It can be difficult finding a tent that … you can just trust. Crua started several years ago thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, and their ingenuity shines through in the Crua Tri.

The Crua Tri is a polycotton tent with excellent waterproofing credentials, plenty of ventilation ports, a HUGE awning and a vestibule that is perfect for keeping backpacks and hiking boots.

Canvas tents do not come cheap and the Tri is no exception. But as the saying goes “buy cheap, buy twice”. The Crua Tri excels in comfort, weatherproofing and durability to the extent that it wins our “Best Buy” award.

Psst, Crua have reached out to offer Wilderness Redefined readers an extra 5% off your order if you purchase through the link above and use the code AFUK5

Crua also offers an optional porch extension and reflective flysheet if these interest you. Read on for the rest of our Crua Tri tent review.

Our Verdict on the Crua Tri

The Crua Tri might just be the best tent I’ve ever used.

There, I’ve said it.

It’s a tent for those who want everything. Windows? Check. Large vestibule? Check. Huge awning? Check. Insulation? Check. Pockets? Check. Porch extension? Check. And the list goes on…

Now, don’t get me wrong. This tent isn’t for everyone. You will struggle to wheel this far if you don’t have a car you will struggle to wheel this far. And if this is your first time camping I would recommend going for something cheaper so you can see if camping is for you first.

But if you love the idea of comfortable camping and want a truly high quality tent that will stand the test of time, the Crua Tri is an excellent choice.

It isn’t obvious at first, but the Tri is a blended canvas tent with all of the typical boons – excellent durability, super weatherproofing, and a high quality construction. Yes, it also comes with some cons, like being very heavy and having a high upfront cost.

Most canvas tents can also be a little … bare. You’re forced to choose between a tent that lasts a lifetime or a tent packed with different features.

But Crua has achieved something special.

The Tri combines all of the benefits of canvas tents with a feature packed tent. Yes, that means you now have a big vestibule, a large awning, blackout features, storage pockets and all the little extras that turn a camping trip into a home away from home.

Do I recommend this tent? If you’re a casual camper or glamper – yes!

My ratings:

• Comfort: 10/10
• Weather performance: 9/10
• Durability: 10/10
• Ease of setup: 4/10

Who is the Crua Tri tent for?

Bearing in mind that the Crua excels at comfort but is not portable, I highly recommend it for going glamping, car camping, camping in a campsite or fancy festivals.

This means it will suit casual campers, families and dog owners.

It won’t suit you if you plan on hiking to your camping spot or don’t own a car. If it’s your first time camping, you might also want to try something cheaper to find out if you like camping.

Going forward, bear in mind that my ratings reflect only the audiences the Tri is made for.

Our glamping tent review criteria

[10/10] Comfort

The Crua Tri is a tent pitched towards a casual camping and glamping audience, so above all else the Tri has to be comfortable.

Spoilers – Crua has absolutely nailed it. The Tri is incredibly comfortable.

Space

The Crua Tri is pretty spacious for a three person tent, especially compared to cheap three person tents. You’ll comfortably fit three camping mattresses beside each other and, if you want even more room, you could forgo the inner tent and use the outer tent only.

There’s plenty of other space too. A large porch sits at the front of the tent, perfect for keeping your gear and smelly hiking boots dry.

There’s storage pockets dotted around the inside which you can keep books or bottles of water in.

Oh, and did I mention the GIANT awning at the front of the tent? You simply unzip the front door and it folds out to cover twice the door size. This can then be propped up using the provided tent poles and guylines.

I liked the optional porch extension addon which, yes, does cost extra. But if you want a room to hide away in during the rain, to keep a camping table in, or a place for the dogs to sleep – you might want to consider it.

Do note though that it’s best for more sensible dogs. My lab would have squeezed under the sides of the porch extension to escape when she was young.

Pros:

• Spacious for a three person tent – especially with just the outer tent set up.
• Fits three camping mattresses easily.
• Huge porch to keep gear and smelly boots in.
• Front door extends into a massive awning to protect you from the sun.
• The second awning extension is tall enough to walk around underneath comfortably.
• An optional porch addon hugely extends the tent and provides loads of extra space for more gear or for dogs to sleep in.
• Several storage pockets inside the inner tent for keeping things inside.

