Did you know that tents are not just for sleeping and camping? Portable gazebos, canopies and camping tents are intended to be a shelter for humans to protect them from inclement weather and privacy. These different kinds of tents and their uses are great living spaces for RVs, overlanding, truck camping and even van life! But, there are several other ways to use a tent whether it’s for camping, on the beach or  even at home in your backyard, on your patio or near the pool.

This post contains affiliate links to help run this site at no extra cost to you so we can keep providing FREE Outdoor Recreation, Camping, RVing, Boating and Travel information, advice and tips. Full disclosure here.

Different Ways to Use a Tent Other Than for Sleeping

Outdoor Bathroom

If you’re camping off grid or boondocking in your RV with no bathroom, a portable popup tent is perfect for keeping your portable camp toilet. The popup tent is actually tall enough for the average person to stand up inside without having to bend.

This portable outhouse is also great to use when camping off grid, boondocking with your RV, at the beach, off roading, outdoor events and even construction sites where a porta-potti may be difficult to deliver.

This type of portable toilet tent is also great to use at home near your pool to avoid people walking into your house soaking wet.

Outdoor Shower or Changing Room

You can use a large standup tent as an outdoor shower or changing room that offers all the privacy you need. As well, there’s enough room to do what you need to do without sacrificing space.

This popup tent is a perfect way to use a tent while camping, at a dirty job site or even at your pool or hot tub.

And, if it’s windy, no problem! It comes with tent ropes and stakes to secure it to the ground.

Multi-Purpose Outdoor Room

To expand your camping experience, a Clam Quick-Set tent is perfect for not only eating but also to set up your outdoor kitchen. This tent type will shield you and your camp kitchen supplies from the sun and the elements with detachable walls to cover the screens.

But also, these types of multi-purpose tents are also the perfect outdoor shelter for gathering around your propane fire pit. Just make sure you provide proper ventilation to prevent carbon monoxide buildup inside your clam tent.

Or, you and your camping buddies can create your own outdoor movie theater inside the tent.These types of spacious outdoor tents are great to set up a yoga studio, office, or even small game room.

You can even use this type of camping tent to store your bicycles, scooters and motorcycle under cover and out of sight from thieves. That said, we still recommend locking your valuables securely inside your tent.

✰ READ MORE ✰ Check out our Best Screen Tents for Camping – Create an Outdoor Room!

Kids Outdoor Play Room

When you’re camping with kids, they’ll need a place to go play with their toys and read or tell stories. A kids tent is perfect for your little campers to get out of the hot sun or rain to chat with their friends.

In fact, we bought an inexpensive kid’s outdoor tent for our grandson for him to play in and to keep our campsite tidy. It’s big enough inside for him and a playmate to play or sleep. And, it helps keep him from running in and out of the camper or cabin multiple times.

At night or when we leave our campsite, we just put everything inside the tent and zip it shut to keep the trash bandits honest.

Oh, and when we’re not camping, he still can enjoy setting up his tent in his backyard to keep him in practice!

✰ READ MORE ✰ Grandparents Guide to RVing with Grandkids

Kids Sandbox Cabana

Kids of all ages love to play in sandboxes. However, usually the sandbox is exposed to the hot sun, rain, wind and the neighborhood cat.

But, an outdoor sandbox cabana remedies those situations. It has roll-up mesh screen windows with covers, a plastic moisture-proof floor liner, and screen door that zips closed to protect the sandbox from those darn cats from using it as their litter box or other unwelcome visitors.

While this isn’t a permanent sandbox tent, if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, you can just buy an inexpensive waterproof tent and insert a small plastic kiddie swimming pool from Wal-mart and fill it with sand. You can get playground sand at Lowe’s or The Home Depot.

But, make sure you get the proper dimensions of the pool so it fits correctly inside the tent. Then, when your kids are finished playing, just zip it up.

Personally, I’d also throw a waterproof tarp over it to be extra sure it doesn’t get wet inside.

✰ READ MORE ✰  How to Keep Rattlesnakes Away From Your Campsite or Tent

Pet Tent

When you take your dog camping, he’s going to want his own pet tent to stay out of the hot sun and rain. It’s big enough to allow a large size dog his own little napping den or to get away from the excitement or from getting stepped on.

Protect Your Generator

If you use a portable generator when you camp or boondock, it’s exposed to the outside weather elements. But also, it can be subject to theft if it’s not hidden or under concealment.

The great thing is a generator tent allows your inverter/generator to run safely outdoors without worry of it disappearing or getting ruined from rain, sleet and snow.

The generator tent uses velcro to stay closed. And the ground pegs and tent ropes help to keep the canopy from getting blown away by strong winds.

✰ READ MORE ✰ Top Portable Generators for RVs or Camping

Camping Supplies Storage

When go camping, you need a dry place to store your outdoor camping supplies to keep your campsite picked up and tidy. If your sleeping tent isn’t big enough, this can present a problem.

Using an camping gear storage tent is great way to hide your expensive camping gear from potential thieves and protect your supplies from the outdoor elements.

You can store your outdoor camping essentials like your hiking gear and backpacks, expensive cooler, Blackstone griddle or grill, propane firepit, and camp box.

Keep Your Firewood Dry

That’s right! You can use a small easy access tent to protect your firewood from getting wet due to snow, sleet, rain or heavy dew by storing your fire starters, kindling and firewood inside.

Summarizing different ways to use a tent other than for sleeping

As you see, there’s so many different ways to use a tent other than for sleeping. Tents can protect your camping gear, for gathering the troops and even shielding your pets from the hot sun and weather while still being outside. These clever tent uses are perfect for not only camping but for home, pool and patio use as well.

✰ OUTSIDER TIP ✰ Millions of Campers and RVers use the vast resources available in RV LIFE TRIP WIZARD for planning, navigating and campground reviews for their camping and RV trips. Check out why they are the most trusted source for camping and trip planning tools on the market today!

Sign up for their FREE TRIAL to learn and experience more!

AMAZON DISCLOSURE:                                                                                                            This website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.