Comparison Vango Mistral 200 vs Terra Incognita TopRock 2

Classic tourist tents are divided into three main varieties: expeditionary, trekking and camping. In addition, on the market you can find tents for the beach, for fishing(including carp tents) and for shower / toilet, models like "umbrella", as well as varieties of tents: camping and tent tents. Here is a more detailed description of each of these varieties:

— Expeditionary. The most advanced type of camping tents. Expeditionary models can be used in any season, including winter, they are distinguished by high strength, reliability and maximum protection against cold, snow, wind, etc., while such properties are often combined with extremely low weight. As the name implies, these tents are designed mainly for long-distance expeditions, winter hiking, high-mountain climbing and other similar applications. But it hardly makes sense to purchase such a model for relatively simple tasks: expeditionary equipment is very expensive.

— Tracking. Tents designed primarily for ease of use on long hiking and cycling trips. Accordingly, the key features of such models are rather high reliability and resistance to adverse conditions (albeit...less than that of expeditionary equipment), a relatively low level of comfort, as well as low weight, in most models not exceeding 6 kg. Heavier tents are usually classified as trekking tents if they have the simplest possible design, and the weight is primarily due to the large capacity and/or increased reliability of the materials. In general, it is worth paying attention to this variety in cases where the equipment is planned to be carried “on oneself” often and for a long time; camping tents are better suited for staying in one place permanently (see below).

— Camping. Tents designed primarily for comfort while staying in one place all the time. They differ from tracking models in more extensive additional features (although a specific set of such features may differ from product to product), seasonality (most of them are not designed for winter), and also, in general, greater weight. So, it is customary to refer to camping tents weighing more than 6 kg; lighter models may also be included in this category if they have the characteristic features of camping equipment: additional features designed to increase comfort levels and/or relatively simple materials that are not designed for particularly adverse conditions. In general, tents of this type are perfect for overnight picnics, outdoor festivals, etc.

— Tent for fishing. Products for winter ice fishing; they are designed for one, maximum two people in a sitting position and most often either do not have a bottom at all, or they have special openings in the bottom so that the structure can be installed directly above the hole.

— Carp tent. Models intended mainly for lovers of carp fishing. Such fishing (especially at competitions) can last for days without interruption, and special equipment is used for it — including the so-called carp folding beds, which are a special kind of tourist furniture. Thus, awnings for carp fishing are large in size, allowing you to easily install one or even several folding beds inside. And by design, most of these products are no longer closer to awnings, but to full-fledged tourist tents: they can be used not only as canopies, but also as full-fledged closed shelters, including for overnight stays.

— For a shower/toilet. Tents designed exclusively for equipping camp showers or toilets; they are not designed for other purposes. Usually they are vertical structures without a bottom — a kind of cabin for one person. The height of such a booth is usually chosen so that an adult can stand inside without much difficulty (in some models, the height exceeds 2 m).

— Beach tent. Tents designed to protect from the sun's rays on the beaches, during picnics, etc. Most of these products are structures that are open on one or even several sides, and are designed for a seated or recumbent placement of a person. There are also models equipped with a valve that allows you to completely close the internal volume; this can be useful, for example, for changing clothes on the beach, or for protection from a short rain. However, even such models are designed mainly for open use — moreover, the valve, being unfastened, fits in front of the entrance and plays the role of an addition to the tent's own bottom.

— Car. The vast majority of tents are mounted on the roof of a vehicle. They provide car tourists with sleeping places on a kind of elevation, which guarantees the almost complete absence of any creeping living creatures during the night. Car tents are attached to the roof rails or crossbars of the roof rack of the car, the entrance to them is usually realized with the help of an attached ladder. There are models exactly in the entire plane of the roof of the vehicle and instances of autotents of an increased “square” with a rigid floor frame. There are also tents that are attached to the trunk of a car or the front door of a van, forming the so-called vestibule space. In the "tambour" you can leave things or put a table, while sleeping is supposed to be directly in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, folding the rear row of seats. Car tents give you the freedom to choose where to spend the night, whether it's a clearing at the edge of a forest, a flat area in a mountainous area, or a parking lot near a supermarket.

— Umbrella tent. Tents, the design of which resembles an oversized umbrella. When unfolded, such a tent consists of a dome, in which a special frame is built, and a canopy hanging from the edges of the dome; while the layout of the "umbrellas" may be different. So, in some models, the dome is located on a rather high vertical leg-support, and in the standard position, the height of the canopy is the same on all sides. In terms of application, such models are closest to awnings-tents (see above), and by turning up the canopy, you can turn the product into a classic beach umbrella. In others, the dome is installed obliquely and rests on the ground with one edge, covering part of the space on the sides, and the remaining space closes the canopy; such designs are more like traditional tents. Anyway, the main advantage of umbrella tents is the ease of installation and folding: such operations are not much more complicated than handling an ordinary umbrella, and even a beginner can handle them without much difficulty. On the other hand, when assembled, such products are rather bulky, and the complexity of the design affects the cost and overall reliability. Therefore, there are few such models nowadays.

