Camping trips are always fun. They’re filled with adventure, bonfires, smores, beach events, and memorable family time. Though the thought of spending time outdoors may give you butterflies and make you feel excited, there are a few things that might ruin your camping trip.
A hot, claustrophobic tent!
We’ve tested several tents to see which one is the best tent with AC port. We’ve looked at the construction, the ventilation attributes, and the size of vents that can accommodate an AC unit.
The ability of a tent to stay cool matters just as much as how spacious the tent is. Sure, you have a tent that can fit in two queen airbeds and 8 people comfortably, but does it have proper ventilation? Can it fit in an AC to help cool things down, especially during steamy summer nights?
Thus, if you can’t stand the heat, it’s a good idea to buy a tent that comes with an AC Port, especially if you‘re camping in humid climates.
In this article, we will talk about the best 6 Camping Tents with an AC Port to make your camping trip comfortable and memorable (for the right reasons!). We will also cover what factors to take into consideration to ensure you buy the right tent for your needs.
Ready to discover which tents with AC port made the cut? Read on!
Best Tents With AC Port: Our Top Picks
- E-Z UP Camping Cube Tent
- Bushnell Shield Series Tent
- Wenzel Klondike Camping Tent
- QOMOTOP Camping tent
- Ozark Trail Tent
- Coleman Elite WeatherMaster Tent
- Core 9 Instant Cabin Tent
Quick Answers: Tents with AC Port
In this section, we take a closer look at tents we believe are the best camping tents with AC Port. All of these tents are guaranteed to tick most if not all of your requirements when it comes to cooling your tent down with an AC unit.
1. E-Z UP Camping Cube Tent
Capacity: 6 people | Dimensions: 111 x 111 inches | Height: 6.3 ft | Weight: 14 pounds
The E-Z Up is the best Camping Tent with an AC port for its great airflow and that can accommodate pretty much any AC unit through its large ground-level vent.
The E-Z UP Camping Cube comes with a big opening that is perfect to use as a door for your pet or to insert an AC unit.
This particular camping cube can house up to 6 people as well as your fur babies. The dimensions of the tent are 111 x 111 x 76 inches and offer around 541 cubic feet of living space.
We liked how airy the E-Z Camping Cube is. You have great ventilation and airflow throughout the whole tent. The large screened windows with the oversized screened door and the vented roof give you a nice airy space.
It has heavy-duty clip hooks and loop closures as well as a plus s-hook which helps you to easily build up the structure of the tent without any hassle. It also has heavy-duty polyester flaps and a zipper as well.
The tent blocks 90% of the UV radiation and has a protective floor. Furthermore, it has a power port on the side to run cord extensions to power up your devices.
The only downside we found was that the E-Z UP Camping Cube can’t be used on its own. You need to buy one of the E-Z up straight leg frame shelters to hold it up.
This was not a deal-breaker for us though because not only does the shelter does a good job at protecting the tent, but you can also use it on its own as a beach shelter or the kids’ sports games.
–> You can grab the E-Z UP Camping Cube on Amazon.
2. Bushnell Shield Series Instant Cabin Tent
Capacity: 6, 9 or 12 people options| Dimensions: 9′ x 11′ (6 person model) | Peak Height: 6 ft (6 person) | Weight: 27.4 pounds
The Bushnell Shield Series Instant Cabin Tent is a great tent whether you’re a first-time camper who wants an easy setup or if you’re an experienced camper who wants the luxury of space with lots of storage.
The Bushnell Shield Series Tent is Bushnell’s most innovative tent compared to its other instant cabin products and competitors. The simple setup is a huge selling point, but the interior space is pretty amazing too. The big plus for us was that it offers the possibility of adding an air conditioner unit through the ground vent.
The Bushnell Shield Series tent comes with poles pre-attached to the fabric. When you want to set the tent up, all you need to do is unfold the legs, extend them into position, and make sure they click into place. In all, the setup roughly takes about a minute to complete, hence the “instant” title.
The Bushnell also has several storage compartments which we found extremely handy. Rather than fumbling around through your pack, you can quickly find your items in the storage compartments. Pockets and pouches line the interior tent walls where you can store whatever you need.
The tent also comes with an e-cable port so you can plug in any necessary electronics such as lights or chargers.
While Bushnell is known for its affordable pricing, you can find cheaper alternatives with the CORE 6 Person Cabin Tent or the CORE 9 Instant Cabin Tent, although you will have to compromise space with both of these.
We think the Bushnell Shield Series Tent is a step up with the extra storage space, square footage, and durability. We used the 6 person tent but there are also 9 and 12 person options if you need more space. The tent comes with a cover, six heavy-duty tie-downs, and a good carry bag.
