Festival Tent Buying Guide

Festival Tent Buying Guide

When I shop for camping gear, I think in two veins, one is the lightweight camp gear that I plan to carry long distances on my back, the other is car camping gear where weight does not matter. Mostly, when I go to a festival, I plan to camp near my car so all that lightweight stuff does not matter. Now, If you are like some Roo’ers who camp near or under the arch every year, then you might want to consider weight or just buy a cart!

Buying a tent can be a confusing purchase to make.
When you start researching tents you can find so many brands and so many different sizes and configurations. You will see some that some mention weight in the description and some do not. That is that same divide I spoke of, two veins. The ones that mention the weights are usually much more expensive because they are meant for backpacking and are made from very durable, lightweight, weatherproof materials like Polyester and Polyester taffeta. Tents are also categorized by season. For a festival, a light-weight 3 season tent is not necessary. Instead, I suggest thinking more about the accessibility of the tent and the rain fly.

Tents are typically categorized by the shape, either dome or cabin. Dome tents are just that, half of a dome and usually are pretty low to the ground, the type of tent you stoop or crawl into. Cabin style tents usually have more headroom and you can stand up in them.

One can argue either way for which is the best kind of tent, I think dome tents tend to be more durable in high winds and thunderstorms because they tend to be lower to the ground and have full coverage rain flies. In my experience, I also find dome type tents are much easier to set up.

Cabin style tents also have some advantages like being more like a room in a house rather than a small space to sleep. Often the weight of the tent is not a consideration for these. They often will be made of heavy canvas or other heavier fabrics. Some of the cabin-style tents can also be huge. They can sleep multiple people and have room dividers.

When you are looking a the size of a tent you will see the sizes described as the number of people they sleep: 2-Person, 4-Person Tent, 6-Person Tent with Screen Room, etc. Some people prefer to bring a giant 6- or 8-person tent, while others like their own space and will bring a 1- or 2-person tent. As far as sizing goes, the size does not count gear, so a two-person with gear is just room for one so I’d say go up a size for more room. At most festivals the car camping space is about 20×20, so you might want to consider the size you pick. Personally, I think less tent is better and I focus on having a large space to shade and hang out in rather than put up a huge tent. I also like to put a canopy over my tent.

So why do prices for tents vary so widely?

Mainly it is the weight and construction of the components of the tent.

The various rainproof fabrics are actually quite expensive, so the more tent the more they cost. Be aware that higher-denier fabric canopies and rain flies are more rugged than lower-denier ones, and they weigh more. You may find a 3-season, 2-person tent can cost as much as a 9-person tent made from higher-denier fabric.

The poles are also usually one major difference in the price of tents. A tent’s pole structure helps determines how easy or hard it is to pitch. Most lightweight tents poles made from aluminum or steel or some carbon composite rather than the fiberglass of their heavier counterparts and that technology can add to the cost.

Another thing is just the brand itself, for some tents, they feature the same type fabrics, poles, and construction but with a certain logo, the price can increase quite a bit. I am not knocking some of the more high-end tent brands, but unless you are an extremist who is heading to the Pacific Trail, that extra expense is not necessary for car camping at a festival. I suggest this 2-Person Dome tent I found on Amazon for under $25!

Accessibility of the Tent and the Rain Fly

Once you have decided which season, style, weight and size of the tent you are looking for, I suggest really looking at how the doors and windows work in each tent and the rain fly. A rain fly is a separate waterproof cover designed to fit over the roof of your tent. Most tents come with the rain fly as an accessory and this can really be a crucial aspect of the tent because most likely, all that rain protection will get put to use. Even just the dew in the air will make all your bedding and clothing wet, so always put your rain fly on the tent when you are not in it.

The 5 things I look for are:

Does the rain fly cover the full tent or just partial

How do the doors unzip, will it allow water to get in when I enter or exit

Do the doors have screens so there is airflow

How many windows and do they have screens

In the rain, will it be a hot miserable box or is there ventilation when the rain fly is on

I have actually gone through about 4 tents over the years, some leaked when it rained, others we not engineered correctly and everything got wet when you open the zip doors and there was one that I almost suffocated in because the rain fly did not allow for ventilation, so do your homework if you want to buy something that you will want to use for years to come. My current tent has a porch.

Practice Setting Up Your Tent

Once you purchase your tent, you are going to want to be familiar with setting it up before you are in the hot sun with no shade after sitting in the car line for hours, so be prepared. Do a dry run at home or at a park, any place you can practice setting up. This will also give you a chance to see what other supplies you might need. Like a footprint for the bottom of your tent or a tarp, reflective tent guidelines and extra heavy-duty stakes. Adding a tarp or footprint will help insulate the floor of the tent and also add a layer of water protection.

Be sure to SECURE Your tent

Stake down your tent well, the day you arrive! Even if the forecast is for pleasant weather. Also, it might be a good idea to put your cooler, bin or something heavy in there as added weight. If a surprise thunderstorm stirs up, you don’t want to come back to your camp to find your tent gone like Dorothy’s house in The Wizard of Oz.

Another thing I always do is I buy a can of waterproofing spray and about a month before I go camping, I get my tent out, let it air out, set it up and make sure there are no holes or issues and I treat it with waterproofing spray, inside of the tent and out. It adds just a bit of added water protection and will actually make the fabric repel the water even better in a serious rain pour.

And YES, you need a lock for your tent. You know the temptation for other people’s unsupervised belongings is just too much for some people, so be warned. Brotherly love alike, cameras, phones, and all that pawnable stuff should be locked up if your eyes aren’t on it at any festival.

Tips on Taking Down & Maintenance of Tents

Every time you use the tent, you want to make sure it is completely dry and free of debris before you store it. The worst thing you can do is take your tent down and immediately put it into the carry case it came in without drying it out. The next time you open it up, it will be a moldy smelling mess you won’t want to camp in and that black or white mold can make you sick. I suggest you get so sort of pop-up hamper or breathable bag to put it in until you can lay it somewhere so it can dry completely. This is the crucial step in the longevity of your tent. I really love these pop-up hampers for storing wet tents, clothes and other bedding in the car after a trip.

After a few days of drying, I also add a few dryer sheets to the inside before I zip it up and I then take the time to roll it all back up, put it in the case and get it ready for next trip. I always make sure to store indoors, in a closet or dry place, I once had mice chew through one in a garage.

So hopefully this has answered a few of the questions you have about buying a tent and gives you a few tips.

Please leave or comments in the comments section if you have ideas you would like to add. I’d love to hear everyone’s suggestions on the BEST camp set up ideas, I want this site to be useful and insightful for everyone. This is just what I do and every year and my camp EXPERIENCE gets better and better.

Also check out my Youtube Video: 10 Best Pop Up Canopy Tents 2019.

~Wren

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