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Sleeping
Bags and Tents Information
Modern Tents
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tent
Parts of a modern tent
- The tent fabric or tent inner comprises the roof, walls, and
(if one exists) the sewn-in groundsheet of the tent.
- The poles provide structural support. They may be collapsible
for easy storage. Some designs use rigid poles, typically made
of metal, or sometimes wood. Other designs use semirigid poles,
typically made of fiberglass, or sometimes of special metal alloys.
- The rain fly, outer, or flysheet, is a sheet of fabric that
is attached over the top of the inner. It is designed to make
minimal contact with the tent fabric itself, and sometimes has
a small pole of its own. The flysheet fabric is usually waterproof
and may be made of canvas, nylon, or a more modern breathable
material. Minimizing contact keeps the inner dry even if the outer
is wet, and provides a layer of insulation.
- Stakes or pegs are used to fasten the tent to the ground. Some
are attached to ropes (guys) that pull outward on the flysheet
to give the tent additional stability. Others are used to anchor
the bottom edge of the flysheet and inner to the ground.
Modern tent types
- A dining fly or bivouac is the simplest form of tent. It consists
of a single rectangular sheet of material. Two opposite sides
are held up in the middle by metal poles, or sometimes trees.
The tops of the poles are attached to guy lines, the other ends
of which are attached to stakes, in order to keep the dining fly
from falling in on itself. Dining flies are not intended as shelter
for people. Their primary purpose is to store gear and protect
it from rain. (Campers may choose not to store it in their own
tents if those are too small. Also, gear tends to have odors that
attract animals.) A particularly large dining fly may be used
for dining purposes, but not for cooking, due to fire-safety considerations.
- An A-frame tent is so-called because the poles are put together
to form an 'A' shape at either end. The tent inner usually includes
walls and a sewn-in groundsheet. A-frame tents also usually have
flysheets or outers. They are comparatively difficult to set up,
particularly because of the large number of stake anchor points,
but very easy to take down.
- A cabin tent is similar to an A-frame tent, but larger and taller.
It has a small rigid pole in each corner hold the side walls in
a vertical position; each of these poles is secured with its own
guy line. These tents are somewhat more difficult to take down
than A-frames, and considerably more difficult to pitch. A further
modification of this design is the use of an extensive metal framework
that allows the cabin tent to stand without any guy lines. These
tents usually have durable canvas tent fabrics, and may be attached
to permanent floors, typically wooden. These freestanding tents
may be found at permanent camps, where they are usually pitched
once for the entire camping season. However, they are very heavy
and not very portable.
- The dome tent is a popular basic design. It differs fundamentally
from the previous designs in that its poles must be flexible,
and run along the corners from the floor to the peak and back
down to the floor on the opposite side. They differ from A-frame
tent poles in that they run outside the tent fabric, which is
attached to the pole framework by sleeves, and sometimes also
clips. Dome tents are more difficult to set up than A-frames,
but easier to take down. They do not require stakes for structural
integrity. They are more resistant to wind-induced collapse than
cabin tents, but strong winds may bend the poles to the breaking
point, or roll the tent if it is not staked. The basic dome design
has been modified extensively, producing tents with three poles,
tents with irregularly-shaped bases, and other unusual types.
· Tunnel tents are another possibility. Compared with dome
tents, they offer more usable internal space for the same ground
area, but almost always need stakes and guy lines to stay upright.
Tunnel tents use the same type of flexible poles as dome tents.
Typically, they use three poles, arranged as three parallel hoops,
with tent fabric attached to form a tunnel. The most common designs
have a sleeping area at one end and a porch/storage area at the
other.
· Hybrid dome/tunnel tents are now common. The basic dome
tent provides the sleeping area. One or two hooped poles to one
side are linked by a tunnel to the dome to provide a porch.
· Hammock tents, one-person sleeping tents arranged around
a hammock, also exist and are favored by some campers in warm
weather.
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