How Much You Should Spend on a Tent?
Introduction
Are you planning a camping trip on the weekend? Great! Here, get the latest update on everything about tents, from price to types and their conveniences. In this article, we are giving you an idea of how much does a camping tent cost.
Tent prices vary depending on the shape, size, materials that have been used, and many other factors. The type of tent you want to buy has a lot to do with price. For example, a four-season tent costs higher than a three-season tent because of the facilities it provides in extremely cold weather.
How, will this guide help you?
We will tell you the types of tents you may get on the market, their utility, things to consider when buying one, tips for which one to pick under particular conditions, and some tent and camping-related information.
Tents are an unavoidable part of camping gears. Varieties of tents can be found on the market. They feature different sizes, materials, shapes, and amenities. And their prices range accordingly.
The article also covers the following matters: the price range, a buying guide, and tips for making a successful tent camping trip.
Types of Tents?
There are about 25 different types of tents you can find that can be distinguished by the various features they carry. They have distinguished attributes, but they also have different purposes to use on various occasions. Here, we are putting a few significant ones that are commonly used for camping.
Backpacking Tents:
These are the most common type of tents out there for hiking, trekking, or foot traveling. These tents are lightweight, hence can be carried easily on the back and without trouble clean tent mold. Though most backpacking tents are for one or two people, some can house up to 4 people.
The backpacking tents range between $100 to $500. A higher price tag indicates better functionality, superior quality, capacity, and lighter weight.
If you are a frequent backpacker, go for higher-end tents for durable and life-long service. But if you travel less, you can opt for a lower price.
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Geodesic and semi-geodesic:
Geodesic and Semi-Geodesic tents are almost round and semi-round strong tents used for mountaineering and wild backpacking tours. They are built for extreme weather conditions like- strong winds, heavy showers, and snow.
However, the geodesic tents are quite similar to the dome tents; they are sturdier than them. These strongly built tents provide extended self-support and adequate headspace. The semi-geodesic tents are simpler in design and less sturdy compared to geodesic tents.
The backpacking tents range between $100 to $500. A higher price tag indicates better functionality, superior quality, capacity, and lighter weight.
If you are a frequent backpacker, go for higher-end tents for durable and life-long service. But if you travel less, you can opt for a lower price.
Pop Up Tent:
These tents become popular among the campers for their easy setup. They have a compact design that makes them lightweight, and it is easy to carry.
These tents are. However, they are not as strongly built. Hence, they cannot stand in a strong wind, rain, or extreme snowy weather. The instant tents are cheaply made and easy to set up and cost you an affordable price ranging from $50 to $100.
Pop-up or instant tents are best for short and irregular camping trips, though they are mostly used for backyard camping or pitching at a festival. Not being very stable for stormy weather, this tent can still cost you more than the traditional ones, up to a hundred bucks!
Tunnel Tent:
These tents have a tunnel-like shape. Hence the name is tunnel tent. These tents are divided into several pools and make a half circle down the ground. They are not freestanding in design and require many poles and guy lines to hold the shape and stand against the wind.
It’s a family-size tent, proper for bigger groups to stay in one tent. They are heavier than the regular size tents as they have the capacity for 4 to 6 people but can be found bigger. They are suitable for car camping.
These tents are spacious and provide a lot of head area. Hence they require a wider space. So, tenting in an open area is recommended. Also, as it’s a lengthy tent, the direction of the wider side should be against the wind to avoid toppling over or collapsing.
Given that they are bigger, the price rises according to the capacity averaging from $200 to $600.
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Cabin or Multi-Room Tent:
Cabin and multiroom tent are similar to each other. The only significant difference is that a multi-room tent has internal dividers to create personalized space for individuals, where the cabin is just a single room tent. They share a similar shape and don’t require a footprint.
These extra spacious tents have room for a large number of people and enough headspace. They are typically heavy and complex to function to be carried and pitched by a single person. They can cost as low as $150 to $600 upon the size of the tent. These tents have a capacity of up to 10 persons.
Ridge or Wedged Tent:
These classic tents have distinction A-shaped figures and rectangular floors. They are typically made of canvas or nylon, making a waterproof outer shell to protect the campers from getting wet. You can get various sizes, but generally, it is for large groups. These tents have a narrower headspace that requires more than one person to set up.
These tents are sturdy but heavy and have a center pole that crosses the tent horizontally and is supported by the two side poles, giving it a very edgy look. They are very affordable and will only cost you $50 to $150.
Dome Tent:
The popularity of dome tents has increased over time. They have a distinctive dome shape and a quadrilateral base. It has two flexible poles that cross each other over the head and anchors on the corner to the ground.
These tents have a round but smaller headspace that prevents water from gathering on the top.
The bigger tent, the less sturdy it becomes. They are suitable for smaller groups consisting of 4 people. The price ranges between $70 to $130.
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Things to consider when buying a tent/ Buying Guide
The things to look for in a tent include its sturdiness, size, price, weight, capacity, ease of setup, and material. Here’s a quick buying guide to picking the right one from the various tents found on the market.
Size and Capacity:
Often, the tent name carries a digit indicating the number of people it can hold along. Size Whentraveling with kids or pets, it is recommended to go for plus size to reduce any space shortage.
Shape:
You can find almost every kind of tent shape on the market. There is dome shape, rectangular, square, triangle, oval, round, semi-geodesic, and not.
