Hiking Gear – The Categortization of Backpacking Tent
Over the last decade there has been a steady increase in new tent designs. The range of choices is overwhelming and that makes it confusing initially but it can better be understood by categorizing them in two ways.
Camping tents are sorted by function followed by structure. An example of this is camping tents being identified by season where tents are either 4-season or 3-season tents. This can then be further sorted by the number of bodies it can fit.
The expression “3-man” soon turned to “3-person” and “4-man” to “4-person” and even to solo, duo, trio, quartet and so on. But this means that there is need for a more cynical way of looking at the tags.
This is because what some manufacturers mean by a 3-man camping tent is a tent that can accommodate 3 small human bodies laid out like corpses. If it were live breathing people the space would be too small.
If you were hiking solo, it’s better to carry a 2-man tent so that you can also store your camping gear and yet be comfortable and spacious enough for you to cook when you have no choice. It’s better to be confined in a 2-person tent for days in a blizzard than to be confined in a small bivvy.
A number of camping tent producers make space for camping gear and cooking. If your tent is not well ventilated, don’t cook inside your tent. It can even spell death for you. Be sure the camping tent is well ventilated when you cook in it. camping tents that allow for such matters are tagged as “2-plus”, “3-plus” and so on.
Going back to take the example of “4-season” camping tent models we see that they are designs that could do well in the baddest snow and rain and strong winds. Closing the gap between 4-season and 3-season tents are “convertible” tents. This type of tent allow you to save weight by removing some parts of the tent including poles, sections and zip-out roof panel.
However, most new hiking tents are 3-season tents that do well in all seasons except for the worst of winter. The lightweight version is sufficient for hiking in late spring and early fall also known as the 2-season camping tent.
Remember that this type of categorization is based on estimations of the average guy. The problem is not everyone has the same amount of body insulation. An experienced mountaineer might survive a blizzard with the simplest of 3-season tents or even a small bivvy and yet still have no trouble sleeping at night.
