A short guide to helping you choose the best instant tent for your next trip

Camping is an enjoyable outdoor activity, but setting up a traditional tent can be frustrating, especially if you’re not familiar with how to properly set it up. To avoid wasting too much time when setting up your shelter, consider getting an instant tent. (h/t to ThePrepperJournal.com)

Instant tents for hassle-free camping

Unlike the traditional tent, you can set up an instant tent within a few minutes. Also called a “pop-up tent,” an instant tent comes in two categories:

1. Instant tents – Convenient pop-up tents for small to large groups.
2. Hybrid instant tents – These instant tents have integrated lightweight poles.

There is one downside to using instant tents: since they don’t have heavy poles, they’re more susceptible to strong winds. Before settling in for the night, stake your instant tent so it doesn’t fly away.

The upside is, they’re easy to set up and they’re foolproof.

Factors to consider before buying an instant tent

Consider these three key factors before you purchase a pop-up tent.

Durability

All tents are judged based on their durability since the quality and the strength of the product are crucial to your safety. When choosing an instant tent, go with an option that can remain upright in different weather conditions. They can’t withstand strong winds unless they’re properly staked, but instant tents must keep out cold, heat, or rain. (Related: How to make a formidable temporary shelter when SHTF.)

Materials and useful features

There’s no use buying an instant tent if it’s made of cheap materials. There are different models of instant tents, but high-quality models often have these three features.

• They’re made of nylon – An instant tent made of nylon lets the moisture created by its inhabitants dissipate immediately. A tent’s durability and longevity will also depend on the weight of the nylon. Heavier nylon will last longer.
• It comes with a rain fly – Also called a fly, fly sheet, or outer tent, a rain fly is a separate piece of plastic that covers the tent. This extra flap of material helps to minimize the wetness and condensation inside the tent. You can make sure things stay dryer inside the tent by getting a model with nylon floors
• It has as many doors as you need – If you have a large camping group, you’ll need several doors in your instant tent. Other things to consider are the orientation and shape of the tent. For a smaller group, a mid-sized tent with a single door and several windows will do.

Price

High-quality tents won’t come cheap, but they’re a worthy investment. Ask these questions before making your purchase:

1. How often do you go on camping trips?
2. How many people are often in your camping group?
3. Do you go camping for only a couple of days, or do you take longer trips?
4. Do you bring a lot of gear and supplies with you when you camp?
5. Will the tent fit in your car?

Your answer to these questions will help you decide if you can get a cheaper tent or if you need a high-quality instant tent for your camping needs. Ideally, it’s better to invest in a more expensive tent because it will last longer.

Choose an instant tent that suits your needs so you can enjoy every camping trip that you go on with your family and friends.

You can read more articles with tips on how to choose the best gear for your next camping trip at Gear.news.

Sources include:

ThePrepperJournal.com

ThoughtCo.com