Pyramid tents - These were actually the first
tent design. They use one straight pole in the center of the tent to create a pyramid shaped tent. In actual practice they are usually designed to utilize trekking poles, having no tent poles of their own. This design permits your
trekking poles to operate as dual purpose items, cutting your total weight. If you do not hike with trekking poles, you can always make your own poles from any material you choose. These tents often offer a lightweight advantage, but are relatively inefficient when it comes to usable space.
Avian tents - These are essentially a tarp tent, using two or more vertical poles. They make a slightly more rectangular form than a pyramid tent. They also often work with trekking poles, however both the avian and the pyramid tent designs are generally only used for light weather conditions, they have no floor and not much structure.
A-frame tents - Like those ancient army tents that grandpa used, they have two poles at each end of the tent forming an A shape, which are attached to the ground using stakes, making a long triangular shelter, these can be extremely tough structures, but they are often heavy because of their less efficient use of poles and the need for high tensile strength material, since it forms the top line of the tent's structure.
Modified A frames - These tents make use of a third pole, sometimes a hoop to open up the center area more, sometimes a cross pole, connecting A frames, making the tent freestanding. These are notable improvements in stability, but still often heavier than other options.
Hoop or Waypoint tents - These often have two hoop shaped poles that suspend the tent body, and using stakes they keep the structure taught and suspended. The disadvantage of these tents is their non-freestanding nature makes them difficult to pitch at times. It also sacrifices some stability in behalf of shaving weight
Wedge tents - With two hoop shaped poles that connect at the top, they form a wedge shape, with a near point at the top. These tents form a good balance of strength and weight savings. They are free standing, making them easy to move and pitch. They will also function without stakes.
Dome tents - These tents have crossing poles, or a hubed pole system to form a dome shape. They offer the best use of space and the most resilient design. They are most commonly four season tents and can protect you from the harshest conditions, however they are also normally the heaviest, they use lots of poles and take lots of time to set up.
If you are wanting to
choose a tent, it is important to decide just what you are going to use it for. Choosing between the trade offs of each design is the art of making decisions about your gear.
This article was written by Brian Tecklenburg. He loves the outdoors, especially camping and hiking. Brian enjoys getting his camping gear and clothing from http://www.moosejaw.com/
