What tent model should you choose for 4 people for your next holidays?
Are you a tribe of 4, wondering what type of camping tent to choose? Let us explain, what are the best criteria for selecting a 4-people tent for your next trip.
The first thing you should know is that several tent structure systems exist, and they have different names!Pole tents are called "Arpenaz", and inflatable tents are called "Air seconds".
"Arpenaz" pole tents are the very essence of what camping is about:
The classic tent model, in other words, the pole tent, which is well-known to camping enthusiasts.
Its benefits: compact & lightweight, and also generally more affordable.
Its disadvantage: it takes a bit longer to pitch!
The "Air Seconds" inflatable tents are easier to pitch:
The inflatable tent is the "newcomer". Takes no time to pitch up, quickly and easily inflated with a pump!
Its benefits: comfortable, quick, easy, take down virtually instantly & with larger living areas.
Its disadvantages: it is cumbersome and heavier than a pole tent, and more expensive.
Our 4-people tents are systematically equipped with one or two bedrooms. You can directly find out from the name: the 4.1 tent models are for 4 people and 1 bedroom and the 4.2 tent models are for 4 people and come with 2 bedrooms. This naming system applies to all our tents from 4 to 8 people!
A bedroom, two bedrooms, a living area, no living area, a tent where you can stand or not... How do you know what suits you best?
It all depends on what you are planning to do on your holidays. Are you the type that takes it easy all day long at the campsite, or more likely to be off left, right and centre and back to your tent just to sleep in it?
Tents with a large living room:
If you are one of those "who seriously likes to make the most of camping and lives it to the full", then get hold of a tent model with a bedroom because their living area is generally spacious (5 to 6.5 sq. m) and, therefore, more comfortable. It will allow you to take shelter should it rain, properly store your belongings, and arrange your kitchen and sleeping quarters.
--> The are exceptions with large living areas among the 4.2 tents: the Airseconds 4.2 Fresh & Black with its 5.9 sq. m living area and the newcomer Airseconds 4.2 Polycotton with its spacious 6.8 sq. m living room.
And if you really want to have space, I can only recommend you get hold of a living area for arranging your kitchen furniture, smaller belongings, and shelter you in bad weather or if it gets too hot.
Tents with smaller living areas:
On the other hand, if you are more the camping adventurer type, only planning to come back to the campsite to spend the evening, you can then go with tent models with smaller living areas, in other words, the 4.2 tents. Equipped with 2 bedrooms, they offer more intimacy and comfort but less living room space (between 3.5 sq. m and 6.8 sq. m for the 4.2 Polycotton).
What's Fresh & Black? Some tent models are equipped with this technology.What's Fresh & Black?
The "Black" part is for keeping your tent's bedroom dark; waking up at the crack of dawn is a thing of the past, making it the start of camping lie-ins! At long last!
--> the Black fabric ensures it is darker at all times of the day (bedrooms are 99% blacked out).
The "Fresh" part helps you keep cool even in direct sunlight. The tent will no longer feel like the inside an oven.
--> the Fresh fabric reflects the sun's rays to keep the right temperature inside your tent (feels like 17°C less than a conventional tent). This innovation is practical, especially in the middle of summer when tents can quickly become stoves.
You can choose between several tent fabric options nowadays for your tent, either polyester or polycotton fabrics. So which one should you choose?
Do you want a more durable tent?
So if you choose our polycotton tent model, we currently have one for 4 people with two bedrooms or another for 6 people with 3 bedrooms.
Why is it more durable?
Polycotton fabric is a mix between polyester and cotton, and is also called "technical cotton". This material has several benefits, despite being more pricey:
- better resistance to UV rays (UPF 50+ sun protection)
- better breathability compared a conventional polyester tent
- a longer lifespan
- Nicer living environment in terms of noise, for example
You nevertheless have to be very careful when drying polycotton and cleaning stains. The fabric must be thoroughly dry before storing it away to prevent mould. It is also important to keep the fabric clean, washing stains as quickly as possible.It is better to wipe off the dust with a soft brush.
Do you want a more environmentally friendly tent?
So head over to our eco-designed tents models. Actually, some models were dyed in a more environmentally friendly way using "solution-dyeing" technique.
Dyeing fabrics requires the use of large amounts of water, producing waste water coming from the dyeing vats. To reduce this environmental impact, we choose this colour-impregnated dyeing method, integrating the colour pigments when spinning the yarn.Less water and dye are used this way when designing this product.
These 4-people tent models are eco-designed with solution-dyeing technology:
You now have all the ingredients to choose the best 4-people tent for your next adventure with family or among friends.
If, however, you think you need another model, discover our more general advice on choosing a camping or a bivouacking tent: