Best Polycotton Family Tents

If you need a camping shelter for every climate and all seasons, you will want to check this selection of the best polycotton family tents with incredible features and comfort.

What is a polycotton fabric?

Quite generally, polycotton is a blend of polyester and cotton, and in the case of tents the ratio of the two components may vary. So polycotton tents are a sub-group of canvas tents, and fabric of these tents includes best of both of its components, the cotton and polyester.

What is the difference between polycotton and cotton?

If you search around, you will find the claims that it is about durability. Polycotton is usually more resistant to wear and tear than pure cotton. But it is fair to say that many factors play a role when this is about tents. Take stitching as one factor, then zippers, and lots more.

Which is better polyester or polycotton?

Polyester alone is less durable than polycotton, it degrades at a faster rate. Also structurally, polycotton is much stronger than polyester. Polycotton is also heavier and bulkier than polyester, but this is why polycotton tents are quieter in windy conditions.

So it depends on purpose. You would not want a polycotton tent to carry on the trail, but such tents are surely a better choice for family camping.

My list of the best polycotton tents

The tents in the list are ordered by the floor area, from smaller to larger.

Some of these tents are completely unique on the market, and you will also see that they include some incredibly useful features. Those include air beams instead of classic poles, insulation, solid windows, excellent ventilation, and much more.

1. Crua Tri 3 Person Thermo Insulated Waterproof Family Tent

This tent is officially for 3 people, and for this it offers 68.5 ft² (6.36 m²) of the total covered area. This includes an inner floored sleeping area of 19.5 ft² (4.6 m²), plus a fully covered and protected vestibule which is almost like a floorless front room.

This is a unique construction with its inner insulated cocoon tent that gives it an R-value of 4. Due to this cocoon, this is also a dark rest type tent because it is completely dark inside during the day. Because of these features, I have included it also to my list of extreme cold weather camping tents.

The overall structure is a tunnel-type supported by 4 loops. But the tent is here because of its fabric of course, so this is a high-quality waterproof but breathable mixture 80/20 of cotton and polyester. The waterproof rating is 5000 mm. Note also that the tent is with solid windows.

There are three separate vents equipped with dual stiffeners and Velcro tabs. The door is with a full size mesh as one layer, and it is deep under the porch so you can keep it with mesh as long as you want, dependent on season and climate.

Here are some numbers. The weight is 48 lb (22 kg) and its packed size is 33 x 24 x 19 inches (85 x 61 x 48 cm). The overall dimensions are 126 x 79 inches (318 x 200 cm). The peak height is 62 inches (160 cm).

What I like:

• Dark rest design.
• Insulation.
• Unique design.
• Very durable & tough materials.
• Ventilation.

What I dislike:

• The price.
• The weight.

2. Crua Cottage Premium Quality 4-6 Person Family Tent

The fabric of this tent is a 80:20 breathable polycotton mix used for the inner tents, while the shell is a 70:30 breathable polycotton. On the floor you have a fully waterproof polyethylene.

You have two side rooms that are essentially bedrooms, and there is one large living area under the central dome. This is not all, you also have a separate Sun Room. This room is without a floor but it is fully protected from the elements. It is designed as a space for sitting and enjoying.

The bedrooms are insulated, and this makes them perfect dark-rest rooms. Because of this, it is also in my list of best dark rest camping tents. You should never have issues with ventilation here, the fabric is breathable, but they have added two floor vents and two wall vents.

Note also that this is an incredibly tall tent, the peak height is 8.2 ft (250 cm). Other features include no less than 10 solid windows and 2 doors. The base is T-shaped and supported by steel poles, and it offers an RV connection as well.

As for the capacity, this the tent is officially for 4-6 people, but you have 4 rooms and the total floored area is 188 ft² (17.5 m²), plus the Sun Room with an area of 67.3 ft² (6.25 m²). This tent is also in my list of best canvas tents with a porch.

What I like:

• Overall organization.
• Great features.
• Dark rest design.
• Insulated sleeping rooms.
• Solid windows.
• Top-quality materials.
• High-level craftsmanship.
• Ventilation.
• Protection.

What I dislike:

• The price.
• The weight and packed size.

3. Wildcat Outdoor Gear Lynx 640 Air Inflatable Camping Tent

This Wildcat Outdoor Gear Lynx 640 Air Inflatable Camping Tent is built from a poly-cotton canvas and it is supported by inflatable beams. The tent includes many great features.

This is a 4-room construction with a modular design. It includes an inner tent within the shell and this inner area is with a removable divider. There is also a large living room under the shell tent, and a side room zipped to the tent. This side room you can attach on either of the two sides. 

There are 7 windows, some mesh with panels, and some solid tinted windows. The tent is very tall with its 6’11” (211 cm) peak height. The floored area is around 207 ft² (19.2 m²), plus the porch area visible in the picture where you have 32.3 ft² (3 m²).

The tent weighs 108 lb (49 kg) so it is heavy but this is normal in view of its incredible size and features. The packed size is 38 x 18 x 17 inches (97 x 46 x 43 cm). This tent is included also in my list of best 4 room family camping tents.

What I like:

4. Berghaus Air 6XL Polycotton Tent

You realize already from the name of the tent why it is here. So you have a blend of 65% polyester and 35% cotton. Overall dimensions are enormous, 238 x 177 inches (605 x 450 cm), and the inner floored area is around 244 ft² (22.7 m²). The tent is with a 86.6 inches (220 cm) peak height.

There is an inner tent within the floored shell tent, it includes 3 separate bedrooms. One additional huge living room is under the shell. The living room offers around 129 ft² (12 m²), and you have full protection there as well. The large porch visible in the picture offers 48 ft² (4.5 m²). So this tent can accommodate two times more people than what its official capacity tells you.

The tent is without solid poles, you have 5 long high performance TPU air beams featuring spring loaded, quick release air valves, and it comes with a 2-way double efficiency stirrup pump with a gauge. This tent is both heavy and bulky, the weight is 108.5 lb (49.2 kg). But it comes with a robust wheeled carry bag with adjustable buckles.

There are plenty of ventilation options. You have three large doors with full size zippered mesh plus zippered panels. They have added many vents on the long sides and on the rear side behind the inner tent.

The shell, the inner tent, as well as the groundsheet, are fully fire retardant and tested to the European EN 5912 safety standard.

What I like:

Final thoughts

So this was my selection of the best polycotton family tents, with great features and in a variety of sizes. The difference regarding the floor area between the smallest and the largest is by a factor 5.

They all come with great features, but here too you have lots of differences. Some are without solid poles, and some are insulated and also designed as dark rest tents. All of them are suitable for year round use and in any weather conditions.

The common feature is the shell fabric of course, and this is why all these tents are quite heavy and bulky, but this is expected in view of what they offer.

Let me know if you have questions, there is a comment box below. Thank you for reading.