Is a 4 Man Tent Right for You?

So you’re looking at a 4 man tent and wondering if it is right for you?  This tent has long been know as the average sized tent.  It is large enough to put a group or small family in and, also small and light-weight enough for 1 or 2 people to use.  Never the less, this sized tent is great and convenient for most camping situations.  You probably need to know a few things about the 4 man tent.  We will touch on these so you are 100% sure that this is the tent for you.

Most 4 man tents can fit 4 SMALL men…very small men in the tent.  Even then it can be very cozy.  This is how it has always been for tents for one reason or another.  If you happen to fit 4 grown men in a 4 man tent, you probably won’t get any gear into the tent.  This tent can fit 3 grown men with gear, and then it is still cozy.  I have a 3 man tent that I use most often.  I can put 2 grown people in the tent with our gear, and we are usually fairly close to each other.  Why this has been the standard for years I have no idea, however it has always been like that.  So keep that in mind.  If you have a family of 4 you might want to consider a 5 or 6 man tent for comfortable sleeping.  If you have 4 pals that you are camping with and only one 4 man tent….well….you will be getting to know each other very well over your camping trip.

The next thing to consider is the height of the tent.  When a tent says it is 5 ft high, keep in mind this is the very center of the tent.  The walls slope in and down and if you are planning on standing up in the tent think again.  My 3 man tent is 5 ft tall and it is still challenging to stand up and change clothes in the tent.

If you are a serious backpacker or have a long trek ahead of you, a 4 man tent might be a little much for you.  Sometimes these tents can be very light.  However sometimes they can be heavy also.  One thing to keep in mind is that when you are backpacking….the less weight the better.  A 10 lbs. tent might not feel like much now, but after 10 miles on the trail it can help a lot.  It all depends on the type of camping that you are doing. If you can drive to your camp site then there are no worries.  When backpacking a few pounds less weight can make such a huge difference.

Chris Reynolds is an avid blogger with many great informational articles.