As Winter moves into Spring and later, Summer moves into Fall, the nights are crisp, but the days still may be sultry. A Two Season tent may be too cool for those crisp nights. But a Three Season tent may be too hot for those sultry days. What do you do?

    First, let’s define the difference is between and a two and three season tent.

Two Season tents
    Two season tent stresses the importance of being lightweight with added ventilation. Two season tents are for warm nights, and not too much concern about the outdoor elements. Two season tents are often simple construction and have a vestibule; an enclosed canopy or storage area outside the tent.

Three season Tents
    Three season tent is designed for general camping in almost any kind of weather except the most extreme climatic conditions like, heavy snow. They are generally more strengthened, easier to assemble, and lighter than its counterpart, a four season tent.
    A worthy three season tent comes with ability to manage ninety five percent of the camping requirements most people. Keeping in mind, three season tents are constructed for Spring, Summer and Fall usage in temperate climates.
    Three season tents function exceptionally well in rain and wind. Although their design and fabrication does not allow them to handle heavier snow loads, they do not breakdown if two inches of snow falls on them.

   There are fours season tents, I will mention them briefly.

Four Season Tents
   Four season tents or winter tents are tents specifically designed to provide refuge and defense from severe and extreme weather conditions, like those that can be faced while camping above the snowline. Many Outfitter tents fall into this category.
   In general, four season tents are constructed of heavier, more abrasion-defiant fabrics and the tent is strengthening at stress points. They consist of heavy poles that can withstand heavier snows and generally take two or more people to assemble. Despite this, four season tents can also be used in milder weather conditions.

     Next, some of the questions you could to ask yourself when deciding on a tent:

• What – Type of Camping are you doing Hiking, Biking, Car, Back Country,
• Weight and construction play a large factor on your decision
• Who – How many people will be sleeping in the tent
• Where – Plains, Mountains, Forest, Desert
• When - Time of Year

   The ‘Where’ and ‘When’ are tied together, Summer in the Desert is certainly different then Summer in the Mountains. One of you greater concern is the weather conditions; temperature and precipitation. Also, do not forget about, no-seeums, mosquitoes and others and the little critters

    The 'Who' includes how many people and how much room you want in your tent. How many people are going camping? Additionally, how comfortable do you want to be? I have found that a 3-person tent is just about the right size for just my gear and me. Our 8-10 person tent is roomy enough for Kip and I, all of our gear with room to sit if we are trapped inside the tent for a while.

   Last, but not least, 'Budget' - How much can you afford, but how much can you not afford. Now, this is a budget conscience website, but sometimes spending a little extra money can be a camping trip saver.

   Let's walk through an example of the decision making process using these questions. Todd and Marcy plan on going camping a lot this summer out West, mostly Montana and Colorado in the mountains. They like to hike the backcountry trails, but want a "base camp" to come back to after their long hikes.
    The answers to 'Where' and 'When': mountains in Summer and "a lot". Weather conditions in the mountains, especially in Montana and Colorado can change drastically with in hours. In addition, they will be spending "a lot" of time in the tent. The answer for 'What': Todd and Marcy are not carrying the tent into in the backcountry. They are coming back to a "base camp". There are two of them for the answer to 'Who/How many'. And the last question, 'Budget', what can Todd and Marcy afford or not afford.

    For this example, I would suggest a three season, 3 person or bigger. Why? The weather conditions and the 'What' type of camping. If they are setting up the tent in a campground and using the tent as a "base camp" having a larger and more protective tent may be a good choice. There are many affordable three season tents that fit Todd and Marcy's needs.
    Todd and Marcy are going to be using their tent a lot, so a little extra money spent will probably save them the cost of having to buy another tent later in the summer, because the bargain tent's seam broke open or a zipper failed in a rain storm. Coleman, Eureka, Kelty, Cabela's and REI's name brand, all have tents that fall with the $100 to $200 range and would be will suited for Todd and Marcy.
    Be sure to use a ground cloth or a footprint for your tent. Using either will increase the life of the tent floor. To save some money, Kip and I use the plastic paint drop sheets you can purchase at any hardware store. Depending on the ground conditions, the plastic sheets can be re-use more then once. If you do a lot of camping, investing in a real footprint for your tent is well worth the extra cost.

    So which tent to buy, a two or three season? Hopefully, these five questions to help you decide:

• What type of camping will you be doing, backcountry, campgrounds or ...?
• Who and How many people will be sleeping in the tent
• When are you going and what will the weather conditions be like
• Where forest, mountains, plains, desert, little critters
• Budget - what can you afford

   You may be wondering what tents Kip and I own. I have The North Face Cumulus, a three person, three season with a foot print and Tahoe**, an eight to ten person, two season. Kip owns Cabela's Outfitter Series® XWT-Xtreme Weather Tent, a four season, 10'x10'.

Lenise

Experienced Camper

• Camping for over 20 years in Minnesota, Colorado, Wyoming, California, North and South Dakota, Washington and Montana
• Back packing and Hiking for over 20 years in the Midwest, Southwest and West
  
• Advanced Orienteering and map reading skills
• Outdoor safety and survival skills

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