!#71# Camping Tent Designs - The Greatest Strengths and Worst Weaknesses of Frame Tents Revealed

!±8± Camping Tent Designs - The Greatest Strengths and Worst Weaknesses of Frame Tents Revealed

Frame tents are very popular family camping tents, since they come in larger sizes and can accommodate more people than classic dome tents. They do have great features, but they also have their disadvantages. When considering these camping tents, you need to think carefully about your priorities. Is the bigger comfort worth it to put up with the disadvantages of a frame design?

Frame tent styles

One room camping tents More room camping tents (usually 2 to 4 rooms, created by sewn-in room dividers)

Main strengths of frame tents

Larger living area - Frame tents can accommodate anything from 3 up to 12 people. They provide more living space than other camping tents, which makes them great for family camping. Besides storing all your stuff, you can comfortably spend time inside, in the evenings or on rainy days. If you have a large frame tent, you can even have some camping furniture permanently set up to sit together and play games. Sturdy construction - The canvas hangs over a sturdy frame of stiff tubular poles. This makes the construction very stable, and it can be secured against blowing away by guy ropes and pegs. Larger usable area - This camping tent design is the one that uses ground area most efficiently. Due to the almost vertical walls, you can use the complete interior space. Unlike in many dome tents that restrict you to the center, camping furniture can be set up anywhere you like. For example, you can cook inside when it's raining, keeping your kitchen close to the walls and out of everybody's way. More freedom of movement - The vertical walls and bigger height of these camping tents also allow you to stand and walk around inside, whereas dome tents force you to bend when you get closer to the walls. More-room option - This allows for more privacy when camping with friends, and it can help keeping the kids off each others' throat. A spare room can also be used to store your things, dry your clothes, or as an entertainment area.

Weaknesses of frame tents

Longer setup - Frame tents are not necessarily easy to set up. They often take longer to pitch than dome tents or ridge tents, since the frame is larger and consists of more parts. Also, the larger size of the tent may require more people for the setup. Higher prices - These tents tend to be more expensive than equally sized dome tents, but this does not always have to be the case. The price also depends on the brand and quality. You can get great deals on any kind of camping tents when you shop around a little. Less wind stability - Due to their corner-design, frame tents are less suitable for extreme weather conditions like heavy winds. If you plan such an excursion, dome tents are the better camping tents. Larger pack size - Since they are larger, frame tents also produce a larger package to transport. This might be a problem if you have a small car. Bigger weight - Due to their heavier frame, these camping tents weigh more than other types. This can cause problems like overloading your car. Less available pitch places - Camping tents must be set up on a level surface. The larger a tent is, the more difficult it is to find a space large enough. Especially bigger sized frame tents don't fit in so easily as compact dome tents.

In general, you can say that frame tents are great camping tents for spending a week or more in one place, with the whole family or maybe a couple of friends. You can have luxurious camping and thoroughly enjoy yourselves. Make sure, though, that you can transport a tent of that size. If your car is too small, you might consider hiring a trailer. For extreme weather or travel tours, these tents are not recommendable, due to their bigger weight and pack size and higher pitch effort.