Cons:

• You will need to bow your head to be able to walk around inside the tent.
• Some other big family tents come with more storage pockets.

Sleep quality

A tent is more than just a place to stay dry. Most of us will have had some terrible nights of sleep when camping in some of the cheaper tents out there.

As a very sensitive sleeper, I’m happy to report from my testing that Crua has pulled out all the stops here.

Firstly, their blackout claims are absolutely true. I couldn’t believe how dark it was inside the inner tent when the doors were zipped up. It’s so dark that you could easily sleep at midday if you wanted.

And all of this blackout fabric does help reduce noise a little, although I only heard a little muffling rather than any major differences.

Crua does give you the ability to tailor the sleeping environment as you want. You can open up the windows in both the inner and outer tents if you want to let a little light in. You can open up the door and just leave the bug net on. Or you can zip everything up and enjoy complete darkness.

One quite unique feature of this tent is that the insulated inner tent is very soft. It has the texture of a quilt which gives you a bit of extra padding beneath you. Provided you’ve cleared beneath the tent, you could probably get away with a pretty thin camping mat.

In general, as someone who regularly has to sleep with earplugs in and a sleeping mask on, the Crua Tri gets two thumbs up on sleep quality.

Pros:

• The inner tent is ridiculously blackout. It can be pitch black during daylight if you wish.
• Windows on both the inner and outer tent let you control the amount of light.
• The inner tent fabric feels almost like a quilt – it’s extra comfort between you and the ground
• Sound is slightly muffled by all the insulation, although not massively so
• Several layers of bug proofing on the main tent and then inner tent. Midges have no chance!

Cons:

• None!

Day usage

Unless you’re only using your tent for sleeping, it’s nice to have features that make your tent feel more homely. Weather can be unpredictable and you may need to spend some time sitting inside your tent.

I mentioned earlier that the Crua Tri is the tent for people who want it all.

It has a huge awning for keeping you shaded from the sun or covered from light rain. Although in my experience you will need a couple of people to put it up.

It has a vestibule where a couple of people could sit inside. And there is an optional porch extension addon which can add plenty of space for several people to sit inside, with room for a small table too.

If you’re worried about changeable weather, the optional porch extension might be worth it. It has windows so it will still let in light while you grab a deck or cards or pick up a book.

The Crua Tri is pretty good for day usage. I do wish there was a bug mesh protection on the front of the porch extension though. It would be nice to be able to keep the main doors a little open without inviting any midges in.

Pros:

• Huge awning is brilliant for hanging out under during the day
• Giant vestibule is a great place to keep all your equipment
• Comes with a footprint for the porch area
• The optional porch addon is an ideal place to have a sit down when it rains or for keeping a camping table with food and drink set up.

Cons:

• It would be nice to have some sort of mesh protection on the front of the vestibule / porch extension so that the door can be kept open when midges are around.

Extras

There’s a few extra features on the Crua Tri that are worth knowing about.

There are windows with covers on the tent which is very cool. Now they are made of plastic, so don’t expect them to be as see through as a normal window. But it’s nice being able to control how much light is coming through.

And there’s all the standard extras that you would expect on a good tent – reflective guylines that should help you avoid a comical nighttime bathroom trip, a lantern hook, good quality zips, and doors that can be rolled up.

Pros:

• Windows inside the tent! Have a view outside.
• Zips are very easy to open and close
• Guylines are reflective to help avoid tripping up at night
• Comes with a hook for a lantern
• Doors can be tucked away

[9/10] Weather performance

The Crua Tri has some impressive weather credentials. Crua claims that it has faced over 60MPH winds, snow, desert heat, and torrential rain.

Rain

The Crua Tri comes equipped with laminated polycotton fabric which delivers an excellent waterproof rating of 5000 mm. This is very high and will be plenty even for very heavy rain.

It also comes with a number of other waterproofing credentials. Good sized covers run over the zips to make sure rain doesn’t leak through. All the seams are sealed. And the flooring includes a thick groundsheet built in.

