C ho o s ing the righ t materials fo r yo u r ten t

C hoosing the righ t m ateria ls for your ten t

Choos ing a tent can be a cha l le ng ing bus ine s s . The re a re a w ide range o f ma te ria ls invo lved,

from the fabric on the outs ide o f your tent to the pegs you use to ho ld it dow n. Th is Da ta Shee t

looks a t s om e o f the ma te ria ls you a re l ike ly to encounte r w hen buying a tent . Y ou can f ind out

more about o the r th ings to look fo r in ano the r Da ta Shee t – Choos ing a tent la yout .

Bene fit from expe rt advice , re ta i l d is counts and money o ff p it ch n ight s tays w hen you jo in the

C lub .

T e nt fa brics

Mos t tents w i l l have tw o la ye rs – an oute r cove r know n a s the f lyshee t and an inne r tent fo r

s le ep ing . In a lm os t a l l ca s e s , you w on’t have a cho ice o f fabric fo r the inne r tent , s o a s long a s it

is b re a thab le (to pre vent condensa t ion bu i ld ing up ove rn ight ) you shou ld be f ine . How eve r, the re

is a range o f ma te ria ls a va i la b le fo r the f lyshee t . Read on fo r more de ta i ls .

P olye ste r

Mos t tents on the ma rke t today a re made o f po lye s te r. Th is man-made fabric comes in many

w e ights and w ith a va rie ty o f coa t ings , many o f w hich a re g iven brand names by the ir re spe ct ive

manufa cture rs .

Po lye s te r ha s s im ila r p rope rt ie s to nylon (s ee be low ), but it doe s no t s t re tch o r s hrink a s much

and by us ing s pe cia l is t coa t ings can be made to be qu ite U V s tab le . H ighe r grade po lye s te r

tents may a ls o have a rips top w eave , th is is ident if ie d by a cro s s ha tch ing in the w eave and

inh ib it te a ring .

D ATA SH EET#5 C h o o sing yo u r tent m ateria ls#5 C h o o sing yo u r tent m ateria ls #5

A Po lyes ter T en t

R ip - s to p nylo n keep ing the rain o u t

Po lyco tto n

A mo dern co t to n ten t

As a re su lt , mos t te nts on the ma rke t today –

e spe cia l ly fam ily one s – a re made from po lye s te r.

Nylon

L ightw e ight

tents a re

o ften made

o f nylon. Th is

man-made

text i le is

no rma lly

coa ted to

make it m ore

durab le to

bo th

abra s ion and U V , w ith coa t ings s uch a s a cryl ic, po lyure thane (PU ) o r s i l icone .

O ne d is advantage o f nylon is it s te ndency to ‘la dde r’, w h ich is w hen a sma ll ho le propaga te s

a cros s the fabric rap id ly. Top-o f-the -range nylon fabrics include a ‘rips top ’ mesh o f th icke r nylon

s t rands tha t p re vent a sma ll te a r p ropoga t ing . How eve r, s ome cheape r nylon fabrics have a

rips top cros sha tch pa t te rn embos sed – s imp ly to look the pa rt – s o it 's w o rth che cking w he the r

the tent you a re looking a t is re a l ly rips top fabric.

C omposite s

The la te s t gene ra t ion o f e xped it ion tents a re us ing lam ina ted po lyme r o r compos ite te xt i le s . Fo r

e xample U LTRA from Te rra Nova use s an u lt ra h igh mo le cu la r w e ight po lye thylene (U HMW PE)

ma t coa ted on bo th s ide s w ith a th in po lyme r f i lm . The re su lt is a ve ry robus t and l ightw e ight

ma te ria l, the te xt i le can a ls o be bonded a l low ing fo r a grea te r te ns i le s t rength than a s ew n jo in .

P olycotton or coa te d-cotton

An a lte rna t ive to t rad it iona l 100% co t ton canvas is

po lyco t ton, o r l ighte r-w e ight co t ton w ith a w ea the r-

re s is tant coa t ing . The se ma te ria ls have many o f the

qua l it ie s o f 100% co t ton canvas but te nd to be l ighte r

in w e ight and low e r cos t . Many fam ily te nt

manufa cture rs have po lyco t ton o r coa ted-co t ton un it s

in the ir range s , s uch a s O utw e ll, Sprayw ay and Vango .

C otton

Be fo re the 1960s , te nts w e re gene ra l ly made o f na tura l

fabrics s uch a s co t ton canvas . TheCamping and

Ca ravanning C lub ’s founde r Thomas H iram Ho ld ing

even used s i lk fo r h is l ighte s t te nts .

Today co t ton tents a re ava i la b le from spe cia l is t

manufa cture rs l ike Cabanon, Ka rs ten and Be l l Tents .

Co t ton canvas is a w onde rfu l fabric fo r te nts be cause it

rema ins coo l in s umm er, keeps the w a rm th ins ide in

w inte r and ra re ly s uffe rs from condensa t ion. O ne re su lt

o f th is is tha t you do no t gene ra l ly need an inne r tent

in a co t ton canvas un it .

