What are the best camping tents?
If you are like me, you do not have the storage capacity to own more than one tent. The best camping tents are the ones that fit your style of camping. Tents are not one tent fits all. You will need to examine what you will be using the tent for. Where do you camp? Where will you be storing the tent when not in use? Do you hike, summer camp, winter camp, do you have a small car? How many people will be sleeping in the tent? These are only a few of the questions to consider, you will need to add your own. In order to help you to decide on a tent, here are a few of the tents that are available online or at your local sporting goods store:
- Pup tent- These tents have lost their popularity due to the dome tent. A Pup tent is perfect though for hiking because they are small and light weight. The drawback is the fact that you don’t get much room for your gear or to dress in.
- Dome tents- Dome tents are the most popular tent style today. The latest dome tents set up in less than 5 minutes. You can find dome tents that sleep two to 10 people. The drawback would be according to which tent you get, smaller dome tents are not made to stand up in, the family style dome tents are tall enough to stand up in but set up takes longer.
- Teepee- Teepees are designed for airflow, comfort, and warmth. Due to their design, they are cool in the summer, and in the winter, you can have a fire on the ground in the middle of the tent. The drawback is the ability to store and transport 22’ poles.
- Suspended tents- This style of tent is suspended between three to four trees; you must have a ladder to climb up into the tent. The drawback is that if you are sharing the tent, your tent mate will cause the tent to sway if they change positions at night and you may not find trees to suspend the tent with.
- A frame tents- these tents were popular in the civil war for soldiers, they were easy to transport on horses and you could stand up in them. Today they are made with materials that allow easy set up and tear down. The drawback is that they take room in a campsite to set up
- Inflatable tents- Inflatable tents need an air pump to set up, they are interesting, in that, the floor of the tent is your air mattress. The drawback is the same as an air mattress, a pin hole can cause the tent to deflate while you are in the tent.
- Truck bed or car top tents- truck bed and car top tents are very popular these days. The truck bed tent is easy to get into, the car top tent requires the camper to enter the tent by ladder. These tents allow the camper to not be on the ground. The drawback would be that once set up, they must be disassembled if you need to use the vehicle and you need to find a level site to park the vehicle before setting them up.
The tent that you purchase will be determined on how you will be using the tent, your budget, and how you will be storing the tent. Dome tents are the most versatile and most popular of tents today. They are easy to set up, store, and use. A search on the internet for types of tents will help you to make your decision. Remember, your summer tent may not be as useful if you winter camp. Backpack tents are lighter but may not hold up if you do a lot of summer campground camping.
