How To Pick Your Next Camping Tent.
By Marc Wiltse, Fri Dec 9th

A good tent should keep you dry, comfortable, andprovide protection.

Which tent... Dome, family, 4-season, backpacking orcabin is right for you? They don't repel rain, cold, snow, orbiting bugs equally.

Camping tents are an important outdoor gear investment. Thisarticle will give you the information you need to make aninformed decision about what kind is best for you.

First determine what type of you'll be doing? Do youonly go out in the summer or are you into 4-season camping? Makesure to prepare yourself for the worst possible type of weatheryou'll encounter. Waking up to a foot of snow inside your summercamping tent because of a late fall blizzard isn't much fun. ;-)

After determining what seasons you'll need your tent for,estimate how many people you will usually camp with...

Sizing It Up

Camping tents are rated by the number of people they canaccommodate. But these ratings are like getting twenty circusclowns into a Volkswagon Beetle...goofy. :-) When they say it'sa 4-person tent, they mean 4 people and nothing else, no hikinggear, no room for boots, just 4 people that hopefully know eachother pretty well. Seriously, if you're looking for backpackingtents or hiking tents and weight is a big concern, then get cozyand use the rating system, but otherwise I'd think bigger.

Consider going 1-2 sizes bigger than what you need for a smallercamping tent. Better yet divide the "person rating" by 2 soyou'll have a decent amount of room if you have to stay insidedue to nasty weather. If you thought cabin fever was bad

waituntil you're stuck in a downpour with 5 other people in a smalltent for a few days.

My 4 man tent with 2 vestibules is perfect for 2 people andplenty of gear. Dry equipment is a good thing. This is stilltrue with kids because the smaller they are the more room theytake up with "kid stuff". Something else to keep in mind is thatmore room makes extended trips easier.

Consider the length and width of the tents you'relooking at. If you're 6 feet tall you'll want at least 7 feet tostretch out length-wise and 2-3 feet of width depending on howmuch you move in your sleep.

Another thing to consider is to make sure you have enough spacefor an inflatable air mattress. While it's not mandatory I'llhave to say it makes much more comfortable than lying ona cold pad. When I wake up I feel 300% better than when I slepton a pad on the floor getting stiff and cold. No it's not aking-size pillow-top, but hey this is camping. ;-)

Since we're on the subject of size, make sure that you'll haveenough height to kneel, partially-stand, or...

If you would like to learn more about how to pick a great tent, clickhere.

About the author:Marc learned about quality gear when his pup tent floodedforcing him to sleep in his tiny 2-seat Honda CRX. His hikingequipment & gear guides & reviews save you time & money.Subscribe to his camping & hiking newsletter & getthe most usable info. FREE! © Marc Wiltse. Reprint permission ifauthor, copyright, links & this notice are intact.