A 1930 ’s co t to n ten t

Canvas is a ls o a be t te r s ound insu la to r, s o co t ton tents o ften s eem qu ie te r ins ide than nylon o r

po lye s te r one s . A co t ton canvas tent w i l l no rma lly out la s t one o f man-made fabric, s ome t imes by

seve ra l de cade s , but it w i l l w e igh s ign if icant ly more and probab ly cos t a fa ir b it too .

Co t ton tents can a ls o requ ire more ma intenance than

one s o f man-made fabric. Fo r e xample , a new co t ton

tent w i l l ne ed to be w ea the red to pre vent it le aking .

Th is invo lve s s oaking it a coup le o f t imes , a l low ing the

threads in the canvas to sw e l l s l ight ly and clo s e any

t iny gaps w he re w a te r can s eep through.

Co t ton ’s f ina l w inn ing fe a ture is it s sme ll. Y ou canno t

bea t the s cent o f a pure canvas tent to t ranspo rt you

back to ch i ldhood days outdoo rs – e ven if you d id no t

cam p then...

G roundshe e ts

Groundshee ts in mos t te nts today a re o f s turdy PVC.

Y ou w il l p robab ly w ant a fu l ly-w a te rproo f g roundshee t

in your s le ep ing a rea , but i f you have a cho ice , it is

w o rth cons ide ring a brea thab le one e ls ew he re be cause

it w i l l ke ep the gra s s benea th your tent in be t te r

cond it ion fo r future campe rs .

If the ground is a lre ady pa rt icu la rly muddy, you may

w ant to have a foo tprint – w hich cou ld be purpose de s igned o r s imp ly a p ie ce o f po lythene from

a DIY s to re o r bu i lde rs ’ me rchant – to go unde r your groundshee t to keep the mud a t bay.

PolesG la ss-re inforce d p la stic (G R P ) – a ls o know n a s f ib reg la s s – is a popu la r ma te ria l fo r te nt po le s

be cause it is re la t ive ly cheap to produce , l ightw e ight and bends e a s i ly a round the curve s o f a

tent . It is o fte n found in sma ll- and med ium-s iz ed dome and tunne l un it s o r a s e xt ra po le s (ove r

a po rch o r s im ila r) in la rge r one s .

G las s - rein fo rced p las t ic (G R P) po les

S teel po les

A lum in ium allo y po les

GRP is made from th in g la s s s t rands he ld in a re s in .

Some such po le s a re s urrounded by an oute r w rapp ing

and appea r unde r a brand name , s uch a s Duraw rap o r

Dyna fle x. O ne d is advantage o f the ma te ria l is tha t

w hen a po le breaks o r fra cture s – and they can do ,

e spe cia l ly i f they a re a ccidenta l ly m is -threaded in a

s le eve – the break can have sha rp g la s s s p l in te rs .

Ste e l

Stee l te nt

po le s a re

gene ra l ly

pa inted ,

p la ted o r

coa ted to

prevent them

rus t ing , and

need to

rema in tha t w ay. Ste e l is a s t rong, heavy ma te ria l, s o you w il l no rma lly f ind the se po le s in la rge r

tents , and they a re no t de s igned to bend a round the curve s o f a te nt .

If your chosen tent ha s s te e l po le s w ith ang led co rne rs , che ck the th ickne s s o f the ma te ria l a t

the se co rne rs be cause they can be w eak po ints . An a ccidenta l ly-bent s te e l po le can o ften be

s t ra ightened, but it w i l l ne ve r have a l l the s t rength o f it s cond it ion be fo re the incident .

Aluminium a lloy

A lum in ium is a much l ighte r me ta l than s te e l and it

can bend a round curve s l ike GRP . Fo r e xt ra s t rength

a lum in ium is combined w ith ano the r me ta l to fo rm an

a l loy.

The se m a te ria ls a re more cos t ly than GRP but the

s t rength and w e ight s aving (ove r s te e l) mean they a re

o ften s o ld w ith l ightw e ight , ba ckpacking tents .

And a lso…

At the top end o f the ma rke t , you w il l f ind po le s in h i-

te ch ma te ria ls . Ca rbon f ib re one s , fo r e xample , a re incred ib ly l ight , s t rong and pe rfe ct fo r the

curving s t ructure s o f many tents , but command a h igh price .

And fina lly…

O ne advantage o f buying a s l ight ly more -price y tent from a w e l l-know n supp l ie r is tha t you a re

l ike ly to be ab le to buy a rep la cement pa rt i f you a ccidenta l ly b re ak o r te a r s ome th ing . During

our tent te s t ing a t the C lub w e e xpe ct to break a t le a s t one po le e ve ry s ea son – s o it is no t a s

unusua l a s w e m ay hope !

