Searching for tents you may rapidly end up immersed in a world of unfamiliar phrases, making an attempt to decipher what it implies that a DFC pyramid has a welded bathtub flooring. This is our information to the phrases it’s essential to perceive.
Single/Double Walled: A double walled tent is the most typical, consisting of an interior tent (wall 1) and a rainfly (wall 2) between you and the weather. A single walled tent is, um, a single wall. The benefit of a single-walled tent is that it is lighter. The benefit of a double walled tent is that condensation (often) escapes to the outer wall and would not drip on you when you’re sleeping. We advocate each sorts.
Freestanding: Does the tent rise up by itself or do it’s important to stake it out? If it stands up by itself by way of pole rigidity, it is a freestanding tent. If it would not, it is not. There are additionally some hybrid designs, also known as semi-freestanding, the place you simply must stake out one finish.
Once I began this information, I used to be firmly within the freestanding camp. Freestanding tents appeared simpler to cope with, and in some methods they’re. Most tenting tents nowadays are freestanding. After testing dozens of non-freestanding tents by way of, I noticed freestanding wasn’t as massive of a bonus as I believed. All non-freestanding means is that you will have to stake out your tent whenever you’re pitching it. When you’re anticipating wind or rain you may wish to try this anyway, even when your tent is “freestanding.” The largest draw back to non-freestanding or semi-freestanding tents is which you could’t simply transfer them as soon as they’re arrange.
Vestibule: In a double-walled tent, the rainfly is often staked out away from the door of the interior tent. That leaves an area that’s not in the tent however continues to be protected against the rain and parts. The vestibule is an efficient place for stashing moist gear and cooking when it is raining, and it helps make an in any other case small tent really feel a lot bigger. Usually talking, the larger the vestibule, the higher.
DCF/Cuben Fiber: Dyneema Composite Fiber (DCF) is also called Cuben fiber. Each are trade phrases for tents made from Dyneema, which is a really sturdy, very gentle material. It is also very costly and will be annoyingly crinkly, however when it come to going as gentle as doable, DCF is troublesome to prime. For a full breakdown of all of the supplies utilized in tents, see Tent Supplies beneath.
Peak Top: How tall the tent is at its highest level. Relying on the form of the tent, this may occasionally or will not be useful, however it may point out how a lot headroom to you’ve got within the tent. In single pole tents although, the height top is often excessive however slopes off rapidly, that means you do not have as a lot headroom as this quantity would possibly again you suppose.
Doorways: Two-person and bigger tents want two doorways. Climbing over your mountaineering companion in the course of the night time is not enjoyable for anybody. Just about each two-person and bigger tent I’ve examined these days has had two doorways, however some even have a second full dimension vestibule, which is sweet.
