Do I need a 4 person or 6 person tent?

[xcmountain80]

Expo,

I'm looking into a ground tent and can't decide which size is more applicable. This is a car camping tent to the weight is not as much of an issue. I'm looking into the Big Agnes Big House 4 and 6. I have not been able to find any one locally to get a spacial idea on which is a better fit.
The tent occupants are myself, my wife, my 2 yo daughter, and my 62lb hound. I will be adding another little one to our group at some point. The BA BH 4 retails for $279 and the BA BH 6 retails for $349, the best part is the Vestibule which adds ample gear space.

http://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/BigHouse4

A

 

[wardrow]

I would error on the side of having more room than you need. Bear in mind when they say a tent sleeps 4 people that they are cramming in 4 people with their feet in your face. They almost never take into consideration that you may be sleeping shoulder to shoulder. As far as Big agnes goes, Great gear, the wife and I had a big house 4 for the two of us and a dog. Currently we sleep in the King solomon sleeping bag and love the heck out of it.

just my .02

 

[K2ZJ]

/thread

 

[xcmountain80]

I would error on the side of having more room than you need. Bear in mind when they say a tent sleeps 4 people that they are cramming in 4 people with their feet in your face. They almost never take into consideration that you may be sleeping shoulder to shoulder. As far as Big agnes goes, Great gear, the wife and I had a big house 4 for the two of us and a dog. Currently we sleep in the King solomon sleeping bag and love the heck out of it.

just my .02

Have you considered the vestibule........ + 52 sqft

Also you wouldn't happen to have a picture of two of it in use with a person or dog in it for size comparison?

A

 

[nwoods]

Rule of thumb: 4 person tents fit 2 people, 6 person tents barely fit 4.

We use an REI Base Camp 6 for 2 adults, 2 kids and a small dog and its a tight fit. 3 across and our littlest one perpendicular at our toes. The dog flops down wherever she wants.

 

[wardrow]

Sorry I can't find a pic. I can assure you that if you get rained out and have to spend a whole day in the tent or even a whole weekend you will wish you had the 6 person tent for you, your wife, your kid and your dog!

 

[UK4X4]

Tent designers have all been on the sardine packing course

and hence the designs do not work with real size humans !

I agree with the above go with the 6

We have the same numerical values -and use two tents

one is for overnighters just a good sized 3 man with double entrances and vestibules
I put the dog in the vestible where my head is on his bed and a ground sheet- he thinks he's with us and stops him treading on my daughter during the night...she shares my wifes side as they're both short !

the other I think it was for 8 people -but fits us fine for the longer stays - as it takes 30 mins to pitch correctly but has 2 3 man rooms and a central comuity area.

 

[raven1911]

Rule of thumb: 4 person tents fit 2 people, 6 person tents barely fit 4.

We use an REI Base Camp 6 for 2 adults, 2 kids and a small dog and its a tight fit. 3 across and our littlest one perpendicular at our toes. The dog flops down wherever she wants.

Amen to that!! I have 4 people in my family with two kids under 6 y/o and we use a 6 person which is just about perfect size. Error on the side of larger for sure!!

 

[xcmountain80]

Ok, I just didn't want to be the guy with the multi level condo at the camp site. (of course it about what's functional really)

A

 

[Andy@AAV]

Try to set up your "tent" at your house and take measurements of how much space you will need.

ex: Use your garage or living room to lay out your sleeping bags, dog beds, shoe rack, desk, table or whatever you plan to have in your tent. Measure total area you need and note any height requirements. Use this to search for the correct tent size.

 

[r_w]

Setup ease is the ruling factor--that is the real limit for size and weight. You can't get too big until it gets too hard to set up or you have a limited footprint size at the park you want to go to.

I would want an 8 man for that list of occupants unless the dog is sleeping in the vestibule.

 

[dzzz]

Should be some bargains this time of year.
I suggest a tent where the adults can stand upright in most of the footprint.
Consider how you will handle a wet dog when making your choices.
I don't know if you need a huge vestibule, but a 4 man would be small with the dog inside.
You'll likely want something else in a few years, so it might not make sense to go real high quality. Big house seems medium quality.
For base camping I like cabin type tents. But the good ones now are expensive.
With a big tent you will want a tarp for underneath.

 

[Stumpalump]

I had a 6 man Big Kohona. 37lbs of bulky madness. Hard to set up and deal with but very nice if we were all inside. I had two teenage girls and a dog so I sold the tent and used a 3 man and a 2 man tent. I could deal with two small tents and pack them in a whole lot faster. The other thing about the big tent was the footprint. You need a large open area to pitch it. A smaller tent or two small tents can squeez into the cool out of the way spots much eaisier. If your still stuck on one big tent then get the smallest and lightest 6 man you can find. 6 man is a lot of tent to deal with. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/eureka-kahuna-tent.aspx?a=189534

 

[TiKiBoKc]

Sierra Designs WuHu

I have a Sierra Designs WuHu 6+2 annex. It is large but am able to put up and take down in windy conditions by myself with some practice. I'm 5'10" tall and in the +2 area I can stand up with extra room and can even set up my collapsible table and chairs. I know they also make a 4+2. I've never had a problem with my Sierra Designs stuff.

 

[SLOwag]

Try finding a tent with near vertical walls to maximize space, vestibules, and a loft and pockets all around to free up floor space for your bags. I just got the Nemo 3 person and it has the elements I described but it is roomy enough for two and dog or cramped with more two legged and four legged creatures.