Best Tents For Stargazing In 2023 – Best Tents Revealed

If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently. Or so says Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes – and I think he’s onto something.

There’s nothing quite like lying comfortably in your tent and staring up at the wonderful expanse of the universe.

But often, our equipment can ruin this experience. And suspect #1? Your tent.

What if your tent was literally designed to make stargazing easy? What if your tent didn’t obscure your view of the big dipper?

We’ve searched through hundreds of tents to find the best tents for stargazing, and we’ve found some top performers.

So read on to find out which tents top the list!

If you’re in a rush, the best stargazing tents are:

1. Kelty Dirt Motel 2/3 Person Backpacking Tent – Best Stargazing Tent Overall
2. Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent – Great Stargazing Tent for Families and Groups
3. Kelty Night Owl 2 Person Backpacking Tent – Best Budget Stargazing Tent
4. MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person Tent – Best Luxury Backpacking Tent
5. Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL Tent (1/2/3/4 Person)
6. Alps Mountaineering Lynx 2/4 Person Tent

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Quick recommendation

The Kelty Dirt Motel tent is the best tent for stargazing and comes in 2 person and 3 person sizes. We loved this tent for the clips on its rainfly, which are purpose-built for stargazing, as well as the high quality materials and the balance of value for money.

If you’re taking your family or a bigger group and want something more suitable for car camping than backpacking, we would instead recommend the CORE 9 person instant cabin tent. It’s wonderfully roomy and comes with a mesh ceiling for stargazing, a room divider to give you some privacy at night, and plenty of handy storage pockets.

Best stargazing tents compared

The Kelty Dirt Motel tent tops our list as it’s literally MADE for stargazing. It comes with what Kelty calls the Stargazing Fly, a rainfly that you can peel back from the tent and easily clip together.

These tent clips help you to easily stargaze out of the mesh walls and ceiling without having the rainfly flapping about. And if you start to feel the first drops of rain coming down? Simply unclip the rainfly and bring it all the way down the tent. We love how easy this feature makes it to look at the stars.

The Kelty Dirt Motel tent comes in 2 person or 3 person models. These are updated versions of what was previously known as the Kelty TN2 and Kelty TN3, respectively.

For an ultralight tent weighing just over 4 lbs and packs down super small in your backpack, this tent is surprisingly roomy. The tent isn’t a classic dome shape that leaves you with little headroom. Instead, the tent extends at the ends, so you don’t headbutt the walls as you wake up.

However, if you’re a fan of spreading out, super lightweight tents like these might not be for you. And for casual campers, this is not an instant setup tent so expect to spend a handful of minutes getting the tent poles through the fabric loops.

The tent comes with two large doors on each side, a must-have feature. Single door backpacking tents can be irritating if someone needs a bathroom break at night. Beside each of these doors is also a vestibule to help store your backpack, and there are small gear pockets inside the tent for flashlights, sunglasses, and so on.

In general, it’s hard to find many faults with this tent as it’s a fantastic backpacking tent.

Sure, the Kelty Night Owl tent is slightly cheaper, but it also is heavier, takes up more room in your backpack, and doesn’t come with the top tier materials of the Dirt Motel tent, which will help it last for years to come. And the MSR Hubba Hubba tent is even slightly lighter than the Dirt Motel, but this comes at a large increase in price that will only suit the most avid backpackers.

If this tent is too small or you want something a little more family friendly, however, the CORE 9 person instant cabin tent may be more up your street. Comparing these two tents is like comparing apples and oranges, though, so this will be down to personal preference.

For everyone else, the Kelty Dirt Motel tent is the best tent for stargazing and will provide a jaw-dropping night under the stars.

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Looking for something a bit bigger that can fit the whole family?

The CORE 9 person instant cabin tent is a great family tent for stargazing. Leaving the rainfly off gives you a fully mesh roof so that you can see the stars from the comfort of your sleeping bag.

In many ways, the CORE doesn’t match up with the other tents. It’s a 2 season, polyester tent and it’s heavy enough that you shouldn’t even consider it for backpacking. But not everyone is a backpacker.

If you are going car camping and care more about price and comfort features than top tier materials and the lightness of the tent, then the CORE may be for you.

The CORE is an instant cabin tent that can be set up in under a minute or a little longer on your first attempts. Set up is as simple as taking the tent out of the bag, extending the tent poles which come pre-attached to the tent (these are telescopic tent poles, so you simply have to extend them), and then staking the tent down.

The cabin feature of the tent means vertical walls and plenty of space inside the tent. Vertical walls are obviously not great if you’re facing extreme winds but it does mean that most (not too tall) people can stand up in the tent, and your stargazing isn’t ruined by tent walls sloping in.

