Roasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories, spending time with friends and family, appreciating nature; these are all the wonderful things camping has to offer. In order to fully enjoy your trip, however, you have to choose the right tent. There is nothing to make your camping experience completely miserable than a leaky, inadequate tent.
The first two things you must know before purchasing your tent is when you are looking to go camping, how many people are joining you, and what you will be doing. For weather purposes, there are two categories:
-Three-season
-Four-season
THREE-SEASON
The three season tents are used for more general backpacking excursions. They are intended for Spring, Summer, and Fall use, as they will more than likely fail you if it snows heavily. However, it does hold up well in the rain. Most campers are accustomed to three-season camping, so there is a big selection to choose from. Keep in mind that the first section of three-season shelters mentioned are actually more for summer use.
$12-$549
Screen and Tarp Shelters
Under this category lies a couple of different versions. Both are very light in weight, but probably not what you are looking for in general camping circumstances. In fact, though they are classified as a tent, screen shelters are more of an area you would eat under and are not protected from the elements at all. In addition, tarps are usually very open to the outside.
$12-$300
A: Warm-Weather
This type of tent should be used mainly for warm and humid climates, though it does work as a three-seasonal. They are extremely light weight due to its mesh walls. I would not highly recommend this model, however, because if it does rain or snow, you will freeze your tush off.
B: Single-Wall
If you are into bare-essential camping, single-wall tents are for you. They are basically rainflies equipped with a few vents you can zip open during warmer conditions. For more general camping however, this could lead to that miserable scene I mentioned earlier.
Bivy sacks
These are minimalist shelters for one camper and not much else aside from a sleeping bag. In fact, it pretty much looks like a sleeping bag with a small tent covering your head. If saving weight is your chief priority, a bivy is worth considering. If you like room to move inside your shelter, look elsewhere. Though technically it is a three-season tent, I wouldn't try using it in the fall.
$99-$179
Family (or basecamping) tents and shelters
These can accommodate large groups (between four and six usually, sometimes more). Dome-style models can be transported into the backcountry, as long as group members are willing to carry a share of the load; house-like models are intended for campgrounds and basecamps. Since most families do not camp in the winter, they are usually three-season tents. However, some four-season family tents are made.
$130-$549 (depending on whether it occupies 4 or 6+ people)
FOUR-SEASON
The 4 season is exactly how it sounds. It is made to stand through all four seasons, even through strong winds and heavy snowfall. This is because the four-season is usually equipped with one or two extra poles for added support. Four-season's also have dome-shaped tops, which lets the snow and rain slide down the sides without piling on the top, just waiting to give you the wake-up call you will never forget. If, however, you are back-packing, these tents are less ideal than three-seasons. This is because with the extra poles, it is heavier.
$220-$750
Convertible
Convertibles are a combination of both the three and four season tents. If you are expecting to camp in the middle of winter, you are all set. If you want to go for a hike along the Appalachians for a few days in the summer, you can dispose of a pole or two and be on your merry way. Some versions of the convertible also feature a zipper panel which allows for a layer of the opening to the tent to be more open. This way you can have a closed-in tent, and yet still get some fresh air. They also might have something called a vestibule, which is an area between the tent and the rainfly (piece of fabric above the tent to prevent leaks) to put a pack or boots so that they do not get wet in case it does spring a leak.
$299-$499
In addition to finding a tent that's suitable for the weather you will be camping in and how you will be spending your trip, there are different types of structures to choose from as well:
-A-Frame Tents
-Modified A-Frame Tents
-Cabin Tents
-Tunnel Tents
-Hoop Tents
-Single-Hoop
-Double/Single Wall
-Dome Tents
-Geodesic
-Semi-Geodesic/Hybrid
The structure of the tent is not as important as how many people well be sharing it. For backpacking and mountaineering for a 1-2 person group, solo tents and bivy sacks are the way to go. A-Frames and Single-Hoops fall into this group (though they aren't the most comfortable of structures). For larger groups, a family tent is appropriate. In this category, the Geodesic, and Semi-Geodesic/Hybrid are great. For more information on the size, just look on the box of the tent. Along with saying which seasons the tent is useful in, it will say how many people it can hold. It all just depends on what you're doing, who's going, and when. Oh, and of course the price.
Well now you are ready for that camping trip you've been waiting for! So pack up you gear, some snacks and perhaps a case of beer, and have fun!