Tent buying guide
By Mark AndersFrom the June 2008 issue of Boys' Life magazine
Nothing can ruin an outing as quickly as a leaky tent with poor ventilation — one that’s damp and hot as a sauna.
Pick the wrong tent for the job and your trip to the Great Outdoors might not be so great.
So to give you the inside line on buying a new tent, whether it’s a backpacking model or a group shelter for you and five fellow Scouts, we turned to world-renowned rock climber Tommy Caldwell, who spends more than 80 nights a year sleeping in tents. “On those expeditions, your tent ends up being your little home,” he says.
Here are the rules to pick the best “home” for your next outing.
THE LOW-DOWN
Pick a design that fits your needs. Tents come in all shapes and sizes. Backpacking tents are most often shaped like domes, tunnels or wedges. Group shelters (or car-camping tents) are generally domes or rectangles with straight (or semi-straight) walls. Some tents are freestanding, meaning they can stand on their own without stakes, while others require guy lines and stakes for setup.
“You want the tent to be built for how you’re going to use it,” Caldwell says. “Mountaineers like dome tents because they’re the sturdiest and best in multi-direction heavy winds.”
Domes are also freestanding and roomy but tend to be heavier than other designs. Wedges are usually the lightest weight but not so roomy. Tunnels provide good space for their weight and are generally well suited for bad weather. A good rule: The more poles the tent has, the sturdier it’ll be.
Don’t underestimate the importance of space and weight. Though some people prefer tiny solo tents, Caldwell recommends picking a tent that’s at least big enough for you to sit up inside.
“I made the mistake once of going on a two-month trip with a one-man tent the size of a coffin,” he says, laughing.
Solo tents should have between 15 and 25 square feet of space. For larger tents, add another 10 to 15 square feet per person. When evaluating space, also consider the square footage of any attached vestibules, which are like little garages for storing backpacks, boots, even your dog.
Weight doesn’t matter as much for car-camping tents, but if you’re backpacking, obviously you’ll want the lightest tent that’s still large enough for your needs. Aim for a tent that weighs no more than four to five pounds per person. When backpacking with a group, the best strategy is to share a tent—and the pack weight — with your buddy. One guy carries the tent body while the other carries the poles and rain fly.
Don’t overspend. Why buy an ultralight, tricked-out $500 tent when the $150 model will work just fine? In general, the higher the price tag, the lighter-weight and more durable the tent and its poles will be.
Naturally, durability is important, says Caldwell: “I’ve trashed a lot of tents in my lifetime.”
And just think: That $75 tent might seem like a great deal now, but if it wears out and you have to buy a new one every season, where’s the savings in that?
Do not confuse seasons. Most tents are designed for three-season use. That means they will handle the temperatures and weather of spring, summer and fall. Four-season tents are sturdier and designed for camping in snow, but they are usually heavier and less breathable.
Look for breathability. Airflow is your friend.
“For camping in warm weather you’ll want a tent that’s going to breathe and be vented,” Caldwell says.
Look for a tent with plenty of mesh panels and vents that promote airflow. For rainy conditions, make sure there’s ample space between the rain fly and the tent.
Without proper airflow, you’ll roast and “get a lot of condensation that’ll create a little rainstorm inside your tent,” Caldwell says.
Even if your tent is freestanding, you still must stake it out properly for maximum airflow and to avoid pesky leaks and condensation. Unless you’re winter camping, stay away from single-walled tents (which are notoriously less breathable and lack mesh and large vents).
Try before you buy. “It’s always a good idea to set up a tent before you buy it,” Caldwell says. “Otherwise it’s hard to get an idea of what it looks like.” So pitch the tent and crawl inside. If the salespeople won’t let you, go to another store.
Besides checking for space, pitching it in the store will give you a better idea of how easy it is to set up. Tents with hub-style poles and color-coded quick clips will be simplest—and quickest—to pitch.
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My troop (Troop 9) has a few Kelty Teton 2’s and 4’s, and they work fine. The interior is tiny though, and the Teton 2 is definatley not a 2 person tent!!! The Teton 4 is pretty good though.
some of these tents are at REI
im looking for a good one-man backpacking tent. I recently used a kelty one man for backapcking, and it was really good. Are there any other tents like that?
I will say that the Eureka Solitaire is a pretty nifty tent. I have not bought one or used one but my friend who is also in my troop has one.For right now I think I will stick with my hooch..
its usefull
Where is the Big Agnes Seedhouse series. They are good tents that do well backpacking. The one person version is a mansion for one.
i got a cool 4 people tent from Cabelas.ROCK ON!
the coleman looks cool but thats not everything.
You cannot beat the Eureka Timberline for price, quality and durability. Look around, you’d be surprised what you’ll find. Local army surplus store sells the Timberline 2 for $53.00 out the door.
i love the coleman twl
i just bought a 25 dollar tent thats a two man and extremely light and durable.
I agree i use a tent cot over my troop’s tents for one i can sleep alone and it is a lot better to carry and set up.
Forget all tents you know of Tent Cots by cabelas ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i agree
i dont like my nickname bigdaddy$$ i’m changing it to uh swizzy#1
that stuff is cool and easy
camping is ultimant fun
i went on a 5 mile hike about 3 weeks ago it was hard the whole thing was basicly all up hill
One of my fellow scouts has at least a 10 person tent
my tent rocks
Best tent ever was the ones that Coleman made for the National Jamboree in 2001. It had 2 doors ( one on the east and one on the west side) so we did not have to crawl over each other to get to our stuff and big enough to hold 3 people and could stand in the tent to change clothes. Wish they were for more than just Jamboree. I would buy one for myself now if I could ever find it!
hey uncle mike i hav a bigger ozark train tent then wat u want us to get!!! lol
I have a tent like the colemen weather master but its a better one!!!
get the 10x 8 ozark trail tent easy to set up and take down coleman isnt that good
my dad got me a coleman exponent for $30 at Marshals
i went online to get another tent and found out that it started at $300
its been a year now and its been great
if you want a cheap tent, i sugest going to department stors like Burlington coat factory and T.J.Maxx. u might find a good deal
I like the Kelty Gunnison 2.1
i have on of those tents
the Eureka Solitaire looks cool i will look in to geting one
If you are going on hot/dessert camping trips seek lighter colored tent’s in stead of black and brown ones
right on man, right on
To Ian,
We’re looking for a 2-person, 3-weather tent for boyscout campings. What brands do you recommend for a durable, lightweight and easy to set up (this is our deciding factor) tent? Thank you.
From my experience in scouting and retail, often a scout needs a tough tent to do the job. So if a scout is going to get himself a nice tent, he should definitely get a footprint for it and be very careful with it. Another thing to consider for scouts is that there is a rule that scouts must share a tent with another scout or parent because of the buddy system, so this eliminates most one-person tents, including bivy sack.
Also, in my experience, the REI Half Dome and Quarter Dome don’t work as well as equally priced tents of other brands. If you’re looking for a lightweight 1-person shelter, I’d probably go for a bivy sack.
i love the eureka solitire because you can put your pack out of the tent but its still in side.
i like the Coleman Tyl X2