— Tent tent. There are two main types of awnings. The first is an enlarged and lightweight analogue of more traditional tourist tents. The height of such a product, usually, allows you to stand in it, the bottom in the structure may be completely absent, the walls are single-layer, and most of their area is usually occupied by “windows” made of mosquito nets (although in some models it is possible to close these windows with external “curtains”). » made of dense material). Such an awning can be useful, for example, for short trips to nature, or as an overnight stay in warm summer weather.
Another kind of awnings-tents can be conditionally called "household". Such structures are intended primarily for the organization of one or another working space: retail outlets, exhibition and promotional stands, field cafes and canteens, administrative areas at public events, first-aid posts, etc. Among such tents there are quite large structures that can accommodate 10 – 20 people, or even more; such models, usually, have solid walls with inserts-"windows" made of transparent material. In turn, for relatively small household products, the walls are rather symbolic — they are made of mesh material, if necessary, closed with a zipper, and in some models they are completely absent.

— Camping tent. The simplest kind of awnings are products in the form of a piece of dense matter, usually rectangular or close to it in shape. Many camping tents are designed to be secured between trees, poles, or other makeshift supports. Such an installation can be quite difficult, but the awning itself is as light, compact and easy to transport as possible. More advanced models are also produced, equipped with their own supports and guy wires and suitable for installation directly on the ground. Anyway, camping awnings themselves are intended primarily for protection from the sun and, to a much lesser extent, from rain. In addition, such products can be used as additional protection for tents — in heavy rain, an awning can be a real salvation, especially if the tent itself is single-layer and not particularly moisture resistant.

Seasons in which the use of a tent is allowed.

There are three main seasonality options: winter, spring / autumn and summer. At the same time, the design features necessary for comfortable use of the tent in different seasons are as follows:

— In winter, the tent should effectively protect against snow and wind, and its materials and fittings should normally endure a long stay in the cold. Thermal insulation is also desirable, but in general this is a secondary factor — the main insulation is provided primarily by clothing, a sleeping bag and a bed.
— In the off-season — in spring and autumn — protection from rain, which can be accompanied by strong winds, is of particular importance.
— For comfortable use in the summer heat, good ventilation is required, ideally with insect protection, such as mosquito nets.

As you can see, these requirements generally do not contradict each other and may well be combined in one product. Thus, there are very few tents on the market designed strictly for one season — two- or even all-season options are much more common. For example, even among beach tents (see "Purpose") there are models for which the possibility of using in the off-season is claimed — for this, the design provides for a dense awning, or even the ability to completely close the tent. Almost any model from the "spring-autumn" series...additionally has a summer specialization; and most models suitable for winter actually allow year-round use.

In conclusion, we recall that tents with the same seasonality and purpose can at the same time differ significantly in characteristics and design features.

The total weight of the tent is including the frame and other accessories.

This parameter depends primarily on the purpose (see above), and after that — on seasonality, capacity, and additional functions. For example, in trekking and expedition models, the weight usually does not exceed 5 – 7.5 kg, and the lightest of these products can weigh 2 – 3 kg or even less, while being full-fledged tents for 2 people or even more. However, for a trekking tent, such a small weight with a capacity of more than 2 people usually means that this model is designed exclusively for the summer. For most camping tents, the weight starts at 6 kg, although among them there are also quite light products — by 4 – 5 kg, 3 – 4 kg, or even less (in such cases, light weight can also mean a purely summer specialization). And the most capacious and/or multifunctional models can have a weight of 10 – 15 kg, 15 – 20 kg and even more; in this weight category, you can mainly find tents, camping tents for many people and fishing tents for carp fishing (see "Destination").

When choosing a tent according to this indicator, it is worth considering that it does not always make sense to chase the maximum weight reduction. Yes, the...light tent is the most convenient to carry; on the other hand, weight reduction inevitably affects one or several other characteristics at once. So, most often, lighter models are either more expensive or smaller in size and less roomy and functional than their heavier counterparts. And sometimes weight reduction also negatively affects the security (including moisture resistance) and the overall reliability of the product. Therefore, it makes sense to specifically look for the lightest tent possible in cases where weight reduction is of key importance; a typical example is long trips, in which all the equipment has to be carried “on oneself” for a long time. And even in such cases, it is worth remembering other important characteristics. For example, for use in late autumn, when frosts are likely, it is better to choose a heavier tent with winter seasonality than a light model that is not designed for winter conditions.

The vestibule is a kind of "entrance hall" in front of the entrance to the main compartment (s) of the tent.

