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Don't feel bad if you're confounded when trying to figure out what size tent is right for you. Tent manufacturers have vastly different ideas about what constitutes adequate sleeping space. For example, we found a retailer selling "two-person" tents that ranged from 25- to 38-square feet of floor space — a difference of 52 percent. What to do? Depending on how cozy you want to be, 15-20 square feet per person should be adequate, but that means you may actually want a "three-person" tent for two people. The best advice is to always get in a tent and try it out before you buy.

Jeff Moravec

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