Two people in 2 person tent
 

I am planning a 2,500km, 7 week, tour across Europe buying a 2 person tent after I arrive. My girl friend wants to join me for the first two weeks, which means 2 people in a 2 person tent plus luggage, which will not fit. What have other people done in his situation? Alternatives I have thought of are buying a 3 person tent for the first 2 weeks, then giving it away and buying a 2 person tent. Using a tarp to keep our stuff dry outside the tent, or buying a small kids tent to keep our stuff in. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Where we are camping should be safe, and our stuff will be outside only at night.

if the two person tent has two doors and two useable vestibules, that should work.
Dont forget, saying that you'll buy a tent is like saying that you'll buy a car--a car can be a super cheap teeny tiny crappy thing or a really nice larger car that costs 20 times more--tents are the same.
I'd be inclined to buy a good tent before going, but the fact that you think you want to buy a tent in europe, or buy a kids tent on top of things shows that you may not have much tenting experience, and or a limited budget etc, so almost impossible to give recommendations to you.

buying a good tent is worth it in the long term and you'll be dry in rain, but then if you are young, dont have much budget and dont worry about a so-so tent, or leaving your stuff outside under a tarp, then thats up to you.

dont forget, your panniers will nearly be empty, so easier to store just under the vestibules.
two door tents with even small vestibules are totally worth it, especially for two people, you dont have to crawl over each other to get out,

and you know, the larger and cheaper a tent, the heavier it will be. But I do get having limited budget.

I have shared a 2 person tent and kept our gear and panniers on the bikes. I'd only bring in what is absolutely necessary. I never considered it a problem with someone I am compatible with. I tend to not unpack everything in camp any way and live out of the panniers when I use them.

These days I pack lighter and tend to forgo the tent in favor of a bivy and don't use panniers, but that is another story. Depending on who I tour with I might still use a 2 person tend and share it.

Short answer -- this shouldn't be a problem.

Available space depends on the model. Desired space depends on your size :). We have a Zpacks Duplex. My wife and I + "some luggage" (i.e. a change of clothes, electronics, etc.) are inside. Panniers in the vestibules. Their blurb says: "The bathtub floor is a rectangle 45 inches wide by 7.5 feet long (114cm x 2.3m). Plenty of space for two average people to stretch out plus space for gear at the ends of the floor." Compare to your tent and draw conclusions.

Usually, leaving luggage outside isn't a problem as panniers are waterproof. If yours are not, you may want to upgrade your kit.

I have just used a two person tent when I was cycle touring and my brother came to visit. Yes, it meant that I didn't have my panniers in the tent with me - but I mostly didn't have them in the tent anyways because they were out in the vestibule. Rain was not an often occurrence and if it had, I most likely would have kept them on the bike and relied on my panniers being waterproof. I am 6'4" and there isn't a huge amount of headroom but if I were smaller, there probably also would be some space for a small amount of stuff though that gets more awkward with two.

The tents I had in these situations I already had before my trip and looked like this - so you can see each side has both a vestibule and a door so each person can put a pannier or two just next to the tent and under cover.

On other parts of the journey when I cycled alone I had more than enough space and could use the back vestibule for space and the front side for a door. That all worked well. There was one situation on a supported ride in Africa where someone from our group had stuff stolen from the vestibule from someone reaching underneath but I never had any problems.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...792430716c.jpg

The luggage stays outside in the vestibule, it doesn't come inside the tent.

Some tents lack a vestibule, but most have one.

Example, the vestibule is open on mine in the photo:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...070b9466ba.jpg

The vestibule is the open area to the left of the tent peak, when I zip it closed it is covered from rain and prying eyes.

Plan B, bring some big garbage bags that you can put everything into to keep rain and dew off of it, preferably black so it is not apparent in the dark.

