What Size Camping Tent Do You Really Need?

Choosing a camping tent can be a daunting task.  What size tent do I need?  What material should it be?  What brand?

Choosing the right size tent for camping is probably one of the biggest dilemmas for campers.

So, what size tent do you really need?

Camping tents are classified as 1 man tent, 2 man tent, etc.

A 2 man tent

holds 2 people. 
lightweight
easy to setup
the 2 people will be shoulder to shoulder.
barely room to lay comfortably
no room for extra gear

A 4 man tent

lightweight
easy to setup
will hold 2 people comfortably
small space for extra gear

6 man tent

Sleeps 2-4 people comfortably
will store your clothes, and other gear
little more difficult to set up and take down
heavier

A general rule to follow when deciding which size camping tent you need is to add an extra camper.  So for a party of 3 campers, you should get a 4 man tent.

However that rule is for sleeping comfortably only, with little room to spare for other camping gear.

If you want to store a lot of gear in your tent, you should add 2 or 3 extra campers.  So for that same party of 3 campers, you should get a 6 man tent.

I have a family of 5, so I got a Coleman 8 man tent, like the one pictured above.

It has plenty of room for sleeping, and the 2 wings on the sides holds plenty of camping gear.

I hope these tips help you find the perfect camping tent!

Happy Camping!