C arbo n fib re po les

Rep la cem ent po le s , po le s e ct ions and end caps (know n

as fe rru le s ) a re no rma lly a va i la b le from your lo ca l

cam ping equ ipm ent re ta i le r, o r a s pe cia l is t s pa re s

s tockis t s uch a s w w w .tentspa re s .co .uk.

If re p la cem ents a re no longe r ava i la b le fo r your

pa rt icu la r te nt m ode l, you can no rma lly buy a s tanda rd

p ie ce o f po le w ith the co rre ct d iame te r and cut it to

le ngth.

PegsW hen you buy a tent it is l ike ly to be s upp l ie d w ith s tanda rd ,

s t ra ight s te e l pegs w ith a circu la r cro s s -s e ct ion, s ome t imes

ca l le d p ins . I f cond it ions a re good, the se may be suff icie nt ,

but in many ca se s it is w o rth inve s t ing in s ome add it iona l

pegs to keep your tent s e cure ly on the ground. P ins can be

easy to put in the ground, but they o ften bend if they h it

s ome th ing ha rd in the ground and they a re a ls o e a s i ly

d is lodged.

Some cam pe rs w ith many yea rs ’ e xpe rie nce w il l ca rry a

s e le ct ion o f pegs , e a ch su ite d to d iffe rent ground cond it ions .

It is a lw ays w o rth having a few spa re s – e ven o f the mos t

ba s ic p ins – to rep la ce any broken o r lo s t one s .

P re sse d ste e l or a lloy

Pegs w ith a s hank w ith a f la t cro s s -s e ct ion gene ra l ly g ive be t te r g rip than s tanda rd s te e l pegs .

Lightw e ight pe gs

I f you a re ca rrying your kit yours e lf, you may cons ide r a l loy pegs o r t itan ium one s to reduce

w e ight . The se need to be used ca re fu l ly a s they a re more l ike ly to bend unde r the ma lle t . Y ou

a ls o need to be s ure they w il l be good enough to s tay in the ground keep ing your tent dow n in

the w ind.

M oulde d p la stic

The re a re many shape s and s iz e s o f moulded p la s t ic pegs on the ma rke t . Many a re rema rkab ly

s t rong, e ven though they a re l ight in w e ight . Some la rge r te nts a re s o ld w ith moulded p la s t ic

pegs fo r the ma in guyl ine s and s te e l p ins fo r the rema in ing guys .

R ock pe gs

Rock pegs a re de s igned fo r e spe cia l ly ha rd ground – pe rhaps s tony o r fro zen. They a re no rma lly

made from toughened s te e l and gene ra l ly have a head to ta ke the guyl ine , pe rhaps made o f

p la s t ic.

Scre w -in pe gs

The se pegs have a s t rong grip and a re de s igned to s tay in the ground un le s s you uns crew them .

Many peop le us e a co rd le s s dri l l to put them in p la ce and e xt ra ct them .

G roundshe e t pe gs

Groundshee t pegs no rma lly have f la t tened tops s o you can s tand on them w ithout s p iking your

fe e t .

And the re st

Y ou w il l f ind a w ide range o f pegs on s a le a t your lo ca l camping re ta i le r o r on l ine , w ith e xt ra

fe a ture s s uch a s g low -in-the -da rk heads o r e xtended tops to ancho r them to the ground. A fte r a

few camping t rips , you w il l s oon de cide w he the r you w ould l ike to s p la sh out on a d iffe rent type .

Many enthus ia s ts on camping fo rums a re happy to d is cus s the opt ions .

P utting in a nd re moving pe gs

U nfo rtuna te ly the re a re too many camps ite a ccidents w hen a peg breaks through the s o le o f a

shoe o r boo t . So it is w o rth inve s t ing in a rubbe r-headed ma lle t to he lp push your pegs into the

ground (un le s s you a re on ly us ing s crew -in one s ). Y ou may a ls o l ike to buy a peg e xt ra cto r fo r

the end o f the ho l iday – it is a good w ay to s ave your hands and pre vent pegs be ing le ft in the

ground.

If you have fe edback on our new fo rma t Da ta shee t , p le a se le t us know , us ing our s ho rt Feedback

Fo rm .

W eb :W eb : The Camping and Ca ravanning C lub

Greenf ie lds House W estw ood W ay Covent ry CV4 8JH

Tel:Te l: 024 7647 544

W eb :W eb : Be ll Tent

W eb :W eb : Cabanon

W eb :W eb : Co leman

W eb :W eb : Easy Camp

W eb :W eb : Fo rce Ten

W eb :W eb : Ge le rt

W eb :W eb : Kampa

W eb :W eb : Ka rs ten

W eb :W eb : Khyam

W eb :W eb : L ichfie ld

W eb :W eb : O utw e ll

W eb :W eb : Robens

W eb :W eb : Roya l

W eb :W eb : Sprayw ay

W eb :W eb : Sunncamp

W eb :W eb : Te rra Nova and W ild Count ry

W eb :W eb : Vango

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