What Are Tents Made of?
Camping tent fabric can be formed with many materials including cotton (canvas), nylon, polyester, and felt.
Cotton absorbs water, and if wet can become very heavy and unwieldy, but wet cotton is more waterproof than dry cotton.
Polyesters and nylon are much brighter than cotton, and do not absorb much water; with multiple layers they can be very waterproof, but they can bend and break over time because of slow chemical collapse caused by UV light.
Since sewing makes small holes in the tent fabric, it is important that all possible seams are sealed up in order to block wear and tear.
Rain resistance is measured as a hydrostatic head in millimeters.
This shows the pressure of the water necessary on the fabric to penetrate it.
heavy wind or claimant rain has higher pressure than light rain.
Standing on one groundsheet increases the pressure on underlying water.
Fabric with a hydrostatic head of 1000 millimeters or smaller is regarded as shower-resistant, if 1500 millimeters, then they are normally good for summer camping.
Year-round tents are usually at least 2000 millimeters, while those for extreme conditions are frequently around 3000.
Ground sheets are generally 5000 millimeters or more.
Many tent manufactures indicate the capacity by such phrases like '3 berth' or '2 berth'.
These numbers indicate how many people the manufacturer thinks can fit into a tent with sleeping bags, comfortably.
These numbers do not leave for any personal property or luggage such as inflatable mattresses, camp beds, etc.
They also average out height considerations.
Experience indicates that Camping can be more comfortable if the actual number of people is less than specified by the manufacturer by 1 or even two people.
Tents can be waterproofed even more than by putting a tarp over the top and anchoring it with sticks and rocks.
This is easily established; and easily shifted.
Cotton absorbs water, and if wet can become very heavy and unwieldy, but wet cotton is more waterproof than dry cotton.
Polyesters and nylon are much brighter than cotton, and do not absorb much water; with multiple layers they can be very waterproof, but they can bend and break over time because of slow chemical collapse caused by UV light.
Since sewing makes small holes in the tent fabric, it is important that all possible seams are sealed up in order to block wear and tear.
Rain resistance is measured as a hydrostatic head in millimeters.
This shows the pressure of the water necessary on the fabric to penetrate it.
heavy wind or claimant rain has higher pressure than light rain.
Standing on one groundsheet increases the pressure on underlying water.
Fabric with a hydrostatic head of 1000 millimeters or smaller is regarded as shower-resistant, if 1500 millimeters, then they are normally good for summer camping.
Year-round tents are usually at least 2000 millimeters, while those for extreme conditions are frequently around 3000.
Ground sheets are generally 5000 millimeters or more.
Many tent manufactures indicate the capacity by such phrases like '3 berth' or '2 berth'.
These numbers indicate how many people the manufacturer thinks can fit into a tent with sleeping bags, comfortably.
These numbers do not leave for any personal property or luggage such as inflatable mattresses, camp beds, etc.
They also average out height considerations.
Experience indicates that Camping can be more comfortable if the actual number of people is less than specified by the manufacturer by 1 or even two people.
Tents can be waterproofed even more than by putting a tarp over the top and anchoring it with sticks and rocks.
This is easily established; and easily shifted.
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