Hot answers tagged tents
25
Absolutely not! Fire is the obvious risk, but carbon monoxide poisoning should be taken seriously as well. If the weather is bad, at the very least cook under the vestibule with maximum ventilation.
Others have brought up a great point about bear country. It's recommended to cook and eat at least 100 yards away from your camp site when there may be bears ...
17
Hammocks are cold. The weight of your body compresses the clothes or sleeping bag, and air circulates underneath you, as opposed to a tent where you usually have a pad and the ground for insulation.
It seems like it would be tough to stay dry in the rain in a hammock. It's nice to have a tent to get into in the rain in between hiking/playing and sleeping if ...
16
The answers regarding flammability (and the ensuing death trap) and carbon monoxide poisoning are correct. Even in foul weather, cook outside your tent. If you do lots of camping in bad weather (New Zealand's West Coast?) get a tent with a vestibule.
There is one additional problem: In bear country, you never want to cook too close to your tent, because if ...
13
If it's raining or very humid you are probably going to have to put up with some condensation, but to try and reduce it, look for ways to minimise water vapour and increase ventilation. The following may help, but obviously not all will be appropriate for the conditions you are camping in.
Sources of water vapour:
Combustion of fuel in a stove and steam ...
13
The difference between a single wall tent and a double wall tent is the rain fly (or lack thereof). A single wall tent has only one layer of fabric, this layer provides protection from the elements, and is the only walls of the tent. A double wall tent usually has a mesh inner tent with a fly that sits on top to protect you from the elements.
The benefits ...
12
Any pole will have a fractionally greater chance of attracting lightning than a piece of flat ground or a dome tent - but this doesn't mean the increased chance is that high. If you are in the middle of an entirely flat field and your tent pole is the highest object for miles, then it will be a slight risk, but some points to consider:
If you are anywhere ...
11
The key advantage of a geodesic design is the pole configuration can support a greater static load. This means they are favoured for mountaineering expeditions because they can withstand a heavy snow fall (compared with a tunnel design that would sag with the weight of the snow between each pole).
Tunnel tents are preferred for polar expeditions as they ...
11
I hadn't seen any of these but a quick Google does indeed seem to bring up a few!
From a quick glance around, though this isn't an authoritative answer, it seems that 5 season tents are specifically designed for the harshness of Arctic-like climates, rather than a 4 season tent being designed more for your average winter in non-arctic conditions. I guess in ...
10
Your mileage will vary by manufacturer, tent technology might not change, but designs do quite a lot (just to keep you wanting the next thing...)
Check out REI - they have a 100% full return or replacement guarantee on all purchases that extends pretty much for eternity. I demand a lot of my gear, and even when it has let me down, REI never has.
(Note: I ...
9
In a lot of places it will be quite difficult finding two trees the right distance apart to hang it. When it's late and you've been walking all day, all you want to do is lie down and rest, you might spend quite a long time looking for those two trees.
Here in the UK when it rains, it often comes horizontal, so even with a tarp over you, you're going to get ...
9
My own preferred method is to use a UCO Mini candle lantern attached to the loop in the ceiling, it generates light that radiates outward, and also generates enough heat to make the tent enjoyable when you're settling in for the night.
I combine the above with a headlamp for personal reading.
8
We quite often cook on a small gas stove in the porch (vestibule) of the tent - as long as you are careful and don't leave it unattended, just be sensible.
I have seen a tent go up in flames, and they burn extremely quickly so I'm aware of the danger, but I've never felt at risk.
Thankfully in the UK we don't have to worry about Bears...
8
No, a tent will not give you any protection from bears that want what's inside. If you want to use one thats fine, but don't go getting a false sense of security.
In some ways a tent could be an attractant if:
You have eaten anything in it over the last 6 months.
You keep good smelling clothes in it (like the ones you wash in nice smelling detergent).
...
7
There's no hard and fast rule for specific tensions that I know of, mainly because that will vary slightly depending on the conditions. As an average rule I tend to make them taught, but not to the point where they're pulling on the pegs.
There's a couple of scenarios where I tend to slacken them off a bit though:
When the pegs can't be fully pushed into ...
7
I camp in the Appalachians (pretty darned wet). We have had the same Kelty tent for over four years with anywhere from six to twelve trips per year. We've never waterproofed it. It still repels water and performs very well. It poured rain for over 12 hours our last trip and the kiddos in the tent stayed dry.
I'd say waterproof when you have an issue. ...
