How To Choose The Right Tent

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TENT FOR YOU

Choosing the right tent for your needs is important and with 100’s, if not 1000’s of different options to go for, making the right choice can be tricky! Don’t worry though, in this article we are going to be talking about the main considerations and features you should be looking for when choosing your perfect tent. Our goal is to give you all the information you need to make the right investment, so your next outdoor adventure is a success!

Main Considerations

What type of camping are you wanting to do?

Whether you’re going to be hiking up a mountain with a tent on your back to watch the sunrise the following day, or parking your car metres from where you’re about to pitch your tent for you and your family is obviously going to have a massive effect on which style of tent your going to choose. Listed above this post we’ve split our tent reviews up into the different categories to make it super easy to find what you’re looking for. Before we go through the different style’s of tents, consider this, will the tent your planning on buying be for multiple different types of trip or just one? For example don’t buy a two man tent for you and your partner for a trip this weekend if in a few months time you’re planning to go on a camping trip with the kids. Within most of the categories above most of the tents can be used on multiple different occasions! So that brings us onto our next consideration, style…

Style

Before we go through the different styles of tent, I want to point out that within the same style you can get a variety of different models that have different uses. For example its possible to get a ‘Tunnel Tent’ that’s perfect for a family camping trip and its just as possible to get a ‘Tunnel Tent’ that’s perfect for you to get into the outdoors on your own. To make it really easy to find what you’re looking for, in the links above we have broken each category down into sub categories. For example within ‘Family Tents’ you’ll find ‘Tunnel Tents’ and ‘Inflatable Tents’.

Tunnel Tents

Generally feel really spacious due to their height running the full length of the tent. The poles don’t cross over which creates the huge benefit of them being simple to pitch, however this same point means they aren’t the most stable tent out there. Make sure your guide ropes are set and these tents are great for family trips and campsite use.

Dome Tents

Dome tents are again very simple to pitch and due to their dome shape are very stable as any wind can’t catch corners or edges. As you can imagine this makes it a great option for camping in adverse conditions. If you prioritise space then this style of tent may not be the one for you as there’s typically less headroom in them. However if you’re looking for something you can use in a wide range of weathers then they’re definitely worth checking out.

Semi-Geodesic And Geodesic Technical Tents

If your passion is true adventure then this is the tent style for you! This style of tent is the most stable on the market due to the extremely clever technology. The complex structure allows them to literally stand up to almost any weather that can be thrown at them. Perfect for your next winter expedition up that mountain. However, as you can imagine all that extra technology does come at a cost, so some of these tents can get pretty expensive.

Inflatable Tents

Tired of spending hours pitching your tent once you get to the campsite? Inflatable tents have to be one of the greatest inventions out there. They completely eliminate the need for tent poles by using inflatable tubes instead. Pitching these tents will be incredibly fast so you can get to what’s important, relaxing and enjoying your holiday! They come in a huge range of sizes too!

Bell Tents

If your main priority’s are comfort, space and style then these might be for you. Bell Tents have an extremely unique style and are great for glamping getaways with friends and family. They aren’t the most versatile tent but provide large sociable spaces with lots of headroom! Some of them do come with fairly high price tags so often joint investments with friends and family are good here.

Price

Our next consideration is price. Make sure when you’re reading the reviews you have a rough idea of how much you are willing to spend. Consider things like how much you’re going to use the tent? Or how many days/nights will you be spending in the tent when you go away? The bigger brands and models do come with slightly higher price tags but of course you’ll be get better quality and comfort. With that being said we’ve reviewed many different tents across many different price ranges and we don’t think any one of them is a ‘bad buy’. The goal is to bring you a wide range of quality products in a wide range of prices, to help you find your perfect tent.

Space and Comfort

Space and comfort is probably the most important consideration for most when buying their tent. The majority of people will be pitching up camp not too far from their car, so the weight and packed size of the tent doesn’t really matter, so we always think going for a higher berth tent in these cases is better. We suggest ignoring the concept that a four-person tent sleeps four (unless some are children). Yes, four adults could fit in the tent but it wouldn’t be a very comfortable nights sleep and there would be no extra room to store your gear!

A Tents space can simply be broken down into these areas

Size

In general this means the overall square footage of the tent. If one of your main priorities is having space to store equipment, or you just want plenty of room to move, then going for a higher square footage would sensible.

Vestibule Space

This is basically the porch to your tent. Having a vestibule on your tent makes the general feeling of the tent much larger. It allows you to store things like adventure equipment, camping equipment, rucksacks and even bikes outside of the main body of the tent. Perfect for keeping it all within easy access from the main body of the tent and sheltered from the elements!

Height And Headroom

This is basically the measurement from the floor of the tent to the roof. If you’re tall, crouching down the whole time isn’t fun. Consider the height of the people going on your camping trips before buying. With tents, size does matter. Also look at the different styles reviewed as they have different pitches and angles to the walls, making some styles have a lot more headroom.

Bed Space

so this is the size of the space in which you’ll be sleeping. Again like headroom, taller people don’t want to have to be sleeping curled up in a ball. As well, many people like to take airbeds camping to maximise comfort of their sleep. When reading our reviews and making your choice, just bare in mind things like, can I fit my airbed in there? Or can I sleep laying straight out?

