The Best Tents On The Market For Beach Camping, According To Consumer Reports

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A quality tent for beach days is an essential piece of gear that every outdoor enthusiast should have on hand, but with so many options on the market, it can be a bit challenging to choose the right one for your needs. Beach tent prices tend to start around $40 and the higher end options can cost hundreds. If you've found yourself wondering whether the more expensive models are worth the price increase, or you're simply overwhelmed from all the choices, Consumer Reports has you covered.

Consumer Reports is a membership based organization that has been around since the 1930s. Its mission is to help consumers make informed decisions so that they don't waste their hard earned money, and to hold corporations accountable. "Consumer Reports works to create a fair and just marketplace for all. As a mission-driven, independent, nonprofit member organization, CR empowers and informs consumers, incentivizes corporations to act responsibly, and helps policymakers prioritize the rights and interests of consumers in order to shape a truly consumer-driven marketplace," the website states.

Members are charged a monthly fee, and in return they gain access to loads of information gathered by Consumer Reports staff and other members. Recently, the organization published an article outlining the best beach tents on the market. Four different tents were tested, and two of them came out on top: the L.L.Bean Sunbuster Folding Shelter and the Oileus XL Beach Tent.

Packing a tent for a day on the beach might seem like overkill to some, but they can be a game changer when you need a break from the hot sun. If you're traveling with small children, they're a particularly great investment, as they allow little ones a place to take a nice shady nap. UV rays can be dangerous, so protecting yourself from sunburn is super important. Beach umbrellas are a popular alternative, but they can easily become a dangerous hazard on a windy day. Ultimately, a tent will allow you to enjoy even more time at the beach, without the skin damage.

Pop-up beach tents are marketed as a quick and easy solution for beachgoers, but according to Consumer Reports they're often anything but simple to set up. Lisa Fogerty tested four different options on the market and wrote about her experience on the Consumer Reports website. "Companies market them as easy to assemble and disassemble in mere seconds. Spoiler alert: They're all lying," she wrote.

Fogerty explained that one of the main things she looked for was ease of setting up each tent. Privacy and storage features were also evaluated. In order to rate each tent, the testers set each one up and took it down three separate times and then timed themselves on the fourth time. They also tested the windows and doors by opening from the outside and inside of the tent. Finally, they measured the tent stats and weighed them.

According to the Consumer Reports article authored by Fogerty, the L.L. Bean Sunbuster Folding Shelter was clearly the best option out of the four tents that were tested. "If your motto is "buy once and buy well," the L.L.Bean Sunbuster Folding Shelter won't disappoint," she wrote. It had the easiest set up and tear down process and was well made.

Fogerty appreciated the instructions that came with the L.L.Bean Sunbuster because they were easy to understand and had pictures. It took just 22 seconds to set up the pop-up tent, and it could be packed up just under two minutes. Most of the tear down time was spent putting the tent back into the carrying bag that comes with it, which Fogerty claimed was plenty spacious. Another thing she appreciated is that she didn't need to unscrew the legs of the tent. According to Fogerty, the inside of the tent had enough room for 2-3 adults and a child. "It boasts an extendable floor for extra coverage. It has the best privacy features of all these tents, including a fully private front door that stays in place with secure buckles and loops," she wrote. There were also three large windows with mesh screens.

The L.L.Bean Sunbuster provides SPF 50+ protection and comes with stakes and built in pockets that you can fill with sand to increase its wind resistance and stability. It is 95 inches long, 59 inches wide, and weighs 7.6 pounds total. The tent costs $140 on the L.L.Bean website and has an average rating of 4.7 stars based on 6 customer reviews.

The Oileus XL Beach Tent didn't perform quite as well, but if you're looking for a budget-friendly option that costs under $100, it could be the perfect choice. The Oileus Beach Tent was the runner up, and the only other tent out of the four that were tested that Consumer Reports considered to be a good buy.

The Oileus XL measures 92 inches long by 55 inches wide. It is 45 inches high. It weighs only 4 pounds, so if you're looking for an option that you can pack for your next trip to Hawaii, it's a good choice. Fogerty enjoyed how lightweight it was and mentioned that it was the easiest tent to carry out of the four models that were reviewed. Setting up the tent took one minute and 53 seconds and was more challenging than the L.L.Bean Sunbuster. "The tricky part is lining up and connecting the top hub with the bottom hub, something that took me a few tries to click into place," Fogerty wrote. It comes with eight metal stakes and six built in pockets to fill with sand to help with wind resistance and stability.

The main problem with the Oileus XL was the window closures. According to Fogerty, they were not very secure. The carrying bag that comes with the tent was also a problem, as it was too small and made it challenging to put the tent away. In total, breaking down the tent took nearly four minutes. Still, with a $55 price tag and multiple color options, it's a good choice for a casual beach day. You can purchase the Oileus XL Beach Tent on Amazon. It has an average rating of 4.4 stars based on over 7,000 reviews.

In order to formulate our list of the best beach tents on the market, we relied on information obtained from the Consumer Reports website. Consumer Reports tested each of the tents and published their findings in an article on their website written by Lisa Fogerty. We also visited other websites to see product reviews from customers and included each average rating, and updated prices at the time or writing in our article. For more information on essential beach gear, check out the ultimate packing guide for your beach vacation.