Yes you can! That is one reason many people by this. Sometimes people get this particular tent because they realize sometimes they will be camping with just a few people and other times with many more. If you go camping with just a handful of people are usually able to fit the main tent room. If you need extra room simply open the awning and set it up, place down the tarp, and put up the wall enclosure and you are set. When you use the awning to sleep more people you can simply leave the tent door open (not the door, but the tent door) and it feels like one large open area.