Types of Tents

Author: Amanda Kiefer

Pyramid tents - These were actually the very first tent design. They use one straight pole in the middle of the tent to create a pyramid shaped tent. In actual practice they are often designed to use trekking poles, having no tent poles of their own. This design permits your trekking poles to function as dual purpose items, cutting down your total weight. If you don't hike with trekking poles, you can always construct your own poles from any material you like. These tents often offer a lightweight benefit, butare relatively inefficient in terms of usable space.

Avian tents - These are essentially a tarp tent, having two or more vertical poles. They make a slightly more rectangular shape than a pyramid tent. They also often work with trekking poles, however both the avian and the pyramid tent set ups are generally only intended for light weather conditions, they have no floor and not much structure.

A-frame tents - Like those ancient army tents that grandpa had, they have two poles at each end of the tent forming an A shape, which are attached to the ground via stakes, making a long triangular shelter, these can be very tough structures, but they are often heavy because of their inefficient use of poles and the need for high tensile strength material, since it forms the top edge of the tent's structure.

Modified A frames - These tents make use of a third pole, sometimes a hoop to open up the center area more, sometimes a cross pole, connecting A frames, making the tent freestanding. These are noteworthy improvements in strength, but still often heavier than other options.

Hoop or Waypoint tents - These often have two hoop shaped poles that hold the body of the tent up, and using stakes they keep the structure taught and standing. The disadvantage of these tents is their non-freestanding nature makes them difficult to pitch occasionally. It also gives up some stability in behalf of weight savings

Wedge tents - Utilizing two hoop shaped poles that connect at the top, they form a wedge shape, with a near point at the top. These tents are a good balance of strength and weight savings. They are free standing, making them easy to move and pitch. They will also function without stakes.

Dome tents - These tents have crossing poles, or a hubed pole system to create a dome shape. They offer the best use of space and the most resilient design. They are most commonly four season tents and can protect you from the harshest conditions, however they are also often the heaviest, they use lots of poles and take lots of time to set up.

If you are looking to choose a tent, you must decide just what you are going to use it for. Choosing between the trade offs of each design is the art of deciding about your gear.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/camping-articles/types-of-tents-1242538.html

About the Author

Brian is a lover of the outdoors and has great experience hiking, camping and more. He also loves http://www.moosejaw.com/