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Tent Camping Tip: Select the Right Tents for Camping

Selecting the correct tent for camping depends on many situations and circumstances. Tents come in a wide variety of sizes, colors and configurations. They are generally made of ripstop nylon and have either fiberglass or aluminium poles. I much prefer aluminium poles to fiberglass as they are lighter and are much more durable. The body of the tents are usually uncoated ripstop nylon and the tent floor and rainfly are coated ripstop for waterproofness. Look for a tent that has heavy-duty zippers, tight seams, and sturdy poles.

Tents are classified as either free-standing or non free-standing styles. Free-standing tents are just as they sound and do not require staking out other than to keep them anchored to the ground. Non free-standing tents need to be staked to the ground as part of getting them to stand up.

When selecting a backpacking tent, you will want to choose a tent that satisifies your needs while still keeping the weight to a minimum. Your choice will depend on situations you believe you will find yourself in. rRemember: your are backpacking so you will make camp whereever your see fit. A large tent just adds to your overall bulk.

Tent Season Ratings

Tents come in one and two, three and four season ratings, as well as single wall tents. A one or two season tent would be used for warm weather camping and the tent body would most likely be constructed of a mesh window material with a rainfly cover. Three and four season tents are for colder weather and have less mesh window material, and in the case of four season tents can be completley sealed up with zip-in panels. This is to control air movement and prevent snow from blowing in under the rain fly. Plus three and four season tents use more poles, are studier and can stand up to higher wind speeds. In cold weather applications you will find that the moisture in your breath will condensate on the inside of the tent unless a vent is left open to allow it to escape. Finally, single wall tents have the body of the tent coated for waterproofness with no accompaning rainfly. These may be a good choice for backpacking as there is less weight, but may not be as versital as a tent with a rainfly. There also may be a time when you could use a larger tent as a base camp tent. This allows for the flexability of doing short day hikes out from your base camp.

Tent Size Ratings

Tents are sized by how many men will fit inside. However, this is how many will barely fit. A one person tent (aka single man tent) fits one person - snuggly. A two person tent is better for a single person as it offers a bit of room to move around. If you plan on camping in a two man tent with someone, make sure you are really good friends as the tent will be very crowded with no room for your gear. A four person tent will fit two adults and gear, with a bit of room to move around. Family tents are large enough to accommodate groups of four or more and are built with privacy and comfort in mind. Often, with a family tent there are multiple "rooms".

As a general rule, a tent size rating is twice as much as how many will actually fit comfortabley within the tent (plus their gear). For example, a 4 man tent accommodates two people and gear, a two man tents accommodates one person and gear. Choose a tent that provides suitable space requirements for your campers and all of your gear.