Easiest tent to set up by yourself – a comprehensive guide

If you want to pick the easiest tent to set up by yourself, there are certain characteristics you should look out for. More often than not, the easiest tents to set up falls under the categories of pop up tents or instant tents. 

This is important because getting a glamping tent which is easy to set-up can improve your outdoor camping experience by ensuring that less time is spent on setting up activities and more time is actually spent enjoying the outdoors.

To make this article really comprehensive, I’ve included my top 3 picks of the easiest tent to set up by yourself! I will comprehensively go through each of the tent and highlight important characteristics of these pop-up tents so that you can understand the thought process behind choosing the best easiest tent to set up by yourself. 

1. Coleman 2-Person Pop Up tent 

Characteristics

This tent is made from 185T 68D polyester, which is both fire and water resistant. However, I would like to point out that this tent isn’t as solid as other tents out there. But you can’t complaint much for a tent at this price point. 

Also, this tent weighs 5.65 pounds, which means you can consider bringing it around for a backpacking trips but it isn’t the lightest tent around. If you want those extremely light tent, you need to pay a much higher price.

Features

If you ask me to vote, this would indeed be the easiest tent to set up by yourself. Once you get it out of the bag, the tent will immediately pop up! The only trouble is when you’re taking the tent down. However, once you get used to it, you only need a few seconds to take it down. You only need 3 seconds to set it up. 

Also, I would highly recommend this tent for one-person camping trips since it is so easy to set-up and take down. 

I like the fact that the tent is waterproof and windproof too. This means you can rest in the tent without worrying too much about the tent getting spoiled. 

Thoughts

This tent is definitely the easiest to set-up. However, this tent is not made for intense weather. The tent is pretty tight around too. Even zipping the door is pretty difficult. However, at this price point, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.  

2. ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1-Person Tent

Characteristics

The ALPS Lynx 1-person tent is made from really high-quality materials – 75-D 185T polyester fly and floor plus poles made from sturdy aluminum. 

Also, the weight of the tent is 3 lbs. 5 oz., which makes it easy enough to carry for a 1-person backpacking trip. 

Features

Unlike the tent above where you can set up at 3 seconds, for this tent, you need around 60 seconds to set it up. To disassemble it, you make need around 12 seconds. 

During the setting-up process, the most painstaking activity is sticking the X-shaped poles onto the ground so that you can ensure that you have a stable tent.  

Also, this tent has many functionalities such as storage pockets and guy ropes. The tent even has mesh wall to help improve ventilation too. 

Thoughts

This is a sturdy tent that should be able to hold-up even in intense weather. It should be able to keep you warm throughout the night – much better than the Coleman instant pop up tent. 

I would say that this tent is much more versatile – even if use this in the desert heat or cold snowy winter, your body will still be warm and safe. Even if a storm hits your camping area, you’ll be safely kept dry too. 

3. Coleman Cabin Tent 

Here’s another Coleman tent because Coleman tents are just that good. 

Characteristics

The Coleman Cabin tent is made from 150D Polyester which is considerably thick and strong. This double-thick fabric is built to last season after season. 

Also, the tent is weatherproof (built with the WeatherTec System) where there are welded corners and inverted seams to help ensure that water is effective kept out from the tent. There’s even rainflies attached to the tent to help ensure that there is effective weather protection too. 

Features

As for this tent, you can expect to set it up in 1 minute. Since you just have to extend and secure the poles, you can do this easily with 1 or 2 persons. 

The tent is pretty spacious and should be able to fit one queen sized air mattress. 

Since it’s made from durable materials, I wouldn’t worry too much about getting in a snow storm or thunderstorm while camping in the Coleman Cabin Tent. 

There’s even a 1-year warranty that comes with the tent too. 

Thoughts 

This tent is really easy to set-up, sturdy and spacious – definitely great for solo camping. However, no matter how safe the tent is, I would recommend sealing the tent to ensure that its waterproof. 

When you purchase this tent, I would highly recommend that you also purchase tent seam sealer and a rain fly to help make this tent weather-proof. 

Easiest to set up – Buying Guide 

1. Always check the materials used 

The materials used to make the tent is really important because it will determine how durable is the tent. 

Durability can be seen in several aspects including how much physical abuse your tent can handle and how it will fare in varying weather conditions. You’ll want a tent that’s made from fabric that lasts so that it’s well-worth your investment.  

Another aspect is the poles of the tent. Make sure that the poles are made from durable materials such as fiberglass or aluminium. Even if the tent is easy-to set-up, if the poles can’t support the tent well, it wouldn’t be worth it. 

2. Quick Set-up Time 

When you’re out camping alone and looking for the easiest tent to set-up by yourself, you may want to choose a tent with a quick set-up time. 

In fact, all the tents I’ve reviewed above have extremely quick set-up time, especially the Coleman Pop-up tent which is unbeatable. 

Since you wouldn’t know whether you’ll be setting up your tent in a rough environment or a peaceful environment, you would want to be able to set up the tent as soon as possible.  

3. Know the weight of the tent 

If you’re going on a backpacking trip, this aspect is extremely vital. You don’t want to be carrying a tent which is extremely heavy because it’ll take a toll on your body. 

It’s especially vital that you choose a tent which is sufficiently huge. If you are going on a camping trip alone, you don’t want to overdo things and buy a tent which can fit 4 persons. It’s vital to get a tent that’s just nice – sufficient for you to rest and put some gears. 

Conclusion

I hope that my analysis of which is the easiest tent to set up by yourself and the criteria I’ve highlighted gave you a clear idea on what you should purchase. If there are any points that I have missed, feel free to comment below and let me know!