The specific design and purpose of such a "hallway" may be different. So, in small two-layer tents, the space between the inner and outer layers in front of the entrance plays the role of a vestibule (for this, the outer canopy is stretched at a greater angle relative to the vertical than the inner one). The dimensions of such a compartment are small, it is designed mainly for storing individual items, such as shoes. In larger models, the vestibule is made in the form of a full-fledged compartment, which differs from the main compartment only in the absence of a bottom (although there are exceptions). Such a compartment can be located between two sleeping compartments; and in some tents two vestibules are provided at once.

Anyway, such equipment increases the useful area of \u200b\u200bthe tent and provides additional comfort when using it. Tambour can be used to store equipment, often quite bulky; with an open entrance, it provides additional protection for the main volume of the tent from rain, sun and wind; and in a large vestibule(150 cm long or more), you can even organize additional sleeping places (if the weather permits) or even an auxiliary room such as a kitchen, dining room, administrative area, etc. " below.

The length of the vestibule provided in the tent.

See above for more details on the vestibule. As for its dimensions, the length of the vestibule is measured along the same side along which the length of the entire tent is measured; and the width of this compartment usually corresponds to the overall width of the tent, and it does not need to be specified separately in the specifications. At the same time, we note that due to such measurement rules, the length of the vestibule is often less than its width; this is quite normal in this case.

The specific ratio between the dimensions of this compartment in different tents may be different. However, in general, a longer vestibule is usually larger and more capacious than a shorter one. When choosing, it should be taken into account that a large and spacious additional compartment increases overall comfort, but it significantly affects the price and weight of the tent (not to mention its overall dimensions). So when choosing for this parameter, it is worth considering the real conditions and features of the operation of the tent. We only note that in order to organize additional beds, it is worth paying attention to vestibules with a length of at least 150 cm — usually, they can accommodate additional places at least across, and often along the tent.

This paragraph refers to the total number of entrances to the tent. In most cases, their number also describes the possibility of entering the sleeping area. However, there are models with a large vestibule, in which the input is provided from different sides. Such abundant entry/exit options allow the tent to be used in a variety of situations. For example, focusing on the position of the sun, it will be relevant to open the western or eastern side; landscape conditions will not interfere with the installation of a tent, since one of the exits will remain accessible in any case. Well, for a large company at the campsite, vacationers will not interfere with each other.

The number of entrances to the bedroom provided in the design of the tent.

It is worth clarifying that if there are several bedrooms in the design (see "Bedrooms"), then in this case, not the total number of entrances is taken into account, but the number of entrances per bedroom. For example, if a tent has 2 bedrooms, each with 1 entrance, then the specifications will show 1 entrance to the bedroom.

In other words, if the design declares 2 entrances to the bedroom, this means that there are two exits from each bedroom (regardless of the total number of bedrooms). This design is convenient primarily because it is possible to leave the sleeping compartment, if necessary, in the most convenient way, without disturbing the sleeping neighbors once again. .

Number of windowsprovided by the design of the tent. Windows provide the penetration of natural light and relieve you of the need to use additional sources of lighting during daylight hours; in addition, when properly positioned, they allow you to inspect the area without leaving the tent.

— External. The outer frame is considered more convenient to set up, especially in the case of double-layer tents (see "Inner tent"), because. both the inner tent and the outer awning are put on the frame at once. On the other hand, such a frame is more susceptible to the negative influence of natural conditions and does not allow you to put the inner tent separately.

- Internal. The inner frame is somewhat more difficult to install than the outer; at the same time, it is less affected by adverse external conditions, and in two-layer tents (see "Inner tent") with an inner frame, it is usually possible to install only an inner tent, without an awning.

Note that only tents in the form of a hemisphere or half-barrel have a classic frame (see "Hull Shape"); in the case of gable tents, the “outer/inner” characteristic refers primarily to the location of the supports, and the term “frame” does not apply to tent models at all.

- Inflatable. In such tents, the role of the frame is played by sealed hollow tubes made of flexible material (rubber or polymers), usually arc-shaped. When folded, they can be folded quite compactly, and when the tent is set up, they inflate (usually with the help of a special pump), acquiring the desired shape and sufficient rigidity to support the awning. The advantages of inflatable frames are their low weight and ease of installation, they are usually r...eferred to as quick installation systems (see above for the latter). On the other hand, inflatable elements are very sensitive to damage: a small crack or hole, which is not critical for a conventional frame element, breaks the tightness and makes the tent unusable.

— Pop up. Automatic type of arc frame - independently unfolds when removing the tent from the cover. Often, this type of frame is used in small budget tents, addressed to fans of camping, outings and visiting music festivals. Such tents are packed in a small round bag, which takes up a minimum of space in a car trunk or among the hand luggage of vacationers.