Two and Three Room Tents

What a two or three room tent is

A two or three room tent splits its space with walls of fabric: usually two bedrooms with their own zipped doors, either side of or behind a shared living area. A "room" in a listing can mean a bedroom, the living hall or a screened room, so three rooms most often means two bedrooms and a living room. It suits a family that wants children and adults sleeping apart, and somewhere to sit when it rains.

Tunnel, cabin, pop-up or air: which two-room tent

• Two-room tunnel tents, the classic family layout, such as the LanSheng with two bedrooms and a central hall. See tunnel tents.
• Two-room cabin tents with upright walls, such as the 10 person instant cabin with a screen room. See cabin tents.
• Pop-up two-room tents, quickest to pitch. See pop-up tents.
• Connectable air tents, where extra bedroom pods zip on to the main tent. See inflatable air tents.

Reading the floor plan and the person count

The number on a two-room tent counts sleeping places in the bedrooms, and many give a span: one here sleeps 6 to 8 with total room for up to 12, and the three-size family tent runs S for 5-8, M for 6-10 and L for 8-12. Look at the measurements as well as the count. That tent is 320 by 220cm in size S and 430 by 305cm in size L, and the maker notes the pitched size can vary by 5 to 10cm. Work out where each bed goes.

Pitch size and guy lines

Two-room tents are long. The LanSheng is 520cm long with three poles or 680cm with four, and comes with 10 or 14 guy ropes. Add room round it for the guy lines and check the campsite's pitch size before you book.

What the waterproof rating means on a two-room 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. The two-room tents here that state it run from 2,000mm to 5,000mm. 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 two-room tents

Can the bedrooms be closed off?

Usually, yes: bedrooms close with their own zipped doors. Check the listing for whether the living room has a groundsheet too.

Which two-room 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.

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

• Two bedroom and living room tents
• One bedroom and living room tents
• Family tents
• 6-man tents
• 8-man tents
• Cabin tents
• Guide: Family tents: rooms, layouts and awnings
• Guide: Tent sizes explained