Tents/ shelters

Mountaineering history is littered with stories of disaster due to individuals going into wild places with inadequate shelter. Geodesic – style tents had not made it to our shores when I started hiking; we used A-frame units and the difference between a well designed tent and a poor one was clearly demonstrated on an early hike in the Monk’s Cowl area in the Drakensberg. There were five of us with two A-Frame tents. The BackPacker Kestel was a state-of-the art design with a flysheet which came down to the ground all the way around, enclosing two bells and a pole running across the ridge of the tent between the two up rights. The Sea King Ufufdu on the other hand, had the fly and uprights, but the fly did not cover the front and rear of the tent and there was no ridge pole. When the storm hit, the wind driven rain flooded into the tent through the gap between the inner tent and the billowing fly. A bad situation was made worse by that fact that water flowing beneath the tent easily penetrated the woven PU ground sheet. The two occupants were soaked to the skin. The only saving grace was that it gave the guy every excuse to cuddle up to the rather attractive young lady whom he had just met at the start of the hike. The rest of us guys emerged dry and warm next morning grateful for the better tent – we had no desire to cuddle!

So what are the essential elements of a good tent ? What’s the difference between a R1000.00 tent and a R6500.00 tent ? Nylon or canvas ? Single wall or double ? One, two, three or more poles ? Fibreglass, aluminium or spring steel poles ? This section is intended to provide you with the necessary tools with which to make an informed decision when choosing a tent.