page_title: Tent
section_title: Design factors
hierarchical_section_title: Tent / Design factors
caption_attribution_description: English: Nez Perce man and woman pose in front of tepee, with mountain behind them. Woman in full length dress over blouse, with long necklace &amp; beaded belt stands beside man with blanket over shoulder and around waist. Plain tepee is behind them, and behind it is snow-covered peak.
context_page_description: 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 nomads, tents are now more often used for recreational camping and as temporary shelters.
  A form of tent called a teepee or tipi, noted for its cone shape and peak smoke-hole, was also used by Native American tribes and Aboriginal Canadians of the Plains Indians since ancient times, variously estimated from 10,000 years BCE to 4,000 BCE.
  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.
  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.
context_section_description: Many factors affect tent design, including:
  Financial cost
  The least expensive tents tend to be heavier, less durable and less waterproof. The most expensive tents, used by serious backpackers and professional adventurers, are usually lighter in weight, more durable and more waterproof.
  Intended use
  Backpacking, lengthy duration for carrying the tent. Weight and size are the most crucial factors.
  Touring, high frequency of pitching and striking the tent. Ease of pitching/striking the tent is important.
  Static, staying at one campsite for a week or two at a time. A comfortable camping experience is the target.
  Camping season
  A tent required only for summer use may be very different from one to be used in the depths of winter. Manufacturers label tents as one-season, two/three-season, three/four season, four season, etc. A one-season tent is generally for summer use only, and may only be capable of coping with light showers. A three-season tent is for spring/summer/autumn and should be capable of withstanding fairly heavy rain, or very light snow. A four-season tent should be suitable for winter camping in all but the most extreme conditions; an expedition tent (for mountain conditions) should be strong enough to cope with heavy snow, strong winds, as well as heavy rain. Some tents are sold, quite cheaply, as festival tents; these may be suitable only for camping in dry weather, and may not even be showerproof.
  Size of tent
  The number and age of people who will be camping determines how big and what features the sleeping area(s) must have.
  To allow for inclement weather, some covered living space separate from the sleeping area(s) may be desirable. Alternatively, cyclists on a camping trip may wish for enough covered space to keep their bicycles out of the weather.
  To allow for sunshine, an awning to provide shade may not go amiss. Some tents have additional poles so that the fabric doorways can be used as awnings.
  Internal height. Manufacturers quote the maximum internal height, but the usable internal height may be a little lower, depending on the tent style. Ridge tents have a steeply sloping roof so the whole height is rarely usable. Dome tents slope gently in all directions from the peak enabling nearly the entire height to be usable for a large portion of the tent. Tunnel tents have a good usable height along the center line. Frame and cabin tents have gently sloping roofs and near vertical walls. To fully evaluate the usable space in a tent, both the maximum wall height and slope must be considered. There are four useful heights used to evaluate appropriate tent height: lie down only, sit, kneel, stand. The exact heights at which these apply depend on the heights of the campers involved; those over 182 cm (5.97 ft) are likely to have less choice of tents than those who are somewhat shorter. As a starting point, sitting height is often between 90 and 105 cm (2 ft 11 in and 3 ft 5 in), and kneeling height may be between 120 and 150 cm (3.9 and 4.9 ft). These different heights are useful for evaluating whether certain tasks, such as changing clothes, can be accomplished in the tent.
  Number of sleeping areas
  Larger tents sometimes are partitioned into separate sleeping areas or rooms. A tent described as viz-a-viz (cabin tent)  usually has two separate sleeping areas with a living area in between.
  Tent color
  In some areas there is a move toward reducing the visual impact of campsites. The best colors for low visibility are green, brown, tan or khaki.
  An opposing consideration is of safety and calls for visible unnatural colors, such as bright yellow-orange or red. Bright-colored tents can be easily spotted from the air in cases of an emergency. They are important in places where vehicles may not notice a low-visibility tent and run over its unsuspecting occupiers. Campers wandering away from camp will find their way back more easily if their tent is highly visible. Additionally, lost hikers may find rescue by spotting a visible camp site from afar. Some people have a personal preference for various colors and some manuf
caption: A Nez Perce tipi
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