Frame Tents

Frame tents are basically nothing more that a piece of stitched fabric with corners and foundations and beams that are usually reinforced with either some type of metal or strong stiff plastic poles. The benefit to have a frame tent as opposed to having a frameless tent is that the frame tents are much better equipped to withstand the elements that at thrown at it. They are much more sturdy and secure hence offering the occupant better protection. The frame tent is also larger so there is more space to the users when they go camping or the tent can hold more occupants such as the 4 man , 6 man or 8 man versions. And because of their design and the tent parts that are used to construct it, the frame tent is easy to pitch with a minimum of fuss.

Camping and Outdoor Equipment

Frame Tents

The frame tents available for purchase have grown dramatically in numbers over the last 20 years or so as tent manufacturers have made great leaps and bounds in their designs of the frame tent. The quality of these frame tents has also improved greatly with the introduction of new alloys and fabrics.

The poles of these tents which make up the frames have become lighter and more durable and have even been aided in their designs by computer. The fabrics that make up the main body of these frame tents have also become more resilient to harsh weather because of their increased toughness and lightness. So when buying a frame tent today you will be adding a very high quality piece of camping and outdoor equipment to your camping equipment.

Not only has the quality of these frame tents improved but also the ease of erecting them has improved greatly. Now they are even easy to pitch in even the most harshest of conditions. The fabrics of these tents are now stitched in such a way that the poles can be easily extended into ready made sleeves and easily connected to the corners and base. Because of the improvement in simplifying the erecting procedures these frame tents can be erected in just a few minutes by even the novice camper. So if you are looking for a tent that is easy to pitch, very spacious, lightweight and durable then you won’t go far wrong in deciding to have a frame tent.

Timberline 4 Adventure 9 x 7 Foot Frame Tent by Eureka

These frame tents from Eureka are one of the most popular tents in the world. There have been over a million of them sold worldwide. They are the classic A frame shape and give you a very roomy and well ventilated tent for up to 4 campers. We feel they are excellent for 2 people to use and to store all their equipment. They are ideal for backpackers and are so easy to use that if you are new to camping then one of these should be added to your camping and outdoor equipment. This frame tent weighs less than 8 pounds and is good to use fro 3 season camping. It is very easy to set up because of the aluminium frame and ring and pin attachments.

Pitching A Frame Tents

Frame tents are one of the earliest types of tents that are available to the camping and outdoor enthusiast and provide many campers with one of their most important parts of their camping and outdoor equipment. Generally they are very easy to set up and provide adequate storage and sleeping space for the user. The quality of these frame tents have increased greatly over the years and many of them come with breathable inner fabrics, extremely efficient waterproof fly sheets and greatly improved durable and robust pegs and tent poles as standard.

Before you leave to go on a camping trip it is very important to check that you have all the correct tent parts with you. A good idea is to always have a camping checklist and tick this list in the appropriate box whenever you pack a certain item. Its very inconvenient to go camping, only to find when you get to where you are going that you have left one of the most important components at home.

On arriving at the place you to wish to camp at you should always find the exact place you wish to camp at before you even think about setting up the tent. The area you are looking at should be clear of any sharp objects so that you do not slice open your groundsheet. Ideally you want the area to be flat as well, but if this is not the case then position your tent and make sure you sleep with your head on the upside. Do not pitch your tent next to a tree if possible as there is a risk that the tree or some of it’s branches may actually fall on you or your tent. Also in stormy weather with lightening around, being pitched next to a tree puts you at high risk from a lightening strike. And just for your own privacy requirements try to pitch the tent away from crowded areas as noise and voice sounds travel very easy between tents that are very close together. A good distance to have between another tent is that of 20 feet.

So when you have found the ideal place that you want to set up your frame on the next thing to do is lay out the tent on the floor. Always position the tent on the floor with the door entrance facing where you would like it to be. With your frame tent now laid out on a flat and clear surface in the correct position, insert the tent pegs through the loops at each corner. The ideal angle for a peg to be driven in to the ground is that of 45 degrees with the ends of the peg facing away from the tent. Do the pegging on one side of the tent first and before completing the other side make sure that tent is tight. When it is tight then finish off the pegging.

