You’ve been a camper for years. You know all about setting up a tent and sleeping outdoors. Now you want to expand your outdoor activities to include backpacking. All you need is a backpack; you can use the tent you already have, right? Well, maybe. And maybe not. What you want in a backpacking tent may be different from what you want in a camping tent.

If you’ve never backpacked before, chances are you drove right up to your campsites in the past. Your biggest concern in choosing a tent was probably size; you wanted plenty of room to move around and store your gear. You set it up and left it up for several days while you pursued your camping activities. On a backpacking trip, the tent is set up and packed away nearly every day. For a backpacking tent, you’ll still want to consider size, but also weight, style, and design.

Size. Backpacking tents come in smaller sizes. Are you backpacking alone, or are you sharing the tent with someone? A solo backpacker only needs a one-person tent, although many choose a two-person tent for the extra gear storage space. Two people can sleep in a two-person tent, but it’s a close fit. A tent for backpacking is designed with poles that break down into shorter lengths to take up less space in the backpack.

google_ad_channel = “7940249670, ” + AB_cat_channel + AB_unit_channel;
google_language = “en”;
google_ad_region = ‘test’;

Nancy Shepherd -
About the Author:

Nancy Shepherd has backpacked thousands of miles in the United States and Canada. Read about her Appalachian Trail hike in her Appalachian Trail book, My Own Hike.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,