Mcintosh
Lake RV Park
Camping Articles Index
Camping Articles Sitemap
Camping Articles RSS Feed
More Camping Articles
 Taking A Motorcycle On Your Camping Trip
How Much Food To Take Camping
Camping In A RV For Fun And Pleasure
New Jersey Camping You Perfect Together
Making Your Camping Trip A Vacation Rather Than Work
Camping Beaches
Winter Camping Can Be Lots Of Fun
Having Fun Making Arrow and Practice Archery While Camping
Recreational Camping
Camping Critters and What To Do About Them
|
 |
A good camping tent should keep you dry, comfortable, and provide protection.
Which camping tent... Dome, family, 4-season, backpacking or cabin is right for you? They don't repel rain, cold, snow, or biting bugs equally.
Camping tents are an important outdoor gear investment. This article will give you the information you need to make an informed decision about what kind is best for you.
First determine what type of camping you'll be doing? Do you only go out in the summer or are you into 4-season camping? Make sure to prepare yourself for the worst possible type of weather you'll encounter. Waking up to a foot of snow inside your summer camping tent because of a late fall blizzard isn't much fun. ;-)
After determining what seasons you'll need your tent for, estimate how many people you will usually camp with...
Sizing It Up
Camping tents are rated by the number of people they can accommodate. But these ratings are like getting twenty circus clowns into a Volkswagon Beetle...goofy. :-) When they say it's a 4-person tent, they mean 4 people and nothing else, no hiking gear, no room for boots, just 4 people that hopefully know each other pretty well. Seriously, if you're looking for backpacking tents or hiking tents and weight is a big concern, then get cozy and use the rating system, but otherwise I'd think bigger.
Consider going 1-2 sizes bigger than what you need for a smaller camping tent. Better yet divide the "person rating" by 2 so you'll have a decent amount of room if you have to stay inside due to nasty weather. If you thought cabin fever was bad wait until you're stuck in a downpour with 5 other people in a small tent for a few days.
My 4 man tent with 2 vestibules is perfect for 2 people and plenty of gear. Dry equipment is a good thing. This is still true with kids because the smaller they are the more room they take up with "kid stuff". Something else to keep in mind is that more room makes extended trips easier.
Consider the length and width of the camping tents you're looking at. If you're 6 feet tall you'll want at least 7 feet to stretch out length-wise and 2-3 feet of width depending on how much you move in your sleep.
Another thing to consider is to make sure you have enough space for an inflatable air mattress. While it's not mandatory I'll have to say it makes camping much more comfortable than lying on a cold pad. When I wake up I feel 300% better than when I slept on a pad on the floor getting stiff and cold. No it's not a king-size pillow-top, but hey this is camping. ;-)
Since we're on the subject of size, make sure that you'll have enough height to kneel, partially-stand, or...
If you would like to learn more about how to pick a great camping tent, click here.
About the Author
Marc learned about quality gear just after his pup tent flooded forcing him to sleep in his tiny 2-seat Honda CRX. His hiking equipment & camping gear guides & reviews save you time & money. Subscribe to his camping & hiking newsletter & get the most usable info. FREE! © 2005. Reprint permission if author, copyright, links & this notice are intact.
Written by: Marc Wiltse
|
|
Camping At The Beach Can Be Great Fun For The Entire Family
Most people think about the mountains or forests for camping. However, camping on the beach can be a great alternative. The sand and water provide...read more
Camping Critters and What To Do About Them
AH! The great outdoors, fresh air, sunshine, open spaces, critters.
Yes critters…you know those uninvited little guests that can turn a fun...read more
Camping For Fun Begins With The Right Supplies
Camping for Fun begins with making sure you've taken along all the right supplies. Use this checklist to be sure!
Camp cooking
Hot dog...read more
Press Release
Camping With or Without a Remote Control in the Great Outdoors
The word campground is used today to cover places that are both RV and tent/hiker focused, developed or...read more
The best parts of Camping gear
Group or family camping is a great way to build closer
relationships between individuals. If you are a beginner, the
best way is to start with tent...read more
|
