Ultralight Camping Tents – How to Choose an Ultralight Tent for Camping or Backpacking

Buying an ultralight camping shelter does not need to be complicated. Even though there are many such tents for sale you can be sure to find one that is right for you by following a few easy steps.

First you need to decide how many people will be sleeping in the tent. Online retailers categorize them based upon how many people can sleep in on the floor of your soon to be home away from home. Will it usually be just yourself, or will your entire family be joining you?

It is important to remember that many ultralight tents are made intentionally small in order to keep weight down. This means that when a tent says it sleeps 3, you will be shoulder to shoulder with your other two tent-mates. If you prefer to have room to move around inside the tent you should consider purchasing a tent that is rated for one additional person than you expect to be sleeping in the tent.

Next you need to decide what kinds of weather you will be camping in. Will most of your trips involve hot days with little rain? Maybe you like to camp in the winter and you will be pitching your shelter in the snow. Different ultralight tents are built for different types of weather.

The most common weather designation for a camping shelter is “3 Season”. 3 season tents are made to be camped in during the spring, summer and fall. They include lots of mesh windows to allow breezes into the tent and are made of very lightweight materials which can easily withstand the pressure of a rainstorm.

If you will be camping in winter, you will need a “4 Season” tent. 4 season tents have more steeply sloped roofs and stronger tent poles to withstand the pressure of heavy snow. These tents also have smaller doors and less mesh in order to keep your heat inside the tent at night.

Finally you should consider the ease of assembly of each tent your are considering. Some tents have pole clips that make setting up the tent a breeze. Other tents force you to slip the poles through a sleeve which can be difficult if it is windy or raining. Some tents will even allow you to setup the waterproof fly first before pitching the tent body. This can be extremely useful when pitching a tent in the rain.