A Guide to Buying your Perfect Tent

Camping: An old pastime for millions of people around the world, but where do you even start? I once heard that camping can be best described as ‘spending a small fortune to live like a homeless person’. I would have to disagree, I believe you can spend a reasonable amount of money and live like an outdoor king! You just have to prepare with the right supplies. The biggest of which will be your tent.

Weather Resistant

First we started out by discussing what was important to us in terms of being comfortable. Top of the list was a proven tent that can withstand the elements. We spent some time watching review videos online for different tents and comparing them amongst one another. Having an ability to stay warm and dry out doors is vital in staying safe and comfortable. There is nothing worse than waking up in a soaking tent with a wet sleeping bag. The trip at this point would be over for me. Remember to always use a waterproofing spray along the seams and the rain cover on a new tent and allow at least 24 hours to set for full rain protection.

Space

Being 6ft and weighing in at 250lbs space was near the top of my list as well. Having the courtesy of being able to stand up straight and move around without crouching was a luxury I was interested in. You additionally need to take into consideration how many people you will have in the tent when determining size. The amount of people the tent companies estimate will fit in a tent is never who will fit comfortably. Always err on the side of going bigger, especially if you don’t plan on having to carry your tent too far.

Setting Up

There is nothing worse than being full of excitement when driving to a new or well used campsite and dreading the initial set up and set down process. Believe it or not the tent industry has come along way since the old days of snapping in them flimsy black tent poles which always seemed to split and break no matter how delicate you were with them. We opted for a quick set up system, the manufacture said set up takes approximately 12 minutes. The first time took us much longer than that but once you are used to the system it becomes quicker. You’ll soon be knocking minutes off your set up time each time you use it. This particular model came with a really nice hard shelled carry bag with wheels which makes it really nice getting to and from your site, and there has been no struggle with squeezing it back in the bag after use.

Extra Features

The internal structure of our tent also played a great part for one of our nights outdoors, we have a panoramic insect net throughout the inside which allowed us to take the rain cover off on a clear night. That night we lay under the stars and watched the moon and clouds roll over us like our very own personal nature movie. It was romantic and peaceful, bringing together all the best parts of sleeping outdoors.

So to recap, our top three must haves when choosing the right tent for us included

Being Waterproof
Having Enough Space
Quick pitch

We selected the Coleman fast pitch six person tent and after a full season’s use we still love it! Our second night in the tent we were caught in a 6 hour overnight thunder storm. The tent survived the night and we woke up dry! Having the right tent can make or break your camping trip. Make sure you do your research so you ensure you will be buying the perfect tent for your needs. Keep us updated with your new tents and let us know what qualities are essential to have in your own tent.