Camping Tent Fabric and Pole Guide

Tent Fabrics

There are generally two types of tent fabrics that you will have to concern yourself with. Most tents, which include A-frame and dome tents are made of a permeable "rip-stop" nylon like the The North Face Roadrunner 3 Tent 3-Person 3-Season tent. This type nylon is tougher and allows for more airflow through the fabric.

Traditional cabin or wall tents that you might find at K-Wal Stores are usually made from a polyester/cotton blend or even waterproof poplin. It's hard to recommend anyone purchasing a tent made of this fabric, especially if they are going camping during the summer. The cheaper fabrics just do not allow adequate air to flow through the tent. Even the newer and better cabin type tents like the EQUIDOME 6-PERSON TENT by EUREKA! are made of quality rip-stop nylon.

Of clourse, these are not hard and fast rules but are general guidelines. Some cabin tents are nylon and some A-frame tents are a cotton blend. You will be hard pressed to find a dome tent in anything other than a nylon though.

Unfortunately the saying is true even with tents: you get what you pay for. You really want to buy a tent with quality fabric for both comfort and durability.

The rain fly should always be made of a tough waterproof fabric. In general the rain fly will be nylon waterproofed with polyurethane or polyurethane and silicone coatings.

The floor of the tent should be made of a waterproof ripstop nylon or polyethylene. You'll always notice quality tents have floors that are thicker than the side walls. The floor material should run a few inches up the side walls to create a tub effect for better waterproofing.

The windows and door screen will be made of a fine-meshed polyester to keep out the bugs and debris but allowing air to flow through the camping tent when needed.

The fabric should be mildew resistant and fire retardant. This will be the case on most quality camping tents.

Tent Poles

Aluminum and fiberglass are the two types of poles that you will typically see with camping tents. Most of the poles with the better camping tents like these are aluminum.

Typically you will see descriptions for the better aluminum pole as aircraft, anodized, tempered or 7000 series Easton. Any of these terms would indicate a quality tent pole. Cheap aluminum poles are generally not held together by a shock cord, not very flexible and are ¾" in diameter or larger.

Fiberglass poles are not as lightweight or as durable as aluminum poles. They are generally found with cheaper camping tents.