If you can, check em out in person. I think there is a distinct difference in the heaviness of the material. You do have to be careful with the fly creek; I already put a small hole in the bottom of my 3 man and I am not sure how I did it. I am using a ground tarp under it. Easy to fix though and I love it as a spacious 2-man at 3lbs 3oz. Other than the small hole I patched, it has held up well in some pretty intense storms keeping me nice and dry. The 3-man is a little snug at best as a 3-man. I don't know how that translates to the smaller models, but you may want to check it out in person to see if they have enough room for your purposes.