The bedroom in your backpack – what matters in a good tent

What makes a short trip into nature so unique and desirable for so many enthusiastic people? Especially for people who have little or no personal experience with such outdoor experiences, the love of nature activities that friends and acquaintances express is often a big mystery that raises questions. So what is it about? Is it the mountains, the forests and the numerous fresh meadows? Or is it simply the silence that often appears in many untouched parts of nature and has a calming effect on the entire body and mind? Does the sporting aspect perhaps also play a major role, or does it have more to do with the animal world?

The reasons why people go out into nature and leave their comfort zone for a certain period of time cannot be easily stated across all people. However, one thing can almost always be recognized - people strive for freedom!

Stay where you want to stay

For many outdoor enthusiasts, the word freedom means being able to choose exactly where you want to spend the next night every evening. In order to meet this requirement, a good, high-quality tent is essential. This way, you always have your mobile bedroom in your backpack and can conjure it up in the middle of nature in just a few minutes. Just pause and stay where you want to stay! In the following article, WOLFGANGS tells you what is particularly important when choosing the right tent.

Size of the tent - a question of circumstances

All beginnings are difficult and while you are looking for a new outdoor sleeping place in your local shop, the question of tent size is usually the first thing that pops into your head. Many different factors determine how big the tent should be. It is important that you examine these individual points clearly enough in advance in order to then make the right purchase decision.

Are you travelling alone, as a couple or with several people? Are you going on an extensive hiking or bushcrafting tour, or just to the nearest campsite? Will you be carrying the tent in your backpack for a longer period of time, or will the entire load be transported by car anyway? All of these questions should be answered carefully and very honestly so that you don't risk making a bad purchase later on.

So if you're a single person who will be carrying your new tent in your backpack the whole time, you should go for a light to ultra-light version that's only sized for one person. Every unnecessary gram on your shoulders means you risk beads of sweat pouring down your forehead and affecting your back, knees and feet.

You can of course do without this rather expensive ultralight equipment if you only need the tent for sporadic camping trips and all the material is stored in the car anyway. In this scenario, a tent of normal price and weight would be completely sufficient. You also don't have to worry about possible storage space for the backpack if a car can serve as storage space.

Single-walled or double-walled tent?

As if these evil tent manufacturers weren't making things difficult enough, you now have to choose between single- and double-walled models . However, we can assure you that this choice is not as difficult as you probably initially imagined. Rather, it's important to know the various advantages of the variants and then decide which ones are more suitable for your own purposes.

Single-wall tents are quick to set up, especially in rainy weather, because of their simple construction, so you can quickly get somewhere dry. They are also usually lighter in construction. However, they usually lose points when it comes to insulation. Having only one wall means that you are in direct contact with both cold and warm air. This can be noticeable inside. Condensation can also have an easier time with this type of construction if there are no small ventilation slots.

Double-walled tents are real air circulation pros, as there is comparatively little direct contact with the outside. If it is very hot outside in summer, you can simply remove the outer tent and watch the sparkling stars on the horizon. Of course, all of this takes up comfort points elsewhere, as setting up the tent is often more difficult, especially in the rain. The pole construction takes up more time and means that your feet have to fidget in the rain for a little longer if something goes wrong.

Water column is crucial for the tent

The question of whether a tent's water column is really crucial can only be answered with a confident " yes and no" . Many people believe that a higher water column value automatically means greater water resistance, but this is precisely a very insidious misconception.

A water column is a standardized measurement norm that determines how resistant and robust a certain material is to water. A column is placed on the material in question and then filled with water. Like a ruler, certain measurements can be seen on this column in order to be able to read at what level the water first penetrates the material. The water column is determined and written down at this moment. If a tent has a water column of 20,000, this only means that the water will first penetrate at a pressure of 20,000 mm per square meter.

Many people forget that pressure is largely irrelevant in a tent. Once the tent is up, no external influences affect the walls. Such a high water column is therefore not necessary in a tent. However, since many interested parties are familiar with these high water columns from the hardshell jacket department, among other things, they assume that this is also necessary in a tent in order to stay dry. However, the jackets have to withstand much greater stress and influences - sticks, bushes, rain, thorns and, above all, rubbing and heavily packed backpacks demand everything from the jackets. Without a high water column, the jacket would quickly disintegrate in some places due to this high stress and friction.

The main focus of a tent should therefore be on a high water column on the ground , as this is where body pressure has to be managed. When lying down or kneeling, for example, it is important that you have sufficient support on the ground. This way, even when the tent is under heavy strain, the water cannot get into the tent and you can enjoy the benefits of being in nature in peace and, above all, dry.