TentCheck

MSR Elixir 3

Floor 84 × 70 in, 43 in peak, vestibules 7.5 sq ft + 7.5 sq ft. Drawn to scale from the maker's listing; the grid is 6 in.

Which pads fit

3 regular padsFits

An inch or more to every wall. Sit-up room +3.5 in.

3 wide padsDoesn't fit

They don't fit side by side: 1 in past the wall.

3 mummy padsFits

An inch or more to every wall. Sit-up room +3.5 in.

Pads side by side at their listed sizes, with the average man (5 ft 9 in) lying on each. "Tight" is under an inch to a wall or the sloping roof: the fabric gives, but a wet wall wets what touches it. Open it in TentCheck to try your own pads, cots and gear, or read how fits are checked.

Where 3 wide pads fit instead

The lightest 3-person backpacking tents where they fit with an inch to every wall.

Headroom

Roof overheadFloorShare
Anywhere40.8 sq ft100%
12 in or more38.8 sq ft95%
24 in or more31.4 sq ft77%
36 in or more16.6 sq ft41%

From the modeled roof, not measured. About 36 in is where an average adult sits up straight on a pad: a 35 in sitting height, plus the pad.

The numbers

Floor (listed)84 × 70 in, 40.8 sq ft
Peak43 in (3 ft 7 in)
Vestibules7.5 sq ft + 7.5 sq ft
Sleeps (maker)3
Packed weight114 oz (7 lb 2 oz)
Packed volume15.2 L
Regular pads that fit3 with an inch to every wall
Sit-up room on a pad, at the peak+7 in for 35 in sitting height
Pitched footprint84 × 118.2 in (7 ft × 9 ft 10 in), floor and vestibules
Groundsheet to cutAbout 82 × 68 in

On the campsite

Floor and vestibules together cover 84 × 118.2 in. On a square tent pad, as campgrounds list them: 8 × 8 ft: doesn't fit; 10 × 10 ft: fits; 12 × 12 ft: fits. Guylines and stakes need more room around that.

For a groundsheet, cut it a little smaller than the floor, about 2 in, so rain running off the fly doesn't collect on it and run under the tent: about 82 × 68 in.

Notes

Floor 84 × 70 in, 43 in peak, two side doors. MSR lists 15 ft² of vestibules in all; drawn as 7.5 ft² a side.

Sources

Roof shapes are modeled from the floor, the peak and how the poles hold the walls, not measured. Treat a result within an inch or two as too close to call.