I was idly browsing Apple News the other day and noticed that people started camping out on the streets of London to get a good spot in hopes of catching a glimpse of King Charles III's coronation on Saturday, 6 May. And while I would never do such a thing and wouldn't advise others to do it either, it made me think: what tent would I use to camp out for the king's coronation?
You might think the answer to that question is 'any tent', but you'd be wrong – tents come in many shapes and sizes. We have five tent guides on T3: best tents overall, best backpacking tents with lighter options, best inflatable tents with large tents that pack down into a small size, best pop-up tents that are super-easy to assemble and best festival tents for, well, festivals.
The perfect coronation tent
What would be the qualities of the perfect coronation tent (not a tent the king would have his coronation; that would need to be a huge tent)? First, it needs to be compact and light so that you can carry it around in your backpack or hand. Secondly, you would need the tent to be pitched and broken down easily – you might have to move position quickly.
Thirdly, considering you'll spend days on the busy streets of London, it wouldn't be a terrible idea for the tent to provide a little privacy (e.g. blackout function; so no bivvy tents). Finally, looking at the weather forecast, our imaginary coronation tent should also be weather-proof – you wouldn't want to sit around in a soggy tent for days.
With hundreds of different options available, finding a tent that ticks all the boxes might feel like an impossible task. However, we tested dozens of the best tents, and I looked at all the reviews we had, checked all the specs and spoke to all the experts, and I can safely say I found The One.
It's the five-star rated Quechua 2 Seconds Easy Fresh & Black Popup Tent. As the name suggests, it's incredibly easy to pitch and pack up, the design is functional and well thought-out (and includes that all-important blackout fabric), and it's extremely reasonably priced, too.
Better still, you aren't sacrificing comfort, either; the inside of the tent is very functional, with handy porches, a mesh vent and even a camping lantern hook. The whole thing weighs a mere 4.7kg (approx. 10 lbs) and packs down to a very compact size.
In the review linked above, Ruth explains how to put up and dismantle this tent, and if her words are anything to go by – they really are – you can pitch it in a matter of minutes. Plus, it's super cheap, so you wouldn't have to remortgage the house to buy one from Decathlon (retailer).
