As camping becomes more and more popular, tents themselves start to grow in popularity.
And with the many uses of a camping tent, it’s no wonder there are a ton of sizes, shapes, and designs.
This article was prepared to share the different sizes of popular camping tents, as well as some things to think about to ensure you make an educated purchase.
Without further ado, let’s jump into some camping tent sizes!
Does Size Or Weight Matter If You Aren’t Hiking?
Not really, no.
If you are pulling your car up to the campsite and setting everything up, there’s no need to make sure you get only enough tent for what you need.
You can absolutely get a giant tent just to be able to spread out.
Feel free to get a cabin tent with separate rooms; why not!?
If you don’t have to pack up and carry the tent on your back every day, you can get the largest tent you’d like without having to worry about weight.
What Size Camping Tent Do I Need For Hiking/Backpacking?
Choosing the right size tent depends on a number of factors, including:
- Whether you’ll be hiking to different campsites throughout your trip
- How many people will be staying in your tent
- Your tolerance for weight versus comfort
Hiking With A Tent
If you plan on packing up your campsite and moving every day, that means you’ll need to lug your gear around on your back while you hike.
And that means that every ounce counts.
You’ll likely want to sacrifice some space in your tent to shave off that extra weight on your back.
While there are plenty of items you can replace or leave at home to compensate, a large portion of your pack weight could be your tent.
So if you’re planning a hiking trip, opt for as small of a tent as the following two points will allow.
Amount Of People In Your Tent
The amount of people who will be sleeping in your tent will play a large role in what size tent you want.
If there’s only 2 of you that need a shelter, there’s not much sense in hiking with a 6 person tent.
All of that extra weight will just make your hike more strenuous for no reason (more on that in the next point).
The other thing to consider is whether it’s best to separate the group into separate tents.
Yes, you’ll need to purchase additional tents, but it would be much more manageable to carry around four 2 person tents than designated one person to lug around a single 8 person tent.
Weight Versus Comfort
In most cases, the advertised capacity of a tent is very accurate.
In that if it says it’s a 2 person tent, you’ll probably only be able to fit 2 people and squeeze in your gear.
If you want a little bit more room, say to use a wider sleeping pad, shoot for a size up (2 people use a 3 person tent, 3 people use a 4 person tent, etc.).
Remember though, that the larger the tent the more weight you’ll be carrying around.
You’ll want to weigh your options and choose the best tent for your comfort.
Just keep in mind that although the next size up is only a few extra ounces of additional weight, that extra weight on your back all day hiking can really take a toll.
Camping Tent Size Charts
Below are a few charts I put together that contain the dimensions of a few popular tents.
Use them to determine the actual size of the tent to see exactly which size works out best for you.
2 Person
| Dimensions | Center Height | Weight | |
| NEMO Dagger 2 | 90” x 50” | 42” | 53 ounces |
| REI Co-op Quarter Dome SL 2 | 88” x 52” (head space width)
88” x 42” (foot width) |
38” | 40 ounces |
3 Person
| Dimensions | Center Height | Weight | |
| ALPHA CAMP 3 Person Dome | 96” x 84” | 50” | 122 ounces |
| REI Co-op Half Dome 3 Plus | 92” x 80” | 46” | 84 ounces |
4 Person
| Dimensions | Center Height | Weight | |
| Coleman Sundome 4 Person | 108” x 84” | 59” | 128 ounces |
| REI Co-op Base Camp 4 | 100” x 86” | 60” | 270 ounces |
6 Person
| Dimensions | Center Height | Weight | |
| Eureka Jade Canyon 6 | 120” x 120” | 84” | 338 ounces |
| Coleman 6 Person Cabin Tent | 120” x 108” | 72” | 398 |
**Keep in mind that different season tents will be built with different materials, come with rainflies, vestibules, etc. that will all affect final weight. These are just some examples to show the dimensions and accompanying weights.
What Can I Fit Inside My Tent?
Numbers on a page do little to describe what you can fit inside of a tent unless you’ve already measured everything out.
And for the sake of not making you lay out the measurements and see just how much you can fit in the space, I’ve got some average sizes of camping gear to share with you:
Average Dimensions Of Common Camping Gear
| Dimensions | |
| Sleeping pad | 72” x 20” |
| Cot | 75” x 26” |
| Twin air mattress | 75” x 39” |
| Full air mattress | 75” x 54” |
| Queen air mattress | 79” x 56” |
| Backpack | 30” x 17” |
| Shoes | 12” x 12” |
| Cooking gear (pan, utensils, etc.) | 12” x 12” |
This list may seem like overkill, but unless you’re going to either leave everything outside or magically stack everything in a corner, you’ll want to know you can comfortably fit in your tent with everything.
And keep in mind that some of these (backpack, shoes, cooking gear, etc.) could be different for you, but they can also be stacked on top of each other if needed.
Using the tables above, you can see that:
- A 2 person tent (90” x 50”) can fit 2 sleeping pads, or a twin air mattress, with some extra room for your backpack and shoes.
- A 3 person tent (92” x 80”) can fit 3 sleeping pads comfortably, or a queen air mattress with a spare sleeping pad, with extra room for backpacks and shoes.
- A 4 person tent (100” x 86”) can fit 4 sleeping pads with a little breathing room in between and some extra room for your gear. Note that you’ll still only be able to fit a queen air mattress and a sleeping pad as there’s not too much extra width between a 3 and 4 person tent. Alternatively you could fit 2 twin air mattresses.
- A 6 person tent (120” x 108”) can fit 6 sleeping pads (5 in one row and a 6th turned horizontally), or two queen mattresses, with room for backpacks and other gear.
Something to note: your gear may be different sizes, and your specific tent may be a different size.
I took the smallest dimensions of the tents I showcased.
You could potentially have more room if you were to purchase a larger tent.
And as you can see, the ‘X person tent’ labels are essentially a measurement of how many normal size sleeping pads can fit in a tent.
If you wish to use a cot or air mattress you will likely need to go a size up in tents.
How Big Should My Tent Be?
At the end of the day, the decision lies between comfort and weight.
If you don’t have to carry your tent very far, feel free to get one that is as big as you’d like.
If you plan to hike with a tent, you’ll want to be a little more careful about how much the tent weighs.
Ultimately, pick a tent that will comfortably house everyone sleeping inside as well as the gear you’d like to keep with you.