What qualities and features should I look for when shopping for a tent?

Mrs.Fine: What qualities and features should I look for when shopping for a tent?
I love to camp, but my poor old tent has worn out and it is time to purchase a new one. There are alot more features available now, and I want to know which ones are worth the extra money, and which ones just add more weight to my gear. It was a little overwhelming shopping at the Bass Pro shop last weekend.

Also, where is the best place to find a good deal on these tents? I only have a family of four, so an extra large tent is not needed. Just one that is relativley simple to set up.

Thanks for your input!

Answers and Views:

Answer by soulsource7
The best thing to do is just stop and think about the options you are considering. A lot of new tents are way too complex and take multiple people to get up.

I will only ever buy a tent with the compound poles. Tents w/out them are much too complicated.

One new feature that is pretty nice is the entrance that some tents offer. It’s kind of a place to take your shoes off w/out dirtying your tent.

You sound a lot like me, simple so you can enjoy your time out doors rather than setting up. Keep it simple and stick with names brands that have proven quality.

Answer by Schnurrbart
I would look for aluminum or carbon fiber poles, seam sealed or taped by the factory, mostly mesh inner wall above a bathtub floor, with rain fly of course, and search for reviews online or in Backpacker Magazine before purchase because there are all kinds of innovative tents being produced, and many of them are leaky, sagging, unstable, junk.

Answer by david
First, get a name brand tent. Almost everyone I know who has purchased a tent from a discount store has had problems with it very soon. Not only is this bad economics but can ruin a camping trip.

The tent that is right for you will depend on your own use and priorities. If you are car camping, you will likely accept weight and volume to have a comfortable tent. If you are bike touring, you probably want as small a tent as you can get.

Here’s a few things to consider:

Self supporting – The more self supporting a tent is, the less you have to rely on stakes, but the more likely it is to have more poles and more weight. A classic pup-tent for example is simple, has only basic center poles, but needs good ground to steak it down.

Ventilation – Very important if you will be in warm weather especially. I find that having cross ventilation (two opposite doors for example) give much better ventilation than the percent of the tent body that is netting. ( I find that if the netting is completely surrounded by the fly, you won’t get much wind movement anyways)

Mosquito netting – get the smaller no seeum netting. It’s helpful if you can adjust this and the door rainflies without having to open the tent door (thus letting all the bugs in)

Zipper – get one with a substantial zipper on the doors. This is a point of failure on many bargain brand tents.

In my outdoor program I purchase Eureka Timberline Tents which are the mainstays of many outdoor programs. I think they are one of the best values you will find in a tent. They are well built, have good zippers, have excellent cross ventilation and are easy to set up with poles that are unlikely to break. You can adjust the ventilation from inside the tent. They are great for most general needs, but would not be my choice for activities where light weight is needed such as bike touring or light-weight backpacking. They will make more noise than a dome tent in a wind. A good source is Campmore. They also stock spare parts such as poles should you ever need them. Personally, I find myself using this tent most of the time unless I’m in the wind or snow I use a Eureka dome tent, and if I want to go light, I use a small
Sierra Designs hoop tent instead.

Help preserve your tent by shaking or sweeping out all the debris each morning when you take it down. This will make the floor last much longer. If you are not overly concerned about weight, cut a plastic ground cloth to fit, which you can always leave out if you don’t want it. (Campmore sells these very cheaply to fit the timberline)

P.S. – the Timberline has a 4-person version, but it is room for sleeping only. If you are car camping for long periods of time, you may want something more roomy for a family of four.