If you are new to camping then you are going to have a lot of gear to purchase. One of the most important camping investments you will make is your tent. When you are shopping for a new tent you will want to consider several different factors to ensure you are happy with your purchase. If you buy a good tent the first time around, you will be happy with it for a very long time and you will definately get your money's worth out of the tent.
Tent sizes, Multi-Room Tents and Other Tent Options
The first thing to consider is the size of your tent. If you are planning a backpack, mountain biking, canoe or other type of camping trip, you want a tent that wqill be easy to carry. Tent capacity is based on the aquare footage of the tent and how many sleeping bags you can fit in it.
Tents range from one person "pup" tents to 6+ multi-room tents. However, you will find that you will want a tent that is slightly larger than how many people the packaging says it sleeps. Two people, for example, will be much more comfortable in a four person tent. A good rule of thumb is to buy a tent that sleeps two more people than you have. If you are bringing large dogs along as well you will also want to have a room for them, as they need to sleep inside too.
Multi-room tents are nice as well, especially if you have a large family. There are two room style tents where the tent is basically split down the middle with a zippered divider. There are three room styles to accomidate larger families. If you are camping in one tent with a large family, then these are very handy. One room can sleep the kids, the large room can sleep you and your spouse and the other room can be used as a changing room or a storage room. You can also put pets in one room if you wish.
Types of Tents:
-Freestanding-Easy to move
-More headroom in center
-More floor space
-No large surfaces exposed to wind
- A lot of headroom & floor space- Large surfaces are exposed to wind
can easily be destroyed by wind.
- Guy ropes needed to support tent to
- Guy ropes needed to support tent to
reduce risk of tent damage
- Usually is a Heavy Tent
- Multi-function capabilities- Available in two and three room models
- Usually takes a little longer to set up