If you’re still worried, you can also pick up a reflective rainfly as an optional extra. Although, to be frank, I don’t think you’ll need it.

Pros:

• Hydrostatic head rating (waterproofing rating) of 5000 mm is very high.
• Polycotton is laminated for extra waterproofing.
• Good sized covers over the zips.
• Enough room to hide out under the vestibule or awning during the day.
• Thick groundsheet built into the flooring.
• Plenty of ventilation ports to keep air circulating.
• Optional rainfly addon for extra waterproofing.

Cons:

• Tricky to get the front roof of the tent properly taut

Wind

With the number of guylines on this tent, it’ll be no surprise that it performs well in the wind. That being said, it’s not super low to the ground tent so it will have its limits and you should still consider the positioning of the tent in very exposed camping spots.

The awning won’t be able to handle very strong winds, so prepare to batten down the hatches by zipping up the front door if you see a storm coming.

Pros:

• Loads of guylines.
• Can zip up the porch to turn the tent into a more aerodynamic shape.
• Bracers used to prop open the ventilation ports reduce flapping in the wind.

Cons:

• It’s not going to be as aerodynamic as a very low down tent.
• The awning will need to be taken down when it gets very windy.

Cold weather

The Crua Tri is rated for four seasons and I can completely believe it.

The materials are very thick and the inner tent does an excellent job at insulating you and keeping the temperature regulated. Crua have done a better job than I could ever do at demonstrating how much longer the Tri keeps in warmth than other tents in their video below.

I should say that I’ve not had a chance to test out the Crua Tri in very cold weather or snow yet, so I’ll update this review if I have a bad experience. But other people have been very complimentary about its performance in cold weather and, given my experience of the tent so far, I am not surprised.

Hot and cold weather is where the reflective rain fly addon might be useful. You can turn the reflective side pointing inwards to radiate head back into the tent, just like an emergency blanket.

Pros:

• Rated for four seasons – and I believe it!
• Insulating fabric helps keep the temperature regulated, with a high r-value of 9.
• Dual layer tent design has plenty of fabric between you and the outdoors.
• Inner tent is very padded which supports your sleeping mat to keep you warm.
• Ventilation ports can be open or closed as you wish to control the heat.
• Optional rainfly addon has a reflective surface that can be turned inwards to help keep heat in.

Cons:

• The guylines are important to the structural integrity of the tent. So make sure you’re prepared for guying out on snow covered ground.
• No stove jack.

Hot weather

I’ve only had a chance to test this in a very Scottish summer, which is possibly much cooler than where you live.

That being said, the Crua performed well under the circumstances. I was worried at first that the inner tent would turn the Tri into a furnace. But the insulation is more akin to creating a heat barrier. It should keep both hot weather and cold weather out.

There’s a key point to remember though – you’ll need to keep the door shut during the day if you don’t want to let in loads of hot air. And you may want to turn the reflective rainfly addon outwards to help keep it cooler.

I do worry that it might get too warm in very hot camping locations. Although this is not something I can test in Scotland, there have been a few reports of it getting hot. Crua does say, however, that it has been tested in the desert, so I could well be wrong.

Pros:

• Insulating fabric can help keep the temperature regulated, if used correctly.
• Plenty of ventilation ports.
• Optional rainfly addon has a reflective surface that can be turned outwards to help reflect the sun’s rays.
• Can drop down to just the outer shell if desired, although you lose some of the blackout features.

Cons:

• You will need to remember to keep the inner tent door closed so that it doesn’t heat up during the day.
• You can’t strip the sides off this tent and turn it into a mesh only tent.

Condensation

I live in the west coast of Scotland which is part of Europe’s temperate rainforest. It’s safe to say that I HATE condensation problems with tents.

One of the worst sleeps of my life has been getting completely drenched from condensation when camping in a cheap tent on the Hebrides – the islands off the north west coast of Scotland.

Thank goodness that Crua is designed in Ireland which is also part of the temperate rainforest as they’ve clearly packed the tent full of ventilation options.

