Best Grow Tents of 2020
Before we look into the best grow tents of 2020, we should look at WHY you might want to buy one in the first place and the pros and cons of having one. So a grow tent is basically a tent that has reflective mylar on the inside and is ideally light tight on the outside. They are put together with very simple pieces of PVC and or metal poles with connection joints. They are easy to assemble and you don’t even really need any tools or anything like that.
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Pros:
- They are very portable. You can take them with you in a car and set them up anywhere.
- They don’t make any damage to the house. So if you don’t want to put any screws or holes in the walla, they’re perfect for that. If you have nice finishes in your house, are in a rental or you’re trying not to put any kind of permanent structure up and you want to grow your own food or grow cash crops in the winter or in darker areas of your home for year-round growth they are a great option.
- Some of them come with windows, some of them can be extended upward of as tall as 10 feet, which is pretty nice for higher ceiling spaces. so there’s a lot of options to choose from. and in general, they seem to really just fit a niche for some.
They come in every shape and size as well. We got a couple in here just to show you how small they boxed out and how portable they are. There is one is two by four and you can see how little room it takes up. This is a 90 by 90, so a little smaller. so keep that in mind that they are extremely portable. I would recommend a grow lab or grow tent for anybody that wants to do some experimental breeding or if you need a germination tent, a clone tent. and they also come in larger sizes for use in flowering as well.
They come in every shape and size as well. We got a couple in here just to show you how small they boxed out and how portable they are. There is one is two by four and you can see how little room it takes up. This is a 90 by 90, so a little smaller. so keep that in mind that they are extremely portable. I would recommend a grow lab or grow tent for anybody that wants to do some experimental breeding or if you need a germination tent, a clone tent. and they also come in larger sizes for use in flowering as well.- In general, they all come with ports so that you can run your ventilation easily. They come with power ports that you can run your power in and out without any issue. this makes it really simple to hook up and hang heavy air-cooled lights or carbon filters for air filtration or even exterior reservoirs.
- They’re all rated to handle quite a bit of weight. So, if you have some of those bigger Magnum reflectors, the better models especially can easily handle those as well as some pretty decent sized carbon filters can be mounted from their supports. They give you extra bars which give you the versatility so that you can move your lights wherever you need to.
- If you are just starting out and you’re looking for just to get your feet wet, they are a great option.
Cons:
- They’re restrictive in size. If you have a weird shape like an L or just a weird corner of a basement that you’re trying to utilize, they don’t make them in odd shapes. They’re all just rectangles or squares so that gives you a bit of leeway but size and shape are pretty much restricted to that.
- Tents are comparatively expensive. You could save money by renovating a room. So, once you’ve bought one, you are pretty much stuck with it. If it ends up you don’t want to continue growing or your grow becomes larger, the tent stays the same size. One could hopefully, repurpose it for different stages of plants in your grow. Hopefully, you won’t be stuck with a tent that you won’t be able to use.
- Some of the smaller, portable units don’t really have great ports for ventilation and air conditioning so you might need to modify them which means cutting into them.
- If your grow gets too large, you are stuck with the capacity of the tent. If suddenly you need to put a dehumidifier in one that is already full, it can become a problem. It’s better to buy one that you think may be too large, if you have the floor space, than one that might end up being too small.
- Light tightness is only something to keep in mind with cheaper models that don’t cover their zippers up very well with flaps so you can get some light leakage. You won’t get that with the more expensive models. Some of them come with windows, some of them can be extended upward of as tall as 10 feet, which is pretty nice for higher ceiling spaces. so there’s a lot of options to choose from. and in general, they seem to really just fit a niche for somebody if you’re, you know, needing something portable, if not recommended pipe building a room
Grow tents come in all kinds of sizes and uses. Some have racks and are used strictly for drying and some shelves for cloning or germination. Next, we’ll be looking at the best grow tents on the market today.
5 Best Grow Tents of 2020
1. Gorilla Grow Tent (Most Advanced & Best Overall)
When you’re thinking of a premium grow tent…
The Gorilla grow tent is the only one that can truly call itself that.
