What makes a quality tent

Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. By Suzie Dundas. Suzie Dundas. Suzie Dundas is a writer and editor based in Lake Tahoe.

She writes primarily about travel, the outdoors, and millennial culture. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines. Share Pin Email. In This Article. Tent Sizes. Types of Tents. Tent Parts. How Much Should a Tent Cost?

To help minimise condensation in any tent, read the story on how to stop condensation in a tent or can you? Additional Features What are you looking for in a tent, apart from the factors listed above? Some points you might want to consider include: Number of doors 2 doors are ideal — saves clambering over someone else Number of windows important for ventilation - see point 6.

Storage pockets keeps the tent less cluttered, and key items easy to find Size of awning added protection from elements Ability to purchase accessories to suit tent and your needs eg.

Extra large canopy, additional rooms "Work out what is important to you and your camping experience". Flooring For a family tent, that gets a lot of use, you need a good strong floor. Ensure the floor is made of something durable. The flooring should protect you and your belongings from any poor weather seeping in to your tent, but I would advise to use a footprint on every tent you use ie.

Footprint is a piece of specifically designed and shaped fabric, or tarp that goes under your tent to protect it from the ground and will protect your tent from abrasions. Price This is the big decision for everyone. How much to spend on a tent? We all have different budgets, but I will stress that quality costs. Buying cheap will cost you more in the long run, when the tent fails you. Of course, not everyone can spend a huge fortune on a tent. Sometimes the really, really cheap tents are cheap for a reason.

Think to yourself before you buy, "why is this tent so cheap compared to others with the same features? Another factor to consider, is the conditions you expect the tent to survive in — if you are going to spend your time camping in extreme conditions, with ice, snow and high winds, then spend as much money as you can on that tent, because you will need a reliable piece of equipment to save you from misery. When you decide on a specific tent, shop around.

Like everything, camping gear prices vary greatly between stores. We picked up our family tent in such a sale. We couldn't have afforded it at full price. So we waited! Depending on what sort of tent you are after, buying from overseas might be the best option. This is especially so for some of the smaller tents, like dome tents. Not all overseas retailers have big shipping costs to Australia either. Once more, shop around online to find a retailer that sells what you want at the best price.

Purchasing from overseas does have some drawbacks of course, but the range of tents available to you increases if you don't just consider ones locally. That is why the next point is so important. After Sales Service So you have purchased this great tent, and something goes wrong? That is why after sales service is more important than the service you got buying the tent.

Lots of places are very happy to sell you the tent, but they don't want to actually see you again. Before you purchase, read up on the manufacturer of the tent you are considering. Make sure the tent you choose is up for whatever you expect nature to be throwing your way. Before wind tunnel technology, MEC testing teams even built a platform on top of a truck, strapped a tent onto it, and drove it down a runway to test strength. Testing has come a long way since then! Combined, these features will keep wind-blown rain off your tent from all sides to keep water out, with no extra tarps required.

With that said, a footprint is nice add-on when camping on sharp, abrasive surfaces such as gravel , when bare feet or paws will be inside the tent, or for an ultralight tent fly and footprint set-up. The front zipper takes a lot of abuse and can often be the first part of a tent to fail. Aluminum is both lightweight and sturdy, which makes it an excellent material for tent poles.

Fibreglass poles can break, and steel is heavy and bends without bouncing back into shape. Shop carefully to get the tent that suits the weather. Yet even the most perfect weather can change rapidly, so you need to think about your tent and how it would perform should a storm arise unexpectedly.

In the shop, I saw this fantastic tent with lots of rooms and storage areas — it sleeps But how long did it take to set up? Was a small army required? You need to consider that point when purchasing a tent. The salesperson told me it took a long time and a group of them — and they were the experts!

The point is, you do not want to spend hours upon arrival at your location trying to put up a tent; whether you are alone or have enlisted your unhappy children who just want to play, not pass you poles and pegs. If possible, try and set up the tent in the shop, although this may not always be a realistic option.

YouTube has a lot of videos of people putting up different tents. Find the tent you are interested in, or similar, and watch the video. See how the tent works and if it is an achievable option to set up yourself. Also, look for independent reviewers as opposed to the manufacturer video; the latter has a vested interest in ensuring it looks easy to set up a tent. A reviewer who is not associated with the company will more readily point out the pitfalls.

Tents that are made from canvas cotton are waterproof but become very heavy when the water is absorbed. Nylon and polyester tents are waterproof as well, but sunlight will cause deterioration over time. With these tents, you must check that the seams have been sealed to ensure they are waterproof. Many tents say they are waterproof, but we have found that the cheaper ones are not as waterproof as you may have hoped for. Good tents will have rip-stop fabric. Tent poles are made from all sorts of materials.

We have upgraded some of our tent poles to better quality ones to ensure they work when we need them to work. Also, look at the zips of the tent. This is a key part of the tent yet it is frequently overlooked. The fly needs to be nylon waterproofed with polyurethane or polyurethane and silicone coatings.

Ideally, a fly should cover all of your tent, including windows and doors, to provide maximum protection from the rain. Will you need to carry this tent great distances? Is it for car camping? Some of the larger tents are extremely heavy to carry — even from the car to the campsite.