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A Backpackers Guide to:
Buying a tent

When you’re in the wilderness, a tent is your home. For this reason, buying a new tent should not be taken lightly. When it comes to backpacking, weight is the number one thing to keep in mind when looking for a new tent for your future excursions. With so many options out there for tents, you must understand exactly what you want before deciding on which one to purchase.
Below are a few suggestions I have for when you decide to upgrade from that heavy old tent.

Size: You will need to decide on the maximum amount of people you plan on having sleeping in the tent, and consider adding one to that number. So, if you will only use the tent for two people I suggest getting a tent that can sleep three. The reason I suggest getting the extra space is because it is nice to fit some gear (such as articles of clothing or in my case, expensive cameras) in the tent with you. Also, it usually doesn’t add much more weight to the tent. Now, that’s just something to think about. Of course, if you don’t bring much gear camping to begin with, you would do fine with a smaller tent.

Ease of use: What I mean by this is the ease of putting it up and taking it down. You may not get to test this out until after you buy the tent. If the tent is set up in the store, I suggest taking a good look at how it goes together.

Vestibule: Be sure to choose a tent that has a vestibule, the larger the better. A vestibule is a small section between the inner and outer portions of your tent - I have a tent with two vestibules, and they are simply extended pieces of the rainfly. These are nice for storing your shoes, or other gear as well, especially if it’s raining. It is also advised to make sure the tent has quality tie downs to prevent wind from ripping up your vestibule.

Durability: I assume that most lightweight tents are made with ripstop material, but you should check to make sure. Ripstop material looks like small squares when you look closely at the fabric. It is designed to stop an object from tearing large holes by it having a thicker thread in a square-like pattern. Another thing to look for is the stitching itself. Many higher quality tents have three or even four stitches running through each seam; this is vital in keeping the tent from pulling apart.

Waterproofing: Quality taped seams are a must! The seams are where you are most likely to have a leak and taped seams are designed to prevent that. All this means is that there is a thin piece of “tape” sealing the seam on the inside of the tent or fly. While on this subject, I must remind you to read your tent manual for its recommended maintenance. You will most likely have to spray your tent with a waterproofing spray as well as re-tape the seams. Trust me, do what it tells you to do.

Weight: As with everything in the backpacking world, the lightest tent you can afford is best. Of course you must take into account the other factors mentioned.

New vs used: When it comes to tents I would highly suggest buying new if you can. This is because tents do tend to wear, and it’s nice to start fresh. Of course, this depends on the price of the used tent you may find. My wife and I found a great deal on a lightly used tent and we could not have been happier with it.

Well, those are the basics. I could continue yammering on about the subject, but if you are happy with the suggestions above then you will most likely enjoy your new tent. Happy camping!

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