 6.5-foot center height
- Tent body and rainfly made with 190T polyester
- The fabric has 1200mm coating for water and UV-light resistance
- Easy to assemble shock-corded fiberglass poles
Cons
- Lighter material is less durable
- Not for heavy storms
>> Check Price on Amazon <<
5. Ozark Trail 3 Room Instant Cabin Tent – 12 Person
The Ozark Trail Instant Cabin Tent is 16’ by 16’ and sleeps, 12 people. You can set it up in under 2 minutes. No assembly is required as the poles are pre-attached to the tent.
This ten is ideal for outdoor family gatherings. It has a 3-room cabin style with large windows on all sides and space to stand up. There is a 6’ 10’’ center height. You can have a party in the tent to avoid heat and bugs.
This tent can also fit three queen airbeds and 12 campers in sleeping bags on the floor. There is an internal room divider. This allows you to create separate living and sleeping spaces. Camp as a family or have separate spaces.
Pros
- Set up in under 2 minutes
- Sleeps, 12 people
- Fits 3 queen airbeds
- 3 room tent
- Includes rainfly
- Sealed seams for leak protection
- 7 fully closable windows
- Welded 6’’ tub floor
- Free-standing frame design
- Electrical ford access
- Carry bag included
- 25 tent stakes included (steel)
- Ground vents fit air conditioner
Cons
- Lighter material is less durable
- Not for very windy weather
>> Check Price on Amazon <<
My recommendation
If I had to choose my favorite from those reviewed, I would go with the CORE Instant Cabin Tent for 12 people. Whenever I go camping, I like to go out for a hike right away. I dislike spending hours trying to set up camp. The instant setup is clearly stress-free in less than 2 minutes.
This tent is also spacious while still offering privacy panels on the doors and windows. The included room divider is a nice feature for creating a three-room tent for separate sleeping and living spaces.
It also looks like you will stay comfortable inside. There is water-resistant fabric and taped seams to keep moisture out. There is also adjustable ventilation on each side of the tent to let hot air out and cool air in.