7
The simplest ones are like this, and even the more complex ones are typically broadly similar.
Usage is to have set your peg at a useful distance (ie not too close to the tent, as it won't hold the pole/skin out, and not too far away as you might trip over it) and pop the loop round the peg.
Then just slide the tensioner up the guy rope until tight.
...
7
Hydrostatic rating on a tent is the highest column of water a material can withstand for up to one minute before the water starts to penetrate (assuming good seams, no damage etc)
The ratings translate as follows (have seen these quoted in a couple of places, this is from campingcrazy.com)
1000mm or less is considered shower resistant and will soak up ...
7
I'll answer a question in the comments:
I will be curious to know what is the average amount of Co2 produced by a stove vs the average amount of co2 generated by human breathing. My guess would be that stove will win but I heard of people suffocate in closed cars while sleeping
To make things simple, lets assume assume your body burns 2,600 ...
6
A tent can provide a psychological barrier for the bear - which won't do much to deter it if it smells something it wants inside (food), but can prevent haphazard encounters.
For example, if a bear is wandering through your camp on its way to check out your expertly hung bear hang a tent will be a visual obstacle it will naturally move around / avoid, ...
6
A tent may give you slightly more protection than sleeping out in the open, but not much. If a bear wants at you, the fabric of the tent is no match for his sharp claws.
Bears, both black and grizzly, have been known to cause severe damage even to buildings, high wooden fences, and even vehicles. I knew of an apple orchard that had an 8-10 ft. high ...
6
Hammocks are great for hot weather. I have backpacked with a hammock in the Virginia summer, when the nights were 85°F-95°. There are certainly enough trees here, and in any densely forested area. It is actually preferable (with a mosquito net) because you stay cooler. When it rained, I slept on the ground with a small rain fly, because water likes to ...
6
The primary difference is good winter camping tents are designed to stand up to and / or mitigate snow building up on top of them. Ventilation is also very important as you don't want moisture from your breathing to build up in the tent as you could wake up with your clothes wet.
Winter tents will often have larger vestibules, as you will typically have ...
6
It really depends on the type of tent. You should not cook in a standard outdoor tent. However there are tents like the "Kohte" and the "Yurt" of (mainly German) scouts that are designed to have a fire burning inside.
These tents are made of cotton and have no floor. Also they are heavier than typical expedition tents. As always you have to weigh the pros ...
6
If you are in bear country, I agree 100% with everyone - cook somewhere else. 100m away minimum.
In winter, not in bear country, getting out of your tent to cook sucks. Fortunately, many mountaineers have discovered that some stoves do not produce excessive carbon monoxide. And there's a handy table in this article at Backpacking Light that describes ...
6
The big advantage that classic dome tents will have with strong winds is the addition of the guy ropes. With a popup tent, in high winds the stress will be on the tent itself, with guy ropes the stress is on the ropes and (when erected properly) a certain amount is channelled down to the ground via the pegs.
Now this isn't to say popup tents will break the ...
6
I am not really an expert in winter camping but I do live in the northern part of the Appalachians. You should base your decision on the following criteria:
Snow: what is the amount of snow that you could expect in one day? If it is more than 10 cm, you should probably choose a 4 seasons tent because snow accumulation can make a roof collapse
Winds: will ...
5
From my experience there are two good ways to do this depending on the weather conditions you expect to encounter.
Place waterproof tarp outside tent
Good for rain conditions or where rocks and debris can damage the tent floor.
Purchase a good quality waterproof tarp slightly larger than tent footprint dimensions.
When setting up the tent
Fold edges ...
5
Using Tilex or bleach to eradicate mold is the wrong thing to do. Bleach does nothing to eradicate mold, it simply bleaches the the fabric. If you want to kill mold, then you need to use a product designed specifically for that purpose. I would recommend Concrobium which will do nothing to remove the mold stain, but will kill the mold on contact.
5
Most tents these days claim to have a "fireproof" coating - but I'd never really want to put this to the test! I have heard one horror story in particular (admittedly with a much older tent) that's made me wary enough to recommend never cooking inside.
The likelihood may be low (and that's not to say it is) but if it does go up in flames and you're inside ...
5
I recommend highly reflective line. Many manufacturer's make this. I have had excellent results with Kelty Triptease. One 50' line cuts down to easily make 4 guylines for a tent. It is highly reflective and even a little light will make it really stand out at night.
You may also consider reflective markers like these made by MSR. These will also make ...
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