Like almost anything, knowing what you are going to use something for will help you make a purchasing decision. Just swinging by your local sporting goods store to pick up a tent will probably not be a successful venture as tents come in many different shapes, sizes, colours, fabrics and types and if you don’t know the purpose of your tent you will be unable to choose the one that really suits your needs. Some things that you need to consider when selecting your tent are as follows: Weight – Tents come in a variety of different weights, there are lightweight tents to ones that can sleep a family of eight and basically include everything that you could possibly need in a multi-roomed construction. Deciding upon the right tent here means knowing how you are going to be transporting that tent. Lightweight tents can be carried in a rucksack whereas for the larger variety you are going to need to have a vehicle of some sort. However between these two extremes there are a plethora of different tents to choose from that can meet your requirements based on number of occupants, height of the tent, number of separate rooms etc... Season – You can get different types of tents depending upon where you are going to use them and what season you are going to use them in. At its simplest you can think of them as Summer Tents, Three Season Tents, All Season Tents & Winter Tents. Summer and Winter tents are fairly self explanatory with the primary difference between Three Season and All Season tents being the way in which they are built with respect to 3-pole and 4-pole construction. Material – What your tent is made of has a huge impact to its weight and weatherproofing ability. In addition, in warmer climates you also need to ensure that your tent is breathable and is able to provide you with protection from the elements. Tents come in a variety of different materials; however in most cases they include a breathable inner sleeping section and a separate waterproof exterior. Ease of Setup – Another factor to consider when choosing your tent is how easy it is to setup. This obviously has a huge impact depending on where you are planning on going camping and what the weather conditions are likely to be as struggling to put up a tent in the middle of a winter snowstorm is no one’s idea of fun! Generally you will find that A-Frame and Dome tents are the easier types to assemble. Occupants – The final factor that you should use in considering the type of tent to purchase is how many people are going to be using it? Obviously for an individual a small lightweight tent is probably ideal, whereas for a family or larger group, you would want a tent that could accommodate all of the members. The key thing to keep in mind though is that you should also include the gear in your calculations as having a tent that can accommodate six is great, but leaving everything else outside at risk to the elements is less than ideal.
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