Depending upon the design of your frame tent you may have 2 or 3 poles and a bridge support or quite a few poles to deal with the frame. Attach the poles together if required and then attach the pole to the top corner of your tent and wedge it vertically to the ground. Your tent is now beginning to take shape. This is now where you begin to use the guy ropes. Attach a guy rope if there is not already one attached and pull it away from the pole to suspend it. Peg the guy rope to the ground and ensure that the line is taut. You repeat this procedure with the other top corner. When this has been done the inner tent is pretty much up and stable and secure. You can now lay out the fly sheet over the whole of the tent and align the corners together. When this has been done you must then peg the fly sheet to the ground making sure that it is tight and does not come in to contact with the main tent.And it’s as simple as that. Once you have mastered the art of putting up frame tents it will become second nature to you and will take no time at all. For practice and to become competent at pitching a tent, it’s always a good idea to practice pitching frame tents in your garden at home.

Frame tents are suitable for camping, backpacking, climbing, hiking and fishing depending on which size you choose as there is a great variety of sizes available. They are fairly spacious in the interior and can also be used quite adequately for storing supplies. Also with the frame tent you are in a position to be able to add a canopy entrance to the frame structure to give you a porch like effect. This is good for having extra space outside the tent and also extra coverage from any rain that may just be happening to fall. In the olden days the frame tent was frequently used in it’s basic form. Branches and logs were used to form the basic shape of any coverage area and animal skins or rough materials were thrown over the frame to provide temporary living space.

Its features include a breathable nylon wall, a polyester fly sheet and a polyester bathtub floor that makes sure that all the seams are tight and high off the ground. This gives you greater protection from the elements. The entrance to this frame tent is large and there are 2 windows, one in the door and the other in the back. You can open or close these windows and they are protected by the fly sheet so even if it is raining and the tent is stuffy inside you can still have them open.

Other features include shock cord side guy outs and fly attachments which help secure the tent and are tear resistant in storms, zippers that are twin track which allows you separate operation of the window in the door, two mesh pockets for your small gear, a loop for clothes and a flashlight loop. The floor size of these frame tents are 8 foot x 9 inches by 7 foot x 2 inches and the centre height is 4 foot 10 inches.

Minnesota 4 Man Frame Tent by Outwell

These frame tents from Outwell can sleep up to four people comfortably in their spacious bedrooms. As well as having the bedrooms there is also a large spacious living area for all those camping activities you do during the day when camping. The design and structure of this tent is very simple and straightforward. It is equipped with the Outwell Sealed Ground System (OSG System). What makes this tent a popular choice among campers is it’s easy to pitch qualities and the large panorama windows. It is a nice looking tent and very functional indeed. Not a bad price either. The specifications of this tent are its height at the highest point is 200 cm, it’s hydrostatic head at 300 cm and the weight of the whole tent is 23.6 Kg. When packed the whole unit is a mere 49 x 80 cm.

Icarus 400 Frame Tent by Vango

In 2009 this Vango Icarus tent became a best seller and it’s easy to see why. It is an ideal weekend tent because of simplicity of pitching. It possess a simple as one pitch system and a 3 pole construction. The poles are made from power flex fibreglass which are very flexible and durable. The fly sheet is constructed out of a Protex 2000 polyester which has become the norm on most new tents these days. It’s groundsheet is fully sewn in which protects you from damp, draughts and any insects that may wish to keep you company. Other features of these frame tents are a single 4-berth sleeping compartment, side door with mesh double door, heavy duty pole sleeves, storm skirts, cable entry point, pelmet, vents, reflective webbing, breathable fabric in the inner tent and a parallel zipped front door.

6 Person Multi Function Frame Tent by High Peak

These frame tents from High Peak have 2 weather protected entrances along with environmental ventilation. Inside the tent is a rather large living area that you can carry out most activities in and can support up to 6 people for sleeping in. All the entrances in the tent are mesh entrances and there are 6 inner tent pockets and the whole tent has a ground floor. The flysheet on this tent is made from 100% polyester and is PU coated as well as being seam taped. The inner tent is made from 100% polyester and is fully breathable. The floor of this construction is PE (100% polyethylene). The poles that make up the frame of this tent are constructed from steel and FRP. The weight of these frame tents are 30 Kg and they provide the camper with a well constructed, spacious and easy to assemble tent. They make a nice piece of camping and outdoor equipment kit.

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