What is a Best tent for camping in the heat?

Question

I am going to a festival that the heats gets a little much in the mornings, I understand tent fans are around so i guess which is the best tent fan/ tent combo. I do not want a pro one thats super $$ just in case it has to be left behind at the concert (on the other side of the country) heh thank you for your time and answers

Answer 1

Tarps and hammocks are the best. They make hammocks with mosquito netting built in if bugs are a problem.

Tarps eliminate walls and you get more ventilation. No privacy really. You can pitch it low over a rope (tied between two trees and knotted to maximize opposing forces, you want it really tight) into an A frame that doesn't quite hit the ground, or into a modified A frame where one side is longer than the other, or a flat plane on an incline with the tarp opening to the private side. You still get more circulation under a tarp because the ends are open, you can cover them in rain with what is called a "beak", by using a poncho or a piece of plastic.

When you use tarps, you also want a ground cover, this could be a piece of 6 mm plastic, a neat sheet, or a piece of nylon from Walmart's clearance fabric dept or even a trash bag that you cut open.

Campmor and REI have great tarps, look for their 8x10 nylon tarp, it is waterproof, and very easy to use, grommets, for about 40 US dollars. You have to get your own line to pitch it with. Nylon masonry cord in bright colors is great. I always color coded mine to find corners vs sides. Tarps can also be plastic, such as you would throw over the bed of your pickup or a stack of firewood, or you can use any piece of waterproof material that you can tie corners into a sheetbend (a knot). You can get all kinds of tarps, all different carry weights, etc. I always had great results with the first one I mentioned, from www.campmor.com

Mosquito hammocks are great. For shelter over you, pitch a tarp as above, just higher, no ground cover needed. What is so cool about these is that you get air circulation all around you. Sucks in the winter so I always hit the ground but in summer there is NOTHING better. Your pack goes underneath you for maximum shelter of you and your gear, if you have it with you. So you don't need a lot of surface area under the shelter, use a smaller tarp, save packweight.

Hennessey Hammocks offer a lot of hammocks, they all have rainflys which attach directly to the hammock, eliminating the need for a tarp. Very popular. I never did like them.

Other hammock brands, these are cottage industries for the most part...so supporting small businessmen, you will pay more to buy from the little guys:

Speer
mosquitohammock.com
Crazy Creek
Clark or Clarke (not sure sp)
Byer of Maine
Travel Hammock

(above are all silk or nylon hammocks) Prices for these vary a lot. With a bugnet you will pay more. Without, they can start at 15 dollars....Hennesseys start at about 100 dollars.

You can also get rope/mesh/net ones that leave nice waffle prints on your butt, and these are available at most discount stores for about 10 dollars.

Have fun, don't forget your bug net if you are near water.

Answer 2

I live in AZ, and have camped numerous times in heat, and I know how unpleasant it is to wake up too hot. Honestly, I would get any cheap tent. Most tents these days come with a rainfly or at least vents. I would cover the tent only partially with the rainfly to get as much air circulation as possible. A breeze will be enough to cool you down, as long as your rainfly is shading you from the morning sun. Another thing you could do is get one of those mesh tents (if you don't mind being exposed to everyone), and rigging up some kind of canopy over you to shade you from the sun and any potential rainfall. Basically, just make sure you have circulation and you'll be fine, but bring blankets because it may be hot during the day, but even in the hottest desert, it can get cold at night.

Answer 3

I don't know much about tent fans,however a small tent such as a dome with a mesh top allows the rising heat to escape if you lift off the small top tent fly piece,remember that same tent is rather cold and not recommended in cold seasons or cool windy areas.One like that is a cheepy approx. $50.00 or less and like any tent you need to seal the seams.

Answer 4

The best thing I could imagine would be to set up your tent and then set up a canopy tent over it, one that's at least a foot or two taller than your tent. One that's a light color, white preferably to reflect the sun. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4321120
That shade, combined with shading the ground around the tent, should keep you sufficiently cool. I don't know of any fan cooled tents, but I suppose you could get one of these $9 battery powered fans they have at Wal-Mart that are supposed to run for 24 hours on one set of batteries. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4744668

Um, I think the person above changed their answer to paraphrase mine, so yeah, huh?

Answer 5

Or, you can get a jungle hammock (sometimes findable at army-navy stores) hammock, mosquito netting, canvas over the top, it all zips up and is rain and bug-proof, if you have somewhere to set it up, that's all you need. Of course if you don't have anything to tie it off to......

Answer 6

get one with a lot of vents that you can zip up and open. And one with a very lightweight material