The strength and sturdiness of this tent are unparalleled:
- It can handle the heaviest of equipment with its super-strong frame
- Only the Hulk can rip the canvas
- Only Hercules can destroy the zippers
- A Gorilla grow tent will last you at least several years, even with heavy usage
If you REALLY want to put all the odds in your favor while growing your plants…
And reliably get the highest yield possible…
You’ll be happy to know with the Gorilla grow tent; it’s virtually impossible for your plants to catch hermies or have disrupted flowering times through light leakage.
It’s the most light-tight grow tent, even more lightproof than the Secret Jardin Darkroom Pro.
Here’s why:
It has flaps which you can pull over the zipper, and the canvas is so durable you’ll be hard-pressed to find any pinholes…even after months of heavy use.
Then there are the usual Gorilla conveniences:
Proper ventilation is crucial if you want to prevent your tent from getting too hot and put stress on your plants, and with the Gorilla tents, adequate ventilation is a given.
It has the most intelligently designed vents I’ve ever seen, facilitating any setup.
If you want to maximize your yield with higher plants, the Gorilla grow tent is the tallest tent on the market.
You can easily track the progress of your project with the easy-view-windows.
Your plants will grow faster and stronger because of the diamond reflective walls.
Lastly, the Gorilla grow tent has a very cool extra that other tents don’t have:
Even though this tent has the best vent ports in the industry…
If you have potent lights, it’s easy for your tent to reach a much higher temperature than optimal…especially if you live in a warmer climate.
And a too high temperature in your tent will severely slow down the growth of your plants.
This is precisely where the infrared lined roof comes in…it’s great at dispersing the heat and keeping your tent cool.
A bonus is it makes you invisible to heat detectors from above…should you need it.
- Click to see the most recent price – (HERE)
It is the most expensive grow tent on our list.
But if you want the TOP DOG in grow tents…get this beast of a tent.
Now:
There’s no single grow tent which 100% blocks all light straight out of the box.
But if you’re looking for a grow tent which scores higher on light tightness, check out the next grow tent.
2. Secret Jardin DarkRoom II Pro (Most Light-Tight Tent)
Premium, but still affordable…
Secret Jardin grow tents are 1 step up compared to the ‘budget’ tents like Apollo and Vivosun.
The build quality is slightly lower than the Gorilla Grow Tent Lite Line though.
The most significant advantage over the other grow tents, however…
Is that chances of you getting a zipper that is light-tight, is much higher.
The inside of a Secret Jardin grow tent will be pitch black, straight out of the box.
No ironing or gluing required.
Now:
Pitch black doesn’t mean 100% light-tight.
But the light leaks with an average Secret Jardin grow tent are negligible.
And although its build quality is not Gorilla-like, it’s still above average.
It has a very sturdy construction with an aluminum frame and a durable zipper.
These tents will last you at least a few years, even with heavy use.
The only con I see is that they’re more expensive and less easy to set up than the Apollo and Vivosun grow tents…
But you do get higher quality in return.
- Click to see the most recent price – (HERE)
If you’re looking for higher build-quality and are prepared to spend a little more, check out the:
3. Gorilla Grow Tent Lite Line (Most Reliable & Sturdy Mid-Tier Tent)
Gorilla is known to produce TOP quality grow tents at a premium price.
What most people don’t know, however, is that they have ‘Lite Line,’ which is just of a slightly lower quality than the regular line…
…but for half the price.
Gorilla grow tents are built to last.
And while the Lite Line is a bit less durable overall, it’s still more durable than the average grow tent.
It has a steel frame (including steel corners) and a sturdy, heavy-duty zipper which is one of the strongest in the market.
Only its canvas is a bit less dense and less durable than the regular line.
It also has the same cool extras and conveniences that you would expect from a Gorilla Grow Tent:
- Grow taller plants and increase your yield with the height extension kit (making it the tallest tent on the market).
- Easily keep an eye on your project with the easy-view-windows.
- Diamond reflective walls that help your plants grow faster and stronger.
If you’re looking for one of the most sturdy and reliable, grow tents, while keeping it relatively cheap…
You should check this tent out.
