Tents - Sleep well out there.

Tent capacity ratings describe how many people fit shoulder to shoulder with no gear — they're a maximum, not a comfort rating. As a rule of thumb, size up one person from your actual group if you want room for packs, boots, and a dog. Two people in a three-person tent is the sweet spot most campers land on. Check the floor dimensions and peak height on each listing rather than relying on the capacity number alone.

A 3-season tent is built for spring, summer, and fall — good ventilation, solid rain protection, and enough strength for typical wind. A 4-season tent trades some airflow for stronger poles and less mesh so it can handle snow load and hard winter wind. Unless you're camping in real winter conditions, a 3-season tent is the more comfortable choice for most of the year.

Look at the waterproof rating listed in millimeters — higher numbers shed more water, and anything at 2,000mm or above handles typical rain well. Staying dry also comes down to setup: pitch the rainfly taut so it doesn't touch the inner wall, stake it out fully, and use a footprint or ground tarp underneath to block moisture coming up from below. Most leaks people blame on the tent come from a loose fly or a missing ground layer.

Dry it completely before it goes away — packing a damp tent is the single fastest way to ruin one, and mildew permanently stains fabric and breaks down the waterproof coating. If you had to pack up wet, set it up at home or drape it over a railing until it's fully dry. Store it loosely in a bin rather than tightly compressed in its stuff sack, and keep it somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight. Treated well, a good tent lasts years.