  thumb|a modern two person, lightweight hiking dome tent; it is tied to rocks as there is nowhere to drive stakes on this rock shelf a tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. while smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs. first used as portable homes by nomadic peoples, tents are now more often used for recreational camping and temporary shelters. tents range in size from "bivouac" structures, just big enough for one person to sleep in, up to huge circus tents capable of seating thousands of people. the bulk of this article is concerned with tents used for recreational camping which have sleeping space for one to ten people. larger tents are discussed in a separate section below. tents for recreational camping fall into two categories. tents intended to be carried by backpackers are the smallest and lightest type. small tents may be sufficiently light that they can be carried for long distances on a touring bicycle, a boat, or when backpacking. the second type are larger, heavier tents which are usually carried in a car or other vehicle. depending on tent size and the experience of the person or people involved, such tents can usually be assembled (pitched) in between 5 and 25 minutes; disassembly (striking) takes a similar length of time. some very specialised tents have spring-loaded poles and can be 'pitched' in seconds, but take somewhat longer to strike. ==history== thumb|roman military tents tents were used at least as far back as the early iron age. they are mentioned in the bible; for example, in the genesis 4:20 jabal is described as 'the first to live in tents and raise sheep and goats'. the roman army used leather tents, copies of which have been used successfully by modern reenactors. various styles developed over time, some derived from traditional nomadic tents, such as the yurt. most military tents throughout history were of a simple ridge design. the major technological advance was the use of linen or hemp canvas for the canopy versus leather for the romans. the primary use of tents was still to provide portable shelter for a small number of men in the field. by world war i larger designs were being deployed i
Camping_equipment Portable_buildings_and_shelters Survival_skills Tents