8 Person Tent

Why an 8 person tent is the family-of-four size

An 8 person tent is rated for eight sleeping pads, wall to wall. CORE Equipment spells out how that rating works: capacity is the number of standard-width pads that fit side by side on the floor. That's a measurement of floor, not of comfort. It leaves out the duffel bags, the boots, the kid's stuffed moose and the dog.

That's why CORE suggests a family of four may prefer an 8-person tent, and why its general rule of thumb is to double the number of campers. Some makers print both numbers right on the product. CORE's own example graphic shows a tent marked "sleeps 4" next to "most comfortable sleeping 2 plus gear." Halve the rating and you're close to the truth.

My one opinion on this page: for four people, buy an 8 person tent, not a 6. The reason is in CORE's numbers. Air mattresses and pet beds need more floor than standard pads, and a queen air mattress takes the space industry sizing gives to two campers. Put one queen bed and two kids' pads in a 6 person tent and you've used the whole rating before anyone brings in a bag.

Shared tent basics (seams, stakes, what a footprint does) live on the camping tent page. Below is only what matters when you choose at eight.

The table on this page lists tents their maker or listing rates for eight people, largest floor first. Columns cover the person rating, floor dimensions and area, peak height, shape, how it sets up and how fast the maker says it does, plus seasons, waterproofing, fly coverage, rooms, doors, materials and weight, each as stated by the maker or, where the maker is silent, by the Amazon listing (marked as listing values). Seasons and waterproofing appear only when the maker states them. A dash means neither states it. Weight is always the maker's own figure.

What to look at in an 8 person tent

Plan the floor in beds, not in people

Start with what you'll sleep on. Count the pads, cots and air mattresses, then compare their sizes with the floor length and width in the table. CORE points out that taller campers should check floor length, especially in tents with sloped walls, where the usable length at shoulder height is shorter than the floor. A tent that fits a queen mattress on paper might not fit one with the head of the bed against a slope.

Jess drew our last tent plan on graph paper. To scale. With a legend. I said it was overkill. Then I used it to put my cot in the one spot that had room for my boots.

Peak height decides where you can change clothes

The table's center height is the highest point inside. On a cabin tent, CORE says most adults can stand upright comfortably. On a dome, that standing room is a small circle in the middle. CORE also notes that two tents with the same capacity can feel different, and a tall, straight-walled one feels roomier than a sloped one with the same floor.

With four people, peak height matters most at two times of day: getting dressed and getting dressed again. If the kids are small, a dome may be plenty. If everyone in the family is grown, check the number against your own height.

One room or two

At this size, a room divider makes two small rooms rather than two big ones. That suits parents on one side and kids on the other, or sleeping on one side and a gear room on the other. Room counts in the table follow the maker or the listing, and a divider counts as making a second room. A divider only works well if each side has its own door, so read the doors column next.

Setup type: instant frame or separate poles

The setup column says how the tent goes up. CORE describes its instant tents as having the pole structure pre-attached to the tent body, so the frame unfolds as one piece. Its claim is roughly a minute once you know the tent, a few minutes on the first try, and a good deal longer for loose poles. Claimed setup time in the table is the maker's number. Treat it as a best case and add your own learning curve. There's a whole page on the instant tent if that's the way you're leaning.

Rainfly coverage and the waterproof number

The rainfly column shows whether the fly covers the whole tent or just the roof. A full fly protects the walls and doors from blowing rain; a partial fly covers less but lets more air through the mesh.

The waterproof rating, when listed, is hydrostatic head in millimeters. Snugpak explains it as the water pressure needed to get through a fabric: a higher number means a taller column of water before it leaks. It adds that floors need a higher rating than the fly, because ground water gets pushed up and your weight adds pressure. One maker's full-fly tents sit at 1200 mm, sealed seams included, which is a fair picture of what three-season protection looks like on paper. More on wet-weather picks is on the waterproof tent page.

Ventilation is the fix for the other kind of wet

Condensation is the water that shows up inside without any rain. Snugpak notes the trade-off in coated fabrics: the more waterproof the material, the less breathable it is, which builds condensation inside. Mesh helps. CORE says large mesh panels increase airflow and natural light. When you compare tents, look for vents high on the walls or roof, and windows you can open with the fly on.

