I think an 8-man is fine. if you are packing it around, it's lighter. We spike camp often 4-5 days with 5 full grown men and gear in an 8 man (with stove). a small tarp and tyvek sheets for floor (and we have the inner liner too). If you're camping out of the car and bringing tables, cots, and heavier stoves, why a tipi? Another thing to think about is footprint needed. a 12 man tipi footprint is pretty big. An 8-man with another 8x10 tarp for an outside lean-to shoudl work great..... but I think maybe I'm more on the minimal light weight hunting side vs. what you might be using it for. 8 man is pretty big, but I get the 12 man adds that extra comfort. We use an 8 man Kifaru (probaby 12+ years old). Maybe differences between brands, but I swear our 8 man looks as big as the pictures of the 12 man above..... so check dimensions etc...
$.02
Last edited by AHM; 10/26/19.
