Know your gear

Tents now lighter & bigger

Internationally tents are becoming more lightweight and bigger as family and group tents have taken over the lead from expedition tents in the popularity stakes.

The tent city (actually cities, as they were spread across two halls) at this year’s Friedrichshafen OutDoor Show, showed that many technologies developed for the one- or two-man expedition tents have now been extended into 3- or 4-man tents.

Other trends are to make tents more stable and comfortable in the worst wind and weather conditions, and to improve the setting up time and ease.

Tents now also come in every imaginable shape. The gold Industry Award at OutDoor Europe, for example, went to Bergans of Norway for their modernised copy of a nomadic tent used by the Sami people, the indigenous inhabitants of Scandinavia. A variation on the igloo design, the Wiglo is massive: 2.5m high, with 15m² interior space that can accommodate at least eight people and their gear.

Local manufacturers have also developed tents that offer more space to cater for the growing family camping trend, and include features suitable for our bush conditions.

Huffin’ n puffin won’t blow Vaude down

In their latest tent range launched at Friedrichshafen, Vaude has fused their two most innovative technologies — Powerframe and Ultralight. The result: extremely wind stable, yet lightweight tents.

Thanks to the Powerframe technology these ultralight tents are incredibly stable, even in gale force winds – Vaude says about 80% more stable than comparable constructions. The steep walls also offer a good amount of space and comfort inside.

The double-sided siliconised polyester fabric is ultra lightweight, yet very resilient, with a high resistance to tearing, maximum UV resistance, and excellent water beading characteristics. The life span of this material is about three times that of the average conventional PU-coated polyester tent, because if a branch or sharp stone pierces the material, it practically repairs itself — you simply rub your finger over the point and the fabric fibres close together.

Ultralight tents with Powerframe technology are the Power Taurus UL (2.5 kg) and Power Odyssee UL (2.05 kg).

When designing the Power Atreus touring tent, Vaude went one step further: they combined two extremely wind stable technologies (Powerframe and a geodesic construction) into one system that won’t even buckle under gale force winds. (In architecture, a geodesic construction gives structural strength but uses as little as possible material – for example, a dome composed of a complex network of triangles).

In this instance, the geodesic construction is already remarkably wind stable due to its five pole intersections. The Powerframe technology increases the wind stability further: the tent suspension creates triangular trusses along the entire frame so that the wind is uniformly distributed over the pole construction. This allows the tent to absorb more energy, which keeps it stable under more pressure without deforming the poles. This improvement in stability doesn’t add any weight to the tent, because the Powerframe construction allows the use of poles with a smaller diameter (10.2 mm).

Additionally, the tent walls are steeper with the Powerframe construction, which increases the inner tent volume by 40%, creating enough space for three people. It is simple and quick to pitch – even in the worst Southeaster – with reliable Powerclips that attach the tent directly to the poles.

The Power Atreus is made of an ultra lightweight, durable, two-sided siliconised polyester material that is extremely tear resistant, UV resistant and water repellent, ensuring that it will last and last.

Black Diamond for double protection

Mountain gear company Black Diamond entered the tent market about five years ago when they acquired Bibler tents — the legendary single wall, bomb proof tents popular among altitude climbers for probing the extremes of our planet. Black Diamond then evolved the single wall concept by applying Epic fabric to many of the Bibler designs which produced the award winning Super-light range. These tents are very light weight and are easy to pack – and have proved very popular with cyclists & bike tourers.

The next step was the light weight double-walls — the DoubleLights — which are more conventional in their double skin design, but still incorporated a number of trend setting features like the use of pole hubs that allow all the tent poles to be connected, while still folding up into a compact space. The Mesa and Vista were the first in the series. The two new two- and three-person Mirage and Oasis double-walls are Black Diamond’s strongest 3-season tents, offering optimal shelter for climbers and backpackers concerned about weight. Both have a lower, more streamlined profile and offer integrated vestibules at their front end. The Mirage’s vestibule opens with a unique side angle that allows more space for gear storage away from the door opening, while the Oasis has double doors on both the tent and integrated vestibule, providing easy entry and exit. These tents are simple and easy to set up and despite their light weight, will handle strong wind conditions.

The inner tents can be set up on their own and incorporate a lot of mesh offering a 360º view and excellent ventilation, while nylon ripstop along the lower perimeter allows for privacy. For major weight savings the tents can be set up with only the fly- and optional ground cloth.

The latest extension to the Doublelight range is two 4-season designs — the strong and spacious Squall and Stormtrack tents — that offer a combination of weather protection and breathability. Both these tents have the same design, but the Squall is designed for three and the Stormtrack for two people.

Both can be set up in a flash and come with two entrances and vestibules, while adjustable vents in the front, back and top guarantee good air exchange in all conditions. The free standing inner tent with its mesh/nylon construction creates an airy space.

