Blackout tent: 7 picks for the best night’s (or day’s) sleep

The Coleman Octagon 6-Person Festival dome tent is an excellent choice for anyone looking for an impressive blackout tent. This XXL tent provides 99% sun blocking and can easily fit three army cots plus one queen-size cot.

It comes packed with thoughtful details like many loops on the ceiling to hang stuff with four generous pockets for gear and a zipper slit for electrical cords.

Additionally, this dark rest tent is amazingly waterproof and has a large hinged door that swings shut and stays shut – perfect if you have kids going in and out constantly (and, of course, not caring about closing the tent door).

The room divider doesn’t divide the room in half, instead blocking off the front 1/4 part, which makes it more like a vestibule area than a separate full room.

Some drawbacks include the fiberglass door frame poles that are pretty flimsy and somewhat cheap stakes. Plus, the fabric near the entrance isn’t blackout material so light can come through – but these minor flaws don’t take away from its overall excellence.

Overall, it’s an awesome tent with a reasonable weight for its size and quality, packed with lots of thoughtful features. Truly a game-changer not only for festivals but for car camping trips, too.

The Ever Advanced 6-person instant blackout tent is exactly what you need for a night of restful sleep outdoors. This well-constructed blackout tent offers superior blackout capability, providing total darkness when the windows are closed. Literally, you can’t see anything at all, and it keeps the inner tent cooler during the day.

The setup of this tent is incredibly easy; it pops open like an umbrella and quickly clicks into place with just a few adjustments. The takedown is even easier – you’ll have it folded up and back in its bag even in a rush. 

In addition to being super user-friendly, this blackout tent has plenty of headroom and well-thought details like large windows for ventilation to keep the air moving inside, a loop for hanging a light, a roomy pocket for keeping your gear organized, and a landing pad outside the front door so you can take off your shoes before entering.

This extra dark blackout tent is built to withstand powerful winds and heavy downpours without letting in a drop of water. 

The stakes that come with this tent feel flimsy and could be replaced with something more heavy-duty for extra sturdiness. Plus, this tent has two door zippers which are quite annoying to hunt for in the dark.

All in all, with such amazing features at an incredible price point, this blackout tent is hard to beat.

The Coleman 6-person dome tent with a blackout feature and a convenient screen room is an excellent choice if you’re looking for an accommodating and easy-to-use tent for car camping. This spacious Coleman tent fits two queen-size airbeds, eliminating the struggle of coordinating your sleeping spots. 

Setup and takedown are effortless since the poles come pre-attached, making it an excellent option for regular campers who don’t want to waste time setting up something complicated. 

The blackout feature helps maintain cooler temperatures inside the tent on mainly sunny days, so you don’t get too hot during your stay. On top of that, its visual appeal is great; it looks really cool.

The large screen room is also ideal as it allows enough space to position two lawn chairs while providing lots of arm room so you can move around comfortably.

The only downside would be that two 6-inch gaps on the corners between the tent and porch don’t zip and aren’t insect-proof, as well as mesh vents in the porch area, which can let water in if not careful.

Despite that, this gorgeous Coleman 6-person tent stands strong against tropical rains and winds and offers loads of convenience when campers need quick setup and takedown.

Runners-up

Winners are clear, but that’s not it. We handpicked some other blackout tents with features that just couldn’t be missed.

The Coleman Skydome 6-Person Camping Tent is a blackout tent that does an excellent job of keeping the interior cooler and darker. This tent really stands out with its blackout technology – just imagine feeling a bit disoriented when waking up in the morning as it’s SO dark inside. So if the blackout capabilities are your number one and only priority, absolutely go for this tent.

What’s more, the tent is both roomy and comfortable, providing plenty of standing room so you can conveniently move around. It holds up well in rainy weather, staying completely dry even during heavy rain. In terms of setup, it can be fairly easy after you get some practice.

On the downside, the front zipper can really cause rage as it tends to get stuck very often unless you’re holding the door flap with your hands. Plus, it lacks ventilation, as there’s only one mesh window for the entire tent at the front door – so it might feel like an oven when the sun is up. 

Also, it’s not the best choice for strong winds as the fabric, and the frame is quite flimsy. In strong wind gusts, it may develop holes, especially in places where rainfly strings are attached.

The Ayamaya 6-Person Pop-Up Tent is ideal for campers who value easy setups more than anything else. With blackout capabilities and a double-wall design that deals well with water and moisture, this dark tent is made for whatever mother nature can throw at it.

It stays super warm even in 10° weather, and we were impressed with how weatherproof it is. Plus, it comes with an integrated rainfly, so there’s no second setup stage, which is primarily beneficial on windy days.

