Types of tents for Overland Vehicles

As mentioned in the post regarding my trip to the Adventure Overland Show 2017, this will be dedicated to the types of tents for overland that I considered.

This is truly a sensitive subject for me. It is very important to run the best setup and I have already made my mistakes in the past. Below I will mention the various types of tents to consider when going on an overland adventure.

Different types of tents

The types of tents I have considered for overland so far are as follows

Ground Tents

Ridge tents

This is the most basic and standard tent out there. The construction normally is a vertical pole on each end and sometimes there is a horizontal pole, called cross pole. This is called a ridge holding up tent shaped roof, or ridge tent. Main disadvantage in this set up is height inefficiency. Largest tents still do not provide enough for head height.

Dome tents

These kind of tents are the most common nowadays. There are dome tents with one, two or three main poles, depending on size. One would have an oval shaped ground, two would have a square/rectangular ground sheet and three would have a hexagon ground sheet. As you’d go for larger models, stability becomes a real issue. These types of tents are relatively cheap.

Geodesic & Semi-Geodesic

The term geodesic is derived from a mathematical term. It is used to describe tents where the poles criss cross and form triangles. This distributes the stress across the whole structure. This fact makes these tents very good in extreme conditions.

Semi-geodesic tents is practically the same but generally fewer poles for slightly less extreme conditions. They are still produced in small sizes for whoever needs to take them on adventures such as mountains.

Instant (quick pitch or pop up) tents

The instant or quick-pitch tents are a long, coiled frame fitted permanently into the fabric of the tent. The tent can be easily set up by throwing it in the air and the sprung frame forms up into a liveable shelter. Most of these kind of tents are just good for good weather conditions, but modern pop up tents are becoming more solid, with inner tents and sleeping space for up to five people.

Inflatable tents

These are very rare, since very few people heard about inflatable tents. These are expensive and quite heavy. However it is very easy to set up, simply set up, peg out and switch the compressor on.

Khyam System

These are the instant tents from the manufacturer Khyam. This is based on elbow joints. The skeleton is permanently fitted to the fabric. To set up it is as simple as laying out and straightening the poles to get to the final shape.

Tunnel Tents

There are also tunnel tents, which use the same pole system as dome tents. These stand in a line to create a tunnel tent. These come in a huge variety of sizes and styles.

Pod Living

These are some of the largest tents on the market. They are designed to have a central living area with several sleeping areas or pods branching off. The disadvantages of this kind of tent is the fact that these require a large area to set up. They are generally heavier to transport and more challenging to set up.

Frame Tents

These kind of tents relate to the traditional rigid frame tents. Normally they use steel poles with angled joints. One of the disadvantages is that these tend to be heavier and take longer to set up.

Bell Tents

Bell tent is a simple design supported by a single central pole and covered with cotton canvas. The tent is then reinforced with tension by guy ropes. It comes in multiple sizes. Most of these have a spacious interior with room to sleep for a number of people. Relatively easy to set up.

Tepee

These are a derivative of the bell tents. Most of the tepees available do not have inner tents, so most of these are only used for fine weather. However there are some heavy cotton tents, that can withstand quite a lot more.

Hanging Tents

This kind of tent is usually suspended from a tree. These are normally set up both hanging or on the ground, if trees are not abundant.

Roof Top Tents

There are various types of roof top tents. These include soft shell tent, clam shell, hard top tent, truck tent or custom built rear.

The roof top tents can be set up on the roof of the car or on an expedition trailer. Main advantages are easy setup and ground clearance. However these kind of tents are quite expensive.

Conclusion

So far I have used ridge tents, dome tents, pop up tents, pod living tents and frame tents. Most are comfortable, however for my requirements I wish to work towards having a hardshell roof top tent as a main tent. But since it is so expensive in the meantime I am looking into a ground tent, that has enough space and that is very easy to set up.

I am considering bell tents or frame tents. What do you guys think?