Making my first kit, do I really need 2 six gallon carboys?

I am planning to make my first wine kit this weekend, and it looks like I'll need to rack it twice. I bought a 7.9 gallon bucket for primary, and a 6 gallon glass carboy. I don't have another 6 gallon fermenter for my 2nd racking, so here's what I am considering:

1. Use a 6.5 gallon carboy. Is .5 gallons of empty headspace a bad idea?
2. Rack the wine back into the bucket, clean the carboy, and rack it back. Is this too risky?
3. Buy another 6 gallon carboy. I'd rather avoid doing this if I can.

Perfectly fine I do it all the time. If my 46L demijohns are full I will use a few buckets even, never had a problem. Just try to not drop your glasses in the bucket or let you dog in the room.

Headspace isn't an issue in a kit until after the degassing and stabilizing phase. Until then there is so much CO2 in solution being released you have a nice protective blanket.

After you rack your wine back in, degass and stabilize go grab a few bottles of a similar type of wine and dump them in to take up the head space.

So, for my first racking, I'll go with a 6.5, and then rack to 6?

Pixalated said:

So, for my first racking, I'll go with a 6.5, and then rack to 6?

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That would be absolutely ideal, but if after your second racking you have to degass the wine then save a little bit of wine aside to give you some head space when you start to whip the wine. After it is degassed pour the wine in to top of the carboy to the neck.

Makes sense. Thanks!