How Many Different Tents Can You Choose From?
Apr 22nd, 2009 by DavePF
Over the last 15 years there has been a steady increase in new tent designs. The huge range of choices makes it confusing at first but conveniently they can easily be categorized in two ways.
Backpacking tents are categorized as first their by function followed by structure. For example, tents being sorted by season where tents are either 4-season or 3-season tents. These can then be further categorized by the number of bodies it can hold.
The expression “3-man” soon turned to “3-person” and “4-man” to “4-person” and even to solo, duo, trio, quartet and so on. But this demands a much more cynical way of looking at the description.
This is because what manufacturers mean by a 3-man tent is a tent that can accommodate 3 small human bodies laid out like corpses. If it were live breathing people the space would be too small.
If you were to hike solo, it’s better to carry a 2-man tent so that you can also store your camping gear and yet provide enough comfort and space for you to cook when you have no choice. It’s better to be stuck in a 2-person tent for days in a blizzard than to be stuck in a small bivouac bag.
Some tent producers make allowances for hiking equipment and cooking. Cooking in your tent without ventilation is not a recommended practice. It can even spell death for you. Be sure the tent is well ventilated when you cook in it. tents that compensate for such matters are tagged as “2-plus”, “3-plus” and so on.
Going back to take the example of “4-season” tent models we see that they are designs that could withstand the worst snow and rain and strong winds. Closing the gap between 4-season and 3-season tents are “convertible” tents. This type of tent can save weight by removing some parts of the tent including poles, sections and zip-out roof panel.
However, most modern hiking tents are 3-season tents that do well in all types of weather except for the worst of winter. The lightweight version is sufficient for backpacking in late spring and early fall also known as the 2-season tent.
Keep in mind that this type of categorization is based on estimations of the average guy. The problem is not everyone has the same tolerance comfort. An experienced mountaineer might survive a blizzard with the lightest of 3-season tents or even a small bivvy and yet still have no trouble sleeping at night.
