Pyramid Tents

What a pyramid tent is

A pyramid tent has four or more sloping sides rising to a single point, held up by one pole in the middle and pegs at every corner. Its square or many-sided base makes it the close cousin of the tipi. The sloping sides shed wind and rain well, and because one pole does the work, pyramids are among the lightest shelters there are. Many are made to stand on a walking pole in place of a tent pole.

Trekking, tarp, hot tent or tipi: which pyramid

• Ultralight trekking-pole pyramids for one or two people. The flysheet of the one-person trekking-pole pyramid here weighs about 0.85kg. See backpacking and trekking tents.
• Pyramid tarp tents in sizes for four to eight, for groups travelling light. See tarps and tarp shelters.
• Pyramid hot tents with a stove jack and a snow skirt. See hot tents with a stove jack.
• Tall pyramid tipis for families and groups. See tipi tents.

Flysheet, inner tent and pole: what is in the bag

Read each listing for what it includes. Several pyramids here are sold as the flysheet alone, with the mesh inner tent as a separate choice, so you carry the flysheet in summer and add the inner when you want a floor and insect netting. Some come with no pole at all: the pyramid tarp here needs a 1.7m, 1.9m or 2.5m pole depending on its size, or two walking poles joined. The inner tents sold on their own have a minimum weight of 550g to 995g.

Weight

A pyramid gives the most shelter for the least weight. The one-person 20D nylon flysheet here weighs from about 410g, and the Fengyin four-person outer about 740g. The hot tents are heavier, from about 2.8kg to 4.8kg, because of their fire-resistant fabric and stove jack.

What the waterproof rating means on a pyramid 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 pyramid tent left up for days. The groundsheet is often rated higher, because you kneel and lie on it. The nylon and polyester pyramids here run from 1,500mm on the lightest flysheet to 5,000mm on a single-layer 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 pyramid tents

Do I need walking poles?

For the trekking-pole pyramids, yes, or a separate pole of the right height. The listing gives the height it needs.

Which pyramid 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

• Tipi tents
• Hot tents with a stove jack
• 1-man tents
• Backpacking and trekking tents
• Single layer tents
• Tent poles
• Guide: Single, double and triple layer tents
• Guide: Tent poles: aluminium, fibreglass, steel and air beams