Tent Buying - 4 Top Tips To Help You Make The Right Choice

There are two key factors when it comes to deciding on a tent - 1. How much do you want to spend? 2. What are you going to use the tent for? They are linked - even if you have plenty of money you should not spend hundreds of dollars on a little play tent for the kids to use on the beach for a few days each year. The trick is to buy something well-made that does the job.

Tents are not usually permanent homes, though there are exceptions: for example, the nomadic tribesmen in Mongolia use tents (known as Ger or Yust) as their only home, moving on as the seasons dictate. But for most of us the tent is a holiday base that allows us to get more closely connected to nature, move easily from place to place as the mood takes us, and perhaps to save a few dollars.

A good way to start the decision making process is by considering how you travel with your tent. If you have motorized transport then you do not need to be too concerned about how heavy the tent is, but you should give thought to the packed size. An unusual choice is the trailer tent. As the name suggests, they are packed into their own little trailer. Imagine a caravan that folds up, but is not such a pain to tow. But if you want a traditional style tent that packs into its own bag then you need to think about trunk space. Obviously you want plenty of space when the tent is up, and sufficient volume left in car for the rest of your gear when the stowed tent is put away. Other things that are usually needed include stove, fuel, cooking equipment, knives, forks, spoons, plates, bowls, sleeping bags and beds, clothing, food supplies, toys. All this can take up plenty of space.

One tip for making the best of space is to look for a tent that gives you living space without bulk - it should make use of awnings that give you sun and rain protection and hallways that are covered but that do not have sewn in ground-sheets. Only the sleeping quarters need to be properly sealed from the elements and the mosquitoes - anything more is just extra material you will need to pack. Also remember that you will need to stand up if you are going to try and cook under the awning. Look for the best compromise between space and packed size, without worrying too much about weight.

Certain tents are designed to resist severe weather. The necessity of this is something you need to think about if going on a camping trip with the family. Are you going to brave the bad weather, or head for the motel down the road? I would advise you to buy a tent that can put up with as much bad weather as your family and leave it at that. Tents that are built to weather severe storms usually mean that they weigh much more, are larger and cost a great deal more.

There are of course other ways to camp apart from taking the car with you. But backpacking means that you should ignore any of the above solutions. Weight is the main thing to be considered given that you will be carrying all your necessities. There are lots of search engines that give information and links to forums about packing an ultra light pack, which means putting restrictions on most provisions. Visit some of them by doing a search for 'ultralight backpacking'.