+1 Tent Logic

[Johnny]

What I usually do, but not always, is buy a tent for 3 people if only two of us are going to be in it. I do it so I can store our gear inside. Does this make sense to you? We haul a lot of gear and I hate leaving it outside.

 

[oldsarge]

If I'm using a tent, I like it large enough to be comfortable in, even with my gear.

 

[CozInCowtown]

+1 what Sarge said.
Need plenty of room for gear.
DC

 

[bsmit212]

Me too. I also get go +1 on my tents now because I have a big dog so we defintally need some extra space.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

My hiking buddy just got a new Alps Chaos 3-man tent. We looked at the two man, but you'd have to be VERY friendly indeed to share the 2-man tent with someone for very long. Even with two doors and two vestibules it would be tight, and no room at all for gear inside.

Definitely go with the +1. the weight differents isn't much at all, and I hate being crowded.

 

[ChadTower]

Or even +2 for car camping. I have never seen a 6 man tent that could sleep 6 unless you really like a couple of those people.

 

[ponderosa]

I use a bigger tent for car camping, but for backpacking I've been known to squeeze myself and my two sisters into a 2 man tent. We use a 3 man for myself, my husband, and our two little girls. The gear is mostly either being used or is hung in the bear bag overnight, so we really don't have anything in the tent with us. Mostly empty backpacks are hung in a tree with a pack cover (trash bag) over them. Extra space would really be nice, but I'm not a big person, and every pound of weight counts, especially when you're carrying kids part of the time with all the gear.

 

[ppine]

A vestiblue works good for stuff. Backpacking tents don't need to hold much equipment. Food is hung up outside. A pack cover will take care of everything else. For truck or boat camping I like a 4 man tent.

 

[Bojib]

We mostly go car camping. We have two tents, one is a 4-man (+2) for us that we use for weekend trips. We have another that is a 6-man (+4) that we use for week long trips.

It really helps to have extra room for any gear. The 6-man one is a little much, and really doesn't get used all that often.

I also have a one man tent for my own trips, used to use for ATV camping trips, but I no longer have an ATV. It's a little cramped with just me in it, so its definitely not much use for storing any extra gear in.

 

[eyebp]

I have a big car camping tent but this is what I take to backpack. My Tarptent Moment. 30oz and little room to spare. I store my stuff outside as God intended. :tinysmile_fatgrin_t

Shots from inside.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

Now, that's a little scary!

 

[hikeorbike]

That sounds like a perfectly acceptable - even smart - plan. I am prone to being paranoid that others will steal my stuff when staying at a local campsite, so I use my tent in this way, too.

 

[CozInCowtown]

That is a good looking tent eyebp but I would be on the lookout for a different model, that guy is just plain ol' ugly.
:stop:
HeeHeehee....
I just don't like carrying around wet gear myself. If anything a small tarp or lawn garbage bag to cover up the pack.
DC

 

[eyebp]

That is a good looking tent eyebp but I would be on the lookout for a different model, that guy is just plain ol' ugly.
:stop:
HeeHeehee....
I just don't like carrying around wet gear myself. If anything a small tarp or lawn garbage bag to cover up the pack.
DC

Haha. Worst part is I am getting uglier every day. That was a wet trip up in the Cohuttas. It rained a ton and we were soaking anyway from the river crossings.

I hang and cover my pack before I crash. Cover it with my poncho.

 

[eyebp]

HYOH, but depending where I am.... Car camping I keep all my stuff in my car. Backcountry I dont keep diddly in my tent because of of the smells. Bears and coyotes here will tear into a tent for a twinkie and little critters will make little hole and crawl on you for the same. :tinysmile_sleep_t:

Add bear cannisters or bear boxes out west. Our black bears are kitty cats compared to those fur balls.

 

[ChadTower]

Yeah, car camping I always keep gear in the bed of my truck under the tonneau. It hasn't failed me yet under any type of rains.

 

[rubbersoul]

I actually use a x2 rule for car camping tents. That way there is enough room for everyone's gear/clothes without sleeping on top of one another. Backpacking is another story...

 

[briansnat]

For car and canoe camping my wife and I actually do a +4. We use a 6 person tent for the two of us. For backpacking however we cram ourselves into a 2 person tent and the gear stays outside. It's all about shaving weight so we can bring more beer.

 

[twinsmommy]

Our tent is large enough for us to sleep and move around comfortably without being cramped. We also keep our things in the tent, so I want to be able to have plenty of room. There are times where it has rained and we are stuck in the tent so it just makes sense to have a tent that has plenty of room for the stay in kind of days.

 

[shaun]

I like having room in the tent for movement, I don't usually carry a lot of gear. I like to have space, it feels more like home. I don't like feeling constricted in a tent, it's not enjoyable.