Materials:
Diverse materials are used to make the tents. Among them, canvas, polyester, nylon, polycotton, PVC-coated tents are more common. Different materials have different purposes. Some are used for extreme weather conditions, some for dry situations, and some are durable for dry and rainy days.
Canvas:
It’s a heavily woven fabric popular for its water resistance. Besides being used in the tents, canvas fabric is also used for tarps, backpacks, and other heavy-clothing tenting materials. Apart from the cotton, you can get synthetic canvas as well for better water resistance.
Polyester:
Polyester is a synthetic fabric popular for its durability, wrinkle resistance, and resilience to wear and tear. You may find polyester tents with various coatings. For a camping tent, you should better choose the lightweight and breathable one but resistant to moisture and water as this fabric is very tight-knitted. Also, it gives a better shed from sunlight. Hence, it is suitable for bright sunny weather as well.
Poly-Cotton:
Polyester cotton, shortly known as polycotton, combines the two mentioned materials before polyester and cotton. Though there is not much difference between polyester and polycotton, polycotton is more prone to wrinkle and shrink and gets heavier when it comes into contact with water.
This fabric has a wrinkly texture, but its breathability and water-resistant property make it unique for camping tents. Again, it’s a very affordable material compared to the high-end fabrics but provides you with almost similar attributes.
Nylon:
This thermoplastic element is used in various products for its versatility; this is not very good for our environment. This light material is very useful as tent fabric, especially for hiking trips. These tents are affordable, durable, easily available, and the most commonly used material.
Even though it’s a harmful material for the environment, this tent fabric is to buy for its durability and water resistance if you’re a frequent hiker. And it is suggested not to dispose of it in nature to reduce environmental distress.
So, when you use it, be responsible for discarding it properly as it produces greenhouse gas that is harmful to the earth’s sustainability.
PVC-coated:
Polyvinyl chloride or PVC coating is used to make the fabric water repellent. The coating is applied over other fabrics, mainly cotton, to make it resistant to water and moisture. Although, this makes the tents a little condensed. So, it is suggested to purchase this material when the tent has sufficient ventilation to reduce the condensation problem.
Weight:
The most concerning factor about the tents is their weight. The lesser the weight, the less tiring it is to carry, but the more it will cost you. The weight depends on the elements that have been used to make a particular tent.
Colour:
A wide colorway is there when you get to choose a tent, but pick a bright hue so that you can notice it in snowy weather from a great distance.
Setup:
Though the manual provided with the tent helps you pitch it, some tents are undeniably difficult to pitch alone and have a complex pattern.
Price:
The tent price can range from $50 to $1000+ depending on the functionality it provides, as described earlier. But you gotta choose the one that goes with your budget and exchanges the best value.
Weather Expectations:
Some tents are extreme weather resistant, where some are only useful in dry conditions, and some are only for backyard camping. The three-season tents are useful all year round, but the four-season tents are built only for winter excursion purposes and are heavier and more sturdy.
Amenities:
Tents have other features than just the ones mentioned above. You have to also look for air vents for better ventilation, vestibules to have some extra dry space in front of the tent and get a covering from the rain and wind. A groundsheet or footprint is useful to make the surface waterproof. And lastly, a rain fly or flysheet gives the tent a covering from snow and rain.
FAQs
1) How Do You Stay Warm in a Tent?
Warm yourself up before bed with a cup of hot choco or camomile tea and a few jumping jacks. Wear appropriate clothes and wear them in layers. Use a portable heater if necessary. You can use thermals. Don’t use a tent that is too large for you. Use sleeping a bag and pad with a sleeping bag liner. Use a tent rug, tarp, or groundsheet.
2) How Much Does a 1 Person Tent Cost?
It can cost you from $50 to $100 bucks on average, but depending on the facilities you may get out of it, it can even cost you $500.
3) What Should I Look for When Buying a Tent?
As described above, you have to find out that the tent has the right capacity according to your needs. It has a carriable weight. It’s easily functional and costs you an affordable price. And it’s made of tough and sturdy materials.
4) What Are the Easiest Tents to Put Up?
Pop up, and Instant tents are the easiest to put up. However, you can utilize a pop-up tent for light use and the Instant tent for tough situations.
5) What Is a Footprint for a Tent?
A tent footprint is a protective layer to spread under the tent when camping to protect the sleeping bag from getting distorted from the ground materials and wet surface. It is not an essential part of camping gear, but you use it to extend the life expectancy of your camping gear.
6) What is a good weight for a hiking tent?
For a single person, a tent should weigh no more than 2.5 pounds. Though bigger tents weigh higher, even more than 15 plus pounds, it would be divided among the fellow hikers and shouldn’t exceed 2.5 pounds per person on average. When your tent is large and weighs big, here’s a tip, split them by the tent, poles, and rain fly with your companions.
Conclusion
As the camping tent can cost you from $50 to $5000 bucks, most tents cost $100 to $200 on average. As mentioned earlier, tent prices may vary depending on various features a particular tent may have. So, it is a relative matter that how much you can gain from a specific tent indicates the price of the tent.
We hope this article was helpful enough to find out your queries. And we also hope that you got the answers to some tent-related questions and a few hacks as well. Share with your friends and family and fellow hikers! Get back for updated information. Enjoy your trip!