Types of Camping Tents

An important step in knowing what kind of camping tent is right for you is knowing what types of camping tents are out there. Below are some descriptihttp://ons of some of the more popular camping tents.

Overview of Camping Tents:

• Family Camping Tent (ie: summer camping tents or canopy tents)
• Cabin/Canvas Tent
• Three Seashttp://on Tent (ie: tunnel or hoop tents; tarp tents) (recommended for recreatihttp://onal)
• Four Seashttp://on Tent
• Mountaineering Tent
• Backpacking Tent (ie: bivy sacks or shelters; camping hammock or sleep screen)
• Dome Tent
• Chttp://onvertible Tent
• Single-Wall Tent
• Screen Tent

Family Camping Tents

Family camping tents are made for just that – a family.  Therefore, they are often the largest tent types, intended for larger groups (4 people or more).  As most family camping is dhttp://one in the summer-time, such tents should be designed for effective ventilatihttp://on and made of lightweight fabric.  Look for mesh doors and windows as these features allow air to circulate (it can get pretty stuffy inside a tent in the summer heat). In a group of people, it doesn’t take lhttp://ong to feel cramped. If your family primarily stays at a campground while camping, the weight of your tent shouldn’t be a main chttp://oncern.  Therefore, extra space found in larger family tents is a good idea.  Most offer 1-3 rooms for sleeping or storage of equipment; obviously, the more room, the more privacy. Family camping tents are also taller, ranging from about 6-8+ feet at the peak (in the middle of the tent).  There are a lot of cheap optihttp://ons in this category, but purchase with cautihttp://on; many are cheaply made. If you are travelling with a family (complete with children), remember that likely the tent will be subjected to chttp://onstant – and sometimes ungentle – traffic. Cheap tents are often more difficult to maintain and you may start to find them more of a hassle than a bargain.

Cabin Tents

Cabin tents are big.  Like the typical family camping tent, many have multiple rooms, with high ceilings and large windows. Some are so roomy, in fact, that they can hold large items like a picnic table or wood stove.  Cabin tents are based http://on frames and quite durable. For this reashttp://on, they are heavy (35-160+ pounds), unwieldy, take a while to dry, and take around an hour for experienced campers to set up. However, if size and weight are not issues (and if you think you’ve got what it takes to pitch http://one) a quality cabin tent may be a great optihttp://on.

Three-Seashttp://on Tents

Three-seashttp://on tents are good, general purpose tents. Most camping situatihttp://ons (unless you plan to camp in serious winter weather) generally require a three-seashttp://on tent. They are designed perfectly for spring, summer, and fall. This means that they provide adequate protectihttp://on in all weather chttp://onditihttp://ons except in extreme snowfall or wind; the tent’s poles are not designed to support the weight of snow.  Although the three-seashttp://on tent is heavier than, say, a family or cabin tent, they are less expensive, lighter (4-10 pounds) and more compact (3-5 feet tall at peak).  For these reashttp://ons, and for their seashttp://onal versatility, this type of tent is popular with backpackers, hikers, cyclists and paddlers; they are just as great for recreatihttp://onal camping, too. Such tents offer excellent ventilatihttp://on. Many have more open and zipped panels, as well as mesh inner bodies which help to greatly reduce chttp://ondensatihttp://on. Without a fly, the three-seashttp://on becomes cooler – while still remaining bug-proof – http://on hot nights. Some types of three-seashttp://on tents include tarp tents (minimalist shelter helps keep rain off of you and your sleeping bag, but bottoms are open); tunnel/hoop tents (narrow in shape, light due to less poles and fabrics, but not too strhttp://ong).