- Click to see the most recent price – (HERE)
There’s one potential issue with the Gorilla Lite Line:
There seems to be variance in the light tightness between different units.
If you do online research, you’ll see a few reviews saying light leaks through the zipper.
If you’re looking for another excellent beginner tent that’s slightly lower quality, but still has to prove its long-term reliability…
You might want to check out the:
4. Vivosun Grow Tent (Budget-Tent with Best Warranty)
While Vivosun is a relatively new player in the grow tent market…
They quickly established themselves as another ‘value for money’ grow tent brand.
Build quality-wise this tent is a little bit better than the Apollo grow tent.
But since Apollo Horticulture has a slightly better reputation and a longer track record…it’s rated somewhat better.
Here’s the deal though:
This grow tent is quite a bit cheaper than the premium brands like Secret Jardin and Gorilla, while offering close to the same quality and conveniences:
- A heavy-duty zipper that won’t break easily;
- Reliability and durability with its sturdy metal frame, metal corners, and thick canvas
- An easy way to check up on your plants through the easy-view-window
The best part?
They offer a 2-year warranty, which is a lot for a budget grow tent.
Shows you the trust they have in their craftsmanship.
This tent is also one of the easier grow tents to set up and tailor to your specific needs because of its many vents and ports.
If you’re a beginner, AND looking for an alternative to the Apollo…
This tent is the grow tent I recommend.
- Click to see the most recent price – (HERE)
Finally, a good name in budget tents with a lot to offer:
5. Apollo Horticulture Grow Tent (Best-Budget Tent Overall)
If you’re looking for the perfect balance between quality and price, the Apollo Horticulture Grow Tents take the number 1 spot.
If you’re a beginner these grow tents are PERFECT:
- They’re cheap, and;
- VERY easy to set up.
Now:
Don’t expect a 100% perfect tent.
There might be a tiny bit of light leakage through the zipper.
But this is easy to fix by ironing the zipper covers on the inside.
For a ‘budget’ tent, this tent is of a surprisingly high quality…
Apollo grow tents have a robust heavy-duty zipper and a metal frame with metal corners. This means they will last you at least a few years with diligent use and can handle heavy equipment like an LED grow light.
There are also plenty of options for running ventilation, which makes these grow tents super easy to tailor to your specific setup.
For beginners and anyone looking for one of the top value for money grow tents…
The Apollo Horticulture Grow Tent is the grow tent I recommend.
- Click to see the most recent price – (HERE)
Conclusion: Best Grow Tents of 2020
Grow tents come in a multitude of shapes, sizes, and quality. It’s up to you to choose the one that is right for you. If, however, you want one for quality build and long term, hard use, you really can’t go wrong with the Gorilla Grow Tent. Gorilla has been the leader in grow tents for quite some time although the others are catching up. I hope you like this review and follow it. Check out some of my other articles and you may want to follow me up on the upper right-hand side.
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Thanks for such a great post. I actually had no idea these existed. This is perfect for late winter seed planting so i’m read to plant my seedlings at the first sign of spring. It would also keep that portion of my basement clean and tidy. I think this is a brilliant solution. Thanks again for introducing me to this tent!
Jamie L.
You’re very welcome! If you’re anything like me, you NEVER have the space this time of year for all of your germinating seedlings!
Hi, Just finished reading great post. Tried out growing years ago (wont say what) anyway didn’t exactly go to plan very well but what a useful post. I expect in the current climate that a lot of people will be thinking about growing their own food so maybe set up a few ads for this post I reckon there will be a growing demand for products like this so well done for getting altogether.
Well, these tents were originally designed to grow what you used to grow so maybe you’ll have better success with it with one of these? LOL Of course, they are also super-useful for growing food year-round and especially for those with limited space.
Thank you very much for posting such an amazing article and I would like to say that tent is very important to me because of I really love to go to the tracking and tracking is my hubby. so, I need a tent when I see your article that time, I read your post properly and got some beautiful tent. Most of the tent are amazing but among them most important to me “Gorilla Grow Tent light line” which is most “reliable and sturdy Mid-tier” and for that reason this tent is really important to me. And I would like to say that this tent is easy to carry when I go to the tracking for that reason, I bought this tent.