Overall, we really liked the Bushnell Shield Series Tent because it’s fast and easy to set up and offers plenty of space and storage. It’s a great tent option for those looking for a superior quality tent that you can use with an AC unit, and without breaking the bank.
If you want to know more about this tent, read our full review of the Bushnell Shield Series Tent.
3. Wenzel Klondike Camping Tent
Capacity: 8 people | Dimensions: 16′ x 11′ | Peak Height: 6.6 ft | Weight: 26.4 pounds
The Wenzel Tent with AC Port offers great value for money and is perfect for a large group of friends or family. You can fit 8 sleeping bags or 2 queen size air mattresses comfortably in this spacious tent.
The Wenzel Tent with AC Port that you can find here features a convertible screen room with an inverted ‘T’ style door. It has zippered windows with inside flaps and a door that separates the entry room which can also be zipped up if you want to use it as a second room.
This tent is great for families because it gives you a large sleeping area without making you feel like you’re on top of each other.
The Wenzel tent is well ventilated. It includes a seam-sealed fly which can easily be removed, as well as mesh roof vents, and 3 side windows with zips that have flaps on the inside.
This tent seems strong when you look at the shock-corded fiberglass roof frame with the steel uprights and corner elbows. Furthermore, it includes a ring with a pin to help set it up.
The Wenzel Klondike Tent is made from polyester with a polyurethane coating. The tent has double-stitched seams and all fabrics including the threads, webbing, and zippers have been treated to stop water from getting into the tent.
The only downside of this tent is that it doesn’t come with a cord access port like the Qomotop tent you can find below or the E-Z up Camping cube. You can still run the power cord through the zip opening.
Overall, we think this is a great tent for the price. I’m not sure how it would hold up in windy conditions because it is quite high but as for being waterproof, it did rain for a couple of hours overnight when we slept in it and the tent remained dry inside.
It’s a good size, it has big windows and great storage pockets inside, and it’s a great choice for car camping.
–> Find the Wenzel Klondike Tent on Amazon.
4. QOMOTOP Camping Tent
Capacity: 8 people | Dimensions: 13 x 9 ft | Height: 6.5 ft | Weight: 26.9 pounds
The QOMOTOP is one of our favorite camping tents with AC port because we found it to be the easiest and quickest to put up.
The QOMOTOP camping Tent comes in several sizes from 2 up to 10 people. It’s great for a big family or group of friends. The one we looked at can accommodate 8 people comfortably. It does come in other sizes as well for 4, 6, and 10 people.
The 8 person tent feels quite roomy with its 13 x 9 feet floor area. We were able to fit in 2 queen-size mattresses. This tent measures 6.5 high so it’s also high enough for taller people to stand comfortably inside.
The QOMOTOP tent comes with poles that are pre-attached which made the entire set-up process quite easy. The company claims that two people can install the tent in only 60 seconds and not too far from the truth. It took us 5 minutes to put ours up but mind you that we had two little kids running around wanting to “help” so that slowed us down a tiny bit.
The tent is waterproof with full seam taped from the floor up to the rain-fly. Moreover, the tent has a 600 mm PU coating which further helps the tent to stay dry inside.
One thing to consider is that this tent doesn’t have a large floor vent so it can’t accommodate a window AC unit. However, you can bring a portable AC inside the tent because there is a cord access port on the side.
Moreover, the floor vent and the mesh roof provide great ventilation to keep the fresh air inside the tent and extract the hot, carbon dioxide-rich air out of the tent. You can also plug in a camping fan through the power port.
The package includes everything you need to set it up in three stuff bags. It comes with a rain-fly, a room divider, one cord access, a welcome mat, six double-layer windows with zippers, and finally two doors in the front.
Overall, we really liked this tent even if you can’t use the AC through the vent. You can still cool the tent down with a small portable AC or a fan using the included power port.
–> Grab the QOMOTOP tent here.
5. Ozark Trail Tent with AC Port
Capacity: 12 people | Dimensions: 54 x 14 ft| Height: 6.8 ft | Weight: 26.9 pounds
This tent is the roomiest camping tent, it has 3 separate rooms and is big enough for 12 people to sleep comfortably.
The Ozark Trail Tent is massive! It can easily fit in 3 queen airbeds without feeling cramped at all. It can accommodate up to 12 people!
We found this tent to be fairly easy to set up for its size. It took us about 15 minutes. The Ozark Trail tent requires no assembly since the poles come pre-attached. All you have to do is unfold the tent and extend it!
The tent features a front awning and two internal room dividers so that you can relax in this tent without compromising privacy. This is a big plus when you camp with kids. More space = less fighting!
The tent features an oversized ground vent that can easily fit in an air conditioner to provide you with cool breezy air! The tent also has 7 fully closable windows.
