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Tents
Hiking
tents come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they generally consist of the
following components:
-
Inner
tent: This should have a sewn-in, waterproof groundsheet with high
walls (referred to as a "boxed" groundsheet) to prevent flooding in wet weather. The upper part of the inner is
usually made of a breathable, non-waterproof fabric.
Outer
flysheet: This is made of waterproof, fire-retardant nylon and is
seam-sealed along the stitching. The nylon should preferably be of the
rip-stop type to prevent a small tear from growing in length. Snow flaps
made of the same material or nylon mesh may also be sewn along the entire
perimeter of the flysheet. -
Poles:
These are usually made from shock-corded fibre-glass or aluminium. The
shock-cording is used to keep the segments of each pole together while still
allowing them to be disconnected and folded up alongside each other. Fibre-glass
poles are cheaper but bulkier than aluminium ones, and very prone to
snapping, especially in wind, cold weather and under the load caused by
snow.
-
Pegs:
Some manufacturers and hikers insist on using aluminium wire pegs instead of
steel wire ones. Their argument is that they are lighter than steel ones.
This is not true, since they are considerably more bulky and yet still don't
match the steel ones in strength. If you want aluminium pegs, go for high
tensile aluminium alloy ones with a serrated, L-shaped cross section.
A
hiking tent is designed around a compromise between weight and rigidity. The
more weather-proof the tent, the heavier it is. Tents are usually sold according
to how many occupants they can accommodate. A one-man tent may be nothing more
than a waterproof sleeping bag cover with some sort of raised apex over the
occupant's head (more correctly referred to as a bivvy). More common are the
two- and three-man hiking tents.
Tents
come in a variety of structural designs:
-
A-Frame:
This old-fashioned design has fallen out of favour. Even with a ridge pole,
it tends tend to sag badly when loaded with rain, snow or wind. The tapering
vertical shape provides little head and shoulder room, or if this is
adequate then they are either too high and more exposed to the wind, or too
flat to effectively shake off snow. However, this design is lighter than the
others because it makes use of fewer poles. It relies heavily for its
rigidity on the anchoring pegs. In poor ground this can be a disaster! (Examples:
Sunseeker Ufudu; Backpacker Kestrel)
-
Tunnel:
This design uses bowed poles to form a half-barrel shape with plenty of head
and shoulder space. Tents of this type usually have very large bell
extensions at each end, sufficient for safe cooking and the storage of two
or more backpacks. However, the apex is horizontal and collects snow. They
are prone to collapse under these conditions. (Example: Karrimor Explorer)
-
Dome:
The dome tent makes use of two (square floor) or three (hexagonal floor)
bowed poles which cross each other at the apex. This provides good head and
shoulder room and potentially good rigidity provided the poles can be
anchored together where they cross each other, and there are enough external
guys to prevent the shape from wobbling like a moulded jelly in the wind!
Since this is a cheap design to manufacture, these tents tend to be of
entry-level quality with fibre-glass poles and insufficient guys. Their
biggest draw-back, however, is that their shape does not allow for
adequately-sized bells, although the hexagonal-floored type does provide
some additional internal storage. (Examples: most chain-store retailers
like Game and Makro sell this type)
-
Geodesic:
This is the most popular design and for good reason. It combines the best
features of the tunnel and dome designs, while addressing their main
weaknesses. Geodesic tents have a minimum of four poles, two of which cross
each other at the apex from opposite corners of the rectangular inner (like
the two-pole dome tent). The other two poles meet each other at ground level
in the middle of the longer sides of the rectangle, but angle upwards and
outwards towards their respective ends of the tent (similar to the tunnel
tent, except that the poles are angled). This arrangement helps to stretch
the tent under load rather than collapse it. The design provides good head
and shoulder space, and with the provision of one or two additional poles it
allows for usefully-sized bells as well. With sufficient external guys, this
design is extremely rigid, but the payoff is an increase in overall weight.
(Examples: Sunseeker Isodome and Isotec; Cape Storm geodesic design)
Features
to look for when buying a tent:
-
Low
total weight but high rigidity
-
Separate
inner tent with high walls
-
A
flysheet made of rip-stop nylon and treated with fire-retardant
-
Poles
that fit into the flysheet rather than the inner, thus allowing the tent to
be pitched in rain without getting the inner wet.
-
Double
entry bells of a practical, useful size for cooking and backpack storage
-
Aluminium
shock-corded poles
-
Snow
flaps (these are usually coarse nylon gauze "skirts" around the
base of the flysheet; snow can be packed over them to supplement the pegs -
especially in deep snow - and provide additional insulation from the
elements)
-
Steel
wire pegs, or high tensile aluminium alloy ones with a serrated, L-shaped
cross section
Separate
tubular bags, one each for the inner and flysheet, preferably with straps
for tying onto a backpack.
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