I just want to say that thank you again because of because of your article and obviously I will share your article with all my friends and Buddy’s so that they can gain some knowledge about tent and if they want, they can buy from it
I’m not sure what you mean by tracking but these tents are for growing plants indoors. You can’t go wrong with Gorilla tents and that is a really good one. I hope you enjoy it!
Great article. Thank you for such in-depth information on the five types of grow tents. They are really great especially since they are portable. In today’s world, where space is becoming extremely limited, this concept of portable grow tents would be of great value to a lot of people. Also, the fact that they are easy to assemble would make it a viable option for many. I might try one of them and check.
Oh, I hope you do try one and enjoy it! They really are versatile and come in many sizes!
I have never heard about indoor grow systems before, so I have a few questions. If you have a garden, isn’t it better to just grow your food outside or do the indoor systems have an advantage for growing other crops that can’t be grown outside ? What kind off crops can you grow in these tents ? How about (sun)light , is there enough off it for things to grow inside or do you need to install specific lights ? Sorry if I ask stupid questions, this is all new to me 😉
Interesting !
Hiya Lizzie – to answer all of your questions, you should peruse my website. An outside garden is great for those living in southern climes that can grow year-round. I, however, live in Canada and I cannot. I can maybe grow for 1/3 to 1/2 of the year. In this case, being able to grow inside is the best and most economical way to have the healthiest and freshest food all year round. A lot of people in urban centres cannot have their own gardens so a set up lit this would be perfect.
You can grow anything in these tents as you can outdoors. Of course, you have to provide lighting as these tents are pitch black inside and there are plenty of lighting suggestions and reviews on my website. The CMH mimic the sun the best of all of the other lights.
I hope that this helped!
Interesting post. I had no idea about these tents. If you are passionate about gardening they seem like an excellent alternative to outdoor gardening. My question is: in warmer areas, can these tents be used outdoors, something like greenhouses? I live in a temperate area and I would like to prepare the plants in colder weather. Then I want to plant them in the garden.
Hiya Carmen,
They aren’t designed to be rained on and I would be rather worried about the sun warming the black exterior and creating even more excess heat inside of it. It really is for indoor use – so that you can grow full fruiting plants all year round in it.
Hi there Darlene. Whoever came up with the grow tent idea is a certified genius. Imagine being able to have your own little garden and grow your own stuff even if you live on the 40th floor of a high rise apartment complex. I love it, and frankly i didn’t even know before reading this article that these things existed.
Thanks to your best grow tents of 2020 review i’ve been able to look through all you listed and i think the Gorilla Grow Tent Lite would be the best fit for the available space i have in the spare room at home. I think i’m gonna get that one so i can get a little gardening going on. I’ve been wanting to try my hands at growing stuff for some time now but didn’t want my nosey neighbors to see until i had a bit of expertise.
You really can’t go wrong with ANY of the Gorilla products. I hope you have a great time growing!
I had no idea that special tents for growing stuff at home was available. You provided a wide range of sizes. I imagine you pick the one that will accommodate the type of plant you wish to grow indoors.
You didn’t mention the type of lamps needed to facilitate growing. Does the light need to be turned off for certain time periods to simulate the outdoors?
When I think of grow tents the plants that come to mind are cannabis plants. Would you say that since legalization these are the most common types of plants that people buy grow tents for today?
Have you used grow tents yourself? What kinds of plants did you grow in them? And how did they turn out/
Thanks for bringing up this field of indoor gardening.
Edwin
Hiya Edwin,
Thank you for all of your insightful questions!
You can check out all of the lighting solutions on my web site and any and all of them would be fine in a grow tent. Your main concern is heat build-up, however. Some lights come with fans that you can hook to ducts that will blow the hot air right out of the tent. If you don’t have an all-in-one light like that, then you need to make other provisions to get the hot air out and/or instal air conditioning.