–> You can grab Ozark Trail Tent on Amazon.
6. Core 9 Instant Cabin Tent With AC Port
Capacity: 9 people | Dimensions: 14 x 9 ft| Height: 6.5 ft | Weight: 27.6 pounds
The Core 9 Instant Cabin Tent has some of the best features with its large T-Door, room divider, and an electrical cord access port.
The Core 9 Instant Cabin Tent with Cord Access Port is super quick to set up. The company claims it takes only a mere 60 seconds to set up. To be honest, it took us about 5 minutes to set up but we think that’s still pretty good for a tent that size.
Its spacious 14 x 9′ floor is large enough to make the space comfortable for 9 people! Furthermore, it can fit two queen air mattresses.
The tent features CORE H2O Block technology. This helps to keep the water out of your tent. The seams are heat-sealed from top to bottom so that even in a heavy downpour, you and your belongings remain completely dry in the tent!
The tent also has ground vents that allow the cool and refreshing air to enter into the tent through its adjustable air intake vents. If the vents are not enough, you can always remove the rain fly and fall asleep looking at the stars through its oversized mesh ceiling panels.
The tent has a small electrical cord access port that you can use for AC as well as for extension cords. When not in use, the port can easily be closed.
–> Get the CORE 9 Instant Cabin Tent here.
7. Coleman Elite WeatherMaster Tent
Capacity: 6 people | Dimensions: 11 x 9 ft| Height: 6.8 ft | Weight: 35.8 pounds
The Coleman Elite WeatherMaster Camping Tent is built strong. It’s a great family tent that’s easy to set up and long lasting. We’ve used it at least ten times last summer and we loved it.
The Coleman WeatherMaster is made from Polyester Taffeta 75D and can accommodate up to 6 people. It’s 6 feet 8 inches tall so it’s high enough for taller people to stand up inside. The tent has room to fit 2 queen airbeds with plenty of room left for other gear.
We really like that this tent has an integrated LED system that offers three different brightness settings as an overhead interior light.
It also has a 9 x 6 feet screen room that gives you a nice separate area to relax and enjoy the day or evening without getting bitten by a thousand mosquitoes. The screen room can also be used as a sleeping area on warmer nights.
The Coleman WeatherMaster comes with a rainfly and good-sized windows which help keep the tent dry and well-ventilated even during storms. This tent feels sturdy and durable with a strong frame which does a good job at keeping the tent stable on windy days.
Even though this tent doesn’t have an AC port like the other tents with AC port we’ve looked at, it does come with an E-Port. We use the door in the netted section to hook up the ac to use it inside the tent.
Overall, we found the Coleman WeatherMaster tent comfortable with plenty of room for us and the kiddos. Between the mesh doors to the screen room, the mesh ceiling, and all of the windows the tent has plenty of ventilation which was perfect for our family.
Also See: Our tent guides to find a tent that is most suitable for the type of camping you want to do.
Best Tent with AC Port – Our Buying Guide
In this section, we talk about all the different factors that can help you identify the best camping tent with an AC port.
Things To Consider in a Tents With AC Port
The Material
One of the most important aspects to consider in Camping tents with AC port options should be the material it’s made of. This is important since the material will determine how well an AC unit can work in the tent.
Polyester, Polyurethane, and Nylon are the most common materials tents are made of. The reason is that these fabrics are water-resistant, are easy to maintain, and are affordable. Thus, we recommend buying a tent that’s made from either of these three materials.
After inspecting the fabric, check its Denier count. That’s a standard measure used to determine the thickness and weight of the threads of fabric. This will ensure that you have a seamless tent that won’t let any water in or too much air and will withstand harsh weather conditions.
The location of the Air Conditioner Port
This might seem like a small detail but it is very important. The power port should always be positioned either on the bottom or side of your tent.
The AC port should not be in a position where it breathes out cold air right on your face. Cold air and your head are not a great combination.
We don’t want to sound too serious here but if we dive into the medical facts, cold air causes our teeth to chatter and our body to shiver. This is due to the stimulation of the nerves in our face or our head due to the cold air.
When the cold air is blowing directly on your head, it makes your blood vessels contract to prevent the escape of heat from your body. This in turn might give you a bit of a headache. You know that brain freeze you get when you eat your ice cream too fast? Well, it feels similar but definitely not as tasty so not worth the pain at all!
Thus, double-check where the AC Port is located. Will all the people sleeping in the tent have a decent supply of cold air without anyone lying directly in front of the AC?
Aim to position your mattress so that the air blows on your feet instead.
The Size of the AC Unit
If you’ve already brought a tent and you’re looking for an AC, consider the dimensions of the port and the tent. Then, look for an AC that fits perfectly into that port.
