Inflatable Tents
What Are Inflatable Tents?
Recently making it to the mainstream market have been the Inflatable Tents. No, I don’t mean what “Bubble Boy” lived in. Although there are some of those out on the market. I digress, sorry. These tents are very similar to regular tents in most regards. The biggest difference is that instead of independent hollow, flexible, carbon fiber tent poles; these tents have attached inflatable tubing which act like tent poles.
Before you start thinking that these tents are not very sturdy and will float away with the slightest of breeze, I want to assure you that they are sturdy, and they are much more than just balloons holding up some fabric.
Are They Durable?
The fabric used for the “tent pole” structure is a durable type of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material with polyester-cotton blend covering. Very similar to inflatable rescue boats the coast guard and military use. Will they pop? Any material is prone to getting punctured when being used improperly or even by accident when out in nature. They do in-fact come with patch kits to seal up any leaks if that were to occur. As for them floating away, just like with any tent, they do come with guy lines, and stakes to secure them down. Plus, when fully inflated and secured, they are more than capable of withstanding higher winds and rain.
Accessory Included
Theses Inflatable tents do need to be…well…”inflated”. Most of them now come with their own compressor and adapters to inflate the structure. (Unfortunately, each manufacturer customized their tents to specific compressors, so you might have to use the one provided to you.) So, unless you plan on having a horse or mule come with you on you backpacking trip, my guess is that you are going to want to transport these in your vehicle to a campground that has electricity or have a means to run the compressor with your vehicle. Once inflated though, they can be sealed up for the duration of your camping trip. You don’t need to run the compressor the whole time.
Although they are full of air, these types of tents tend to be heavier that the standard style of tent and are a little bit bulkier when packed. Mostly because of the fabric used for the tent poles and the compressor.
Set Up is a Breeze (Pun Intended)
You may be asking what are the pro’s to an Inflatable tent. The simple answer is that these are very easy to set up. As each section inflates the rest of the tent simply unfolds with it. One person should be able to set up any size inflatable tent. This is why the inflatable tent is favored with archeological, geological and other independent organizations. A small team can set up several large tents quickly and easily. Plus, other than the compressor there also are not any other parts to the tent to lose, break, or worry about.
As with any tent, I recommend doing your research and take your time speaking with people who are more familiar with these style tents. Much like any emerging industry though, there are not as many suppliers and manufacturers for these tents. It may be difficult to find a retailer where they have some Demo tents available for you to take a look at. If you are serious about getting one though, it might be beneficial to search one out and take a trip to get a hands on look at one.
Thank You For Reading About Inflatable Tents