Fabric, poles and weight

The fabric and poles columns show what the maker or the listing lists; weight is the maker's. Per CORE, loose-pole tents roll up a little smaller and weigh a little less than instant designs, and domes need less fabric and fewer poles. For a car-camping family that's a trunk-space question more than a carrying question. Measure the trunk with the cooler already in it.

Read the seasons column literally

A 4-season label appears in the table only where the maker uses it for that exact model, so don't fill in the blank yourself.

Who an 8 person tent suits

A family of four that car camps

This is the size's home ground. Parents on a queen air mattress, two kids on pads, bags along a wall, one path to the door. A cabin shape gives everyone standing room on a rainy afternoon; a dome packs smaller for families who arrive late and leave early.

Two campers on cots with gear

Cots eat floor. CORE suggests using a cot to store gear underneath it, which turns dead space into a closet. Two cots, two duffels under them and a folding table fit in an 8 person floor with room to walk. That's a comfortable fall camp for two people at a drive-in site.

A couple with a dog

CORE lists pet beds alongside air mattresses as gear that needs more floor than standard pads. A dog also needs a spot near the door, unless you enjoy being walked over at 5 a.m.

When eight is too many, and when it's too few

The family-of-four rule is a starting point. CORE's sizing guide lists the things that push it one way or the other, and they're worth a minute at the kitchen table before you order.

Reasons to size up past eight

• Snorers and restless sleepers, who need a buffer zone
• Tall campers, especially in a sloped-wall tent
• Growing kids, who will be bigger next summer than this one
• Longer trips, where the tent becomes the living room on a wet day
• Coolers, tables and kids' belongings that come inside at night

If two or three of those describe your crew, the 10 person floor starts to look reasonable, even for four.

Reasons an 8 is more than you need

CORE also says when not to size up. Fair-weather campers who mostly just sleep in the tent may not need the extra space. Backpackers want a tent that fits the group exactly, because every square foot is carried. And some campgrounds limit what fits on the pad.

A family of three that arrives at dark and leaves after breakfast can live happily in a 6. A family of three that spends a rainy Saturday playing rummy in the tent wants the 8. I know which family we are. We play for toothpicks.

Picking and pitching the site

Campsite tent pads have limits, and CORE flags that too. A campsite listing in Idaho's Payette National Forest, for example, describes a square pad 12 feet on a side, enough for a single large tent or a handful of small ones. An 8 person floor is more likely to fit a fixed pad than the bigger family tents, but check your favorite campground's listing before you order.

The National Park Service's setup basics: find a large flat place and clear it of sticks, rocks and pinecones, avoid low spots that flood, and don't camp under dead branches. Lay the groundcloth first and fold any extra under the edge. Sleep with your head uphill. And practice at home, where a missing stake costs a trip to the garage instead of a cold night.

Cleaning and care

CORE's care guide keeps it simple. Clean the tent after muddy, sandy or sappy trips, otherwise once a season, with a soft sponge, cool water and fragrance-free, non-detergent soap. Skip the washing machine, which CORE says can stretch fabric, tear mesh and damage seams.

Two more from the same guide matter with kids around. When a zipper sticks, hold the track and gently wiggle the slider back until the fabric frees; CORE says forcing it is the fastest way to break one. And when the tent stands in strong sun for days, keep the rainfly on and move to shade when you can, because long direct sun breaks down tent fabric. Dry it completely before storing it, every time.

Keep heaters and fuel lanterns out of the tent

No fuel-burning heater or lantern belongs in the tent once the family is asleep; that's the CPSC's guidance. The agency also notes that carbon monoxide symptoms can look like a cold or flu, so see a doctor if anyone feels flu-like while camping. Use battery lights inside the tent.

Who should skip an 8 person tent

An 8 person tent is more tent than you need, or less, if:

• You're one or two people who backpack in: a small dome is lighter and quicker
• Your group is six adults: look at the 10 person tent instead
• Your group is two or three and you want the smallest family size: start at the 6 person tent
• You camp in snow or open high country, where the season rating matters more than the size

Family-sized options compared by rule are on the best camping tents page, and the bigger picture is on the family tent page.

Bring the graph paper. Or bring Jess.