Storage Pockets

These are basically little pockets for you to store items such as phones, glasses and wallets so they don’t get misplaced. They’re extremely handy and different brands have different amounts, sizes and locations for these little storage pockets. Some brands you can actually move them to your desired location! Some tents even come with features such as washing lines to keep your clothes off the base of the tent. keep this in mind when looking for your perfect tent as they can make camping life a whole lot easier.

That’s how a tents space is broken down so how do you choose the right thing for you? Well think about this…

What Do You Need To Take With You?

How many people are going and how tall are they? Will you need extra space for luggage in your tent? Are you planning to take loads of equipment on your adventures? If so, consider buying a slightly larger berth tent so that you’ll have plenty of room to stay organised. If you’re going solo and need to keep size to a minimum, look for a one or two person tent with a gear store, porch or external storage system.

How Are You Spending Your Trip?

If you’re pitching up for a proper holiday rather than destination hopping, you might want a bit of extra space for eating inside, chilling out and sheltering on rainy days without going crazy. It can be really pleasant spending time in a tent if you have room to spread out. There’s nothing wrong with a couple buying a family tent if space and comfort is the highest thing on there priority list.

Tents And The Weather

When buying a tent its important to look how it would hold up in different weather conditions. Consider when and where you’ll be using your tent and we’ll help you by going through the different specifications you should be looking at to choose the perfect tent for what you need. The first thing we will look at is wind.

Wind

The styles outlined above show hoe they cope in windy conditions. A lot is to be said for pitching your tent correctly and choosing a good place where possible. You can read more about that here. If your going to be pitching up at higher altitudes, where there is more wind exposure then perhaps a Geodesic tent would be more suited to you.

Rain

The UK weather is unfortunately fairly unpredictable at times, so the last thing you want it to be getting soaked inside your tent. The good thing is water resistant technology has come a long way and the outer part of tents, called rain fly sheets, are extremely water resistant so you don’t have to worry. They can be built in or separate depending on the brand. All rain fly sheets have a waterproof rating called hydrostatic head. For the UK a 2000mm rating is easily enough for the worst downpours. Anything above 3000mm hydrostatic head can handle pretty much any rain Europe can throw at it. It’s also important to mention here that the different shapes and styles do play a factor in how well a tent can deal with the rain.

Groundsheets are the part separating you from the floor and are usually made out of a high grade polyester to make sure no water strikes up from the ground. What you want to be looking for here is a built in groundsheet or sewn in groundsheet as these help with keeping your tent water tight as well as keeping out draughts. They also help keep insects out too!

Warm Weather

Camping in a warm climate can be just as uncomfortable as a cold one if your tent isn’t the correct one for the job. You want to be able to allow air in without all those pesky insects so if you’re planning on doing lots of summer camping then make sure your tent has the following features.

Ventilation

Ventilation flaps. These are often adjustable to suit the conditions you’re in.

Vents at a higher level within the tent. These allow warm air to rise and escape out of the top of the tent to keep the tent feeling much cooler. These vents are usually sheltered so if it did start to rain, that wouldn’t cause a problem either.

Mesh inner doors. The doors to your tent are the largest opening so opening them is clearly the best way to ventilate your tent. Mesh inner doors allow you to do this without letting insects in as air can pass through but insects can’t.

Condensation

The last thing we’re going to talk about under weather is condensation. Basically when it’s cool outside and warm bodies live and breath inside a tent, the warm moist air comes into contact with the tents walls and condenses. These water droplets that form run down the inner wall and dampen any clothing etc at the base of the tent. Tent manufactures have come up with a way to combat this, so you want to be looking for tents with a double skin. Double skinned tents have two layers, a waterproof outer flysheet and a breathable inner tent. Instead of condensing on the inside of your tent, a lot of moisture passes through the breathable inner and away from your precious kit, instead settling on the inside of your tent’s outer flysheet.

Ease Of Use

The last main consideration is ease of use. No one wants to set their camping trip off on the wrong foot loosing their patience and frustration setting up a complicated tent. It’s crazy how many fall outs I’ve seen while people have been wrestling a tent with their kids and partners. In our reviews we rate how easy a tent is to put up, take down and put away. Please don’t confuse this with solely time. Although time is a factor, its not the be all and end all. For example an innovative family 10 berth tent might take much longer than small 3 berth tent to put up, but while putting up the larger tent you won’t feel like snapping the tent poles over your knee and leaving the campsite. An exaggeration but you get the idea! We base this rating off a few different things such as colour coding poles, time and clear instructions etc.

What we can say is this, preparation is key to every kind of camping trip. Buy your tent well ahead of your first trip and things will go much more smoothly if you’ve had the chance to practice pitching your tent and taking it down a couple of times. You’ll also have the chance to work out what accessories or storage you might need to organise the tent interior. It might feel like a waste of time but trust us, it’s not!

Final Word

All the tents we review are of good quality. Of course we’ve reviewed a wide range of tents at different prices but the bottom line is this. We want to help you find the tent that’s perfect for you so you can enjoy the outdoors and become as passionate about it as us! We know putting poor quality tents and products in front of you isn’t going to help achieve that. All our reviews are based off these main considerations listed above.

With that said, good luck! We hope you find what you’re looking for!