The most overlooked element of any pop-up tent, however, is how easy it is to pack away again. Trust us, they’re far easier to put up than pack away, as demonstrated by countless tired people on the Monday after a festival, as they wrestle the high-tensile poles and impossibly small bags. Designs are getting better now, with – at the very least – colour coded sections that help you fold the tents down without snapping a pole or bursting a blood vessel.
Fast pitch tents, like pop-ups, have the poles fitted to the canvas already, but the poles fold and clip open using clever joints. To pitch, you unfold the poles and then either press down or pull up on the top section, which puts the poles under tension and snaps them into position. These tents tend to have traditional dome shapes, are larger than pop-ups and take a fraction of the time to pack away again. However, there are a lot more parts that could potentially go wrong.
For light sleepers, families with small children and late-night festival goers, we highly recommend tents that use blackout material to line bedrooms, which keeps them cooler and darker for longer.
Look for a sturdy, sewn-in groundsheet with a coated nylon floor to keep you warm and dry, a waterproof rain fly (this is the outer layer of the tent) and plenty of guy ropes for stability. And the more loops, hooks and pockets in the tent’s interior, the better. They’re useful for hanging up lanterns and stashing belongings.
Pop up or fast pitch, which is the best tent for me?
The classic pop-up tent is ideal for one person or a very cosy couple looking for somewhere to sleep, rather than basecamp in for any length of time. The large round bags are awkward to carry, so a car is generally needed, even though they’re quite light.
The new generation of fast pitch tents look similar to traditional dome tents and can feature practical awnings for rain shelter and storing equipment. These are better for longer camping trips and families, where more space is needed. They are generally heavier than a standard pitching tent of the same size, and most will be too heavy for backpacking.
Alternatively, some hi-tech backpacking and mountaineering tests have been designed to be pitched as fast as possible, even in the worst conditions. These tents have ultra-light poles that magnetically clip together to create a frame in seconds.
While they take a little longer to pitch than pop-up designs, inflatable tents, especially large six to 12 person designs, take a fraction of the time to pitch compared to standard large tents. Just peg out and pump them up. They’re expensive and often hard to deflate, but great if you’re planning a week or so under canvas.
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What size tent do I need?
Tents are sized according to the number of adults they can feasibly sleep (two-, four-, six-person and so on), but unless you’re looking for an ultralight adventure tent for one person, the rule of thumb is that if you halve the stated person number, you’ll get the number of adults the tent will actually sleep comfortably. A four-person tent will give two adults plenty of extra space for bags without being squashed but, if you’re camping with kids, a six-person tent (with separate bedrooms) is ideal.
That being said, pop-up and fast pitch tents are generally small and designed for two adults at most. Some of the latest fast pitching designs have a little more space – with room for young children – but if you need an easy-to-pitch tent for a large family looking to camp for more than a long weekend you’ll need to invest in an inflatable design. These come in sizes that sleep up to 12 adults.
How much should I spend?
Don’t invest hundreds of pounds on a large tent – or hi-tech mountaineering design – that you only need for one weekend at a festival. In this situation, we suggest borrowing one from a friend.
Pop-up and fast pitch tents are aimed at novice campers and the price generally reflects this, with plenty of options available for between £60 and £150. Don’t expect a £60 tent to survive years of use, though, unless you take very good care of it. And also, don’t expect it to be impervious to much more than light rain and winds.
Inflatable tents are more of an investment, with prices between £300 and £2,000, depending on the size you need.