Frankly, even before legalization, grow tents were made SPECIFICALLY for cannabis plants because a plane or helicopter flying over your house cannot get a heat signature from one – they have great insulation and the mylar bounces the heat right back in which is why heat is also such a concern.
I have never been able to afford a grow tent because for me it would be a Gorilla or nothing! I know of plenty of people who have used them and have had great results.
Don’t forget, though, that all KINDS of large plants can be grown in them and with our harsh winter, tomatoes and other plants are often grown in these.
Take care!
This is the information I am looking for, growing indoor plants in my basement. I have been searching for different methods to grow indoor plants. These indoor grow systems are perfect for me.
My house has a large basement and they should fit in nicely. Thank you for sharing this information, I will look through them and get one for my basement.
I like your website and will return to learn more from you :).
Oh, I so WISH that I had a basement with all of that space! I know you will have a wonderful time with it!
I saw this tent yesterday on wish and I have to see if it is worth a try. I have to tell you it is genius and it is very affordable, in my opinion. I love the fact that they are portable so I can move it around the house if I need to utilize the space. I think I might go with the Vivosun Grow Tent, I love the 2 year warranty. I love the construction and the practicality of it as well. Thanks for your review 🙂
Vivosun is also a premier name in grow tent manufacturers and I’m sure you will be really happy with it!
I found this a very helpful article. I do not have any experience with Grow Tents and appreciate the information you have provided. The reviews are great giving us lots of options depending on quality, price, warranty, and best bang for your buck!
Your information on the space you need and size of tent to choose was also great, I would definitely want to start small but will buy one slightly larger than originally thought to ensure I don’t “grow out of it”.
Thanks for the advice
Vicki
Thank you for your comments, Vicki! Yes it’s always best to give even yourself a little extra space to move around in there!
Hey Darlene! Recently I’ve been planning to grow some Lily Flowers in a tent since I have quite some in mind, and I was wandering which of the tents would fit best to my project. I don’t want the light to be heavy but I am not sure if I can make it with a very light one, either. Your article was very helpful to me and I decided I want to go with your 3rd suggestion, the Gorilla Grow Tent Lite Line.
Does Gorilla Grow Tent Lite Line work well for the flowers or is it too heavy for them?
-Heku
The metal supports that hold the tent up will keep it completely off of any plants inside. Unlike our childhood “pup tents” there is no sag anywhere to interfere with your grow. They are quite rigid and I think would do very nicely in keeping lilies at their proper temperature and humidity. Many happy lilies to you!
Grow tents seems to be the best possible alternative to grow something. Never had a chance to use one, but the information in your article has prompted me to take notice.
The size does seem to be a little tricky in terms of choosing the one. Need proper planning and perfect structure to maintain it in-house.
Are these tents vulnerable to changing weather? Do we need to take any additional steps in rising temperatures or monsoons?
As these are indoor tents, I can’t see that the weather would affect them at all.
This is the first time I have come across the concept of a Grow Tent and it is very innovative! It can be used in all weather and even without much sunlight for guaranteed growing of plants and small trees. I especially like the Gorilla Grow Tent due to the height extension and the easy-view windows. I will probably start with the Apollo or the Vivosun one due to the lower prices and then try them out for myself. Once I’m comfortable with using grow tents, then I will be more ready to spend extra for the larger grow tents like the Gorilla one.
I think that’s a great idea. There’s no point getting the more expensive one until you know that it’s something you’ll want to stick with. I hope you enjoy!
Hello Darlene – This is an interesting post. I had no knowledge of grow tents until now. It is a great idea for growers who want to create the ideal growing conditions for their projects. Sort of like a growing laboratory. I have a few houseplants but now maybe I’ll consider vegetables! Thanks for this opportunity!
Hi Nathaniel, I do hope that someday you start growing your own vegetables. Nothing tastes the same as freshly harvested produce!
The first i want to do is try to share this great article with some of my friends. The website is really nice. and i have learnt something tangible from this well detailed article on some of the best grow tents. the vivosun grow tent is the only tent that i am familiar with here. it is really low budget. thank you very much.
Thank you so very much! Well, the Vivosun may be budget but they are still very well made so I wouldn’t hesitate with one of those!