Types Of Tents

Pyramid tents - These were actually the very first tent design. They use one straight pole in the center of the tent to make a pyramid shaped tent. In actual practice they are often designed to utilize trekking poles, being without tent poles of their own. This design permits your trekking poles to serve as dual purpose items, cutting 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 advantage, but are relatively inefficient when it comes to useful space.

Avian tents - These are basically a tarp tent, using two or more vertical poles. They form a slightly more rectangular shape than a pyramid tent. They also often make use of trekking poles, however both the avian and the pyramid tent designs are generally only used 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 extremely strong 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 line of the tent's shape.

Modified A frames - These tents have a third pole, sometimes a pole across the top making it freestanding, sometimes a hoop near the middle to open things up. These are major improvements in strength, but still often heavier than many 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 tight and suspended. The disadvantage of these tents is their non-freestanding nature makes them difficult to pitch at times. It also gives up some stability in behalf of weight savings

Wedge tents - With 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. They are free standing, making them easy to move and set up. They can also be used without stakes.

Dome tents - These tents use crossing poles, or a hubed pole system to make a dome shape. They offer the best use of space and the toughest design. They are most often four season tents and can withstand the harshest conditions, however they are also usually the heaviest, they use lots of poles and require lots of time to set up.

If you are trying to choose a tent, it is important to 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.

By: Brian Tecklenburg

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

This article was written by Brian Tecklenburg. He is an avid camper and is always looking to gain more exciting experiences. Brian loves to get his camping gear and clothing from www.moosejaw.com