When you’re finished stargazing you can attach the room divider to split the tent into two rooms – a great feature for giving you a bit of privacy. And you can keep your flashlight in one of the many storage pockets on the walls in case of any night time bathroom breaks.

There are also further convenient features like an e-port. Electrical ports are great for bringing power cables into the tent so that you can hook up any gadgets or portable air conditioning inside the tent.

So do we recommend the CORE instant cabin tent? If you’re an avid backpacker, give this one a skip and look towards one of the Kelty tents or MSR tents. But if you just want to take your family or a group of friends out to see the stars, then this stargazing tent is an excellent choice.

Related: You can also consider picking up a tent with a screen room, if you don’t mind moving a few feet to your bed later. Find out what the best tent with a screened room is.

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The Kelty Night Owl tent is a 2 person tent with many of the same features as the Kelty Dirt Motel tent. It’s an update of the popular Kelty Trail Ride tent.

So how does the tent compare to the Dirt Motel tent?

Well it’s slightly larger – although we’re talking about a matter of six inches here. Still, if you’re a tall camper and like to keep some gear by your feet, this may be useful.

The Night Owl tent is also fractionally cheaper, although there’s also not much in this.

Unfortunately, this lower price comes at the expense of the quality of the materials. The lightweight, well-respected DAC aluminum tent poles of the Dirt Motel tent have been swapped for regular aluminum tent poles. The nylon ripstop rainfly – which is lightweight and strong – has been traded for a polyester rainfly. And the floor material has been swapped for a thinner, slightly less waterproof material in the Night Owl tent.

This thinner floor also means you should definitely pick up a footprint for the tent to avoid any tears from stray roots or stones. However, we’d always recommend a footprint for any backpacking tent anyways.

These cheaper materials and slightly large length leave the Kelty Night Owl tent around 24% heavier than the Dirt Motel tent – although it’s definitely still light enough for casual backpacking use and a complete non-issue for anyone who is car camping.

But despite the Dirt Motel tent edging out the Night Owl in these areas, the Night Owl tent is still an excellent stargazing tent for backpackers on a budget.

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The MSR Hubba Hubba NX is a top tier 2 person backpacking tent with an excellent reputation. Like the Kelty backpacking tents, the entire interior of the tent is made of mesh which helps transform it into a stargazing tent at night.

It’s the lightest tent in this review, coming in at 3 lbs and 13 oz, although this can be dropped even further if you’re willing to skimp on some of the accessories. This easily places it in the ultralight backpacking tent category.

On top of this, it is well made with some of the best tent materials available. The mesh and rainfly are the lightweight and strong ripstop nylon, while the tent poles are DAC Featherlite NFL tent poles, an aluminum alloy that is even lighter than the aluminum poles of the Kelty Dirt Motel tent.

Ironically, this tent will even outperform the Kelty “Dirt Motel” tent in dusty and dirty conditions. The mesh starts a little higher up on the Hubba Hubba tent which can help reduce the amount of dust blowing into the tent when it gets windy and keep you warmer on a chilly night.

It even comes with two doors and a vestibule beside each door, just like the Kelty tents.

So why do we recommend the Kelty tents over the MSR Hubba Hubba NX tent? It comes down to one major factor – price.

If you’re a serious backpacker who spends a lot of time in their tent then maybe the MSR tent is worth it. It is ultralight and it is great in bad weather. But would you be willing to pay almost double for this?

If you’re like most backpackers or campers and just want something fairly light that lets you stargaze and will do a grand job, then we recommend saving some cash and getting the Kelty Dirt Motel tent instead. But if you’re a serious backpacker, then do consider the MSR Hubba Hubba tent as a long term investment.

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If you’re looking for an ultralight backpacking tent and you don’t mind spending a little more, this tent is a great pick. The Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL comes in 1 person, 2 person, 3 person and 4 person models.

It’s a ridiculously light tent. The one-person model weighs as little as 2.6 pounds. It also packs down into a small size, so it’s an easy tent to carry in your backpack.

Like several of the other backpacking tents, the Big Agnes Copper Spur features two large doors (in the 2 person and larger sizes), each with a vestibule that can act as an awning. These are excellent for ventilation and giving you a little more gear space.

The tent also performs pretty well in poor weather conditions. Although it should be noted that the Kelty Dirt Motel tent has a better waterproof rating and we would trust it more in very heavy rain.

The Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL tent is a truly excellent backpacking tent overall, and if this was an article reviewing the best backpacking tents, it stands an excellent chance of coming top. If you want a highly versatile tent then this may be the choice for you.

So why doesn’t it match up here? Put simply – it’s just not quite made for stargazing.

Sure, the tent comes with a mesh top that you can stargaze through. But the lack of clips on the rainfly means that you’ll have to dismantle and reattach the rainfly as and when you want to do this.

