What a shelter is actually being asked to do#
Waterproofing is the easy part. Any flysheet sold today holds more water pressure than a night of rain applies to it, and the fabric is rarely what fails. What fails is the pitch, the seams, the site, or the assumption that a tent sold for four people has room for four people and their bags.
Two things decide whether a tent is pleasant to live in, and neither is on the front of the box. The first is floor area per sleeper, together with the shape of that floor and how steeply the walls rise from it. The second is airflow, because a sleeping adult puts 0.3 to 0.6 litres of water into the air every night and it has to go somewhere.
Everything else, from pole alloy to stake choice, is about the third job: staying up when the wind arrives. That is a structural question with a hard number behind it, since aerodynamic load rises with the square of wind speed.
Where to start#
- Buying: how to choose a tent, then the tent size calculator for the floor area to shop for.
- Waking up wet: tent condensation first, then waterproof ratings explained. In that order, because most reported leaks are condensation.
- Going lighter or different: tent, tarp or hammock.
- Weather coming: tents in wind and pitching and site selection.
Frequently asked questions#
How many people does a 4 person tent really sleep?#
Comfortably, usually three adults, or two adults with gear inside. Capacity ratings assume sleepers laid shoulder to shoulder on a bare floor with nothing else in the tent. Rated capacity is a shipping label, not a specification, and no standard governs it. Size by floor area instead.
Do I need a footprint?#
For abrasion, yes on rough ground; for waterproofing, no. A footprint that extends beyond the floor edge actively collects rain and channels it underneath the tent. If yours does, fold it under until it sits inside the floor line.
What is the difference between three season and four season?#
Pole count, wall geometry and mesh area, not waterproofing. A four season tent sheds snow load and stands up in stronger wind, and it does that by being steeper, stronger and less ventilated, which makes it a worse choice in summer.
Why is my tent wet inside when it did not rain?#
Condensation. Two people put roughly a litre of water into the air overnight, and any surface below the dew point collects it. On clear still nights a flysheet radiates heat to the sky and sits a few degrees below air temperature, which is why the calmest nights are the wettest inside.