Now that you have decided to purchase a camping tent and go camping the question is how do you determine what camping tent to purchase? One option is to figure out how much money you have to spend and go to your discount store or online website and spend about $20 dollars more and live with what you get. Another option is to go to a sporting goods store pay full price and have a salesman determine what you need. Actually there is a better way.
You need to answer some basic questions about your needs and from that determine what type is best for you.
1. How big a tent do you need? - The basic component here is how many people will sleep in the camping tent. Sounds simple but there might be a few twists. If you have children will they be bringing friends with them and how many. The tent manufacturers list how many the camping tent will sleep. I suggest subtracting one if you go on weekend trips and two if you plan week long vacations in the same campsite. The longer you stay in one location the more stuff will move into the tent.
2. Will you be driving to your campsite, hiking or canoeing? - The campers that drive to their campsite are only limited by the room in the vehicle. A canoeist is limited by the room in the canoe but a hiker has to backpack the tent. Weight is very important to the backpacker and weight and shape are important to the canoeist. This question is more important than it first appears. A novice camper may visualize a beautiful camp site overlooking a river or lake that requires a hike to it and then purchase a camping tent that is too heavy to carry a long distance. Or, a canoeist may visualize a campsite by a river accessible only to canoes and purchase a camping tent that cannot be set up in the available space because it is the wrong shape for that space. Both hikers and canoeists need to make sure the tent can be packed into a small enough space to carry easily.
3. What kind of weather will the camping tent be used in? Will it be subjected to wind on a regular basis? - Cold or windy weather requires three or four season tents. Two season tents are cheaper and lighter but won't hold up as well.
4. Is privacy an issue? - Bigger camping tents have the possibility of room dividers. Consider two tents as another way to solve this issue. One advantage to two tents is it makes it possible to have tents for specialized needs. However, make sure your campsite won't charge extra if you have an extra tent.
5. How often will the tent be used? - Campers who plan to use the camping tent a lot can justify spending a little more to get the right tent. It would be cheaper in the long run. However, if you don't plan on camping very often a basic tent might meet your needs on a very exceptional basis.
Types of tents and advantages
A frame
- Free standing
- Light weight
- Good Ventilation
- Easy to set up
Dome style
- Roomy interiors
- Easy to set up
- Needs stakes in windy conditions
- Good wind resistance
Cabin style
- Good ventilation
- Straight sides make for great interior space
- Room divider potential
- Needs stakes in windy weather
- Hold a lot of people
Gary Bimberg spent the last couple of decades in the resort and vacation industry along with many outdoor activities. After retirement I started http://www.campingaccessoriescentral.com/ to give people cost effective options for supplies for camping and other outdoor activities. Come visit the above website for camping tents, camping sleeping bags, camping hammocks, water filters, camping stoves, and other camping accessories. We do our best to reduce the cost of outdoor activities with quality products.
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