Factors to keep in mind when choosing your mountain tent
Transfagarasan, leaving the ordinary
7 July 2017
A forest in colors
1 August 2017The tent is one of the most important and heavy elements the mountain man carries on his back. The whole tent can influence the experience of your hiking, so it is particularly important and requires a great deal of attention when you choose the shelter to re-integrate into nature.
1
The size of the tent
Here, you have to analyze your needs. Do you go alone, with a friend or more? Do you want more space or a lower weight on your back? If you are thinking of walking long walks and camping in hard-to-reach places we recommend running away from heavy tents, ideally you should find one as light as possible. The lighter the tent on your back is, the more endurance you have.
2
Number of seasons
Another basic criterion that you need to keep in mind is the conditions you want to camp.
Depending on the time, tents can be for 2 seasons, usually used in spring and summer. But we do not recommend it for mountain hikes because it is not resistant to wind and rain. 3-seasons tents enjoy the highest popularity, as they can be used in spring, summer and autumn. They oppose aggressive weather conditions and are preferred for mountain expeditions. One thing to mention is that they do not deal well with the snow.
The 4-seasons tents are left, which of course can be used in any season. Unlike 3-season tents, they keep the snow away, they are stronger and more stable. But do not think they are free of disadvantages! Their weight is significantly higher and, even if it is 4 seasons, it cannot be used in summer, the air in the tent will be hot. A big NO for the summer!
3
Used materials
This is the most difficult part. The materials from which the tent is made are extremely important, a wrong chosen material can add an absolutely unnecessary extra weight. The materials from which the tent is made must be durable and as light as possible.
The outside should usually be made of waterproof nylon. And here you will meet the following phrase, "water column". This is a feature between 2,000 and 10,000, which refers to the tent’s waterproofing as well as the air circulation. As a rule, the higher the water column, the less water will pass through the material of the tent, but it will breathe less and will condense. Because there are no advantages without disadvantages when talking about tents.
The interior must be of a lightweight material to provide good ventilation. Usually, this component is also made of nylon, but obviously another type than the exterior. At the bottom of the tent, the material is identical or almost identical to the outside material.
4
The tent’s sticks
The tent’s stability is closely related to the number of sticks used.
There are three types of sticks:
- duralumin (light, resistant)
- durawrap (hardened glass fiber, cheaper than duralumin)
- glass fiber (the cheapest option)
We hope this will be of help, have a great hike!
