Air vents- Screened areas that allow for ventilation. Ventilation is important in a tent to help prevent the build up of condensation from breathing and perspiring. Since most of the time the outside of the tent is cooler than the inside, water vapor will have a tendency to condense on the inside walls if there isn't enough air to carry it away. Air vents allow the tent to breath and the water vapor to escape.
Bathtub floor- A bathtub floor is a tent floor that has high sides. Instead of the floor being flat, the floor turns up and becomes the beginning of the wall. Since the floor is usually more water-resistant than the tent walls, this helps to keep you dry. A bathtub floor usually rises about 6 inches or so off the tent floor.
Canopy- A canopy is the covering, or roof of a tent.
The canopy above consists of white fabric panels and triangular no-see-um mesh vents.
Guy lines- Tent guy lines are small ropes that tie down and provide support to the tent. They also can help to pull the rainfly away from the tent to keep an air space between the two for ventilation. Guy lines are important because they provide structural integrity to the tent.
No-see-um mesh- Tent windows used to be covered with regular screen-type material like you might
find at home in a storm door. But the screen had a problem. While it stopped the mosquitoes and deer flies, it didn't stop the tiny no-see-ums or sand flies. Sand flies are nasty little biting flies that are small enough to fit through standard screening, so you might as well have left the door open. No-see-um mesh is small enough to keep them out, but open enough to let the cool breezes blow through.
Rainfly- A cover that stretches over the top of a tent to shield it from the weather. It's usually secured by clips and tie-downs to hold it in place.
This is the same tent with the full rainfly installed. Notice how the rainfly almost reaches the ground. Also the rainfly is pulled taught so that rain can run off easily instead of getting trapped in folds of material. This rainfly also has a flap over the zipper to further enhance water resistance.
Taped seams- It used to be tent seams were just sewn together, and that might be fine if you never camped in the rain. The problem is that regular sewn seams can leak through the needle holes. This can be fixed though by "taping" the seams. Seam taping stops water by sewing a barrier tape into the seam that in theory should prevent water from leaking in through the seam and needle holes. As you might guess, some tents do a better job at this than others.
Tent footprints- Tent footprints are essentially a ground cover or tarp that your tent sits on top of to protect it from dirt and moisture. Their job is to keep abrasion and wear to a minimum, which means your tent stays newer longer.
Tent poles- Tent poles are usually made of fiberglass or aluminum and are what prop the tent up off the ground. The poles should be strong and flexible in both warm and cool to cold weather depending on what type of camping you'll be doing. High quality aluminum poles use to add a lot to the cost of a good quality tent, but now you can find good quality aluminum tent poles over a range of prices. Fiberglass poles tend to become brittle in cold weather and can snap more easily than high quality aluminum poles, especially in the winter.
The tent pole above is made of sections of fiberglass connected by elastic shock cord. The shock cord helps to hold the poles together when they're connected. This section was pulled apart for the photo.
Tent stakes- Tent stakes are usually made of plastic or aluminum. A lot of tent manufacturers have a tendency to provide cheap stakes with their tents. From plastic stakes that break or mushroom, to cheap aluminum stakes that bend the first time you attempt to push them into the ground. Quality stakes can make pitching a tent a lot less frustrating.
Windows- Windows are usually made of mesh to allow for ventilation without the nuisance of biting bugs. The windows can usually be opened or closed by zipping or unzipping an inner panel. Although some tents do have screenless plastic windows that enable you to see out.
Bathtub floor- A bathtub floor is a tent floor that has high sides. Instead of the floor being flat, the floor turns up and becomes the beginning of the wall. Since the floor is usually more water-resistant than the tent walls, this helps to keep you dry. A bathtub floor usually rises about 6 inches or so off the tent floor.
Canopy- A canopy is the covering, or roof of a tent.
The canopy above consists of white fabric panels and triangular no-see-um mesh vents.
Guy lines- Tent guy lines are small ropes that tie down and provide support to the tent. They also can help to pull the rainfly away from the tent to keep an air space between the two for ventilation. Guy lines are important because they provide structural integrity to the tent.
No-see-um mesh- Tent windows used to be covered with regular screen-type material like you might
find at home in a storm door. But the screen had a problem. While it stopped the mosquitoes and deer flies, it didn't stop the tiny no-see-ums or sand flies. Sand flies are nasty little biting flies that are small enough to fit through standard screening, so you might as well have left the door open. No-see-um mesh is small enough to keep them out, but open enough to let the cool breezes blow through.
Rainfly- A cover that stretches over the top of a tent to shield it from the weather. It's usually secured by clips and tie-downs to hold it in place.
This is the same tent with the full rainfly installed. Notice how the rainfly almost reaches the ground. Also the rainfly is pulled taught so that rain can run off easily instead of getting trapped in folds of material. This rainfly also has a flap over the zipper to further enhance water resistance.
Taped seams- It used to be tent seams were just sewn together, and that might be fine if you never camped in the rain. The problem is that regular sewn seams can leak through the needle holes. This can be fixed though by "taping" the seams. Seam taping stops water by sewing a barrier tape into the seam that in theory should prevent water from leaking in through the seam and needle holes. As you might guess, some tents do a better job at this than others.
Tent footprints- Tent footprints are essentially a ground cover or tarp that your tent sits on top of to protect it from dirt and moisture. Their job is to keep abrasion and wear to a minimum, which means your tent stays newer longer.
Tent poles- Tent poles are usually made of fiberglass or aluminum and are what prop the tent up off the ground. The poles should be strong and flexible in both warm and cool to cold weather depending on what type of camping you'll be doing. High quality aluminum poles use to add a lot to the cost of a good quality tent, but now you can find good quality aluminum tent poles over a range of prices. Fiberglass poles tend to become brittle in cold weather and can snap more easily than high quality aluminum poles, especially in the winter.
The tent pole above is made of sections of fiberglass connected by elastic shock cord. The shock cord helps to hold the poles together when they're connected. This section was pulled apart for the photo.
Tent stakes- Tent stakes are usually made of plastic or aluminum. A lot of tent manufacturers have a tendency to provide cheap stakes with their tents. From plastic stakes that break or mushroom, to cheap aluminum stakes that bend the first time you attempt to push them into the ground. Quality stakes can make pitching a tent a lot less frustrating.
Windows- Windows are usually made of mesh to allow for ventilation without the nuisance of biting bugs. The windows can usually be opened or closed by zipping or unzipping an inner panel. Although some tents do have screenless plastic windows that enable you to see out.
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