What Is A Non Free Standing Tent

However truly freestanding tents tend to be slightly heavier than non freestanding ones because they have to be self supporting with long tent poles that add additional weight.

What is a non free standing tent.

In the description of tents you will see terms like freestanding or free standing standing tent and also with hyphens like self standing tent self supporting tent free standing tent etc. Your backpacking tent is one of the biggest items in your pack and a big opportunity to save weight. Ultralight 1 person 2 person nylon cuben fiber dyneema freestanding and non freestanding tents tested by appalachian trail and pacific crest trail thru hikers. Besides ounce for ounce tents that require you to set them up with stakes i e non freestanding are sturdier than their freestanding equivalent.

You d think that a semi freestanding tent would be an inner tent that doesn t require any tent stakes to be pitched. Freestanding tents are more popular on the at but non freestanding are beginning to appear more and more. A freestanding model has some big convenience factors. As a general rule freestanding tents are a bit heavier than non freestanding tents due to the poles.

Non freestanding tents have a single wall construction meaning the tent does not require a rainfly for waterproof protection. Although they are heavier they can be moved easily if you discover rocks in your back. Single wall construction decreases overall tent weight. Freestanding tents with an inner tent and a rain fly can be effortlessly picked up and repositioned or set up on tent platforms something which is impossible to do with a tent that requires tent stakes to set up.

Unlike freestanding models non freestanding tents require staking out to keep their shape. Tent interior is less likely to get wet during set up in the rain. The opposite is the non freestanding tent of course. With freestanding tents the poles tend to be covered by the rain fly and are largely invisible from the outside when the fly is in place.

Most freestanding tents are wedge or dome shaped making them highly weather and wind resistant. Gear guide to the best ultralight backpacking tents. To set up non freestanding tents are first staked out and then typically propped up with trekking poles some like the tarptent double rainbow use a single tent pole instead.