I agree with keeping gear out of the tent. I use a solo tent. I bring a sil-tarp to cover stuff, in case it rains.
Whatever comes into the tent with you - make sure it does not smell like food. You know, don't sleep with food in the tent, or a bottle of Gatorade. (bears love Gatorade and raccoons love pop-tarts) -- so that includes your clothes:
- most basic Boy Scout backpacking rule: don't sleep in your eating clothes and don't eat in your sleeping clothes. I'm always stunned when I see people eating / cooking right in the tent vestibule.

I tour solo in a tent (NEMO Hornet) that is nominally 2 person. Those people are small, more limber than I am, and, as mentioned compatible.
Back when I was those things, my wife and I did camp in a "2 person" tent that I wouldn't take as a gift now.
They say that wherever your relationship is going, the fastest way to get there is a tandem bike, a tent is probably the next fastest.

I'd simply go with a decent 3-person tent and keep using it the entire trip.

As noted, panniers are usually waterproof; they can stay on the bike with clothes, rain gear, cooking gear, repair gear, etc. I like using a bar bag which comes inside the tent. The handlebar bag has camera, cell phone, wallet, passport, medicines -- all the small, high-value items you don't want to have to replace.

A 2-person with a vestibule and a 3-person will both work. Your decision depends upon if you want your girlfriend to join you in future trips and what her needs and comfort levels are. Consider the 3-person if your girlfriend would appreciate the extra space and will hopefully join you in future trips. They're not significantly heavier than an equivalent 2-person tent.

Thanks. The Decathlon tent I use does not have a vestibule. At 74, I do not want to spend money on a better tent. A sil-tarp may be the best option, if I am stuck in the rain at least I will be able to keep the entrance open and look out.. I had thought of buying a very small child's tent which can be bought for a few dollars. Otherwise, garbage bags should be good.

Is getting a smaller girlfriend an option?

Just thinking out loud... ;)

I toured for multiple months in Europe with my wife in our MSR Hubba Hubba 2-person tent in 2016. It worked great for us.

That being said the package size and weight of a 3-person tent isn't that much greater than the same model's 2-person tent, so if you prefer extra elbow room, then a slightly larger tent could be the ticket.

I'd highly recommend buying your tent before the trip and trying it out first.

do take into consideration that if you and your partner have to stay even one night in a hotel or b+b, you will have spent the money you could have spent on a reasonable 2 or 3 person tent.
My wife and I do use a 3 person tent when doing trips and appreciate having the extra room inside for organizing etc. Our tent weighs probably 7lbs, but it was well priced when we got it and is well built, so will be used for years to come.
When looking at tent options, at least look at the weights, but I guess you will do what you want to do, so enjoy the trip and I hope you don't have too much rain. Chances are you won't depending on where and when starting, but summer generally is ok.
Good luck with weather and have fun.

Buy a 2 person and be intimate? The wife and I have a cheap 3 person tent that we use yet we share a double width air mattress that probably isn't much wider than a twin size bed which leaves a lot of room in the tent for our stuff which we don't carry a lot of. Typical assembly for each of us was two large panniers and a good sized front bag with the tent, sleeping bags and mattress strapped to the top of the rear rack. Though last year we started experimenting with slimming it down for bikepacking bags. The stuff just doesn't take up that much room in general when, for us, the bulkiest items outside the panniers which just fit stacked in a corner, are the tent your in, the mattress you're on the sleeping bags you're using. This year we plan on buying a 2 person and banishing the kids to the 3 person to sleep by themselves.

Bring a 3 person tent for the 2 weeks with the GF, and have her take it back with her. Mail the 2 person tent to some destination (maybe a post office or hostel) that will hold it for pickup for you.

A good tent is well worth it. You will generally appreciate the extra space but more importantly a quality tent will last longer and do better in the rain and elements plus it could be lighter or have other neat features. I love Big Agnes and just got a TigerWall UL3 Bikepacking tent and am excited it is nice and light but gives me extra space to relax and enjoy in or have friends or companions join in. I had (still have techincally) a Fly Creek UL2 and I liked it but I always felt I could use more space personally especially because I do like my cot and the FlyCreek was a little cramped with that.

