Are you about to camp with a group of at least four family members or friends? If that is the case, you will need the best 4 person backpacking tent. When choosing such a shelter, you will come across a variety of products, which will make it challenging for you to get the right shelter.
However, this does not mean that it is impossible to get the right shelter. In this article, we will give you appropriate suggestions on choosing your best 4 person backpacking tent.
How to Choose the Best 4 Person Backpacking Tent?
When choosing a backpacking tent for 4 person, you need to take the following factors into consideration.
1. Flooring
A good and strong floor is necessary to withstand frequent use. Therefore, get a backpacking tent with durable fabrics on the floor. Also, ensure that the fabrics do not allow water to penetrate since you do not want to damage your belongings with water that is leaking through.
2. Ventilation
Ventilation is paramount since tents accumulate moisture, which means that you are likely to wake up to damp bedding and belongings.
To protect this from happening, get a tent with adequate ventilation on the ceiling and walls. Adequate vents prevent the accumulation of moisture to minimize condensation.
3. Weight
Still, weight is one of the important factors to consider when purchasing the best 4-person backpacking tent. In this case, determine if you can manage the tent’s weight alone or with the people you will be camping with.
For backpacking, you might want to purchase a lightweight tent, but be sure not to sacrifice function for the weight. Also, put into consideration the trail weight and packed weight.
The trail weight is the minimum weight of the tent. It combines the weight of the key essentials of setting the tent. On the other hand, the packed weight is the maximum weight of the tent, which combines the weight of every product that comes with the shelter.
4. Tent’s fabric
A high-quality 4 person backpacking tent must be made of rip-stop materials. After all, you do not want to get a tent that will last for days or months requiring you to replace it.
A tent that is made of cotton is relatively more durable. However, such tents become heavy in the rain. So, be sure to consider that.
Tents made of nylon or polyester are waterproof, thus ideal for use in the rain or when it is drizzling. However, nylon will deteriorate in sunlight over time.
5. Tent’s Poles
Besides fabrics, consider the material of the poles. If you will expect the tent to withstand the weight of the ice and snow or the strength of the winds, opt for a backpacking tent that comes with strong and high-quality poles.
6. Zippers and flies
Most backpacking tents incorporate zippers on the windows and doors. Thus, you must look for smooth-opening zippers. Ensure that there are high-quality zippers. Such zippers shouldn’t fail frequently, they should be rust-proof, and they shouldn’t catch the fabric.
On the other hand, the rainfly should be waterproofed using silicone or polyurethane coating to protect the rain from leaking. Plus, the fly must cover the doors and windows for maximum protection from the rain.
7. Ease of set up
The best 4-person backpacking tent should be easy to set up. Not only that, but it must fit into the campsite easily. Therefore, determine the amount of time you will spend setting up the tent. Also, determine the amount of labor required when putting it up.
Ensure that you can provide for such requirements comfortably. If you want to determine how easy the tent is to set up, you might want to read various customer reviews and get to know their view on the amount of time and energy that is needed when setting up the tent.
Knowing More Details About 4 Person Backpacking Tent
There are some supplied questions about choosing a 4 person backpacking tent. The answers will be useful to you.
1. What Is a Trail Weight?
The trail weight, or rather, the minimum weight is the combined weight of the essential parts of the tent. Ideally, this refers to the combined weight of anything that can’t be left out while pitching the tent. This includes the weight of the poles, the rainfly, and the tent’s body.
Note that some single-walled tents exclude a rainfly and traditional poles, which means that such weights are excluded from the trail weight.
2. What Is a Packed Weight?
The packed weight is the total weight of the whole package. This weight integrates the weight of everything that is included when purchasing your shelter. While computing the packed weight, you should add the weight of the tent, stakes, guy lines, individual storage sacks, and printed instructions.
However, note that you can improve the packed weight since the included stakes might not be made of lightweight materials. Thus, you can swap the stakes with lighter ones to reduce the packed weight.
3. What Size Tent Is Livable for 4 Person Backpacking?
If you need a shelter that will accommodate four adults comfortably, you should compute the floor space area with 15 square feet per head. Thus, the best shelter for four people should have a floor capacity of at least 60 square feet.
The Best 4 Person Backpacking Tent
We have picked some excellent 4 person backpacking tents with different features to meet your personal need!
1. Most Lightweight – Big Agnes Copper Spur Backpacking Tent for 4 Person with Dual Vestibules
Taking the lead in this review is the Copper Spur HV UL backpacking tent. It has dual vestibules. This means that it can provide an area of up to 18 square feet to allow for dry gear storage.
Also, the tent features a 4-way high-volume hub design that enhances the strength of the tent. To ensure that you have an adequate area to store your belonging, the shelter includes eight interior mesh pockets and four media pockets.
• Roomier living space
Designed to sleep four adults, the Copper Spur HV UL backpacking tent presents a roomier living space. It highlights a high-volume pole architecture.
