What Shop by Feature is for
Most people start with how many will sleep in a tent, or what kind of trip it is for. This part of the shop starts from the tent itself: what weather it is made for, how it is built and how its rooms are laid out. Every tent here is filed by its maker's own words. If a description says "4 season", "double layer", "aluminium poles" or "2 bedroom 1 hall", or gives a waterproof rating in millimetres, the tent is filed in that range. So one tent can sit in several ranges at once, and each range shows every tent that has that feature.
The ranges in Shop by Feature
- By season: summer, 3-season and 4-season tents, sorted by the weather they are built for. See tents by season.
- By layers: one waterproof skin, an inner tent under a flysheet, or padded walls for the cold. See tents by layers.
- By fabric: polyester, oxford, nylon, canvas and cotton, other man-made fabrics, and heat-reflecting foil. See tents by fabric.
- By poles: aluminium, aluminium alloy, fibreglass, steel, iron, or air beams pumped up in place of poles. See tents by poles.
- By layout: tents with one or two bedrooms off a living area, and tents with a porch. See tents by layout.
- By waterproof rating: three bands, set by the flysheet's rating. See tents by waterproof rating.
Which feature to start with
Start with the weather. For summer weekends on a campsite, most tents will do, and a light single-layer or pop-up tent keeps things simple. For spring and autumn, or anywhere it rains a lot, a double-layer tent with a decent waterproof rating is the safer buy. For winter, snow or a stove, go straight to the 4-season tents and hot tents.
Then think about how the tent travels. If it goes on your back, the fabric and poles decide the weight: nylon and aluminium alloy poles are the light end, while oxford cloth, canvas, and steel or iron frames are for tents that go in the car. For a family staying a week, the layout matters more than anything: separate bedrooms, a living area to sit in when it rains, and a porch for boots and bags.
Questions people ask about tent features
Why is one tent in several ranges?
Because it has several features. A two-person backpacking tent can be 3-season, double layer, nylon, on aluminium alloy poles, with a porch and a 3,000mm rating, and it is filed in each of those ranges.
Which feature matters most for staying dry?
Not the rating alone. Taped seams, a groundsheet rated higher than the flysheet, a double layer to cut condensation and a tent pitched taut with its guy lines out all count. See waterproof to 3,000mm and double layer tents.
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