While setting up the Big Agnes tent is fairly simple and mostly a case of attaching clips and using velcro, it does require staking down guy lines. So every time you want to pull back the rainfly to spend an hour looking at the stars, you’ll need to finish by reattaching the rainfly and staking each guyline.

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The ALPS Mountaineering Lynx tent is a budget-friendly backpacking tent that comes in a 2 person and 4 person models.

Like the Copper Spur tent, the Lynx doesn’t come with a clip to tie back the rainfly. Even worse for stargazing is the fact that the tent body isn’t all mesh. Some of the sides and the corners which run up the edges of the tent are opaque and these can obstruct your view of the stars.

That being said, you should be able to get a decent enough view provided that you’re lying in a sleeping position.

What the Alps Mountaineering Lynx tent is, is a ridiculously good value and great beginner backpacking tent.

What is isn’t is an ultralight tent. For comparison purposes, the 2 person model is 5 lbs 12 oz, which compares to 4 lbs 13 oz for the 2 person Dirt Motel and 3 lbs 2 oz for the Big Agnes tent. This may not seem like much but every little helps on a long hike.

So who’s this tent for? If you’re looking for a super cheap backpacking tent that might not be stellar (pun intended and I won’t apologize!) for stargazing but will do a good enough job, the Alps Mountaineering Lynx tent may be the tent for you.

What makes a good stargazing tent? Our criteria

A good stargazing tent allows for a good view of the night sky and its lovely stars.

When choosing a good stargazing tent, ensure that it has the following features:

A Full Mesh Top for star gazing (That Also Keeps the Bugs at Bay!)

A full mesh top will allow you to have a superb view of the beautiful sky. And if you’re lucky, also enjoy a wonderful sight of the milky way. You can do this while seated. Or lie down facing up, and you won’t be able to take your eyes away from the breathtaking scenery.

You can opt for mesh walls to have a wider view. Mesh walls will also increase fresh air full of natural scents from the surroundings.

Insects are common in outdoor environments. With a mesh top, you’re able to keep the insects from disturbing your comfort.

Related: If you want a huge mesh tent that’s designed for sitting, but not sleeping, in – try a screen tent. Find out what our favorite screen tents are.

Clips to Pull Back the Rainfly for stargazing

Your tent should come with clips to keep the rainfly sturdy. The rain fly clips will help hold it firm and keep it from being blown by the wind while you’re trying to stargaze, but also lets you pull it back to keep you waterproof when the weather turns bad.

The clips should be strong and good quality to keep the rain fly in place.

Easy to Set Up

Who needs a tent to wrestle with all evening? After all, you want to set it up fast to enjoy your anticipated scenic views of nature.

A tent that is easy to set up within a few minutes will keep frustration at bay.

Comfortable and Plenty of Space to Spread Out

The best side of camping is relaxing. You can’t relax when you can’t even spread out in a tent.

Let comfort come first when buying your star gazing tent. Ensure the tent is spacious to accommodate everyone.

Weather Protection in the Event of Rain

The weather keeps changing. A mesh top cannot protect against bad weather such as rain, snow, and extreme wind.

A good stargazing tent will come equipped with a waterproof rainfly. A good rain fly will help keep water from entering your tent or dirt if it’s a bit windy.

High hydrostatic head ratings (i.e. specifications of 1200 mm and above) provide good protection from bad weather, but this is only one part of the weather protection.

Top Stargazing Tents for Different Group Sizes

A good stargazing tent size is crucial for your comfortability. It doesn’t matter if it’s for two or a group. You deserve to relax comfortably in plenty of space and enjoy the magnificent view of the night sky.

Table: Capacity and comfort capacity (taking space and design into account) of the best tents for stargazing

Tent	Capacity	Comfort Capacity
Kelty Dirt Motel Backpacking Tent	2 People	1 Person
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL Tent	2 People	1 Person
MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person Tent	2 People	1 Person
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL – Ultralight Backpacking Tent	4 People	2-3 People
ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 4 Person Tent	4 People	2-3 People
Kelty Night Owl 4P (Updated version of Trail Ridge)	4 People	3 People
REI Co-op Kingdom 6 Tent (discontinued)	6 People	4 People
Kelty Sequoia 6 Person Camping Tent (discontinued)	6 People	4 People
Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent	9 People	5-6 People

Best Stargazing Tent for 2 People

With the easy rolling of the rain fly, the Kelty Dirt Motel Backpacking Tent allows you to enjoy the most spectacular view with no obstructions. The mesh on the sides is also a plus in enjoying your view.

You can enjoy the view from any angle and breathe the fresh air from the mesh walls.

