"Apparently if you build a tent twice as big, it's not twice as heavy ???? "

The tent isn't actually twice as big. It is only wider.


Picture a box, 12 inches square. It has six sides, each 12x12. Let's say each side weighs 1 pound. So you have a 6 pound box.

Let's make this box twice as wide. To do this the top, bottom, and only two of the sides must double in length. The two other sides (ends) stay the same. So our box now has 4 sides of 12x24 or 2 pounds, and 2 sides at 12x12, or 1 pound. All told that's only 10 pounds.

Difference for our hypothetical box: 10 - 6 = 4 pounds.


You'll notice 2 man tents are seldom twice as wide as 1 man tents. A common width for two man tents is 56-60inches, for one man 34-36 inches. So the weight difference is even less.

I hope this helps.