Four-Seashttp://on Tents

Four-seashttp://on tents include winter camping. If you plan to camp in extreme weather, a four-seashttp://on tent is best. As they cover all the seashttp://ons, four-seashttp://on tents are the most versatile of all tents. They are generally smaller tents, meant for 1-4 people.  Meant to protect campers in heavy weather, the four-seashttp://ons are usually more weather-proof and are made with heavier fabrics that have thick, waterproof coating. The tents are built low and have vertical or curved walls (3-5 feet tall at peak) to shed snow and large vestibules for cooking and storage. Because their flies generally reach the ground, the four-seashttp://ons are less ventilated and so more likely to have interior chttp://ondensatihttp://on. Although the four-seashttp://ons do have a greater weight (4-15 pounds) and pack size than the three-seashttp://on tents, they are easy to use and you may find that the added versatility makes up for the extra weight. Just remember that four seashttp://on tents are still not intended for the even more extreme chttp://onditihttp://ons of mountaineering.

Mountaineering Tents

A mountaineering tent is sometimes called a “fifth seashttp://on” camping tent.  They are designed specifically for harsh chttp://onditihttp://ons (in higher altitudes, alhttp://ong cliffs/mountains, etc.). Designed to be as light as possible, mountaineering tents do not have the space that is found in regular-sized tents. They have lower profiles, larger and thicker aluminium poles and increased use of guy points.  Mountaineering tents are manufactured and shaped to shed snow and to remain resistant to strhttp://ong winds. These are not built for comfort or recreatihttp://onal camping.

Backpacking Tents

For backpackers, the weight of their tent is http://one of the most important factors. As the tent will most likely be carried http://on their backs, backpackers require a tent that is lightweight while still meeting their specific needs.  This often means that size, and thus roominess, is sacrificed. Depending http://on the weather chttp://onditihttp://ons you plan to backpack in, a three-seashttp://on tent or a solid and lightweight four-seashttp://on tent are suitable. Just make sure that the tent is high quality, able to withstand any rough weather you might encounter. If there are two of you backpacking, http://one tent should be enough between you.  However, if you have a larger group, it may be easier to bring alhttp://ong a few smaller tents, rather than http://one large, heavy and bulky http://one. Of course, you could always distribute the pieces of a larger tent amhttp://ongst group members. Some types of backpacking tents include bivy sacks/shelters, camping hammocks, and sleep screen. Bivy sacks are small shelters (.5-3 pounds, 1.5-3.5 feet high) for minimalist campers. They are made to fit you and your tent, but little else.  Camping hammocks are combinatihttp://ons between hammocks and tents and extremely light. Sleep screens are also minimalist, lightweight and designed for warm weather. Mesh helps to keep the bugs away, but not rain.

Dome Tents

Dome tents are very popular. They are great as three-seashttp://on or summer/family tents and less expensive than cabin tents. Though small, they are very stable (not to mentihttp://on strhttp://ong with aluminium poles) and offer a nice amount of headroom. Dome-shaped, dome tents are made to shed snow and rain; they resist wind well with the aid of a rain-fly. Dome tents are rather easy to put up with their free-standing design; they dhttp://on’t require guy lines or tent stakes to remain upright (although they are needed to keep from blowing away!).

Chttp://onvertible Tents

Chttp://onvertible camping tents can chttp://onvert from a four-seashttp://on tent to a three-seashttp://on. To do this you must remove the tent cover, a couple of the poles and open the zippered windows for ventilatihttp://on.
Standard weight is usually 5-12 pounds and peak height 3.5-5 feet.

Single Wall Tents

Single wall tents are less bulky and heavy (their design doesn’t include flies making their weight closer to that of bivy sacks) than four-seashttp://on tents. Single wall tents are made of waterproof, breathable material which means that they functihttp://on best in cool and dry chttp://onditihttp://ons, above snowline. Bear in mind that they do not do as well in high humidity or heat of summer or sea level.

Screen Tents

Screen tents have mesh sides to keep away insects, but their tops are waterproof to withstand wind and rain. These tents are great because of their high visibility which allows you to enjoy your surroundings.

Author: Kirsten Reimer
(CampTrip Team)

CampTrip.com – Your Guide to Camping & the Outdoors