gofer articles

Tents are shelters constructed from sheets of fabric or animal hide, draped over a frame of poles and historically secured to the ground by ropes and stakes. Many modern-day alternatives such as camping tent or Nemo equipment tent are used for recreational activities such as camping or hiking, these are free-standing tents that are designed in such a way as to need no such anchoring to the ground.

Tent sizes vary from bivouac types large enough for one or two people to the familiar multiple topped circus tents with space enough for thousands. The vast majority of tents made and sold today fall in-between these two extremes ( more towards the former than the latter ). The bigger varieties can take about a half hour to correctly pitch or assemble, while others may require only seconds to successfully strike or disassemble. Some can be set up by oneself, while others will completely require assistance.

When in the marketplace for good tents, consideration should be given to some basic factors. First and foremost involves the material of the fabric, which sometimes comes in cotton canvas, nylon, felt, and polyester. Cotton soaks up water, but is ironically rendered water resistant when its fibers swell and create a good seal against further drenching.

Cotton is also frequently treated to further augment its water resistance characteristics. Synthetic fibers like nylon and polyester are much lighter in weight and have a tendency to whisk away water, and can be quite water-proof with the appliance of special coatings. Unfortunately, they generally tend to go downhill over time under sunlight.

The hydrostatic head rating of tent fabrics also should be considered. Numbers of 1000mm or less are deemed shower resistant, while extraordinary conditions like monsoons may call for figures of three thousand to over 5000mm, especially for groundsheets. Also, tents that’ll be utilized in areas where insects such as gnats and mosquitoes are anticipated and should have all openings covered with fine-mesh netting.