Camping & Outdoor

Gear for the parts of the year spent outside: shade for the yard and beach, shelter for a weekend away, and the kit that goes in the trunk with it. Packed size and setup time are listed alongside capacity, since both decide whether something gets used twice.

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What to check before you buy

  1. 01

    Sleeping capacity is a floor measurement

    A '4-person' tent means four sleeping mats edge to edge with no gear. For comfort with bags inside, size up one person.

  2. 02

    Check the flame-retardancy label

    US tents are expected to carry a CPAI-84 label, and California asks for specific wording. A tent arriving without the label is the problem, whatever the fabric.

  3. 03

    Waterproofing is rated, not binary

    Look for a millimeter hydrostatic-head figure and taped seams. 'Water resistant' with no number will handle dew and not much else.