I'm looking to downsize from our 8 man tent to a smaller one. But I have noticed that on alot of them, they say a sleeping compartment pod is for 2 men, yet the width is 140. But the single airbeds we have are 76cm wide, which I guess means that they wont fit 2 in, without pushing the inner fly sheet onto the outer fly sheet & thus risking leaks.
So my question is are the man sizes that the manufacturers give over exadurated? Do most people knock off 1 man, so say a 6 man is really a 5 man?
The manufacturers seem to think that everyone is super slim & sleeps on a narrow foam mat, because that's about the only way you'd sleep 6 in a 6 man tent If you use airbeds, camp beds or even most self-inflating mats, then you need to read '6 berth' as '4 berth'.
I think manufacturers think everyone must lie down and lie still and only have a tent when camping and they have done this for many years. Outwell I believe have recently added "comfortably for x number of people" as I recently bought an Arizona L which is advertised as a 3 man , but Outwell say its comfortable for 2.
However my rule of thumb is always add an extra half person for your kit and living needs. ie 4 people would be a 6 man tent.
I agree, I don't think you would ever be comfortable with 6 people in a 6 man tent! We have just bought a 5 berth for me, OH and Archie, our Jack Russell - we plan to sleep in the 3 berth bedroom, and use the 2 berth one for storage
IMHO, the number of berths in a tent is accurate providing everyone uses a sleeping bag and sleeps on a mat no bigger than the size of the sleeping bag, and they do not mind being close to, as in touching each other, as seen in the interior view for the Khyam Freelander on their site.
I would advise allowing 1 berth or 2 for extra comfort.
I use my Freelander, which is a 3-berth tent, on my own with my dog, and the inner tent is the right size for my single blow up bed, his bed which is made up of a small self-inflating mat with fleece blankets on top, my trolley case, and a fold up laundry basket.
The living space for the Freelander is just right for us too, and I would feel cramped if there is another person.
When I went camping with 2 people and a dog in the past, I would use my Khyam Excelsior XL, which is a 4-berth tent, and it felt just right in both the inner tent and the living area.
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Not always the case though. We have a Pharoah 6 man that would easily sleep another six outside the sleeping pods with plenty of space to spare . The Vango Aspen 500 is also a very large five man tent. The Vango Venture 5 man tent would be a squeese though, so It is strange how some of the tents are sized. I normally half the suggested amount. My Eldorado 4 man is perfect for ONE person.
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I have an 8 man tent (Vango) that will fit 4 double blow up beds in the bedrooms and a 6 man tent (Outwell) that will take three double beds so sometimes they are accurate. This doesn't leave any room to stand up etc so is still cosy.
It is not a good indication of overall size as my 6 man tent is twice the size of the 8 man tent.
The "standard" width allowance for 1 person in a sleeping pod is 55cm - 60cm. This doesnt take into account airbeds or room to move. Now is it the tent manufacturers fault for making sleeping pods too small or does the fault lie with the airbed manufacturers for making their products too wide
Post last edited on 22/05/2011 14:16:02
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hi all,we have an xl icarus 600 for two of us altough four would be ok and comfortable.but you can also sleep in the living area if you wish with a pop up tent .the living area is nearly 4 metres square.
take my evo 400 for example, it has a four man bedroom which is only slightly too small to fit 2 double airbeds, but would fit 4 people on self-inflating mats with room to move during the night. although we use it just for 2 of us with one double airbed and room either side to put a large holdal with clothes etc. but we use it for 12 night trips.
our old pro action 4 man tunnel tent was a tight squeeze, it was impractical to use it for 4 people, we used it for 3 and that was just as bad. we quickly sold it afterwards!
for short stays a good sized 4 man tent is good enough for 3 people, but for longer trips (1 week plus) you need a little more comfort, i'd say allow an extra "man space" per person per bedroom.
i.e. 2 couples in a 2 bedroom 8 man tent. 2 adults and one child in a 2 bedroom 6 man tent (one 4 man room and one 2 man room).
It also varies from model to model - I have a small four man tent that I use for garden camping . Not a huge amount of space. Yet in my 6 man frame tent the four man bedroon will fit two double airbeds with a little bit over
I also thnk that much depends on your sleeping requirements - happy to sleep in close confinement on a roll mat, and not move a milimeter in the night without risk of inflicting serious ijnjury on the person next to you - or go for a bir of comfort.
Got our Hi Gear Voyager 6 last year and it was spot on for 4 of us on a shorter break. Shame there wasn't a porch but I believe thats going to be rectified. Bought a Kalahari 10 for a 3 week stay in France this year, still only 4 of us but planning on using the extra space for toilet/storage on the longer stay.
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Topic: Are tent sizes accurate. e.g. 6 man etc
If you use airbeds, camp beds or even most self-inflating mats, then you need to read '6 berth' as '4 berth'.
