6-Man Tents

What a 6-man tent really fits

The number on a tent's label is the number of sleeping mats that fit side by side on the floor, with nothing else inside. A 6-man tent sleeps six close together, or a family of four or five with room for bags and a bit of space to move. Most 6-man tents are proper family tents, with a bedroom or two and a living area. Read the floor plan on each product.

Two-room, tipi, inflatable or dome: which 6-man tent

• Two and three room tents are a big part of this range: separate bedrooms off a shared living space, so children and adults can sleep apart. See two and three room tents.
• Tipi tents with a stove jack are tall and round, with a fire-resistant opening for a stove chimney. See hot tents with a stove jack.
• Inflatable tents go up with a pump on air beams, with no poles to thread. See inflatable air tents.
• Dome and pop-up tents are quick, simple and steady. See dome tents and pop-up tents.

Weight, pitch size and the car

A 6-man tent goes in the car, not on your back. The light tipi tents here weigh about 4kg; the dome, two-room and inflatable tents weigh a good deal more. Check the pitch size before you book a campsite: some sites charge more for a large pitch, and a two-room tent needs space for its guy lines all round. Each product page gives the size and weight where the maker states them.

What the waterproof rating means on a 6-man tent

The rating in millimetres, the hydrostatic head, is the height of a column of water the fabric holds back before it leaks, tested to BS EN ISO 811. About 1,000mm is the lowest rating usually called waterproof, most lightweight flysheets are 1,500mm to 3,000mm, and more is worth having for long wet trips or a family tent left up for days. The groundsheet is often rated higher, because you kneel and lie on it. Taped seams matter as much as the number. Shop by rating: to 2,000mm, to 3,000mm and 5,000mm and over.

Questions people ask about 6-man tents

Will six adults fit in a 6-man tent?

Six adults will fit, close together, for a night. For a week, a 6-man tent is most comfortable for four or five, or step up to the 8-man tents.

Which 6-man tents are for winter?

A 4-season tent: stronger poles, and a snow skirt round the bottom of the flysheet to stop wind and snow blowing underneath. See 4-season tents, and hot tents with a stove jack for tents that take a stove. Never take a barbecue or a stove without a flue into a tent: carbon monoxide kills. With a hot tent, use its own kind of stove and a carbon monoxide alarm.

What goes on the floor of the living area?

A tent carpet or rug makes the living area warmer and kinder underfoot, and a footprint under the tent protects the groundsheet from stones. See tent rugs and carpets and groundsheets and footprints.

How long does delivery take?

Delivery is included in every price and tracked to your door. Each product page says when that tent usually arrives, so check it before ordering for a set date.

More to look at

• 5-man tents
• 8-man tents
• Family tents
• Two bedroom and living room tents
• Hot tents with a stove jack
• Tent pegs
• Guide: Tent sizes explained
• Guide: Family tents: rooms, layouts and awnings