Taking a look at two tent specifications in particular is the best way to tell if you’ll have enough space: Peak height and floor area.
The peak height is the amount of height—measured in inches—that the advertising tent has between the floor and its highest point. This, along with your height, is an important number to pay attention to in regards to livability. It denotes whether or not you’ll be able to sit up, crouch, or (in some cases) stand inside your tent.
Peak height of tent
The peak height of an MSR Elixir 2 Tent
The floor area of a tent is measured in square feet, and is easy enough to surmise from tent specifications online. If you’re at home, you can even measure out the same area as a tent and judge if it will be large enough for you to be comfortable in. If you’re taller, make sure you have around 2 extra feet in the tent lengthwise, so your head and feet don’t touch the ends of the tent—they’ll get wet with condensation overnight.
Remember, the best way to see if you’ll have enough space in a tent is set one up and get inside. If you can, head to your local gear store, and the employees there should be happy to set up any tent you’re interested in. OGE’s camping section in particular can often be a maze of tents, all of them set up to help us guide customers towards choosing the right one.