{"id":5614,"date":"2018-09-25T15:41:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T15:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/?p=5614"},"modified":"2018-10-04T15:01:15","modified_gmt":"2018-10-04T15:01:15","slug":"choose-a-tent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/choose-a-tent\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose a Tent To Take Camping"},"content":{"rendered":"

First time campers are often overwhelmed the first time they go into a camping store.\u00a0 With a bewildering choice of equipment that would confuse any first time camper.\u00a0 Do you really need that 12 person tent that boasts the comforts of home? Probably Not, but you still need to choose between a host of big tents, small tents, sleeping bags, and thousands of accessories that all look the same.<\/p>\n

Don’t worry picking out a tent is easier than you would think. With a little bit of planning you can find exactly the tent you need.<\/p>\n

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How To Choose a Tent<\/h2>\n

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Choosing a tent really doesn’t have to be all that difficult.\u00a0 It’s not going to be quite as difficult as buying your first house, but figuring out what tent you need may seem confusing.\u00a0 Don’t even start looking at tents until you’ve considered all these questions.<\/p>\n

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  1. How Many People Will Use The Tent?<\/strong>\u00a0 One Person? Two? Three? Maybe even your extended family?\u00a0 There are tents to accommodate just about any family.\u00a0 Just remember that larger tents are going to be a lot heavier the next time you’re out backpacking.<\/li>\n
  2. Are You Bringing Along Kids?<\/strong>\u00a0If you’re bringing along kids you need to decide if they’re old enough to sleep in their own tent.\u00a0 If not I would highly recommend buying a larger tent than you think you’ll need.\u00a0 Something like Coleman’s 8 Person Montana Tent<\/a> is perfect for 2-3 younger kids.\u00a0 Remember you probably won’t be packing light with kids coming along.<\/li>\n
  3. What Time of Year Will You Be Camping?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Are you just going to be camping during the summer? Or will you be camping during the colder months.\u00a0 Unless You plan on going out in the winter you’ll probably be fine with a standard all season tent.Something like Coleman’s Budget Tents<\/a> are perfect for the occasional camping trip.<\/li>\n
  4. How Are You Transporting it to Your Site?<\/strong>\u00a0 Are you going to be car camping a short distance away? Or will you be backpacking a few miles into the wilderness?\u00a0 If you plan on hiking out to your spot you’ll want to look for a lighter setup.\u00a0 A smaller Tent like this ultralight ALPS Mountaineering Tent<\/a> is perfect for seasoned backpackers.<\/li>\n
  5. Hot VS Cold Climates:<\/strong>\u00a0 In warmer climates you’re going to want a tent that keeps you cool.\u00a0 Some tents even come with built in sunrooms and oversized screen rooms.\u00a0 In colder climates you’ll have to focus more on waterproofing and blocking winds.<\/li>\n
  6. What Kind of Quality Do You Need?<\/strong>\u00a0 Figure out if you need a tent that will last for a few weekends or last for years.\u00a0 In the camping world you really do get what you pay for.\u00a0 Entry level 50 dollar tents just aren’t going to last more than a few years.\u00a0 Cheap tents are meant for the occasional outing, not the 1+ weekend a month camper.\u00a0 Do yourself a favor and buy the best tent that you can afford.<\/li>\n
  7. Hows Your Setup and Disassembly Skills?<\/strong>\u00a0 Practice is the only way you’re going to get good at setup and disassembly.\u00a0 If you’re not used to camping setup your tent in the yard a few days before your trip.\u00a0 If that doesn’t work for you a few companies have popup tents.\u00a0 Coleman’s 4 Person Popup Tent<\/a> can be setup and taken down in under 30 seconds.\u00a0 It’s perfect for short weekend trips, festivals and car camping.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    Family Tents<\/h3>\n

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    Camping is easily one of the most family friendly activities you can find.\u00a0 Until your kids get old enough to camp in their own tent, you’ll probably need a larger family style tent.\u00a0 Larger tunnel and dome style tents like Coleman’s Montana 8 Person tent<\/a> are perfect for the whole family.\u00a0 Designed to hold multiple air mattresses and spacious enough to fit a large family.<\/p>\n

    Large Frame tents are going to be harder to transport deep into the wilderness, but they’re perfect for the average camping trip.\u00a0 They’re heavy, take up a lot of space and are difficult to put up, but you can sure pack in a lot of people.<\/p>\n

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    Backpacking Tents<\/h3>\n

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    Finding the perfect backpacking tent is going to be harder than you would expect.\u00a0 Most likely you’ll be hauling a bunch of gear deep into the wilderness, so you’ll have to keep your tent light.\u00a0 Every pound counts on long hikes through the wilderness.<\/p>\n

    Personally I\u00a0like to limit my backpacking tent to a maximum of 5 lbs. For the past couple years I’ve been carrying the Kelty Salida 2 Person Tent<\/a>.\u00a0 At under 4 lbs it’s the perfect weight for long trips.<\/p>\n

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    Mountain and Cold Weather Tents<\/h3>\n

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    If you plan on spending any time out in the cold you’ll need to get a better tent.\u00a0 When you camp in cold weather and other exposed places you’ll need a stronger tent.\u00a0 Ridge and Geodesic Dome tents are going to offer the best designs for this type of situation.<\/p>\n

    The best part about dome style tents is that they use self supporting structures.\u00a0 Offering a lot of room with a small footprint.\u00a0 In moderate weather you won’t even need to use guylines to support the tent.\u00a0 If you do a lot of camping and occasionally go out in bad weather you might want to consider a Dome style tent.\u00a0 For the money it’s hard to beat Alps Mountaineering’s 2 Person Tasmanian Tent<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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    Where Tents Fail<\/h3>\n

    Your average $20-$50 tent isn’t going to last forever.\u00a0 You really can’t expect it to last more than a dozen or so camping trips.\u00a0 After a while you’ll notice the occasional rip in fabric, zippers stop working, or maybe the poles even break.<\/p>\n

    Thankfully most of these problems are subtle nuisances that can be easily fixed, but after a while they tend to add up.\u00a0 The only solution is to spend a little more cash on a better tent.\u00a0 Expect to spend about $150 or more on a decent tent that should last for years.<\/p>\n

    Unfortunately most people can’t drop that kind of cash on a tent.\u00a0 So what should you look for in a tent to prevent damage?\u00a0 How do you fix some of these problems?<\/p>\n