What To Look For When Buying A Tent For A Family Weekend Backpacking Hiking Or Camping Trip!

Feb. 10, 2011 - PRLog -- First thing to do is determine how many people and how much gear you'll be traveling with. Tents are advertised as two man, four man, six man and so on. This is the maximum number of persons that can sleep in closely with no room for personal gear. This rating best tent method makes sense for backpackers who are traveling light, but is terrible for all others. Divide the advertised rating by two, and you will have a more realistic tent capacity. Therefore, most four man tents are really only comfortable for two adults, or perhaps two adults and two very small children.Planning for a minimum of 30 square feet of floor space per person. Make this even higher for longer camping trips, unless reducing weight is important. http://backpackingstore.net

Think also about length and width when buying a tent. If you are six feet tall, you will need a space of at least seven feet in order to stretch out and not be crammed against the side of the tent. You will need at least two and one half feet in width just for wiggling around as you sleep. This equals only 17.5 square feet. A "two man" tent might be measured five by seven feet. And a ten by ten foot tent is ideal for two adults. And you will have enough space for cots or a double air mattress, plus space to stand up when changing backpacking clothes.

Kids can fit comfortably in smaller tents. Once they are old enough, about seven or eight, they will probably want to sleep in a separate tent anyway.  A five by seven foot best tent is adequate for children. Teenagers should buy the adult size when buying a tent.
When buying a two man family tent think more like eight by eight feet as a basic two man family camping tent. Be cautious of buying a tent that is larger than 10'x10', which can cause problems. It could be difficult finding a smooth and level spot big enough for setting up a tent. Bigger tents can be heavy and hard to carry to your campsite.  Also the, bigger tent are less stable in high winds and are harder to set up.Consider the inside height when buying a tent. For most backpacking hiking or camping trip, try to have a tent that is tall enough for you and the kids to stand.

What to look for when buying a tent and how to choose your tent's shape, tents come in four basic shapes. A-frame, umbrella, geodesic or "dome", and wall. The A-frame is the common "pup" tent shape, but can also be quite large. The umbrella is a very commonly used family camping tent, as it has lots of standing room, with large windows and a rain fly over the top. The geodesic comes on many shapes, but all look like a combination of connected triangles. The wall tent is like an A-frame tent, but is generally much larger and has vertical side walls.
Two-storied tents are dangerous if set up wrong, require several people to set up, and usually need a tree around to help tie up and hold the second level in place.

Another plus when buying a tent look for one with a square floor they are more efficient especially when laying out sleeping bags and arranging your backpacking gear. Because of other factors, it is not always possible to have a square floor. If you buy a tent with a round floor, or nearly round like with the geodesic dome tents, you should allow some extra floor area to make up for the less efficient layout. We've done the work for you http://backpackingstore.net

Decide between aluminum or fiberglass poles. Most tents have poles that are linked together with an elastic shock cord. This helps when setting up a tent. Poles can bend or break, some tent manufacturers provide emergency repair links for you to carry along on a backpacking hiking or camping trip. When buying a tent find a good fabric, nearly all tents are now made of nylon. Coated nylon is used for waterproofing. A nylon mesh is used for inner walls of a tent. look for No-see-um mesh is used for the window screens when buying a tent. The Best tent maker use thicker fabric and a rip-stop fabric. Also look for a sturdy strong zippers made of a good material.


When buying a tent make sure the seams that hold it togethert are reinforced with nylon tape. And that the tape is stitched into each seam,it will make the seam stronger and more weatherproof. There should be waterproof with a seams sealer in all nylon tents, such as on the fly and floor.. When buying a tent it should come with a bottle of seam sealer. Set up a tent in the yard before going on that backpacking Hiking or camping trip, and apply the sealer. Let it dry before Re-packing a tent. You will need to do every year.

When buying a tent thing about potential weather conditions, because the wind, rain, sun, heat and cold all have a different demands on the tent. If its windy you will need a sturdy poles, stakes, and anchor ropes. Rain,keeping the rain out, and that it, giving you enough room so you will be comfortable if you have to "weather" out a storm. Your tent should have a completely waterproof rain fly made of coated nylon. The fly should wrap around the tent and reach down the sides nearly to the ground. The floor should also be waterproof coated nylon, This fabric should cover the floor, and turn up the sides for about six inches or so. There should be as few seams as possible. This is called a "tub" floor. It will keep out any water that runs down and under the tent.
 Sun and Cold weather brings special needs. you can buy a tent as called a "three-season" tent that has good features. Keep cost in mind.

What to look for when buying a tent In general, the higher priced tents are made with stronger fabric, stronger poles, and stronger stitching. They will withstand higher winds and heavier rain. They will last longer. When buying A tent buy a good tent which will last for many years. However, not everyone needs this strength and durability. When buying a tent, for milder and drier climates a close to home discount backpacking store with inexpensive tents will be a good bargains.
   

When buying a tent if you are just starting to have family Backpacking hiking or camping adventures and don't know if you will really like camping, then you might want to choose a less expensive tent as many families do. You can always upgrade to a better tent later after you find out if camping is for you, even borrowing a tent for the first trip is a good ideal.

Before taking your new tent out for your first backpacking hiking or camping trip, set it up in your backyard. This way, you will be familiar with how to set up a tent and take a tent down, and you will know that if you have all the parts. Let the kids spend a night and yourself so you can see if it really does suit your families needs. Remember to take along the how to set up a tent assembly instructions that came with the tent. A good ideal is to insert a copy of the instructions for setting up a tent into a zip-lock bag into the pocket of your backpack. http://backpackingstore.net

# # #

Back packing store is an advertiser of many companies with backpacking equipment and more . Your One Stop Site for all your Camping, Hiking, outdoor needs.