Air Beam Tents

What an air beam tent is

An air beam tent has no poles. Tubes sewn into the tent are pumped up with air, and once they are firm they hold the tent up. There is nothing to thread or snap, so it goes up quickly, and on a big tent the pump does the lifting that would otherwise take several people. On many air tents each beam has its own valve and is pumped up on its own, so a leak in one leaves the others standing.

The kinds in this range

• Family dome air tents: one for 4 to 5 people is 220 by 220cm, 170cm high and weighs 6.8kg. See inflatable air tents.
• Big cabin air tents: the largest here is 420 by 513cm, 330cm high, for 8 to 10 people, and weighs 95kg. See cabin tents.
• Automatic air tents that pump up with an electric pump. See instant and automatic tents.
• Caravan and motorhome awnings, such as an inflatable porch awning 300 by 300cm in cotton canvas. See trailer tents.
• An inflatable roof tent for two, on 11cm air columns, with a manual pump. See roof tents.

Pumping up: the pressure and the gauge

Use the pump that comes with the tent, or one with a gauge, and pump each beam to the pressure the maker gives, which on most air tents is around 5 to 7 psi. Do not pump until it feels hard: a beam over its pressure can burst at a seam. Air expands in the sun and shrinks in the cold, so a tent pitched on a cold evening may need a top-up in the morning, and one pitched in the heat of the day can be let down a little.

Leaks and repairs

If a beam goes soft, check the valve first: most soft beams are a valve not screwed fully home. If it still loses air, take the tube out of its sleeve, pump it up and brush on soapy water: bubbles show the hole. Patch it with the repair kit, let it set, and put it back with the valve in its socket. Tape will not hold. See tent repair kits.

Questions people ask about air beam tents

Do I need an electric pump?

No. Most air tents here come with a hand or manual pump; a few come with an electric one.

Are air tents heavy?

The beams add weight, so a big air tent is a car tent. The family dome above is 6.8kg; the 8 to 10 person cabin is 95kg.

Which air beam tents are for winter?

A 4-season tent: stronger poles, and a snow skirt round the bottom of the flysheet to stop wind and snow blowing underneath. See 4-season tents, and hot tents with a stove jack for tents that take a stove. Never take a barbecue or a stove without a flue into a tent: carbon monoxide kills. With a hot tent, use its own kind of stove and a carbon monoxide alarm.

How long does delivery take?

Delivery is included in every price and tracked to your door. Each product page says when that tent usually arrives, so check it before ordering for a set date.

More to look at

• Inflatable air tents
• Family tents
• Cabin tents
• Aluminium pole tents
• Trailer tents
• Tent repair kits
• Guide: Air tents or pole tents
• Guide: Tent poles: aluminium, fibreglass, steel and air beams