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Modern Tents for
Camping and Hiking
Camping and Hiking
Tents for All Occasions
Good tents are wonderful things. I'm saying that because I've done a lot of camping without them, during periods of my life when I was marvelously ignorant of techniques and gear, and times when I thought it was soft practice to use such things. As you get older you start to see that pain isn't always a necessary part of pleasure. Get a good tent and you'll enjoy your trip much more.
My first independent camping trips were based on information I had gained from watching endless Saturday afternoon westerns as I was growing up. Most of my adventures as a kid involved carrying a pack of emergency equipment as far as I could get in a day and still be home in time for supper. My longest hike was twenty miles with the minimal gear I'd read about in The Last of the Mohicans -- a rifle and a really tired dog. Real camping didn't hit me until the end of the 60's when I was old enough to be out on my own, and I carried what I had seen John Wayne and others carry rolled up behind the saddle. Since none of them had a tent, neither did I, thinking that it was probably an unnecessary luxury. I'm about to write that story on The Marked Tree, but the point is that either John Wayne was a lot tougher than me or the climate of Texas in the 1800's was very pleasant.
Sleeping under the stars isn't that great on most nights. You'll be visited by all sorts of bugs in the summer, most of them capable of waking you up or doing worse if you don't. Even the mild ones like ants can be unbearable. I've done this many times over the years, sometimes on the bare ground and sometimes on concrete, and although you can get used to it usually isn't a great experience. I can remember three nights when it was wonderful, countless others when it was misery. I've lived through nights that should have killed me. A tent wouldn't have made the situation pleasant, but it would have solved many problems.
The type of tent you buy should depend on the type of camping or traveling you do. If you backpack, you'll need a much different tent
Good tents are wonderful things. I'm saying that because I've done a lot of camping without them, during periods of my life when I was marvelously ignorant of techniques and gear, and times when I thought it was soft practice to use such things. As you get older you start to see that pain isn't always a necessary part of pleasure. Get a good tent and you'll enjoy your trip much more.
My first independent camping trips were based on information I had gained from watching endless Saturday afternoon westerns as I was growing up. Most of my adventures as a kid involved carrying a pack of emergency equipment as far as I could get in a day and still be home in time for supper. My longest hike was twenty miles with the minimal gear I'd read about in The Last of the Mohicans -- a rifle and a really tired dog. Real camping didn't hit me until the end of the 60's when I was old enough to be out on my own, and I carried what I had seen John Wayne and others carry rolled up behind the saddle. Since none of them had a tent, neither did I, thinking that it was probably an unnecessary luxury. I'm about to write that story on The Marked Tree, but the point is that either John Wayne was a lot tougher than me or the climate of Texas in the 1800's was very pleasant.
Sleeping under the stars isn't that great on most nights. You'll be visited by all sorts of bugs in the summer, most of them capable of waking you up or doing worse if you don't. Even the mild ones like ants can be unbearable. I've done this many times over the years, sometimes on the bare ground and sometimes on concrete, and although you can get used to it usually isn't a great experience. I can remember three nights when it was wonderful, countless others when it was misery. I've lived through nights that should have killed me. A tent wouldn't have made the situation pleasant, but it would have solved many problems.
The type of tent you buy should depend on the type of camping or traveling you do. If you backpack, you'll need a much different tent
than if you camp in State parks within easy walk of the car.You'll probably wind up with several types of tents eventually,
if you spend a lot of time in the outdoors.
The cheapest per square foot is also the heaviest and the biggest. Car campers can take full advantage of inexpensive but well constructed family sized tents with main rooms for sheltered meals and evening socializing plus side rooms for semi-private sleeping. I've spent time in State parks in both summer and early winter, avoiding work commutes and
The cheapest per square foot is also the heaviest and the biggest. Car campers can take full advantage of inexpensive but well constructed family sized tents with main rooms for sheltered meals and evening socializing plus side rooms for semi-private sleeping. I've spent time in State parks in both summer and early winter, avoiding work commutes and
unwanted visitors, and for one person a three room tent is
surprisingly comfortable. Though the Ozark Trails tent I used
was a bargain in price, it endured a storm that blew away most
of the tents in the park where I slept. Exciting but warm and
dry.
Every tent you get will need some waterproofing before it can hold up to a storm without leaks. Seam sealer and silicone spray ought to be an immediate purchase, right along with the tent. Otherwise it'll rain inside nearly as hard as outside. Be prepared for an afternoon's work if you buy a family sized tent.
Backyard camping is a good way to get used to the gear, if you have kids or haven't gone camping before. Tents seldom set up easily the first time, and I have one that still challenges me even though I've used it for years. Practice at home at least once, so you have some idea of the problems involved.