The Ayamaya tent is equipped with plenty of mesh vents for extra airflow and has a designated area for gear storage, so the dirt doesn’t get in. 

It’s not without its drawbacks, however – setting it up is a bit of a process that can take several attempts before you get the hang of it. 

But here’s the secret: the key to folding the tent up correctly is twisting it into a figure 8 once you have gathered both sides together, then putting both halves of figure 8 together, and then twisting it into a figure 8 again to get it to the size that will fit in the bag. 

What’s more, the stakes that come with the tent are pretty flimsy, so we recommend getting sturdier ones. 

Overall, it’s worth a shot if you’re looking for something solid yet straightforward to pitch.

The Ozark Trail 10-Person Dark Rest Instant Cabin Tent is the ideal blackout tent for adventure-seekers. It sets up easily and provides plenty of screens and skylights that allow you to catch the breeze and watch the stars.

It’s equipped with a room divider made from the same blackout material, so you can easily use a lantern in one room while not disturbing the other. Though dark walls get really hot in daylight (with the rainfly on), you might appreciate this quickly when temperatures sharply drop at night.

The Ozark cabin tent comes with ample interior space and a great pocket organizer on one of the walls for gear storage. We saw some moms’ reviews that ultimately praised this tent for that. 

Plus, it holds up well in heavy rains due to its ultra-tight seams and flip-over zippers to prevent leaks.

However, some areas need improvement. Although the materials it’s made of are pretty decent, some places like floor area or stakes are relatively cheap (we do really recommend getting a set of heavy-duty ones in addition). 

Getting it to bag into the bag might also be a bit of a painful task, but that’s the story with quite a lot of tents.

The Coleman Sundome Camping Tent is a great all-rounder for budget-conscious adventurers. Made of high-quality fabric and reinforced with substantial poles and well-made zippers, this dark room tent ensures a comfortable experience come rain or shine. 

The handy flap on the door deflects water while providing excellent ventilation. The interior is roomy enough to fit one queen-size bed and anything else you want inside. 

With little toggles and loops to roll up the windows, it’s easy to create just the ideal amount of airflow. And each package comes complete with a door mat made from the same tent material – perfect for catching dirt or creating a comfortable space to take off those shoes.

Best of all, setup and takedown are swift and easy, making your camping trips stress-free in no time. 

One potential downside is that factory coating on the mesh top tends to repel waterproofing sprays and may require regular tent re-waterproofing.

You may also find that certain conditions, like wind, may make setting up a rainfly difficult. We also recommend adding a thick tarp or tent footprint to protect the tent floor from wear or tear.

Nonetheless, these minor irritations don’t take away from the excellent value offered by this tent.

Blackout tent buying guide

One thing’s clear – we want a blackout tent to be the best at blocking the light. But that’s not the only point you should pay attention to when picking your dark shelter. Let’s go quickly go through other vital factors to consider: 

Weight & size

This is an inherent factor in almost any camping gear’s buying guide. It all comes down to your camping style – whether you’re a backpacker aiming for the lightest option down there or a car camper to whom the priority is to have a spacious room for family getaways. 

A rule of thumb when choosing a tent is to go for a higher person count than you’re actually planning to camp with. For example, a 4-person family will fit nicely into a 6-person tent and feel the best comfort in 8-person or up tents. 

Weatherproofing

Dark tents do get hotter as the black color tends to absorb the heat rather than reflect the sun’s rays. Especially if you’re a summer camper, pick a tent with decent airflow and ventilation (extra screen rooms help). Also, skim through reviews to see if the tent can stay cool. 

Ease of setup

No one wants to sacrifice precious time enjoying the wild for an endless tent setup. Thankfully, like most tents, blackout tents include lots of easy-pitching models that take no more than 10 minutes to get your shelter done. 

It’s also wise to consider your skill level here. If you’ve been spending years camping and setting up various tents, maybe that’s not an issue whatsoever? 

Value for money

Naturally, tents of a bigger capacity will cost more, but that aside, there are plenty of blackout models that can easily be friends with your budget. Of course, going for the cheapest option is never a good idea if we expect durability. Keep in mind quality options might save you a buck later!

Looking for other types of tents?

We got you covered. Check out our detailed reviews on other types of tents that stand out from the market:

• If you’re up to camping with a larger crew or just want to have lots of extra space for yourself, a 12-person tent will do the job.
• A cabin tent will do wonders if you want something that’s stylish, extremely spacious, and full of features.
• If hitting the road in the pickup is part of the plan, a truck tent is worth a shot.
• If you’re on the hunt for a compact, lightweight shelter for you or plus one, a small 2-person tent is exactly what you’re looking for.