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There are many variables which you have to take into consideration when purchasing, using & maintaining your tent. This guide will give you the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Tents, read through them and you will be sure that on your next camping trip you will remain dry & comfortable!

Can i cook in my tent?

It is highly advisable that you don't cook in your tent as one way or another it will cause problems;

1. Cooking in your tent will most likely cause a fire.
2. Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

Both reasons can end up with dire consequences.

It is also a good idea not to eat or drink in your tent, as spilled food/crumbs are an invitation to insects, especially ants.

What to look for when purchasing a tent.

• A tent with aluminum poles - Tents may come with fibreglass poles, but they are fragile and more likely to break. If you bend or break a pole, most camping stores sell replacements or repair kits. Yet aluminium poles tent not to break as easily as fibreglass poles, so you shouldn't have to purchase new ones as often.
• A tent with an adequate rain fly - The rain fly is your tent's umbrella. The bigger the better. Look for a fly that comes well down the sides of the tent rather than just across the top. The actual tent walls aren’t water-proof – they are water-resistant. So just make sure that when you’re looking at tents – find one with a large rain fly!
• A tent with folded seams and double stitching - If you can pull the material on either side of a seam and see through the stitches, this tent will leak. Be sure to use seam sealer on all seams. Double stitching majorly helps as it covers more area than single stitching.
• A tent with a one piece ‘tub’ floor - The floor should be made of waterproof material, and it should come a few inches up the sides before it is sown to the tent walls. No seam in the floor means there is nowhere for water to seep in. Underneath you in the last place you want to find water – especially when you have to sleep on it.
• A tent with adequate guy lines - Tent walls, and sometimes rain flies, have loops sown near the middle. These loops are used to attach guy lines that pull out the walls so that they are taught. It is much easier to sleep in a tent with taught – strong walls, as it won’t be flapping about in the wind.
• A tent with good-sized stake loops - There should be loops at the base of your tent in every corner and at the centre of each side. These loops need to be big enough to accommodate the large metal stakes sold in camping stores – plastic stakes have a tendency to break. A Nylon type Material stake loop is preferred. Plastic ones might break when you hammer in the stakes. Some materials soak up water – you want the loops to be a waterproof material like Nylon.
• A tent that uses noseeum meshing - This is the best material for keeping those nasty little bugs out – such as Noseeum, which is one of the smallest bugs that you will find around your tent.
• A tent with a roof vent - Opening this at night will help create some air circulation and eliminate condensation inside your tent – which will make your tent heavier if you backpacking in the morning.
• A tent with heavy-duty zippers - You'll be in and out of your tent a lot so you want zippers that will hold up to frequent use – not ones that will break after little use, you don’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a broken zipper!