How to Pick Your Next Camping Tent.
By: Marc Wiltse
A good camping tent should keep you dry, comfortable, and provide
protection.
Which camping tent... Dome, family, 4-season, backpacking or
cabin is right for you? They don't repel rain, cold, snow, or
biting bugs equally.
Camping tents are an important outdoor gear investment. This
article will give you the information you need to make an
informed decision about what kind is best for you.
First determine what type of camping you'll be doing? Do you only
go out in the summer or are you into 4-season camping? Make sure
to prepare yourself for the worst possible type of weather you'll
encounter. Waking up to a foot of snow inside your summer camping
tent because of a late fall blizzard isn't much fun. ;-)
After determining what seasons you'll need your tent for,
estimate how many people you will usually camp with...
Sizing It Up
Camping tents are rated by the number of people they can
accommodate. But these ratings are like getting twenty circus
clowns into a Volkswagon Beetle...goofy. :-) When they say it's a
4-person tent, they mean 4 people and nothing else, no hiking
gear, no room for boots, just 4 people that hopefully know each
other pretty well. Seriously, if you're looking for backpacking
tents or hiking tents and weight is a big concern, then get cozy
and use the rating system, but otherwise I'd think bigger.
Consider going 1-2 sizes bigger than what you need for a smaller
camping tent. Better yet divide the "person rating" by 2 so
you'll have a decent amount of room if you have to stay inside
due to nasty weather. If you thought cabin fever was bad wait
until you're stuck in a downpour with 5 other people in a small
tent for a few days.
My 4 man tent with 2 vestibules is perfect for 2 people and
plenty of gear. Dry equipment is a good thing. This is still true
with kids because the smaller they are the more room they take up
with "kid stuff". Something else to keep in mind is that more
room makes extended trips easier.
Consider the length and width of the camping tents you're looking
at. If you're 6 feet tall you'll want at least 7 feet to stretch
out length-wise and 2-3 feet of width depending on how much you
move in your sleep.
Another thing to consider is to make sure you have enough space
for an inflatable air mattress. While it's not mandatory I'll
have to say it makes camping much more comfortable than lying on
a cold pad. When I wake up I feel 300% better than when I slept
on a pad on the floor getting stiff and cold. No it's not a
king-size pillow-top, but hey this is camping. ;-)
Since we're on the subject of size, make sure that you'll have
enough height to kneel, partially-stand, or...
If you would like to learn more about how to pick a great camping
tent, click here.
http://www.hiking-gear-and-equipment-used-for-camping.com/hiking-journal.html
Marc learned about quality gear just after his pup tent flooded
forcing him to sleep in his tiny 2-seat Honda CRX. His hiking
equipment & camping gear guides & reviews save you time & money.
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usable info. FREE! © Marc Wiltse.
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