There are two ventilation ports on the side of the tent, one larger ventilation port on the back of the tent and a ventilation port on the front door if you plan on keeping this shut.

You can also keep the tent doors open with the bug mesh doors still closed so that a good breeze comes through the tent. And the inner tent includes matching ventilation ports so the breeze can run all the way through the tent.

Phew!

Pros:

• Plenty of ventilation ports which can be propped open.
• Doors can be left open at night with just a bug net covering you.
• Designed in Ireland, so condensation has clearly been thought about.
• Dual layer tent system so you can leave the inner tent windows open to provide extra ventilation.

Cons:

• In some conditions you will need to keep all the ventilation ports open in the inner tent. This will reduce some of the darkness inside the blackout tent.

[10/10] Durability

Something that I immediately noticed after I set up the Tri is just how high quality the materials are. The aluminum poles and the polycotton fabric are good technical specs, but sometimes you don’t know it until you see it.

This tent was designed in Ireland and I found the build quality to be excellent. I spent a good while trying to find any problems with the stitching or poorly sealed seams, but there were none.

Just grasping the fabric between your fingers, you get an immediate sense that this tent will stand the test of time.

It’s very difficult to find any negatives about the durability of the Crua Tri. I feel very confident about its longevity, although I will report back if I have any issues in the future.

One minor detail is that the awning poles appear to be fiberglass. I wish these were aluminum instead just so I knew that everything was premium tier.

Pros:

• Excellent build quality and the materials are very premium
• The aluminum poles are super strong and lightweight
• Polycotton outer tent feels very thick and sturdy
• Good stitching and seams
• Built in footprint feels robust from tears
• I’m confident that this tent can withstand a lot
• Decent quality stakes

Cons:

• The awning poles are less robust fiberglass.

[4/10] Ease of setup

While the Crua performs extraordinarily well once standing, the setup is a bit of a pain.

To be fair to Crua, this is true of all canvas tents. It’s simply just easier to set up a big synthetic tent thanks to the much lighter weight of the material. But knowing this does not make it any less time consuming!

Is it technically possible to set up this tent with one person? Yes – I have done it on my own.

Would I recommend setting up this tent with only one person? No, definitely not. It’s significantly faster with two of you on the task.

There are four major tent poles to put through loops, two smaller inner tent poles, loads of guy lines and a number of points to stake out. On top of this, you’re not just setting up one tent. You’ve then got the inner tent to put up.

Crua has tried to make this easier. They’ve included color coded sleeves for the tent poles and the inner tent is simple enough to set up since it’s just a case of using the clips.

What I would say, though, is that the Crua Tri is probably not the best choice of tent if you want to go camping for one night only. Do expect to spend much more time setting up this tent than conventional dome tents.

Pros:

• Color coded poles
• Instructions come with pictures

Cons:

• Unless you choose to sleep in the outer tent only, you have to set up two tents.
• Setup takes much longer than standard synthetic tents.
• Instructions could be much more detailed.
• Some strength needed to set up the poles.
• While setup with one person is possible, I highly recommend two people.

What else should you know?:

Portability

This is a glamping or campsite tent only, which is why I haven’t included portability in the ratings above.

But just to be clear – don’t expect to be able to get this tent far!

Yes, the carry bag comes with wheels and handles. But the tent is also ridiculously heavy and bulky. There is no chance you will be able to hike to a camping spot with this.

Even receiving the delivery will be difficult unless you live on the ground floor or have someone to help you with it up the stairs.

So just be aware that this is a big, heavy canvas tent. You’ll need space in a car to take it camping and you’ll want to camp fairly near to wherever you park.

Pros:

• Tent bag comes with wheels and a handle

Cons:

• VERY heavy and bulky
• Tent bag handle could be longer to avoid bumping into the back of your legs.
• Don’t expect to be able to walk far to your campsite.

Dog friendly

It can be tricky to find a camping tent that will cope with a dog. Most tents don’t have enough space for a dog to sleep in and sharp claws can tear apart thin materials and mesh.

