A couple in a 1-person, 4-season tent: Does it work?

[Shane]

Hello,

I'm an urban camper from Montreal (I sleep outside in the city, year-round). Last year, I did fine with a gore-tex bivouac, but this time I want to get a tent so that my beloved can join me. I wonder if anyone has tried to put two people in a one-person, four-season tent. This would make my gear lighter and cheaper. I figure that with snuggling, it shouldn't be too tight — especially if the tent has a vestibule for gear. I could probably figure this out by looking at the tent specs. What's more difficult for me to figure out in advance is if two people in a single person tent might produce condensation problems.

BTW, if anyone has some tent models to recommend or a second-hand tent to sell, please say so :).

[Richard Fischel]

it all deepends on what *work* is to you. mountaineers regulary squeeze into small footprint tents, but all they are looking to do is get out of the elements and maybe cook. there are any number of 27 to 30 sq/ft tents that will fit two people who are comfortable being packed in pretty tight. what size footprint are you looking for and how much do you want to spend. look at teh bibler tents, maybe an i-tent would work. and condensation will be an issue if you don't vent properly.

[Roger Caffin]

Have you asked your beloved?
Has she ever been camping before?

Cheers

[Shane]

Roger, it's good you tell me this since women are usually more sensitive to discomfort (at least in my experience), but my dear is indifferent to this kind of deliberation. She's more willing to risk discomfort than I am.

I should have looked at TenPoundBackpack before asking the question. After looking at their list of tents, I realised that there are so few solo winter tents that the lack of competition has probably nullified the value I would have gained from the lower manufacturing cost. The weight difference would still be there. That might make this option interesting for ultralighters. But I'm indifferent to weight since it'll be fixed on a rooftop for most of the winter.

This said, thank you for both replies.

[Mary D]

Roger has a really good point. Your beloved may want a little more elbow room than a 1-person tent provides! I know I would! Cuddling is fine, but changing clothes, adding or subtracting insulation layers, just hanging around in the tent during a storm or during long hours of darkness for half the year–all require more space than most one-person tents provide.

Another issue, which I learned when trying to share a solo tent with my 70-pound dog, is that the ventilation in a one-person tent is designed for one person. Add a second warm, breathing body, and you are far more apt to have serious condensation issues.

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