When would you choose to use a 4 man tent? When you’re going camping, one of the most important things to consider is the type of tent to take with you. Perhaps the most important consideration here is the actual size. This will be determined by whether you’re going alone, in a pair, or in a larger group and hence whether you want or need to share the tent.
If you are in a group, then the question to ask is whether to take a bunch of single person tents, a 2, 4 or even a 6 man tent. If we take the example of the 4 man tents for sale, it is important to consider that the number four reflects the maximum number of people that the tent can hold. However, if the four people in your group are tall or large, obviously it is going to be rather cramped. Additionally, if you are carrying a lot of equipment that you need to store inside, you will need more room if you want to sleep well at night. Therefore a tent made for four people may be just right for two people with lots of equipment. This is going to be more likely if you are backpacking and therefore have little choice but to store your equipment inside for security reasons.
If you are travelling by car, then the bulk of your equipment can be stored in the car, hence freeing up more space in the tent. The Catch 22 scenario is that if you are backpacking, then it makes much more sense to share the load by only carrying for example, one or two tents ( the other person can carry the food for two people etc). If you are in the car you actually have the space to carry more equipment even though you might not need it!
Assuming that you have chosen to buy a 4 man tent, the next question is which one?
In terms of brands, some popular ones(in no particular order) include: Vango, Coleman, Robens, Easy Camp, Marechal, Lichfield, Eurohike, Outwell, Gelert, Nomad and Sunncamp tents. Their prices range from around $100 for a Vango Zetes 400 tent to $600 for a Robens L Tent. As always, the choice of brand will be due to personal preference.
Another thing to consider is the time of year and weather conditions in which you are likely to be using it. Most tents are marketed as being suitable for either three seasons or four seasons. The four season version includes suitability for winter or cold weather use. They tend to be a little bit more expensive, but unless you know that you are going to camp in fairly extreme cold, you don’t need to worry about having to choose one.
The structure of 4 person tents tend to be either of a ‘dome’ or ‘tunnel’ type. The dome type tends to be easier to put up and is therefore more suitable for those who want as little hassle as possible at the end of the day. This can be particularly important when you’ve hiked a long way and are physically and mentally tired. The last thing you want is the frustrations of not being able to put up your tent during a sudden rain storm, because you can’t find your tent pegs!
Another thing to consider in terms of structure, is the height. This obviously depends on the heights of the people who are going to use it. Again, if four tall people are sharing the space, a low tent height is going to make things very uncomfortable. Also bear in mind that tents usually have some kind of slope on their walls, so the maximum height in the middle of the structure does not reflect the maximum height everywhere within. It may be an idea to test such a model out with your camping buddies before purchase!
Ultimately, you are making a decision on what size tent is right for the number of people on your trip. This is going to be influenced by the size of each person sharing it, the amount of equipment required to be stored within whilst sleeping there, and the number of tents that you can comfortably carry as a group. Always bear in mind that a good night sleep is a requisite for being able to enjoy life, and that a good night’s sleep means being comfortable. Don’t cut corners on choosing the right sized tent, the nature of your whole camping experience may depend on it!
