What a dome tent is
A dome tent has two or more flexible poles that cross over the top and anchor at the corners, which bends them into a dome. Because the poles hold the shape, most dome tents stand up on their own before a single peg goes in, and the curved roof sheds rain and wind well.
Backpacking, family, air or glamping: which dome tent
Freestanding: why it matters and what it does not mean
A freestanding dome can be put up on hard ground, picked up and turned so the door faces away from the wind, then pegged where you want it. It still needs pegging: an empty dome tent is light and will roll away in a gust. Peg the corners first, then the guy lines, and in wind peg every one.
Weight if you are carrying it
Light dome tents for walking include the OneTigris Stella, about 1.9kg as a one-person tent and 2.2kg as a two-person, and the two-person COSMITTO at about 2.45kg. The family one-touch dome, 400 by 400cm and 210cm high, weighs about 12.7kg and is made for the car. Each product page gives the weight where the maker states it.
What the waterproof rating means on a dome tent
The rating in millimetres, the hydrostatic head, is the height of a column of water the fabric holds back before it leaks, tested to BS EN ISO 811. About 1,000mm is the lowest rating usually called waterproof, most lightweight flysheets are 1,500mm to 3,000mm, and more is worth having for long wet trips or a dome tent left up for days. The groundsheet is often rated higher, because you kneel and lie on it. The light dome tents here that state it run from 1,500mm on a three-season two-person tent to 3,000mm on a four-season one. Taped seams matter as much as the number. Shop by rating: to 2,000mm, to 3,000mm and 5,000mm and over.
Questions people ask about dome tents
Is a dome tent good in wind?
Yes, and one reason so many are sold. The crossed poles share the load, and the low curved shape gives the wind less to push on. Peg out every guy line.
Which dome 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.
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