In the season when spring blossoms, it's perfect for a family to go camping in the park, and with a picnic mat, you can comfortably spend the whole day there without any problems. A tent is also the most basic "security" for outdoor enthusiasts spending the night in the wild, providing shelter from wind and rain, as well as protection against mosquitoes, bugs, and dust. With a wide range of tent products available, how do you choose one that meets your needs? Let's teach everyone how to quickly select the right tent!
1. How to Choose a Camping Tent?
1.1 How Many People Will Use It?
Tents can be categorized by the number of users (based on the average adult body size) into: single-person tents, two-person tents, three-person tents, and multi-person tents. Normally, each person is calculated to require at least 65cm of width, and tent lengths generally are no less than 2 meters.
- Single-person tent: Overall quite lightweight, easy to carry and store.
- Two-person tent: Much more spacious, better ventilation, and room to store some items and bags inside the tent.
- Three-person tent: Suitable for a family of three to go camping, can be placed in the car trunk, and is quite convenient to fold and store.
- Multi-person tent: Tents for four or more people, spacious and suitable for larger families.
Shopping Recommendations: Single-person tents are lighter and easier to carry, but for family camping, it is recommended to purchase a larger tent. More space means more comfort and room to store bags and belongings. Of course, if you're using it for mountaineering or hiking, considering the weight issue, choosing a single-person tent is best.
1.2 What Season Will It Be Used In?
Tents can be categorized based on seasons into: two-season tents, three-season tents, and four-season tents.
- Two-season tents: Also known as summer tents, these are basic models, weighing between 1.8kg to 3.6kg, light and breathable, suitable for summer camping.
- Three-season tents: Suitable for spring, summer, and autumn, these weigh between 2.3kg to 4.5kg, are convenient to carry, and can also be used in high-altitude areas with significant temperature variations.
- Four-season tents: Can be used all year round, with one ventilating layer and one warming layer, strong resistance to wind and snow, but they tend to be heavier.
Shopping Recommendations: Two-season tents are most common for park camping, with good ventilation and easy portability; three-season tents are commonly used by backpackers for mountaineering; if you're not an experienced backpacker, don't choose a four-season tent unless you're planning to camp in a high-altitude, cold winter environment.
1.3 Are You a Beginner?
If you are a beginner at camping, you can buy an "automatic pop-up tent", which is very beginner-friendly. Although a bit heavier, it's convenient! It opens and closes like an "umbrella", without the need for you to spend half the day setting it up by hand.
1.4 Do You Need Waterproofing?
To make a tent waterproof, a waterproof coating is usually applied to the outer layer, which can be categorized into the following 3 types:
- PU Coating (Polyurethane): The most common type of waterproof coating, it provides good water resistance and average durability, but it's affordable. The higher the PU value, the better the waterproofing.
- Silicon-coated Nylon: Often used in high-end outdoor tents, this material offers excellent waterproofing and sun protection, making it very suitable for winter. There are options for double-sided silicon coating and single-sided silicon coating, with double-sided being more sturdy, durable, and also more expensive.
- Coarser Polyester Fibers: Currently the lightest, most robust, and most durable waterproof material used in the outdoor industry. The downside is that it's expensive and has average heat resistance, making it suitable for non-winter mountaineering and hiking.
Shopping Recommendations: For ordinary park camping, you may not need to consider waterproof performance, but if you plan to camp overnight and sleep in the tent, then you need it! Generally, a PU coating will suffice, and for mountaineering and hiking, a PU-coated tent is also adequate. If you want something more professional and are preparing for winter camping, then choosing a silicon-coated tent is better.
1.5 About the Materials of the Flysheet and Inner Tent
Traditional tents usually have a two-layer structure, consisting of an inner tent for ventilation and warmth, and a flysheet for waterproofing and sun protection.
1) We've already discussed the waterproof coatings for the flysheet, which generally come in three materials:
- Nylon: A lightweight material, sturdy and wear-resistant, designed specifically for backpacking.