Plus a good tent can be easier to set up and have other neat features. However in the end a comfortable living space is the big key and being able to be in a downpour in a tent if I have to be and staying dry is really important to me. If I didn't want to change tents I would just use waterproof panniers and only take in my tent what I absolutely need. A set of Ortliebs will last forever and will be durable as well and well worth the money spent. You can ask a lot of people round these parts and they will happily shout the praises for Ortliebs. I went with Arkel and have the rain covers but I do fully support and recommend Ortliebs for waterproof durable touring panniers. If you don't need a lot of pockets Ortlieb all the way!

My wife and I, and our two daughters have toured in 2-person tents. We use ultra light tents which do not have a lot of room, but do have good vestibules.

REI Quarter Dome 2-- A good lightweight 2-person tent.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d3b9d35b_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c9fd301a_b.jpg

REI Dash 2-- Light wieght 2-person, but a little more finicky to set up.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ef240110_b.jpg

The tent on the left cost 25 Euros at Decathlon store in France. We bought it after one of our daughters lost the tent poles for the Dash 2. The "girls" used it for the rest of the trip. It was a nice tent for the price. The tent on right is our old stand by, a Sierra Designs Lightning. It is a good 2-person tent. It has more room but is heavier.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...769a9ac3_b.jpg

I agree with djb, I would not wait until I arrived in Europe to buy the tent. You will use a day to find the store and select a tent. I planned on buying another good tent at the Decathlon store, but this is the only one I could find that was suitable for bike touring. Most 2-person tents are adequate for 2 people. We do not bring our gear (except bar bags) inside of the tent. The panniers go under the vestibule, or tucked away out of sight. If you get much rain on your trip you will be glad you invested in a descent tent. We had 35 days of rain on our first European trip.

I am a fan of Naturehike tents. They are light weight, but have only used it about a dozen times so cannot comment on durability.
https://www.naturehike.com/collectio...ons-nh17t007-m
You can purchase the extra vestibule and have the girlfriend take it home

A two person tent can fit two people but no gear. A three person tent will fit two with some gear. Do plan on taking a tarp for sure. If nothing else it ya can use it for ground protection. If ya want to spend less then 350+ USD on a tent consider the following.

The best three person tent for the money if you can find it is the Texsport Phoenix for about 100 USD.
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A great two person tent is the Texsport Saugaro for about 50 USD.
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Note: I don't do bicycle touring but I have spent many a night in a cheap tent, under a good tarp, with all my gear, and been just GREAT! Sometimes I just draped my tarp over my gear and tent so I would advise spending good money on a quality tarp rather then an expensive tent. A seven week, tour across Europe... WOW!

Both links are blocked by antivirus. What's up?

Who Boy... That was a scare: I generated both links in Firefox with a heavy duty add blocker. Just do your own search in your own search engine and I am sure it will be just fine. The three person Texsport Phonex is hard to find. They get bought out just as soon as they are made.

The Texsport Sugaro is on Amazon. It is well worth the money. This tent has stood up to Boy Scouts on 21 day trips but do note it is not self standing and requires two fixation points.

i used to use a waterproof cloth wheel cover to protect panniers sitting outside the tent.
cheap, lightweight, with elastic drawcord to keep secure.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/29502713969...item44b0fce472

cheaper and lighter

https://www.ebay.com/itm/25524346350...item3b6db22b52

Thanks guys. This is the Decathlon tent I will buy in Germany. I bought one last year and left it behind when I returned home. The vestibule is almost non-existent. The difference in weight between the 2-person and 3-person tent is only 1kg, but it is a lot bigger to attach to handlebars. The 2-person is $49.99, the 3-person is $69.99. A cheaper no-name model with a good tarp is a good idea.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...639c908748.jpg