Cabin tents are a great way to spend your camping trip, but what happens if it rains? Can your tent handle the rain? If this is something you’re worried about, you need to find the best 4 person cabin tent for the rain.
It can be hard to find the right one, but we went through many products and their reviews. Our research narrowed down the list to these four tents as the best:
- Night Cat Cabin 4 Person Tent With Porch
- ALPS Mountaineering Camp Creek 4 Person Tent
- Coleman 4 Person Cabin Tent With Instant Setup
- SEMOO Waterproof 4-5 Person Cabin Tent
Read on for more information on what to look for in a tent that handles rain and our breakdowns of the cabin tents below.
Table of Contents
What Is A Cabin Tent?
Cabin tents are a style of tent called this because of their cabin-like shape. They have some defining features and interesting pros and cons. What is a cabin tent?
A cabin tent is a tent defined by its near-vertical walls, high ceilings, and large windows. It mimics the shape of a “cabin” and is boxy in its general shape. It takes more time to set up, costs a little more, and doesn’t handle wind as well. But it usually has a lot more space inside when compared to dome tents or other tents with similar floor dimensions.
Features Of 4 Person Cabin Tents
There is no 4-person cabin tent that is THE best of them all. Each one has different features that may make it best for your situation. Look at these features in this section and decide which fits your situation the best.
Waterproofing and Rain Protection
If you’re reading this review article, then waterproofing and rain protection is very important to you. Here are a couple of things that you may want to include in your purchase.
Rain fly – The rain fly is the most important factor in how rain proof a tent is. If the rain fly is high-quality it can withstand a lot of rain and prevent water from getting to the main tent body.
You may also want to check out the rain fly’s coverage. Some only cover the top of the tent while other come all the way down to the ground. Obviously, rain flies that cover the entire tent provide the best rain protection.
Waterproofing – Tent materials may receive additional waterproofing with some chemicals. The strength of the waterproofing is given with a number. The higher the number, the better the protection.
Often the rain fly and the tent bottom are the only parts waterproofed, but there are some cabin tents out there that have the tent body also waterproofed. You can always do some waterproofing yourself with a kit like this one by Star Brite (check the price on Amazon).
Related Reading: What is a Rain Fly?
Seam protection – Even without waterproofing, most tent sides and top can withstand the rain. But it’s the seams that cause most of the leaking.
Tent manufacturer’s can avoid this problem by adding some seam protection. This can take different forms like reversed seams, seam covers, and waterproofed seams. Be on the lookout for that.
Tent bottom material and shape – Many people assume that water from rain gets in through the top of the tent, so the top coverage is the most important. But equally important is water protection from the bottom of your tent.
Tent bottoms should be made from a tougher material and have extra waterproofing done to them. Some tent makers go even farther and make the floor in a “bathtub” with raised sides which provides even more protection from groundwater.
Overall tent shape – Cabin tents have a boxier shape. Because of this, if you fail to set it up correctly and you make it so the ceiling is level or angled in towards the middle of the tent, then water can pool. Make sure the overall shape of the tent still slopes downward away from the tent so no water collects in rain.
Tent Material
Most tents nowadays are made from polyester. They generally are the cheapest and the best at resisting water. Not all polyester is made equally, though.
The best way to tell how a tent material performs is to read the customer reviews. We took care of this for you in the “recaps” part of the reviews below.
Related Reading: What are tents made of?
Tent Dimensions
Just because all of these are 4-person tents doesn’t mean their dimensions are exactly the same. The three most important ones to pay attention to are the floor height, floor width, and the peak height.
The peak height refers to the tent at its tallest point. Unlike dome tents which slope downward quickly, a cabin tent’s peak height gives you a better idea of how much space is inside.
Extras
With all else being equal, extra features that come with the tent may be deciding factor in whether you get the tent or not. Check out these common extras that may be included:
- Number of doors
- Rain fly, a waterproof cover for your tent
- Vestibule, spot for shoes
- Garage, park your bikes
- Number of windows
- Room dividers
- Interior pockets or loops
Price
When shopping, you should always take price into account when deciding what to buy. Think about exactly what you need and what you’re worried about. Then buy the tent that best fits those needs.
I recommend that if two tents are close in features but different in price to go for the more expensive one (unless it’s a lot more!). Even if it doesn’t seem like it, at the higher price you get a little more consistent quality and, at the least, you get better customer service if anything goes wrong.
Review of the 4 Best 4 Person Cabin Tents For Rain
Here is our list of the 4 best cabin tents for rain. Each one may be the best fit for you, but you just need to balance what you want in the features above with the products below. Check out the current pricing of these tents on Amazon by clicking their link.
Night Cat Cabin 4 Person Tent With Porch
This cabin tent by Night Cat is a medium priced one that may be just for you and those going camping with you.
The unique addition of the porch makes this option a good one for those worried about rain. One of the biggest problems with tents and rain is getting in the tent while keeping all water out. With a porch overhang you can get under there and take all your wet stuff off keeping the inside of your tent dry.
The tent body is made from a specialized polyester which is affordable, easy-to-use, and really durable. As an added protective measure, the tent bottom is made from 210D oxford fabric and has 120D waterproofing. This is key for a true rain tent.
The windows and doors are all dual-layered. They have a thick inner mesh for bug protection and air flow, but it also has an outer layer for wind and rain protection. Not every tent has this for their windows.
