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Let's face it, there are many different
tents to choose from. With few exceptions,
most tents now come with a "Bathtub"
like bottom. This is generally a heavier
duty material than the sidewalls, and usually
is waterproof. This does not eleviate
the need for putting now a tarp under your
tent, that is still a good idea. The
"Bathtub" like bottom does remove
the need for trenching around tents. Trenching
occurred years ago when tents had no bottoms,
or had canvas bottoms that did not repel
water. The trenches directed the water
away from the tent. The tent bottoms of
today have earned the name "Bathtub"
bottoms, because the material used to make
the bottoms usually goes 2-4 inches above
floor level. This makes for a nice
waterproof seal.
Although many people have stopped using
bottom tarps because of these newer bottom
designs, it is still a good idea. it
is another layer between the possible damp/wet
ground and your tent floor. Not only
is this potentially warmer, but it helps
keep the tent cleaner. You might see
these advertised at footprints. This
is because you do not want your tarp sticking
out from the sides around the tent. If
this occurs, then rain water would collect
on the tarp possibly make its way under
your tent.
Todays tents are mostly water resistant,
although, it is not a bad idea to use a
seam sealer. Idealy this should be
done prior to the camping trip. The
tents usually come with instructions, and
the best course of action would be to follow
the manufactors recommendation. Water
can still invade most tents through WICKING.
This is where something touching the
side of the tent will, through capillary action,
draw the water through the tent wall
onto the item touching it. This could
be a backpack, clothes, sleeping bag, or
any other item capable of holding moisture.
This can be an especially bad surprise on
the morning of a heavy dew.
The nice thing about the newer tents,
is the material generally dries out fairly
quickly. This factor enables us to purchase
just about any tent we want, because as
long as we put it away and store it dry,
the tent should last for many years. Keep
it clean, give it an annual airing if possible,
and it could out last your need to
camp. This is true for tents that sell at
discount stores for 29.99, or the same size
sold for 700.00. Obviously there must
be some difference to justify the price.
Let's put it this way. If we
were climbing Mount Everast, then we would
choose the 700.00 tent. It would stand up
to the high winds, and the material would
not shred because of those same winds in
the exteme cold. However, if we are taking
some young scouts for a weekend camping
trip in the park, the 29.99 tent should
stand up to those elements very nicely.
Fortunately, some very good tent manufacturers
make some excellent tents for a very good
price. NOTE:
Replacement parts can be a problem
on some off brand names.
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Camping
Basics - Tents