Shopping tents, you will soon find yourself immersed in an unfamiliar term trying to decipher the DFC pyramids have the meaning of welded bathtub floors. Here is a guide to terms we need to know.
Single/Double Wall: Double wall tents are the most common, consisting of the internal tent between you and the element (wall 1) and the rainfly (wall 2). A walled tent is a wall. The advantage of a single wall tent is that it is lighter. The advantage of a double wall tent is that it is (usually) condensed to the exterior wall and will not drip on you while you sleep. We recommend two types.
independent:Does the tent stand up by itself, or do you have to calculate it? If it stands up by itself through the pole tension, it is a separate tent. If not, then not. There are also some hybrid designs, often called semi-tidal, that you just need one end to put it down.
I was firmly at the independent camp when I started this guide. Separate tents seem to be easier to handle and in some ways are. Today, most camping tents are independent. After testing dozens of non-green tents, I realized that the advantages of stand-alone are not as important as I thought. All non-stopping means you have to put down your tent while supporting it. If you are expecting wind or rain, even if the tent is “independent”, you want to do so. The biggest drawback of non-soccer or semi-tidal tents is that you can’t move them easily after setting them up.
lobby: In double wall tents, rainflies usually place them on the door of the inner tent. Leave a space without exist Tent, but still protected by rain and elements. The vestibular is a great place to cook wet gears and cooking, and it helps make the originally small tent feel bigger. Generally speaking, the larger the vestibule, the better.
DCF/CUBEN fiber:Dyneema composite fiber (DCF) is also known as Cuben Fiber. Both are industry term for tents made from Dyneema, a very powerful, very light fabric. It is also very expensive and can be annoying, but DCF is hard to rise when it is as light as possible. See Tent Materials below for a complete breakdown of all materials used in the tent.
Peak height: The tent is at the highest point. Depending on the shape of the tent, this may or may not help, but it can indicate how much headroom you have in the tent. However, in a monopole tent, the peak height is usually high but tilted quickly, meaning you don’t have that number that might return to as much headroom as you imagined.
Door: Two people and a larger tent require two doors. Climbing your hiking partner late at night is not fun for anyone. Almost every two and larger tent I’ve tested recently has two doors, but some also have a second full size vestibular, which is nice.