Kelty Dirt Motel Backpacking Tent has two doors for ease of access for two campers.

With the spacious vestibules in place, you have a place to stash your gear to create ample space to add more comfort.

Best Tent for 4 People stargazing

With its enhanced stability and strength, the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 4 Person – Ultralight Backpacking Tent can accommodate four people.

The mezzanine 3D storage pocket helps make a better use of tthe space. This is a large gear pocket spanning the width of the tent and acts as a sort of fabric shelf. This will allow lying down more comfortably without kicking your gear around the tent.

Stargazing has been made easier for you by the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 4 person tent.

Best Tent for 5 – 7 People stargazing

The best tents for stargazing for a group of five to seven people is the Core 9 Person Instant Cabin. With this tent, you’ll enjoy having extra space to spread out.

A smaller tent will otherwise feel cramped. The primary benefit of camping is relaxing and feeling rejuvenated. But if the tent body you’re staying in doesn’t provide comfort, even the stargazing experience can be less fun.

Top Family Tent for Stargazing

Family and comfort go hand in hand. If you are camping with your children, you need to make them enjoy every moment. One way to achieve this is by having a comfortable family tent. The Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent is an better choice for camping with your family.

With the room divider, your privacy is catered for. Also, the Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent has ample space for storing all your stuff. This spacious tent will provide you with comfort when enjoying the magnificent view of the stars.

Related: Looking for another fun camping idea? Take your dog! Find out what the top tent for camping with dogs is.

Best Cheap Tent for stargazing

Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent is the cheapest and most spacious stargazing tent we’ve come across. You get value for your money while still staying comfortable with its unique features. Of course, the material isn’t quite as high quality as some of the other tents on this list, and the weather protection isn’t quite as good – but this tent focuses on the family friendly end of the market.

This tent is spacious and is sturdy to withstand low to moderate winds, although it’s less aerodynamic than the dome tents. It also has a large T-door. In addition, this tent has a room divider that adds privacy when you need it.

Budding stargazers should weigh up what they’re after – a decent camping tent or an advanced backpacking tent?

Best Lightweight Backpacking Tent for stargazing

Model	Capacity	Packed Weight
Kelty Dirt Motel Backpacking Tent	2 People	4 lbs 1 oz / 2.2 kg
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL Tent	2 People	3 lbs 4 oz / 1.5 kg
MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person Tent	2 People	5 lbs 12 oz / 2.63 kg
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL – 4 Person Ultralight Backpacking Tent	4 People	5 lbs 3 oz / 2.36 kg
ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 4 Person Tent	4 People	9 lbs / 4.1 kg
Kelty Night Owl 4P (Updated version of Trail Ridge)	4 People	11 lbs 4 oz / 5.1 kg
REI Co-op Kingdom 6 Tent (discontinued)	6 People	21 lbs 6 oz / 9.7 kg
Kelty Sequoia 6 Person Camping Tent (discontinued)	6 People	23 lbs / 17 oz / 10.9 kg
Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent	9 People	30.5 lbs / 13.83 kg

When going hiking or camping to view the night skies, you don’t want to have to carry a heavy tent the whole way. The further you have to travel, the more we encourage you to choose the best stargazing backpacking tent with minimal weight.

The best tents for this are the Big Agnes followed by the Kelty Dirt Motel. The Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL – 4 Person Ultralight Backpacking Tent is an ultralight stargazing tent at only 3 lbs 4 oz. It’s the best lightweight backpacking tent for an exciting stargazing experience.

Although it’s a bit costly, it’s made of much better materials that are strong and lighter for maximum comfortability.

Best Overall Stargazing Tent – Kelty Dirt Motel

The best overall tent for stargazing is the Kelty Dirt Motel tent. The most outstanding and spacious stargazing tent is the large Core 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent. Its mesh fabric gives a perfect view of the stars, ample space, and is budget-friendly. Suitable for family or large groups of campers.

Alternatively, the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 4 person is suitable for two to 4 people. It has a super ultralight backpacking feature and is made of a better, strong material that gives it stability and strength.

FAQs on Stargazing Tents

Here are some of the most FAQ’s commonly asked:

Other good options for repelling bugs from your tent

But even with the best tents for your camping excursion, some bugs will always find a way to enter your tent. You can use bug repellents to prevent bugs from entering your tent. Other tent options include an inf

Which of these best tents for Stargazing get a gold star?

Overall, we love the Kelty Dirt Motel 2/3 person tent for its balance of price and excellent quality and we’re happy to call it the best tent for stargazing.

If you’re in a bigger group check out the CORE 9 person instant cabin tent for a large budget friendly tent that comes bundled with loads of useful benefits for car campers.

Happy camping and enjoy the view of the night sky!

Check out our comfortable family tent.