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Buying The Right Tent
Whether you're buying a tent for the first time, or replacing one that's seen better days, you'll no doubt have noticed that there's plenty of choice out there. So getting the right one for you has never been so easy, or so difficult, depending on how you look at it.
But, as ever, Nevisport is here to look after you. In this guide you will find all the information you need to make an informed decision about which tent to buy.
First off, you must consider three things —
transportation, location and population.
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| Transportation — how are you going to get your tent to your chosen destination? If you're simply packing up the car and driving to a campsite, then the packed size and weight of your home from home won't be an issue for you. If, however, you are taking part in a gruelling adventure race, or plan to hike into the wilderness with the tent on your back, then these two entries on the spec sheet become quite important. |
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| Next, location — where exactly are you planning to set up camp? If indeed it is a campsite you are heading off to then a roomy dome or tunnel tent might be the best for you. Whereas, if you're going to be pitching on the side of a mountain, a geodesic dome is probably best so you don't end up in Kansas with a wizard. |
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| Last but not least, population — how many of you will be sharing the tent? If you've got a large family, and you've remembered to bring them along, you don't want to pitch up only to discover the tent you bought is too small. And by the same token, if you and your better half have hiked out into the wilderness with more kilogrammes on your backs than necessary, how do you explain that you've accidently brought along a tent with 3 rooms? |
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| Good. Now that you've answered all three of those questions, allow us to guide you through the most important features of a tent. The most popular designs: |
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Dome Generally offering good head room and value for money, dome tents tend to be amongst the most popular. They're easy to pitch and fairly stable, but are best suited to lower level camping. |
| Tunnel If space is what you're after then a tunnel tent is your best bet. For the most part they are also quick and easy to pitch, which is great if the weather turns. If pitched with the wind blowing against the end, these can be quite stable, but a side on wind can be troublesome. |
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Geodesic Dome The higher you go, the more streamlined you need your tent to be so it doesn't get blown away. These tents are designed with poles which cross over one another to aid stability. Usually free standing, they can be pitched even on ground which can't be penetrated by a peg. |
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| A-Z of important features you need to know about: |
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| It may seem obvious what this is for but the external door performs several important functions. If you are attempting to cook in the porch during bad weather, the door will offer vital protection. It also helps to control the ventilation as well, so make sure the door on yours has double zips and can open from the top and bottom. |
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| The outer-most section of your tent. You'll be faced with a choice of either nylon or polyester. Nylon is lower in weight but more expensive while polyester offers more stability and usually wears better. |
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Ideally you want a bath tub groundsheet that is seam sealed. This means it rises up the sides of the inner tent so that, even if the ground below your pitching spot turns into a quagmire, you'll still be protected. Waterproofing is measured in millimetres and is tested in a laboratory using a single column of water to see how high up the column can be filled before water begins to seep through the material. Basically, the higher the number the better. |
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| These are the cords that attach to the flysheet and are anchored into the ground using pegs. Guy lines help support the tent's structure and aid stability against the wind. The more streamlined your tent the less guy lines it is likely to have – some may have none at all. |
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| The most important place really, considering you're going to be sleeping here. On some tents the inner can be pitched at the same time as the flysheet, minimising the time it takes to set up your tent. Make sure there is a decent gap between the inner and the flysheet though – condensation will form on the inside of the flysheet over time as the temperature in the tent rises. If the gap isn't large enough, or is non-existent, this condensation will soak right into your living area. |
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| The door to the inner tent should be constructed from a very fine mesh. As well as aiding ventilation, this will allow you to open the external door of the tent without inviting all of the midges in the area to venture inside and eat you alive. You can forget about getting a good night's sleep if you don't keep them at bay. |
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| Pretty much every tent comes with wire pegs which, for the most part, will do their job in anchoring the guy lines perfectly. The pegs included will probably be made from a hybrid alloy and will become misshapen over time, particularly if you're attempting to hammer them into solid ground. Replacements of course can be purchased, but you can also buy tougher pegs made from materials like titanium, and you can also buy pegs suited to challenging terrain, such as rock pegs. |
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| If you're likely to be pitching in the rain then an outer pitched first design will be best as you can get the flysheet up, get inside and take care of the rest in the dry. Inner pitched first designs are usually more stable as the inner acts almost as a skeleton for the outer. These also tend to be lighter as well. Some tents may also pitch 'as one' or have this as an option. |
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These will usually be made from a durable alloy.
The elasticated cords which connect each section mean the poles can be collapsed and opened easily. Poles should strike a balance between being stiff enough to offer adequate support to the tent's structure, but flexible enough that they won't snap in windy conditions or when someone accidently falls into one. |
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| Far from simply making a tent seem a little more civilised, the porch of your tent will become your lifeline if the weather gets bad. Not only can you use it to store wet gear so as not to soak the inner of the tent, you will also have to cook in the porch in wet or windy conditions. Larger tents have multiple entrances, meaning you can use one porch for storing gear and the other for cooking. |
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| In terms of how many people a tent will accommodate, i.e. 2-person, 3-person and so on, this is judged by how many could lie in the tent in a sleeping bag. |
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This is hugely important — if you've ever woken up in a tent with poor ventilation you'll know why. The last thing you want is to wake up with sweat dripping off you and condensation soaking through everything in the inner tent. You want a breathable inner and doors on the inner and outer that will allow you to control the air flow as needed.
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| The weight of a tent will be directly related to what it is designed for, what it is made from and how many people it can hold. Just make sure you don't attempt to hike into the wild with a 5-person tent on your back, or drive to a campsite with an ultra-light 2-person tent. Some spec sheets will include a minimum weight which basically means you can leave part of it at home to reduce the load. For example, if you've got a challenging ascent up a Munro planned, which will only require a brief overnight stop, you may only want to take the flysheet and leave the inner. |
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