This design enables it to create steeper walls for a larger living area. Better still, this design enables the tent to maintain its strength and lightweight design for backpacking convenience.
• Waterproof shelter
Its dual-zipper doors feature discrete seams that protect the water from leaking in. The seams are taped with waterproof and solvent-free polyurethane tape for guaranteed water-proofing performance.
Equipped with a floor and fly with a 1200mm waterproof rating performance, you can be sure to rely on this tent to keep you warm and dry.
• Ultra-lightweight design
Despite the roomier design, it comes with 10 super lightweight aluminum stakes to guarantee strength and stability without increasing the weight.
2. Best Waterproof – Marmot Tungsten UL Backpacking Tent with Vertical Walls Design
The Marmot tent is a spacious but lightweight 4-person backpacking tent. It measures 234 x 203 x 137 cm, with a 70cm x 20 cm pack size for backpacking convenience.
Supplied with a carry bag, this tent is easy to carry. Plus, it comes with enough tent pegs and guy wires for fast pitching.
• Adequate ventilation
The 4 person igloo tent includes two D-shaped entrances. The doors facilitate easy entry and exit while allowing for easy adjustment of the airflow. Also, it features a self-supporting inner tent. This tent includes an upper no-see-um mesh to enhance ventilation.
• Spacious and lightweight
It integrates a specially pre-bent pole. This pole provides for nearly vertical walls for added space and more headroom.
Also, there are two vestibules for additional storage space. The shelter derives its support from ultra-lightweight and rugged 9mm poles.
• Weatherproof fabrics
To keep you dry and protected from the rain, this tent includes a robust rainfly. The rainfly is made of polyester that repels moisture in heavy rain. What’s more, it integrates band-welded seams and a raised floor tray to keep you and the gear dry. For better weather protection, the tent is extremely wind-resistant and UV-protected.
3. Best Budget – Coleman Sundome Tent with Easy Setups
This is a 10’ x 10’ shelter. It has a 6-feet center height, enabling the users to stand comfortably in it. The tent can fit one queen-size airbed or sleep up to five people.
It is easy to set up, requiring at least 10 minutes to put it up. The Sundome tent comes with separate storage bags for the stakes, poles, and tents. Easy-to-follow instructions are sewn into the carry bag for easy setup.
• Enhanced ventilation
The Coleman Sundome tent is suitable for camping in warm weather. It can provide enhanced ventilation through its large windows and ground vents. The ground vents push warm air up and outside through the windows for a cool stay all night.
• Mesh pockets and an E-port
To help you organize the gear, this tent integrates built-in storage pockets. The pockets are sewn in the tent’s walls to let you store small and essential items within your reach.
Also, the tent includes an E-port. Through the port, you can bring an extension cord through the tent for easy access to the electrical power.
• Weatherproof
This tent can keep you cool and dry in all kinds of weather. It has a durable tub floor with welded corners and inverted seams. This design protects water from leaking in to keep moisture outside.
Also, there is an included rainfly for guaranteed protection from the rain. The water-resistant fabric and weather-protected zipper guards are other pluses to repel the water. Lastly, the 11mm fiberglass poles are shock-corded and designed to withstand stormy conditions.
4. Best Durable – Moon Lence Backpacking Tent for All-Round Protection
If you need a portable and easy-to-set-up 4 person tent, the Moon Lence backpacking shelter is an excellent choice.
It is a lightweight shelter that stores in a carry bag for backpacking convenience. The tent provides a roomy capacity suitable for six adults. It comes with two shock cord connecting poles for fast and effortless setup.
• Durable and spacious
The tent highlights a 190T PU material. This material provides excellent UV resistance and 1000mm water resistance. Adding to that, the tent features reinforced stitching for guaranteed strength.
Supplied with glass fiber poles and iron pegs, this tent can deliver guaranteed protection against strong winds.
• Excellent ventilation
To help you stay cool and comfortable, the Moon Lence camping tent has a big and breathable mesh. Its ground vent can push warm air up and outside through the windows for better ventilation.
Also, the tent includes one D-shaped floor with dual zippers to adjust the ventilation. You can remove the included rainfly for better ventilation.
• Weatherproof construction
This tent can withstand different kinds of weather. It has a waterproof rainfly to protect water from leaking inside. Additionally, there is an all-mesh fabric of the inner tent to keep you cool during the warm season.
The SBS zippers are waterproof for guaranteed protection during the rainy season. Plus, the shelter comes with iron pegs and guy ropes for guaranteed protection against high winds.
5. Most Convenient – Coleman Cabin Tent with Instant Setup
The Coleman Cabin tent is a roomy backpacking tent. If you need a shelter that will accommodate four people comfortably, the roomy 8 x 7feet interior should do that.
