Trekking or tramping tents are commonly bought in the 2 person variety. To not overburden your rucksack they should be less than 2kg in weight, where as regular dome recreational tent will be between 3-5kg. Consideration of the vestibule size and where you are going to store your rucksack, boots and wet gear should also be considered.
There are two main types of material to consider when buying a tent – nylon and polyester. You will often see the fabric rating expressed as 10D, 20D for Nylon and 210T, 230T for polyester with denier also being used. The rating is related to how tough, heavy and water proof the fabric is.
210T polyester and 20D nylon materials are both waterproof, however, the nylon is lighter and more waterproof and it can typically withstand a higher water column pressure compared to polyester for the same thickness.
For most manufacturers, 20D Nylon is rated to 4000 mm whereas 210T polyester can resist 3000mm water pressure despite it being quite a lot thicker.
Advantages of polyester over nylon:
- Cheaper than nylon generally
- More abrasion resistant
- Fast drying, low moisture absorbency
- No sagging or loss of strength when wet
- Resistant to UV light, heat.
- Less prone to shrinkage and wrinkles
Advantages of nylon over polyester :
- Nylon is lighter for the same strength.
- Often rain resistance is higher.
- The tensile strength of nylon is double that of polyester.
- Nylon is easier to wash
- Easier to color and dye
