Pop Up Camping Tents Make Outdoor Life Easy
Since pop up camping tents were invented, a long weekend in the wilderness has become even more of a pleasure than before. At the end of a long day of hiking, you don’t really want to have to wrestle with tent poles and figure out where all the parts go, just to get your tent assembled. This is especially true if it’s already dark, or if it suddenly starts to rain.
If you buy a pop up tent you can enjoy the natural splendor of your favorite national park, nature reserve or wilderness trail knowing that it will only take you a minute or two to set up your shelter for the night. One person – even if she has little physical strength or technical skill – can readily do the job on her own. This type of tent is, in fact, so easy to put up that it’s also known as a self-erecting or instant-erecting tent.
There are two basic models: one opens with the help of its “umbrella frame” of flexible poles that are permanently slotted into the fabric on the exterior of the tent, while the other employs a spring-open mechanism. A spring-opening tent will unfurl and set itself up automatically as soon as you remove it from its large, disc-shaped bag. The more popular, umbrella-framed pop up camping tents usually require you to open out the roof frame manually, but will then complete the assembly process themselves.
If you’re planning to use your self-erecting tent for hiking, cycling or boating, the spring-open model might not be the best choice for you as it’s quite large and bulky. An umbrella frame tent is much easier to carry, whether attached to your backpack or bike, or stowed in your canoe or dinghy, thanks to its long, slim shape when packed. Both kinds of instant-erecting tent are made of lightweight materials, however, so they won’t weigh you down when you’re moving around in the fresh air.
Pop up camping tents are available as one person tents, or in sizes to fit two, three or four people. Anything larger than that would be hard for the frame and opening mechanism to support. Many of the less expensive models have just one wall of fabric, while a higher-quality tent will come with an outer fabric that keeps the wind and rain out, and an inner wall made from a light, perforated material that allows the air to circulate.
As with any type of camping equipment, it’s important to think carefully about what you really need before spending money on a self-erecting tent. Ask yourself how many people will be sleeping in it, and remember that a four person tent is often only big enough for three adults, for instance. Another consideration is how often you’ll be using it. If you just need a tent for a one-off hiking trip in the summer, go for a cheaper, single-walled model. But if you plan on using it often, and all year-round, take a look at some three- or four-season pop up camping tents before making your final selection.