The tent has a 4’11” center height. It includes sewn-in pockets to keep small items organized. Supplied with an expandable carry bag, the tent packs up compactly for secure transportation.
• Weatherproof construction
This backpacking tent is suitable for camping during the rainy season. It adopts a WeatherTech system. This system comprises the welded corners and inverted seams of the tub-like floor. Thus, the tent can keep the water out to keep you and the gear dry.
Moreover, it includes a vented rainfly. The fly offers extra protection from the weather without sacrificing the airflow. Adopting a darkroom technology, the tent’s fabrics block 90% of the sunlight to reduce temperature buildup during the summer.
• Built to last
It is built-to-last using a double-thick fabric that withstands different elements season after season.
• Fast and easy setup
This instant tent integrates pre-attached poles, which means that putting it up is as simple as unfolding it, extending the poles, and securing the sides.
In fact, setting the tent up should not take more than a minute of your time.
6. Best in Adaptation – Msr Elixir Backpacking Tent for 4 People with Optimized Floor
As one of the best 4-person backpacking tents, the Msr highlights an optimized floor area that will sleep four people comfortably. This tent features a design that is ready for any kind of storm, thanks to the adjustable guy lines that come pre-attached on the rainfly.
Besides that, the tent is lightweight for backpacking convenience and equipped with a built-in attic gear loft to let you put critical gear within reach.
• Adequate ventilation
It has two large doors for easy entry and exit while adjusting the ventilation. Plus, there is a breathable mesh fabric and a solid canopy fabric.
The mesh fabric facilitates sufficient airflow while the solid fabric can provide the desired warmth and privacy.
• Multiple setup options
The Msr tent comes with an included footprint. The footprint provides multiple setup options for easy customization.
Also, it includes two vestibules. The vestibules provide an adequate area to store gear and shoes for increased living room capacity at night.
7. Best Spacious – Kelty Tall Dome 4 Person Backpacking Tent with Large Entry
Introducing the Kelty Tallboy tent, it is one of the best 4-person backpacking tents when you need a spacious and affordable shelter.
The tent highlights an X-pole construction and a shark-mouth duffel. As such, it is easy to set up, tear down, and carry. Also, it includes three wrapped fiberglass poles plus sleeves that are integrated into the body for easy assembly.
• Spacious interior
The Kelty Tallboy tent measures 105” x 118”. It provides 86 square feet of interior space and a 72” peak height. This means that it provides sufficient headroom to reduce the need for ducking.
Additionally, the tent incorporates a large single door for easy entry and exit.
• Durable and breathable
Its body features a mesh material to enhance ventilation and eliminate the buildup of condensation. Also, there is a 68D PU-coated polyester floor and a rainfly.
These features shield you from the rain and wind to keep you cool and dry.
3 Season Tent vs 4 Season Tent for 4 Person Backpacking
You may be confused by these two different types of tents. Here we have made a brief comparison to show the deficiencies between them,
3 Season Tent
A 3 season tent is a tent that is best suited for backpacking during three seasons. You can use it in the summer, spring, and fall.
Features of 3 Season Tent
- Lightweight
Made of materials that will protect you from the sun, rain, and wind, these tents are more lightweight while compared to 4 season tents. The tents have lighter-weight aluminum frames and thinner fabrics. They adopt sleeveless poles’ set up to cut off the weight without sacrificing strength and stability.
- Mesh constructions and lighter fabrics
To ensure your comfort during the winter, these tents integrate open-mesh walls and lots of vents. This allows air to flow freely throughout the tent to protect you from waking up to wet beddings. Not only that, but the open vents allow warm air to escape for a cooler inside and to prevent the buildup of condensation.
4 Season Tent
Despite its name, a 4 season tent is best suited for camping during the winter. Unlike 3 season tents, a 4 season tent is much stronger. It can protect you from the rain, ice, strong wind, snow, and hails.
Features of 4 Season Tent
- Mesh-free walls
A 4 season tent doesn’t integrate mesh walls like its counterpart, a 3 season tent. Instead, the walls are made of polyester nylon so that they can trap some heat to keep you warm. Still, the polyester walls block the wind to keep you warm. To control the condensation, these tents include vents that open up to avoid the accumulation of warm air.
- Thick frames and strong fabrics
4 season tents integrate thick and more robust frames. The frames are mainly made of aluminum. These frames can hold up against strong winds, and the weight of accumulating ice and snow. And because of strong and sturdy frames, 4 season tents are heavier and more complicated to set up.
- Rainflies that extend to the ground
Also, 4 season tents include rainfly and vestibules that extend to the ground. This design enables the snow to be placed onto them to enhance stability and provide protection from elements.
Conclusion
The best 4 person backpacking tent must provide reliable protection against the weather without sacrificing portability. Also, such a tent should provide an adequate interior space to accommodate all users comfortably. Therefore, buy one of the reviewed shelters and be sure to get all this at an affordable cost.
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