Size Matters: 5 metre or 4 metre glawning?

Bigger might always be better for some people, but others like to avoid excess. How do the 4 metre and 5 metre glawnings compare?  How much extra room does the 5 metre actually provide?  Will I be allowed to pitch a 5 metre glawning on a campsite pitch?  How many people can each sized glawning sleep?

Your questions answered below: 

Space

The most obvious difference (and deciding factor for many) is the living space within the glawning. The 5 metre offers an additional 7 sqm to make use of and an additional half metre of headspace at the centre.  For tall people and those with multiple kids/mates/scooters/unicorns to bring along this often makes the 5 metre a no brainer. This extra comfort does take up more of the available space at a site and whilst we know a van and the 4 metre glawning fits comfortably on a standard camping pitch, certain campsites (e.g. Camping and Caravanning Club) require you to book a jumbo pitch so we recommend checking beforehand for any restrictions they might have.  Most sites will love it. For your convenience we made a handy list of sites here that we know embrace glawnings and stoves but it's still advisable to double check. 

Remember you can lengthen and shorten the guy ropes somewhat using the sliders to decrease the footprint of each glawning and you can even get these Short Guy Poles from us that enable you to pitch with shortened guy lines - very useful, especially at festivals where you can't swing a cat ...with the exception of our very own glampfest of course where the pitches are more than ample!  Below are some useful diagrams detailing the exact dimensions:

4m ORIGINAL and CLOUDGAZER

• Overall Weight:  37kg
• Packed Size:  115 x 36 x 36cm
• Pitching Time:  10-15 minutes
• Minimum Pitch Size: 8 x 6 m
• Kador Length:  250cm
• Canvas:  350g, 100% cotton, unbleached
• Groundsheet:520g ripstop PVC
• Stove Compatible:YES
• Fire Retardant:YES
• Stove Jack already fitted:NO

5m ORIGINAL and CLOUDGAZER

• Overall Weight:  48kg
• Packed Size:  115 x 37 x 40cm
• Pitching Time:  10-15 minutes
• Minimum Pitch Size: 9 x 7 m
• Kador Length:  250cm
• Canvas:  350g, 100% cotton, unbleached
• Groundsheet:520g ripstop PVC
• Stove Compatible:YES
• Fire Retardant:YES
• Stove Jack already fitted:NO

   4m GlawningLITE

• Overall Weight:  27kg
• Packed Size:  115 x 34 x 34cm
• Pitching Time:  10-15 minutes
• Minimum Pitch Size: 8 x 6 m
• Kador Length:  250cm
• Canvas:  200gsm, polycotton, waterproof, mildew resistant 
• Groundsheet: black 420D Oxford fabric (waterproof, PU coating) 
• Stove Compatible:YES
• Fire Retardant: Stove Jack only
• Stove Jack already fitted: Yes

 5m GlawningLITE

• Overall Weight:  32kg
• Packed Size:  115 x 37 x 37cm
• Pitching Time:  10-15 minutes
• Minimum Pitch Size: 9 x 7 m
• Kador Length:  250cm
• Canvas:  200gsm, polycotton, waterproof, mildew resistant 
• Groundsheet: black 420D Oxford fabric (waterproof, PU coating) 
• Stove Compatible:YES
• Fire Retardant: Stove Jack only
• Stove Jack already fitted: Yes

Ease of use

Both glawnings can be assembled using the same (super quick!) layout and method as detailed in our video so don’t be daunted by the larger glawning if you are concerned about erecting them alone.  Just because it can fit more people in doesn’t mean it needs more to manage it.  Canvas is a fantastic material - it's breathable, has natural waterproof ability, looks fabulous and lasts for years. It is heavy however - there's no getting away from that. At 37kg the 4m cotton canvas glawning is 10kg lighter than the 5m but if you're worried about managing the weight you could consider splitting the components out into two or three more manageable portions or buying a glawningLITE. The cotton canvas and the polycotton are very durable and this means you won't have to buy another one for a very long time. When you get home from each camping trip you'll need to lay the glawning over something to dry completely before storage so make sure you have a suitable space at home like a garage, shed, or like we did for the pre-warehouse years... the good old dining room table! 

Picture: Aerial view of 4m glawning

Picture: Aerial view of 4m glawning and glanopy

Aerial view comparing both sizes:

Capacity

We get asked this a lot.  As a guideline we advise that a 4m glawning can comfortably fit four sleeping adults, and six for the 5m. This is subject to change, of course, depending on how many beanbags, inflatable beds, pouffes, Moroccan lanterns, beer kegs etc you like to bring along so there's no hard and fast answer.  There are some SPECTACULAR glawning set ups out there - for inspiration check out the Glawning Owners' page on Facebook, and #glawning on Instagram to see some of the inventive ways our customers have decorated their interiors.  You can also follow us on Pinterest, YouTube and Twitter.

First hand experience

If you don't want to make your mind up without seeing a glawning in the flesh then why not come meet us at an upcoming show? We regularly attend festivals and events where you can meet our team of Glambassadors (see what we did there?!).  They are lovely, friendly glawning owners themselves who will just love to show you around the glawnings on display. A list of all the events we are attending soon can be found here.

You are also more than welcome to give us a call and arrange a viewing  in North Yorkshire. Get in touch with us here.

Still dithering? Have a look on our glawning owners Facebook page at the conversations going on around what size to get - a lot of it is down to personal preference.  Sometimes couples will buy a 5 metre because they like the extra space or plan to use it in the garden for parties as well.  Sometimes a family of 6 will get the 4 metre because they like to keep the weight to a minimum in their van. The choice is entirely yours! 

Huge credit and thanks to those whose amazeballs photos I've poached above (Absinthe the Kombi/Martin Bellamy, Phillip Weaver, @glampingintheglawning , Tanya Timmis and anyone else I've forgotten to mention! YOU ROCK.)