When one thinks of tent camping the thought comes to mind of roughing it out in the wilderness, sleeping on the floor, and needing lots of bug spray. To some degree this may be true but not necessary. As tent camping’s popularity increased over the years, the manufactures improved on the quality of tents. Camping is not like other vacations, pack your clothes, get in the car, drive to the airport, and away you go. Camping takes much more planning, which is half the fun of taking a vacation. Not to mention it’s much cheaper than other vacations can be.

The most important part of your camping gear is the tent. Remember when choosing a tent it will tell you how many the tent sleeps, that’s what it means no additional space is available. I recommend a tent the next size up this will give you some additional storage space. In addition, tents come with a rating for the seasons, take this into account when deciding on a tent and when you may be using it. There are so many types of tents available it could become very hard to choose which one is best. Make a list of what your expectations may be in a tent for example, do you want plenty of space, separate rooms, does height matter, a tent with an outside canopy, or just a place to sleep this will help narrow the choices.

There are three basic styles of tents. For the most part all three styles have some basic things in common. For example, they come with a waterproof floor, mosquito screen vents, and a door. While the fabric allows for the inside moisture to be released the rainfly protects the outside.

The A frame tent shaped like the letter A are small tents that will sleep two to three people. A frame tent provides just enough room for sleeping and could be very uncomfortable for long stays to keep out of bad weather. This style tent is the oldest style and the least popular by todays’ camper.

For maximum room and comfort the cabin style tent is the best and depending on the style and size they can be harder to set up... These tents have upright sidewalls which create high ceiling throughout the tent. Although cabin style tents are made of the same material as the other two tent styles, they are often heavier and bulkier. For the camper wanting the additional room or the family campers that want more privacy, the cabin style tents with more than one room are the best choice.

Probably the most popular tent is the dome tents. The poles are flexible allowing them to curve over the tent creating a dome. The poles attach to the bottom of the tent which is staked to the ground. If anchored correctly to the ground these tents provide great protection in heavy rains and high winds. For the most part dome tents have a square floor plan which creates spacious room. However, the dome- shapes cuts down on head room next to the sloping walls.