Three season tents of any size, built of top quality fabrics and lightweight framing poles, will be the most expensive. I'd actually only use them if doing a lot of winter camping. Above freezing all you need is a little shelter from rain or sleet or snow or dew, and a good sleeping bag. Below freezing, you'll need more shelter. Believe me, I've tried the other way, and it's almost never a good time.
Besides food, a tent and a sleeping bag make up most of the weight in a pack. Anything you can cut here will be a permanent weight reduction. If you can save weight with an airy style and you camp in the summer, go ahead. If you're a
Every tent you get will need some waterproofing before it can hold up to a storm without leaks. Seam sealer and silicone spray ought to be an immediate purchase, right along with the tent. Otherwise it'll rain inside nearly as hard as outside. Be prepared for an afternoon's work if you buy a family sized tent.
Backyard camping is a good way to get used to the gear, if you have kids or haven't gone camping before. Tents seldom set up easily the first time, and I have one that still challenges me even though I've used it for years. Practice at home at least once, so you have some idea of the problems involved.
Three season tents of any size, built of top quality fabrics and lightweight framing poles, will be the most expensive. I'd actually only use them if doing a lot of winter camping. Above freezing all you need is a little shelter from rain or sleet or snow or dew, and a good sleeping bag. Below freezing, you'll need more shelter. Believe me, I've tried the other way, and it's almost never a good time.
Besides food, a tent and a sleeping bag make up most of the weight in a pack. Anything you can cut here will be a permanent weight reduction. If you can save weight with an airy style and you camp in the summer, go ahead. If you're a
mountaineer you'll need the most tent you can get. There's where you find high prices -- durable weatherproof
three-season, four-season and five-season expedition tents light enough to carry up a mountain aren't cheap. Mountain
climbing, like yachting, is for the wealthy. The good news is that if you don't frequent the extreme high country and like
good weather, you don't need that level of gear. Cheap is ok. There are some really good backpacking tents that are light
and don't cost much.
Beware of minimal things -- I mean the gear that doesn't even qualify as a tent. In some places you can get away with just a tarp and a bivy bug shelter, but not everywhere. Everything's fine until something goes terrible wrong, and in mountain areas where seasons shift from summer to winter, sunshine and warm to snowy with blizzard strength winds, in only hours, I personally don't see the reason for taking the risk when all you're talking about is a pound of weight in difference. It's a lot easier to weather proof a minimal tent with leaves and brush than it is to try that with a tarp. And once again, I've done both.
Beware of minimal things -- I mean the gear that doesn't even qualify as a tent. In some places you can get away with just a tarp and a bivy bug shelter, but not everywhere. Everything's fine until something goes terrible wrong, and in mountain areas where seasons shift from summer to winter, sunshine and warm to snowy with blizzard strength winds, in only hours, I personally don't see the reason for taking the risk when all you're talking about is a pound of weight in difference. It's a lot easier to weather proof a minimal tent with leaves and brush than it is to try that with a tarp. And once again, I've done both.
Then there's the social aspect of having a tent, a place
to screen yourself mostly from view while getting
dressed -- often a polite concern among strangers even
deep in the back country. Animals respect the
boundaries of a tent, perfectly willing to leave the
humans inside it alone unless they sleep surrounded by
food. I like the strange sense of shelter and security a
tent gives, even though you're still incredibly aware of
your surroundings beyond the ephemeral walls. In a tent,
in a storm, with the rain slamming the walls and the wind
hammering the taught frame, you sleep warm and dry --
but only if you know what you're doing. It's a wonderful
balance of luxury and skill.
My favorite tent is the least one I have, but I'm not fond of it because it's light. I could get lighter tents. I love this tent because it's all things to me. On a warm night with a cloudless sky I can throw back the rainfly and watch the meteors, the bugs safely at bay and with enough of a wind break behind me to feel snug. On a cold or stormy night I can stow all my gear under the outer canopy, toss a heap of leaves and branches on the windward side, and sleep warm like a bear in a cave.
Tents can be the nicest part of your trip, if you do them right. It's like buying shoes, some people choose pain and fashion and others choose simplicity and comfort. Discover what's best for you.
My favorite tent is the least one I have, but I'm not fond of it because it's light. I could get lighter tents. I love this tent because it's all things to me. On a warm night with a cloudless sky I can throw back the rainfly and watch the meteors, the bugs safely at bay and with enough of a wind break behind me to feel snug. On a cold or stormy night I can stow all my gear under the outer canopy, toss a heap of leaves and branches on the windward side, and sleep warm like a bear in a cave.
Tents can be the nicest part of your trip, if you do them right. It's like buying shoes, some people choose pain and fashion and others choose simplicity and comfort. Discover what's best for you.
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Copyright: All original material on this site is the sole property of the author and cannot legally be copied or used in any form without his permission. That would be me.
Data Collection of Non-Personally Identifying Information:
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.