E3 Gear — deluxe features at affordable prices

E3 Gear offers a versatile range of tents at more affordable prices — ranging from tents aimed at backpackers trekking in high altitudes (Echo), mountaineers setting up altitude camps (Element), cycle tourists (Eclipse) or campers that avoid extreme weather conditions (Escape). From January, they will be adding three new models: the Endurance 1 and 2 and Extreme 3. The Endurance 1 and 2 are designed for less extreme conditions and come with a longitudal opening on the side — “a bit like the Echo, but the three-pole structure is more robust and the profile lower,” says Simon Larsen of local distributor Ram Mountaineering. Lightweight and with a 3-season rating, they are ideal for SA hiking conditions.

The Extreme 3 is a larger version of the popular Element high altitude base camp tent that can fit three people with comfort and four at a squeeze. It has been designed with features like an innovative multi-angle guide system and is tough enough to be able to handle high mountain ice climbing conditions, as experienced, for example, at the top of the Drakensberg.

One throw and the Quechua stands!

Easy set-up takes on a whole new meaning with the Quechua [ket- ch- wa] 2 Second tent range. It literally requires one throw to unfurl and fold out as a tent — a mere two seconds and the tent is standing.

Easton Outdoors became the sole SA importer and distributor of the Quechua (meaning people of the mountains) 2 Seconds Range in 2006, when this tent-nology was still completely unknown, says Wayne Easton. “Since then, it has grown to be one of the most recognised quality self-deploying tents in the stores of our SA stockists.”

Quechua released this, self-deploying tent technology after years of design approvals and patents in 2006 and have since then been continuously innovating and building on the success of the original 2 Second range. The tents are now available in sizes for one, two, three and even four people.

The innovative design made it possible to make the 2 Second XL lll (3-man) and Seconds Base units (4-man) pack down to a mere 81cm and 85cm respectively, even though they are almost the same size as their original 2-man tent. Excellent waterproofing of 2 000mm, from flysheet to groundsheet, ensure camping comfort.

The compact 2 Second II and III Man series is characterized by good dimensions, while the Air Premier series has air cooling technology added. As the name implies, the XL series offers massive space and also includes a vestibule.

The tents are supplied with a 2-year no fuss guarantee, and a one year guarantee on the poles.

Bushtec covers all needs

Bushtec’s comprehensive range of tents and gazebos which offers something for every possible user, was developed by people with a sound knowledge of the SA bush — and then further honed in the design laboratory.

The result is a range that serves the needs of families on short or long camping trips, friends enjoying a day outing, bikers on a run, anglers on fishing trips, the 4 x 4 safari fraternity on a bush trip and a range of military specification tents manufactured to the highest worldwide standard.

Apart from the military grade canvas tents, their leisure market tents and gazebos come in three different fabrics:

» A lightweight range of spacious nylon tents — from adventure and survival tents to larger tents suitable for family camping, ranging in size from the three-roomed family camper that can sleep 14, to tents suitable for eight and four people.
» Lightweight canvas, which offers the breathability and other benefits of canvas, combined with the easy handling and lighter weight of nylon, suitable for eight, four or two people;
» The lightweight ripstop, popular with the 4 x 4 safari fraternity, offers excellent quality ripstop in free standing and family tents for the leisure market.

The latest addition to the range is the Duo-Dome, which offers two domed tents in one, as its name implies. This not only provides more floor space, but also more privacy for sleepers in the back section. With the innertent in breathable polyester and a flysheet with UV-protection, it is lightweight, easy to erect and comfortable to live in.

The Bushtec range is completed with a comprehensive range of affordable and durable sleeping bags — from a single to a double, from an envelope to a cowl — as well as gazebos, tables and chairs and backpacks at very affordable prices.

Tentco offers 143 years’ experience

The Tentco team put 143 years’ combined experience as Southern African campers and canvas tent manufacturers into the development of their extensive range.

The range covers all bases, from small, medium and large bow, hexibow, combination and family frame tents, through rooftop tents and gazebos, to their large safari lodge tents aimed at the bushveld accommodation facilities.

The waterproof and rot- and mildew-resistant canvas ripstop used in the manufacturing of their tents, is SABS approved and offers UV protection. Other comfort features include galvanised high tensile spring steel poles, electroplated frames, YKK Lifetime zips and electric cable traps.

Their combo range offers a two-in-one option: by adding a frame extension to a domed tent (ideal for short stopovers or short weekend trips) it is transformed into a larger family space ideal for longer holidays. The extensions, which fits on most of the domed tents in the range, can be purchased separately. The Snr Deluxe Extension Combo (featured above) offers a spacious 7.6m x 3.3m interior, where even tall people can move with ease (height 2.2m)