Big Agnes Big House 6

This single-room dome tent is one of the top-rated family tents for car camping. Reviewers praise its one-person setup, roominess and ventilation -- excellent for camping in warm weather. The rainfly has a clear window for viewing the sky, and testers report that the tent withstands rain and wind exceptionally well as long as it's staked out properly. Twelve internal pockets provide ample storage, and several people can stand up inside (with a ceiling height of 75 inches in the center). It packs compactly and weighs less than 14 pounds, on the light side among family tents. The lifetime warranty is another plus. The main drawback is the cost of important accessories: extra guy lines, the footprint (*Est. $55) and a huge 64-square-foot vestibule (*Est. $110). For backpacking with two adults and two or three kids, reviews recommend the smaller 10.5-pound Big Agnes Big House 4 (*Est. $300).

We found the most useful owner-written reviews of the Big Agnes Big House 6 tent at REI.com, where about a dozen owners report on their experiences with it. We also found useful reviews and ratings at three other sites. The similar (but smaller) Big Agnes Big House 4 tent is reviewed by backpacking experts at Backpacker and Outside magazines, as well as by owners at several online retailers, including Amazon.com.