dome Tent Etiquette

ADVICE FOR THE OUTDOORSMAN

Dear Bigfoot,

You're the best. I have a question that has always baffled me. How many MEN can you sleep in a four man Dome Tent? This question has kept me up many a night.

Sleepless in Seboomic

Dear sleepless,

For one thing, consider picking up an over the counter sleep aid, or something. If you really want to stay awake all night however, ask yourself this: why do they sell Hot Dogs in ONE quantity, like 6, and sell Hot Dog Buns in ANOTHER quantity, like 8 ? You have to buy about 112 of each before you reach the lowest common denominator. But... I digress. To answer your original question, the only camper I share a tent with of any kind has to be wearing a red flannel Teddy, if you know what I'm sayin'. I have always found it to be a slippery slope to put any more than ONE man in any tent. One thing leads to another and pretty soon you wake up spooning with some guy named Bud, whose unimpeahable manliness you could have SWORE you could vouch for. Unless a situation of 'worst-case' arises where you must save a buddy's life, bring a small tent, and suggest you campmates do the same. But just for your calculations, divide by a third the number of men accomodated by a tent. In other words, a 3 man Dome should fit you comfortably; a four man should fit you and a small Pygmy friend, or Christine Aguilara, whomever you can scrounge up... and so on. Thanks for the question and remember to be safe out there.

If you have an outddors question for Bigfoot, e-mail jack@totallyout.com. Remember, Bigfoot is neither a licensed therapist or a registered guide (missed it by thiiiiis much).