For setup, there aren’t many 4 person cabin tents that are easier to get up and down. Despite its larger size, all you need to do is use the hydraulic mechanism to pitch the tent in record time (under one minute says Night Cat).
The inner floor dimension are 8.2ft x 8.2ft and the peak height is 6.3ft. This should give you plenty of space to sleep 4 people side by side or a small family.
Included with this tent by Night Cat are the following parts:
- Storage bag
- 4 wind ropes
- 10 steel pegs
- 3 poles for porch support
Here’s what users had to say about the tent:
Positives about the product experience
- Rain proof bottom material prevents leakage
- Porch overhang keeps wet and rain out of the inside of the tent
- Easy to set up
- Plenty of space inside
Negatives about the product experience
- No additional rain fly
- A little heavy
ALPS Mountaineering Camp Creek 4 Person Tent
This more expensive tent by ALPS Mountaineering (on sale at Amazon at the time of this writing) gives a great balance of portable tenting, rain proofing, and extra features.
The tent is made from polyester which is the standard material for tents in the modern day. The additional rain fly which covers the top of the tent and overs a decent awning space over the door and back window is made from 75D 185T with a waterproof coating. This directs the rain away from the top of the tent and prevent pooling and leakage.
A tent bottom 150D polyester fiber with waterproofing prevents water coming up from the ground. As a nice added rain-proof feature, the seams have all been factory sealed to prevent seeping.
ALPS made this tent pretty large for a 4 person tent. The floor dimensions are 7.5ft x 8.5ft, and the peak height is 7ft tall. A bit less of length and width than other 4 person tents, but it’s quite tall.
The setup of the tent should be pretty easy with its hub design and pole clips. But it won’t be as easy to pitch as an instant tent.
Included with this ALPS tent are the following parts:
- Carrying bag
- Mesh storage shelf
- Stakes
- Guy Ropes
- 4 large windows (dual layered)
- “D” style door
This is what customers said about the ALPS tent:
Positives about the product experience
- Tons of space to move around
- Rain fly and bottom tent layer are effective in the rain
- Windows and seams seal up well
- Light tent for the size
Negatives about the product experience
- May take time to set up
- Higher price (unless it’s on sale, be sure to check the price)
Coleman 4 Person Cabin Tent With Instant Setup
The affordable Coleman 4 Person cabin tent may not come with the top-of-the-line features, but it may be just right for the casual camper on a budget.
This tent is made from polyester as is the standard for tents. Coleman integrated the rain fly with this tent, so you don’t have to worry about taking it on and off. They also made it vented to keep the air flowing as much as possible when it’s hot outside.
It features their WeatherTec system with welded floors and inverted seams to prevent leaking. The polyester they use is a polyguard at double thickness. It does offer good protection from rain.
The floor dimensions are 8ft x 7ft, and the peak height is at 4.9ft. The floor is a bit smaller than other 4 person tents, but the height is much smaller. This can help with security in the wind, but it doesn’t give you the room to stand up and move around.
Setup with this tent is quite easy. They use pre-attached poles that just let you unfold the tent, extend the poles, and then lock them in place.
Included with this cabin tent are the following parts:
- Carrying bag
- Mesh storage pockets
- Integrated rain fly
- Guy lines
- Stakes
When we looked at what other users said, this is what we found:
Positives about the product experience
- Very affordable
- Easy setup
- Decent waterproofing
- Durable material
- Integrated rain fly does a good job in light-medium rain
Negatives about the product experience
- Materials not as waterproofed as other high-end tents
- Bottom layer is not extra coated or thick
- Smaller space
SEMOO Waterproof 4-5 Person Cabin Tent
The SEMOO waterproof cabin tent is a medium-priced tent with a lot of the features you want in a cabin tent with some serious rain proofing.
The tent body is made from a standard polyester with polyurethane coating for some waterproofing. But SEMOO added polyethylene to the tent floor for even more protection.
The best waterproofing feature on this cabin tent is the rain fly. Most rain flys receive extra coating and drape over the top of the tent just like this one does.
What makes it special is the hooped fly frame. This frame provides a serious arch over the tent and pushed the rain far away from the tent body. This style also prevents any pooling or leaking of water into the tent below.
The floor dimensions are 8.1ft x 8.1ft, and the peak height is 5.9ft tall. This is a good space on the bottom, but a little on the short side for most adult men. I’d be fine with it at my super tall 5’9” (read: sarcasm).
The setup for this tent is pretty easy once you practice. It’s not an instant setup, so you’ll still have to go through threading the poles and such. But it shouldn’t take too much time once you’re used to it.
Included with this SEMOO cabin tent are the following parts:
- Carrying bag
- 2 windows
- 2 doors
- Large, hoop framed rain fly
- Steel tent stakes
- Mesh pockets
- Fiberglass poles
When the customers told us about the tent, they had this to say:
Positives about the product experience
- Great value
- Easy to set up with practice
- Rain fly does a great job of keeping things dry
- Tough material lasts a long time and prevents
- You must bring your own guy lines in high wind
Negatives about the product experience
- A little on the small side
Conclusion
We hope you found our guide to the best 4 person cabin tent for rain helpful. Now it’s up to you to look at the features and prices to decide which is the one that you want. I recommend the ALPS tent for its space, quality material, and excellent waterproofing.
Now get out there and enjoy the fresh air!
If you enjoyed reading this article, you may also enjoy How To Start A Campfire With Wet Wood.