While, sadly, my dog is no longer around to test this, I think she would have been fine in the Tri. The thick durable materials should stand up okay to a bit of roughness, within limits of course. And if you picked up the optional porch extension there would be loads of space to sleep in.

I would say, though, that it might not be perfectly puppy friendly. There are gaps at the bottom of the vestibule and porch with enough room for an adventurous, less mature dog to squeeze out of.

Pros:

• Vestibule may be enough for a well behaved small or medium dog
• Optional porch addon definitely enough to keep dogs in
• The fabric is very robust so should be better than most tents against claws
• Porch comes with a groundsheet that can be put down for the dog.

Cons:

• There is a gap at the bottom of the porch, so beware if your dog likes to run away

Warranty

Crua tents come with a full two year warranty against defects. I’m confident that they will honour this given their sterling reputation for customer service and all of my conversations with them have been very positive. At the time of writing this review, they are rated 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot.

Design

Personally, I think the Crua Tri looks very cool. I like its greenish colour which helps make it feel very outdoorsy. But what makes it look so great is that the Tri materials just ooze quality. This is the sort of tent you see in the movies, rather than the aftermath of Glastonbury.

That being said, design is very subjective so this doesn’t feed into my ratings.

Availability of addons

Crua currently offers two optional add ons for the Tri – a double-sided reflective flysheet and a large porch extension.

The rainfly comes with a reflective side which can be turned outwards during summer and inwards during winter to help manage heat. It will also add an extra layer of waterproofing, although the main Tri tent already has a very high waterproofing rating. I like how Crua has kept the option for leaving a gap for the windows.

I’d recommend only considering the rainfly if you camp in a very warm country or plan on doing a lot of winter camping.

The porch is VERY large and I think most people could probably find a good use for it – it may well be worth the extra cost to you.

Families may like having a camping table setup inside to prepare sandwiches and snacks. Others may want a place to hang out in camping chairs if it starts raining. And the tent porch is also a great extra for anyone bringing their dogs.

Bear in mind though that the windows are not super see through. The windows are made of a waterproof plastic, so there isn’t as much visibility as a glass window.

Value for money

The purchase price of the Crua Tri tent at the time of this review was £1,900 in the UK and $1350 in the US.

Let’s be clear – that’s a lot of money for many of us. But, to be frank, this is not an unusual price point for a canvas tent and the amount of material included makes the price tag unsurprising.

What is surprising is that Crua have managed to make a tent that comes with all of the benefits of canvas such as longevity, quality, weatherproofing, but ALSO includes a whole bunch of cool features like vestibules, awnings, windows and so on. This mixture of quality and functionality is very rare.

This tent lives in that difficult spot of being a high upfront cost, but also providing a lot of value for money compared to other canvas tents on the market.

What I would say is that the Crua Tri is the sort of tent your grandparents would have bought, following the old adage of “buy cheap, buy twice”. If properly cared for, I have no doubt that most people’s Tri’s will last many years to come, possibly even becoming a hand me down to your children.

Pros:

• Reasonably priced for a blended canvas tent.
• Significantly more features and usability than canvas tents.

Cons:

• High upfront costs.
• Extra cost for the optional porch extension and flysheet.

Price comparison

Note: Crua have kindly reached out to offer Wilderness Redefined readers 5% off your order if you purchase through the Crua Outdoors website using the link below and the code AFUK5.

How would I use this tent?

It’s worth bearing in mind how bulky and heavy this tent is. I would be tempted to leave the inner tent at home for the parts of the year that aren’t very cold and the sun doesn’t rise very early in the morning.

This drives home the benefit of Crua making this tent modular. You have the option of only using the main outer tent if you want!

Review updates

• 26 July 2023: Review published.

Final thoughts on the Crua Tri tent

So what are my final thoughts from our Crua Tri review?

Overall, it’s a brilliant tent and I’m at risk of becoming a fanboy. I would say, however, that you should definitely consider if it’s the right sort of tent for you. If there’s a risk of you lugging it long distances, pick up a lighter tent instead.

But for all other situations, you can’t beat the Crua for comfort and pure ingenuity.

Happy camping!