Camping Tent: How to Choose the Best Tent for Camping?

Among the camping equipment, you should choose camping tents the most carefully. The camping tent offers you a dry environment when it rains, and a private space. Your tent is a castle made of fabric that protects you from harsh weather or insects. To choose the right tent, you need to consider:

  • What are your daily life habits? Are you a claustrophobic? Are you sensitive? Do Hot and cold bother you?
  • Find the right balance between space, weight and price etc.

Here is the best seller camping tents for you:

Long story short, camping tents are divided into two general categories.

  • Sleeping capacity / Size
  • Weather compliance

Let me explain in more detail.

Camping Tent Sleeping Capacity & Size

Camping tents are divided into categories according to sleeping capacities. As the capacity increases, the price and weight will increase. Tents are usually designed narrow to reduce weight. A two-person tent can provide enough space for 2 people who are short and thin, while a three-person tent may be required for 2 people who are tall and fat.

You can see the camping tents in festivals the best. By participating in such events, you can see dozens of different brands and sizes of tents and compare notes of their users.

How Heavy Tent You Can Carry

I think this is a sensitive topic when choosing a camping tent. There are 6 pounds of 4 season tents for two people, as well as 8 pounds. The 2 pounds difference is all about space / capacity. If you prefer the heavier tent, you will carry 2 pounds more and you can camp more comfortably. While 2 pounds of difference may be acceptable for walks of 5 miles. However, your back will remind you of 2 pounds of difference in long-term activities such as hiking about 50 miles. Know your own limits

The Price

There is no definitive answer to this question. The answer is directly related to your budget and what kind of tent you want. One of the main factors determining the price of tent is the material being used. The material used in tent production determines the resistance of it against rain, wind and other natural phenomenon. You can find tents for 250 $ as well as tents with a price of over 1000 $.

Weather

Are you someone who likes to take 10 miles of hiking on weekends and spend time with a group of people who camps in the spring? Or are you someone who is always camping on the mountain, whether it is summer or winter?

If you are in the first group, 3-season tents will do the trick. The issue of weight should not worry you too much. On the weekend, trekking groups usually transport their camping equipment to the camp site by vehicles or walk very short distances to the camping sites. In this case, you can buy 3-4 seasons with a capacity of 2 or 3-person and use it with pleasure.

The second group has to invest a little more for the future. It is necessary to balance weight, comfort and price very well. In such a tough activities, it is necessary to give up some comfort and push the boat out. You should choose 4-season tent that can withstand all-weather, which does not tear in strong winds, does not capsize, and provide quick installation in sudden weather changes. At the same time, since there is going to be a lot of tools in your backpack, you should buy a tent which does not make your heavy backpack unmovable.

Features: Small Details are Gaining Importance

Number of doors: Most two-person tents have one door. Some models have two doors which is offering more convenience to the users. Two people can enter and exit the tent independently, without disturbing each other. Also note that the doors are to zip open and shut easily without too much noise. YKK zippers on the doors resist snagging and breaking better than others.

Balcony / Front room: Balconies create dry areas at the entrance where you can cook your foods or put your muddy shoes outside. Two-door models generally have two balconies.

Camping Tent Selection Guide
Balcony-Credit: Amazon.com

Installation: How Easy is Camping Tent Installation?

You can set up Modern tents in between 1 min to 5 min. The short installation time gains importance after intense activities or in a sudden weather changes. For these reasons, you should research the tents that you are able to set up and assemble in a short time.

A tent’s pole structure helps determines how easy or hard it is to pitch. Virtually all family tents these days are freestanding. This means they do not need stakes to set up. The big advantage of this is that you can pick the tent up and move it to a different place before staking. You can also easily shake dirt out of it before taking it down.

Fewer poles allow faster setups. It’s also easier to attach poles to clips than it is to thread them through long pole sleeves. Many tents use both clips and short pole sleeves in an effort to balance strength, ventilation and setup ease. Color-coded corners and pole clips also make setup faster. Aluminum poles are stronger and more durable than fiberglass.

Important note: Make sure to set up and pack up your new buy tent at your home several times before it goes into operation. You will gain practice by the installation of your tent. Also, if you do not like your tent or find any defect, you will have a chance to return it back to shop before your outdoor activity.

Camping Tent Size and Livability

An ideal camping tent should neither be too wide nor too comfortable. Tent which is larger and more comfortable is usually heavier. The ideal tent should make you feel safe in all conditions.

Camping Tent Capacity

Capacity is the most important factor affecting the weight and price in camping tent choice. Not all 2-person tents have the same size (3-4 and 5-person tents as well). There is no standard that determines tent size. There may be differences in size even between two-person tents of the same brand. Before purchasing, it is useful to put as many sleeping bags in the tent and check the free space.

There are narrow and cramped tents for two people, as well as spacious and slightly heavy ones.

Another important issue regarding the capacity is the height of the inner canopy of the tent and whether this height is the same at the beginning and end of the inner canopy. In a 3-person tent, all 3 people will want to sit, have a chat and move a little. Tents designed in the form of a dome offer more equal height.

Regarding tent capacity, you should consider:

  • Physical characteristics of users (tall, short, thin, fat)
  • Narrow space phobia (claustrophobia)
  • Do users constantly change positions while sleeping?
  • Will you bring a small child or a dog with you?

Some solo hikers and cyclists head towards tents around 2 pounds.

Types of Camping Tents (Weather Compliance)

3 Season Tents

They are the most popular tents. With their light weight, they offer a comfortable camping experience in spring, summer and autumn. There are models with inner and outer awnings and only single awning. The models with two awnings can only be used in a very hot evening with the inner awning. Thus, it is possible to have a cool night, watch the stars and stay away from mosquitoes at the same time. Shield you from bugs.

Models with a single awning will cause less airflow, causing in-tent temperature to increase and result in an uncomfortable night, especially in summer.

3 season tents keep you dry in mild summer and spring rains.

3-4 Season Tents

We can consider it as an improved version of three season tents. It has high wind, rain and snow resistance. They can be used in relatively harsh weather. These tents use stronger waterproof fabric, solid poles and thicker base fabric.

4 Season Tents

These tents are designed to last in all season, all conditions. It is possible to find a 4-season tent where you can stay safely in strong rain and wind and under significant amount of snow load.

As thicker poles and better fabric are used, they are more resistant to harsh conditions than 3 season tents. Since snow collection above them is not desired, they are generally designed in the form of a dome and oval to resist against the wind.

Camping Tent Selection Guide
Dome Structure-Credit :Amazon.com

For those who want to check camping tents in online:

This is the best seller camping tents “Coleman Sundome Tent”.

Thank you for making our article worth to read. We appreciate your comments. Please share them with us.

You may interested in “How to Choose a Backpack and the Best Backpacking Guidance” as well, click on this to read about it.