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CAPACITY
& SIZE
If
you have never owned a tent before in your life you will be in for a
surprise when looking at tents. Most
tent manufacturers take some liberty when discussing capacity.
Yes, a two-man tent will hold two people, however the
accommodations may not be much better than a coach airline seat when it
comes to personal space. How
large of a tent you get has a lot to deal with personal preference.
A one-man tent may have as little as 16 square feet of floor
space (that is only 2’ X 8’) while a four-man tent may have 65
square feet or even more. If
you are tall or like a lot of personal space, for two people you will
probably want to consider a three-person tent.
If you are car camping, bring your pets (your not going to let
Fido sleep in the rain are you) or have a family you may even want to
consider larger accommodations.
Size
and floors space also becomes a consideration that is personal.
A four-man tent will typically have a square floor that packs you
in like hotdogs on a grill. The
folks on either end will have less headroom then those in the middle.
If you can see your tent setup and get inside it before
selecting, you can get a much better idea on what is best for you.
COLOR
There
are a number of issues to consider when selecting a tent color.
Low impact camping purists suggest getting a tent that is green
or brown in color so it blends in with the surrounding terrain, and
won’t be easy to see by passers by.
Conversely, search and rescue organizations recommend a bright
colored tent of yellow or red for the opposite reason, so it stands out
and is easy to see.
The
color of a tent will affect how much light and to an extent how warm a
tent is. A light colored
tent that is yellow, white, or beige will let in more light and will
tend to reflect off heat. A
dark colored tent that is blue, forest green, black, or red will let
less light in and will absorb more heat during daylight hours.
POLES
Tent
poles come in a number of materials.
The best tent poles are strong, flexible, lightweight, and
collapsible. Poles come in
a number of materials. Popular
material includes:
Solid
Fiberglass:
Solid
fiberglass is light and flexible but by design is typically not
collapsible. As the
temperature drops the ability of fiberglass to flex also decreases.
Solid fiberglass is typically used in lower cost tents.
If a pole does break, unless it is completely splintered, it is
relatively easy to fix in the field.
Tubular
Fiberglass:
Tubular
fiberglass is a very popular material for tent poles.
Shock corded together, the tubular fiberglass typically with
aluminum reinforcement on the ends is collapsible.
The shock cords offer a little more flexibility, but again when
the temperature drops the chances of the poles splintering increase.
Aluminum:
Aluminum
is also very popular material for tent poles.
Tubular and solid, they can be shock corded together just like
tubular fiberglass. As
light as fiberglass, they are more durable and do much better in cold
weather. However it an
aluminum pole breaks, field repair becomes more difficult.
High-Strength
or Reinforced Aluminum
High
strength aluminum uses different metals in its make up to make the pole
stronger. More costly it is
an ideal choice if your tent will be setup and broken down frequently.
Carbon
Fiber:
Carbon
fiber is extremely durable material used in racecars, helmets and
aircraft. Lightweight and
extremely durable, carbon fiber will continue to perform even in extreme
conditions. However carbon
fiber is very expensive when compared to fiberglass, and more expensive
then aluminum.
RAINFLY
A
rainfly or weatherfly is a tent over the tent.
The rainfly stretches over the tent on the top of the supporting
poles. They can be rather
basic while others can extend quite a distance beyond the sides of the
tent like the eaves of a roof protecting the tent and occupants from
wind driven rain. The
rainfly can also be left off completely in good weather conditions to
increase ventilation in your tent.
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Policy