An AC of 5000 BTU of power will work well in a standard-sized camping tent. However, as the size of the tent increases, the power you need to cool the tent also increases.
Hence, we recommend you also take into consideration the BTU of the AC and invest in a tent that can be cooled down easily with your AC unit. Usually, a 9 x 7 feet tent will require an AC unit of at least 5000 BTU to cool it down efficiently.
See our guide below to determine which size AC unit you will need for your tent.
| Tent Capacity | Floor Area | BTU Needed |
|---|---|---|
| 4-6 person | 60-100 ft² | 5000 BTU |
| 8-10 person | 130-160 ft² | 8000 BTU |
| 12-14 person | 180-225 ft² | 10000 BTU |
Installation Process
Last but not the least, take note of the installation process. Is it easy to install? How much time does it require to set up? Can you install it on your own or will you need someone to help you? Is there an instructions manual that can help you with the process?
If you get satisfactory answers to each one of these questions, then go ahead and buy the camping tent with AC port you have your eyes on!
As for the tents with AC port we’ve included in our top picks, those tents take a maximum of 5 minutes to set up and require no more than one or two people. The whole process of setting up the tent and installing the AC is pretty straight forward so it doesn’t take long before you can sit down and “chill’.
Also read: Best Tent Air Conditioner
Best Tent With AC Port: Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Is it safe to use an air conditioner in a tent?
Yes, it is safe to use an air conditioner in a tent. When you’re camping, you do need an air source, with a decent number of windows. In addition to the tent ventilation system to keep your tent cool and fresh on warmer days, an AC unit can make your tent a lot more comfortable.
Just take all the necessary precautions while using an AC in a tent to make sure you do not come face to face with an electrical hazard.
You should place the AC as far away from you as you can. This will reduce the risk of the AC unit coming in contact with pillows or sleeping bags that could cover the opening of the unit and could potentially create a short circuit.
Q2. What size AC should I get for my tent?
The size of the AC is directly proportional to the size of your tent. Many experts recommend that you buy a unit that has at least 5000 BTU (British thermal unit; a unit of heat).
However, as the size of the tent increases, an AC with more BTU is required. Thus, make sure you measure the area of your tent before investing in an AC.
Q3. How can I insulate my tent to help the AC?
There are several ways you can insulate your tent to help the AC work to its full capacity. A few general ways to help cool your tent down during warm summer nights are as follows.
While looking for a campsite, try to locate a place that has a lot of trees around. The trees will provide you some shading from direct sunlight which will help keep the tent cool as well as help the AC in cooling down your tent.
A reflective Sunshade always comes in handy when you’re camping. The main function of these shades is to reflect the sunlight so that it doesn’t penetrate into your tent.
Put up a tarp over the tent or cover it with a flysheet to stop the sun from getting in. Keep all doors, windows and openings closed.
If your tent is old and has a few holes and leaks across the seams, you can use duct tape to efficiently seal the holes. So, when you turn on the AC, the air remains inside the tent and does not seep through the holes.
Buying a tent that has proper ventilation will also help your AC unit cool down the tent faster once you start it. You can unzip your tent and open all windows during the day while the AC is turned off so that the hot air can escape.
Q4. Will air conditioning affect humidity inside the tent?
Air conditioning systems usually work to remove moisture from the air. They pass over melted ice and blow cool air into your tent.
However, when the humidity levels rise, most systems are unable to cope. Thus, in humid climates, your AC system might cancel out the cooling effect which will cause more humidity to build inside your tent.
In a nutshell, whether your Ac will increase or decrease the humidity inside a tent depends upon the weather where you’re camping at. If the climate is humid, the AC might not be able to remove all the humidity from inside the tent. Although, if the weather is dry, the AC will keep things fresh and cool inside your tent.
With all that said, there are plenty of other ways to keep your tent humid-free even when during a humid climate! All you have to do is open the windows and let the cool air in. That will help to decrease the humidity levels inside the tent and maintain proper ventilation.
Final Thoughts on Tents With Air Conditioner Ports
If we look at the above products the E-Z Up Camping Cube Tent with AC Port is our favorite and deserves first place. It’s loaded with all the essential features to ensure you have a comfortable camping experience. It’s airy, it offers plenty of headroom, and is versatile too.
Our runner up; the QOMOTOP Camping Tent with AC Port is a perfect tent to buy if you’re going camping with a large group of people. It can accommodate up to 10 people. Furthermore, it has polyester and polyurethane fabric which makes it resistant to wet weather conditions and dust.
At the end of the day, your personal preference and requirements can dictate which tent with an AC port is ideal for you. Keeping in mind the factors that we’ve discussed, we’re certain that you’ll be able to find your perfect tent. Happy Camping!
You Might Also Like:
