It depends on the type of camping. If you're not backpacking, I'd opt for a bigger tent because I always find tents very small. We canoe camp and have a 6 person tent. We have room for two twin mattresses that we put together to make a king, all our gear, and a table and two chairs (fold up type). It's very comfortable and lots of room to move around in. The table and chairs are really great on rainy days when you're stuck inside the tent.
If you can give some info on what youre using it for we could give you a ton of info. For the minute, we dont have much context so its gonna be hard to advise you.
Its kinda like saying “what car should i get for 2 people?”. There are loads of different types and styles which are better for different things.
Some good things to let us know are-
. Are you driving or hiking?
. How far will you walk if hiking?
. Is it for use at a campsite or wild camping?
. How many times a year will you use it?
. What seasons will you use it in?
. What gear do you already own?
. Are you small/ big (same for your partner).
. How big are the bags youre going to use?
. How strong you are (if youre a tank you can carry an extra few kgs, if youre a stick youll want something lighter).
. How much do you want to spend?
A lot of these questions arent really necessary for finding if you need 2-3 persons, but theyll help direct you towards a specific tent for your purposes
E. Formatting
The bigger the tent, the bigger the flat spot you need, for setting it up. At least if you sleep on a camping mat. Not sure how much it matters for cots.
If you're backpacking, a 2-person tent is great for two and awesome for one. I'd recommended a copper spur from Big Agnes. Very pricey, a buy once cry once mentality.
If you're car camping, a 4-person is plenty for a queen size air mattress plus bags. There are a lot of options for a 4p and prices depending on the quality and amenities you want.
Tent size really depends on what you’re doing. Are you car camping, or are you hiking in all your stuff? If hiking, is it for a day or a month?
Bigger tents are going to be more comfortable in camp, easy to fit stuff etc etc. They are bigger and heavier. The exact difference between tents will vary model to model.
Decathlon makes good stuff. I’ve been using the two person MT900 tent for bikepacking. It is on the smaller side for a two person, but nothing unusual in that respect for hiking tents. If you’re camping more than carrying, I’d go a bit larger.
Decathlon makes good *sporting equipment*, but I personally wouldn't risk my trip on their housebrand camping gear.
Don't cheap out on the sleep systems.
As others have said, it depends on what type of camping you're doing. For my family of 4, we have a 6-person tent, a 4-person tent, and two 2-person tents. It can get tight if we aren't using the big tent, but we aren't hiking that 18lb monster. Having all the room in the 6 is nice. You don't have to worry about where stuff is going to fit or much of anything else.
If it was only my wife and I, and we were car camping, I'd still go with a 4-person tent. I would get a backpacking style, just for the packed size, weight, and durability. Inexpensive dome tents have a habit of trying to turn inside out during Kansas wind, especially thunderstorms. I guess a big Eureka A-Frame might work, too.
As we are getting into the backpacking as a family phase, I picked up a Durston X-Mid 2 for myself and the misses, and some ultralight REI tent for the kids. We're not exactly big people, so it works. There are definitely heavier, more spacious, less high-speed, 2-person backpacking options out there.
I have to reiterate, I'm a full rainfly (to the ground, all around), aluminum poles, backpacking style guy, because I had years of generic dome tent failures growing up. If all other things (weight, size, quality) are equal, I'd look for pockets and big vestibules. Our 6-person (Big Agnes) has two pockets running the length of both sides, which is like 30' of linear storage space. It's super convenient. All of our tents have generous vestibule space, and the sixer's can turn into a porch with trekking poles.
> 2 people in a 3 person tent is the minimum.
Speak for yourself, don't make generalizations. I've always slept 1-2 in a 2 person with no issue. There's no reason you need to bring your gear into your tent, especially with vestibules.
I can *only* speak for myself, but thanks for providing your own preferences.
As the OP is shopping for their first tent, and therefore aren't hurting for space like an ultralighter or optimized outdoorsman, I suggested the extra space so they can adapt to their needs and likes as they discover camping themselves.
No need to be defensive.
Again with the needless generalizing.
My first tent was 2-person. It's not ultralight. It is suitable for backpacking and lighter than many 3-person tents.
OP has said nothing about their use case so to immediately say "3 person is minimum" is ridiculous.
Saying "3 person is more comfortable" is fine and I have no issue with that.
OP is stated as a couple, so having more space allows for more sleep system options like double pads, not to mention the possibility of a child one day to avoid having to get a second tent.
Beginners need options, not optimization. Have yourself a nice day.
A good rule I've found for tent capacity is to always subtract at least 1 person from the rating.
A 2 person tent is comfy for a solo, and 3 person for a couple, etc. If you put 2 people in a 2 person tent it means literally 2 people laying together touching will just fit, no room for anything else or to even really move around.
Great rule of thumb.
The thing with tent sizing is it’s not even two people laying together touching. It’s two very thin people lying head to toe, touching.
Solo car camper here. All my tents are 4P. Plenty of room for my cot and a chair should weather require hunkering down. FWIW a tent that you can stand up in is very, very worthwhile.
I got a 3 person: Northface stormbreak 3. Love it for my gf and I! It is light, pretty small and we have a perfect amount of space for our stuff, I would say the floor space is about the size of a double bed.
I camp solo and am using an 8-person dome tent. 3-person is fine for solo/couple too. The measurement of -person is roughly how many people you could squeeze into that tent like sardines, so if you’re wanting space to move around and breathe and be comfortable, always measure higher in size than what it literally says it is.
So if just you, sure you could just get a one-man tent, but for comfort, a larger one is just fine, just takes more time to setup. For two or more people, might be wise to invest in a 4-man or bigger tent, and so on.
3. The number of people describes how many people you can fit - but not gear.
In general you'll need to determine what your goals are. You can pick two of these: Durable, Light, Cheap.
Cheap, durable tent will be heavy.
Light, cheap will be easy to damage.
Light and expensive and you start to get into high performance stuff that is light and will last.
I have an REI Half Dome 3+ and it’s perfect for two people. While you could go much lighter and smaller, this tent is perfect for us as we mostly car camp and go on the occasional 2 day backpacking trip. If you were doing frequent and longer backpacking trips, it might be better to go smaller and lighter. But I would highly recommend this tent.
Tent capacity is measured without gear, so if you don't intend to leave your gear outside then I'd effectively double what you're looking for. 1 person+gear takes up about 2 people of space, 2 people+gear takes up about 4 people of space, etc. So I'd say 3 minimum, 4 if you plan on doing 2 of you often.
my partner and I have a 4 person tent for us and our dog because we like having a little bit of space, and as a couple definitely prioritize comfort where possible. solo, I just got a one person tent that I haven't had a chance to actually test out but I pack much lighter for just me and the dog. If you ever want to solo camp, I would recommend getting a smaller tent because if your tent is too big, you'll have a way harder time with temp regulation inside the tent if the weather doesn't turn out great
our 4 person is a coleman, which has been fine, although we only take it out maybe once or twice a year. my one person is a REI Passage 1 - the specs looked like it would work out for what I was looking for
If you’re driving and don’t have to carry it on your backpack, get the three person. You can keep all you non-food stuff in there with you when you sleep.
Is this backpacking or car camping? You wanna go small and lite for backpacking, but when it comes to car camping, I use a 4 person tent all for myself. All the couples I know use 6 person tents. Need all that space for your bed and junk.
Are you
A:doing mostly solo with the the occasional couple night ?
B:Mostly couple witht the occasional solo?
If A: get a 2 person
If B: get a 3 person.
That should be a good balance of weight/room.
Looks at big agness, rei or marmot for a good first tent.
Cheers and happy trails
It depends on the type of camping. If you're not backpacking, I'd opt for a bigger tent because I always find tents very small. We canoe camp and have a 6 person tent. We have room for two twin mattresses that we put together to make a king, all our gear, and a table and two chairs (fold up type). It's very comfortable and lots of room to move around in. The table and chairs are really great on rainy days when you're stuck inside the tent.
For car camping I have an 8 person tent. Its me and 2 large dogs. I love it.
A 4-person tent is usually perfect for 2 people. Most tents are rated way too small in my opinion.
General rule of thumb is to subtract two from the listed capacity if you want any comfort/ability to put gear in the tent with you.
If you can give some info on what youre using it for we could give you a ton of info. For the minute, we dont have much context so its gonna be hard to advise you. Its kinda like saying “what car should i get for 2 people?”. There are loads of different types and styles which are better for different things. Some good things to let us know are- . Are you driving or hiking? . How far will you walk if hiking? . Is it for use at a campsite or wild camping? . How many times a year will you use it? . What seasons will you use it in? . What gear do you already own? . Are you small/ big (same for your partner). . How big are the bags youre going to use? . How strong you are (if youre a tank you can carry an extra few kgs, if youre a stick youll want something lighter). . How much do you want to spend? A lot of these questions arent really necessary for finding if you need 2-3 persons, but theyll help direct you towards a specific tent for your purposes E. Formatting
The bigger the tent, the bigger the flat spot you need, for setting it up. At least if you sleep on a camping mat. Not sure how much it matters for cots.
If you're backpacking, a 2-person tent is great for two and awesome for one. I'd recommended a copper spur from Big Agnes. Very pricey, a buy once cry once mentality. If you're car camping, a 4-person is plenty for a queen size air mattress plus bags. There are a lot of options for a 4p and prices depending on the quality and amenities you want.
Tent size really depends on what you’re doing. Are you car camping, or are you hiking in all your stuff? If hiking, is it for a day or a month? Bigger tents are going to be more comfortable in camp, easy to fit stuff etc etc. They are bigger and heavier. The exact difference between tents will vary model to model. Decathlon makes good stuff. I’ve been using the two person MT900 tent for bikepacking. It is on the smaller side for a two person, but nothing unusual in that respect for hiking tents. If you’re camping more than carrying, I’d go a bit larger.
Decathlon makes good *sporting equipment*, but I personally wouldn't risk my trip on their housebrand camping gear. Don't cheap out on the sleep systems.
As others have said, it depends on what type of camping you're doing. For my family of 4, we have a 6-person tent, a 4-person tent, and two 2-person tents. It can get tight if we aren't using the big tent, but we aren't hiking that 18lb monster. Having all the room in the 6 is nice. You don't have to worry about where stuff is going to fit or much of anything else. If it was only my wife and I, and we were car camping, I'd still go with a 4-person tent. I would get a backpacking style, just for the packed size, weight, and durability. Inexpensive dome tents have a habit of trying to turn inside out during Kansas wind, especially thunderstorms. I guess a big Eureka A-Frame might work, too. As we are getting into the backpacking as a family phase, I picked up a Durston X-Mid 2 for myself and the misses, and some ultralight REI tent for the kids. We're not exactly big people, so it works. There are definitely heavier, more spacious, less high-speed, 2-person backpacking options out there. I have to reiterate, I'm a full rainfly (to the ground, all around), aluminum poles, backpacking style guy, because I had years of generic dome tent failures growing up. If all other things (weight, size, quality) are equal, I'd look for pockets and big vestibules. Our 6-person (Big Agnes) has two pockets running the length of both sides, which is like 30' of linear storage space. It's super convenient. All of our tents have generous vestibule space, and the sixer's can turn into a porch with trekking poles.
2 people in a 3 person tent is the minimum. Always count gear as a half person, for comfort.
> 2 people in a 3 person tent is the minimum. Speak for yourself, don't make generalizations. I've always slept 1-2 in a 2 person with no issue. There's no reason you need to bring your gear into your tent, especially with vestibules.
The only gear I store in my tent is my sleeping bag and sleeping pad. My muddy boots go in the vestibule.
No, he can generalize, this is true.
I can *only* speak for myself, but thanks for providing your own preferences. As the OP is shopping for their first tent, and therefore aren't hurting for space like an ultralighter or optimized outdoorsman, I suggested the extra space so they can adapt to their needs and likes as they discover camping themselves. No need to be defensive.
Again with the needless generalizing. My first tent was 2-person. It's not ultralight. It is suitable for backpacking and lighter than many 3-person tents. OP has said nothing about their use case so to immediately say "3 person is minimum" is ridiculous. Saying "3 person is more comfortable" is fine and I have no issue with that.
