Last time we were together, we spent some time talking about different guidelines for buying a camping tent.  I would like to share some more guidelines with you.  The more you know, the better decision you can make about which camping tent you should purchase when you go to camping gear.

All camping tents come with tent stakes, but titanium tent stakes are the best.  They are the strongest as well as the lightest.  If your tent did not come with titanium stakes, you may want to consider replacing them with titanium stakes.  This will make that backpacking camping tent just a little lighter.  Some tent stakes have a reflective coating on them.  This is a definite asset.  This allows you to see the tent stakes at night with your Coleman flashlight instead of finding them with your foot as you stumble over the guy lines!  Colored stakes are also good.  This helps you make sure you don’t leave any of your tent stakes behind when you leave the camp site.

One of the most confusing things about a tent can be setting it up.  Some tents have the setup instructions printed right on the carry sack.  This is especially useful for large family tents with lots of pole parts.  Shock-corded tent poles help in getting the tent set up quickly.  These poles can not only be folded into sections, which allows for compact storage, but also unfolded quickly to their full length.  Color-coded poles also aid in speeding up tent set-up.  Color-coded poles have pole tips that are color-coded to match colored tabs around the grommets where they go.  Clipping the tent to the pole is much faster than threading the poles through the sleeves.  A freestanding tent is probably easier to pitch, but they usually weigh more than other tents.  You will still need to stake out the rain fly with this type of tent.

Tents with D-shaped doors are convenient.  D-shaped doors can be unzipped completely and stowed in a pocket in the tent.  This keeps them out of the way during nice weather when only screening is sufficient.  Double doors add ventilation.  Don’t you hate it when someone in the tent has to climb over you in order to get out?  Or how about when they climb over you after they’ve come back in so they can get to their spot?  Double doors are the answer!  Double doors can also make it easier to decide how to pitch the tent in order to get the best views, the most privacy, and the most resistance to wind and rain.
Consider a tent with two vestibules.  You can store your gear on one side and cook on the other when it rains.  You may also want to invest in a ground cloth, which will protect the floor of your tent. 

These are some of the things to look for when purchasing a tent.  Buying a good quality tent is a worth while investment.  It will last for many years, and be the center of many wonderful memories for you and your family.