I have spent my whole life in the city where everything is convenient and nearby; however, it is also pricey, especially for entertainment. My family and I have no other options than spending time in the mall, watching a movie, sometimes walking in the park next door for fresh air. Whenever we feel bored with the city life, we will go camping. My family is an extended one, including my parents and 6 kids, a best 10 person tent is very essential to pack for the trip. However, choosing a perfect tent can be a headache, so watch out for these 7 common mistakes when choosing a tent!
1. Underestimate the size tent
It is understandable that the more people are on the trip, the more space we need. A 10 person tent provides you not only multiple bedrooms but also a living room and dining room.
Regarding my experience and Family Tent Center (a camping blogs which provide best family tent reviews), you shouldn’t trust whatever the advertisement in the package says about the capacity. The capacity is just average accuracy for one or two person tent. When members grow larger, it is more difficult to estimate. Remember, there is no waste of space if it can bring you comfortability. Therefore, add more space!
2. Again, underestimate the packed size of the tent
A 10 person tent is not a small one in term of the size and the weight that you can tuck in luggage or a backpack to climb the mountain. Imagine you have to carry it from the house to the car, then to the car to the campsite. Sometimes the parking lot is far away from the actual area to camp. So logistic definitely plays an important role here.
3. Don’t measure the “furniture.”
I am discussing the case you want to upgrade or replace your old tent while you have all “furniture.” The problem happens when your stuff doesn’t fit the new tent. For example, your mattress is probably bigger than the size of the bedroom. It’s smart to measure everything in advance before investing money.
4. Don’t take the setup timing seriously
A good tent should be easy and fast to set up. People pay too much attention to the actual design and shape of the tent to notice how to make it. Your tent can be gorgeous, but it might take 2 hours to finish every single detail in the instruction. Do you want to lose your valuable time on the trip, just for the tent?
5. Mix up the functions of the tent
You choose your tent for its size only; you probably don’t know each room can be designed for different purposes. For example, your bedroom is more covered than the living room that can have a see-through roof. If you confuse it; you will never use the most of your tent.
6. Neglect the material of the ground floor of the tent
Most people believe what makes a good tent is the material of the inner and outer side. Even the sell person is trained to mention just the waterproof rating or the quality itself. However, according to my experience, the ground floor is pretty important. This is the surface you have to touch it almost all the time whether you recognize or not although you have a mattress or a sleeping bag.
Camping is an outdoor activity. It is fun but also brings you a lot of sweats, dirt and sometimes mud inside the tent, depends on the weather conditions. Then here is the cleaning process for the next trip. Do yourself a favor to research the material on the ground floor as well. Believe me; you will never regret it.
7. Choose the wrong color
It is impossible to deny the size of 10 person tent. It is HUGE! And people tend to choose the dark colors such as black or brown to have a feeling of being new all the time for their tent. This is another mistake. The dark colors will concentrate the heat and keep it longer, especially your tent will be under the sun at least 12 hours. I don’t want to hang out inside the “sauna” while camping at all.
In addition to the common mistakes when choosing a tent, we listed above, here are a few other do’s and don’t’s!
DO:
- Ask for the maintenance instructions carefully. It’s better to do it right rather than damage your tent.
- Buy additional some important parts, especially the ones easily get lost. You will never know you will need them desperately later.
- Test all equipment and their functions before purchasing. It will take you longer to the store to go to every single detail, but you will not have any problem after driving for 4 hours and find out later your tent is broken.
- Bring sufficient lights enough to cover the whole tent at night.
DON’T:
- Cook inside the tent, even though there is a “kitchen” said in the package. This can occur many serious accidents related to the fire. Stay safe by cooking in a proper area.
- Build the tent in the late afternoon or dark time. Sometimes, you can’t go against the situation, but it’s better if you can set up your tent earlier. The light will help you millions of times.
Camping is affordable and fun. There is no way better than driving to the middle of nowhere with your family and beloved ones, to enjoy the nature and fresh air. The tent is like your home away from home in a few days. Choose it wisely to experience the most of your camping trip.
Wrapping up our article on 7 common mistakes when choosing a tent, we thought you might also like: Understanding Tent Size Ratings!
Featured Image from Wei Pan/Unsplash