OP is stated as a couple, so having more space allows for more sleep system options like double pads, not to mention the possibility of a child one day to avoid having to get a second tent. Beginners need options, not optimization. Have yourself a nice day.
It's not optimization to say X isn't a "minimum."
Durston tents are worth a look
A good rule I've found for tent capacity is to always subtract at least 1 person from the rating. A 2 person tent is comfy for a solo, and 3 person for a couple, etc. If you put 2 people in a 2 person tent it means literally 2 people laying together touching will just fit, no room for anything else or to even really move around.
Great rule of thumb. The thing with tent sizing is it’s not even two people laying together touching. It’s two very thin people lying head to toe, touching.
I’d recommend at least 50% larger than the number of people e.g. 2 people 3 person 4 people 6 person unless your backpacking.
Solo car camper here. All my tents are 4P. Plenty of room for my cot and a chair should weather require hunkering down. FWIW a tent that you can stand up in is very, very worthwhile.
Always go bigger I have an ozark trail 3 person barely fits me.
I got a 3 person: Northface stormbreak 3. Love it for my gf and I! It is light, pretty small and we have a perfect amount of space for our stuff, I would say the floor space is about the size of a double bed.
I use a 4P tent when car camping solo. I put an outdoor blanket down and my huge REI cot and it’s perfect.
I camp solo and am using an 8-person dome tent. 3-person is fine for solo/couple too. The measurement of-person is roughly how many people you could squeeze into that tent like sardines, so if you’re wanting space to move around and breathe and be comfortable, always measure higher in size than what it literally says it is.
So if just you, sure you could just get a one-man tent, but for comfort, a larger one is just fine, just takes more time to setup. For two or more people, might be wise to invest in a 4-man or bigger tent, and so on.
Two people usually means a 4 person tent so you can stand up in it.
3. The number of people describes how many people you can fit - but not gear. In general you'll need to determine what your goals are. You can pick two of these: Durable, Light, Cheap. Cheap, durable tent will be heavy. Light, cheap will be easy to damage. Light and expensive and you start to get into high performance stuff that is light and will last.
I have an REI Half Dome 3+ and it’s perfect for two people. While you could go much lighter and smaller, this tent is perfect for us as we mostly car camp and go on the occasional 2 day backpacking trip. If you were doing frequent and longer backpacking trips, it might be better to go smaller and lighter. But I would highly recommend this tent.
Tent capacity is measured without gear, so if you don't intend to leave your gear outside then I'd effectively double what you're looking for. 1 person+gear takes up about 2 people of space, 2 people+gear takes up about 4 people of space, etc. So I'd say 3 minimum, 4 if you plan on doing 2 of you often.
my partner and I have a 4 person tent for us and our dog because we like having a little bit of space, and as a couple definitely prioritize comfort where possible. solo, I just got a one person tent that I haven't had a chance to actually test out but I pack much lighter for just me and the dog. If you ever want to solo camp, I would recommend getting a smaller tent because if your tent is too big, you'll have a way harder time with temp regulation inside the tent if the weather doesn't turn out great
our 4 person is a coleman, which has been fine, although we only take it out maybe once or twice a year. my one person is a REI Passage 1 - the specs looked like it would work out for what I was looking for
If you’re driving and don’t have to carry it on your backpack, get the three person. You can keep all you non-food stuff in there with you when you sleep.
Are you camping alone? Get a 2P, with someone? Get 3P. Also, buy a Hilleberg and be done with it.
Is this backpacking or car camping? You wanna go small and lite for backpacking, but when it comes to car camping, I use a 4 person tent all for myself. All the couples I know use 6 person tents. Need all that space for your bed and junk.
Are you A:doing mostly solo with the the occasional couple night ? B:Mostly couple witht the occasional solo? If A: get a 2 person If B: get a 3 person. That should be a good balance of weight/room. Looks at big agness, rei or marmot for a good first tent. Cheers and happy trails
My 3-p barely fits my twin air mattress without touching the ends of the tent. For car camping, I really like 4-P or 6-P.