- Polyester: Effectively blocks ultraviolet radiation, does not degrade easily, and is suitable for long-term camping use.
What do the "D value" and "T value" you see when selecting tents mean?
Simply put, D refers to the thickness of the nylon yarn; the larger the D value, the thicker the yarn, and the smaller the D value, the lighter the same area of fabric, which actually makes it more expensive. T refers to the density of nylon; the larger the T value, the more yarn per unit area, and the denser the fabric.
A good tent must have both D and T fabric indicators; having only one cannot represent the quality of the fabric. Most on the market have only one D indicator, and if you're not using it for professional mountaineering, you don't need to be too concerned about this.
2) The function of the inner tent is mainly for insulation/breathability and mosquito prevention, and the materials generally come in three types:
- Ordinary mesh: Prevents mosquitoes and has certain breathability.
- High-precision polyester breathable mesh: Prevents mosquitoes and has better breathability.
- Polyester taffeta (polyester spun) fabric: Good insulation effect, suitable for winter.
2. Tent Styles and Structures
2.1 Tent Styles
Tents can be categorized into 5 styles, including triangular tents, dome tents, hexagonal tents, inverted boat-shaped tents, and ridge tents.
Triangular tents: Most are double-layered structures, with the front and back using A-shaped iron pipes as supports, and a horizontal bar in the middle for connection, to prop up the inner tent. Once the outer tent is installed, it's ready. The setup is relatively complex, but the wind resistance and warmth are good. It is the most common tent style in the early days, suitable for mountaineering and exploration.
Dome tents: These use cross-supporting double poles, making them easy to assemble and disassemble. They are also very lightweight and easy to carry, making them the most popular on the market today, suitable for leisure travel.
Hexagonal tents: These tents use three or four poles for cross-support, and some designs use six poles. The emphasis is on the stability of the tent, making it a common style for "mountain-type" tents.
Inverted boat-shaped tents: Once set up, they look like a small boat turned upside down. They can be divided into two-pole or three-pole support methods. Generally, the middle is the bedroom, and the ends are the halls. The design emphasizes wind resistance, and it is also one of the common tent styles.
Ridge tents: These tents are shaped like a standalone small tiled house, usually supported by four pillars at the corners, and a ridge-like structure on top as the roof. These tents are generally taller and heavier, suitable for car owners or relatively fixed outdoor camping operations, hence the name "car tents".
2.2 Tent Structures
Outdoor tents consist of the flysheet, inner tent, tent poles, stakes, guy ropes, and groundsheet, among which the flysheet, tent poles, and stakes are the most important components.
1) Flysheet: Determines the waterproofing of the tent. Common materials for the flysheet include polyester, nylon, and taffeta.
- Polyester fiber: Also known as polyester, it has a soft texture, high strength, and resistance to wear and corrosion, generally used for low-priced tents;
- Nylon: Lighter, softer, and more durable than polyester;
The flysheet needs to be waterproof, typically using a [waterproof coating]:
- PU/Polyurethane: Economical, cold-resistant, and also has relatively good breathability, making it the best choice for many entry-level tents. However, the PU coating is prone to hydrolysis when encountering water, resulting in poor durability. Many higher-end products will add other materials to resist hydrolysis.
- Silicone-coated nylon: Commonly used in high-end outdoor tents, it has excellent waterproof and sun-protection properties, making it very suitable for winter. There are double-sided silicone-coated and single-sided silicone-coated options, with double-sided being better but also more expensive.
2) Tent poles: The main framework of the tent, the quality of the tent poles to some extent determines the stability of the tent.
The sturdier, the better. Aluminum is currently the mainstream material for tent poles, being lightweight, flexible, and not prone to breaking. Some high-end tents may also use carbon fiber poles, which are even more rigid.
3) Stakes: The number of stakes determines the wind resistance of the tent.
A good tent will have no fewer than 10 stakes.
