Pop Up Tents buying guide

Do you love to camp outdoors? Want an easy solution to set up your camp in a jiffy? Don't sweat anymore. Pop up tents are here to the rescue.

With these tents, you don't need to put much work in setting them. These unique shelters can automatically pop up and provide a safe place to rest. The tents are light in weight and highly portable for traveling. The product comes with suitable cases that allow you to store them efficiently.

However, selecting a suitable tent for your trip requires a proper study of every element. To gather detailed information on different characteristics, you need to look at different sources. This will take your valuable time, and you may end with the wrong facts.

A buying guide presents a simple solution to these issues. It provides necessary detail on critical factors at one stop. Referring to it saves your time and allows you to funnel down the best product quickly.

Let us start with the quick introduction to the product and then move further into the guide.

What do you mean by Pop Up Tents? Why is it important to have them?

Are you bored with your regular life? Want to have some fun and adventure? When you are locked inside your house for months, an ardent desire in you takes birth. You feel like going to a faraway place with your friends or family and spend some quality time in mother nature's arms.

An outdoor trip calls for a lot of equipment, but the important one out of them all is a tent. It not only shelters you but protects you from the negative elements of the wild.

A pop-up tent is designed specially to complement your journey and make your trip exciting. It is easy and quick to put up and requires no traditional method of assembly. It is light in weight and highly portable.

Pop up tents are beneficial and the most used in the world of tents. The biggest convenience one can notice while using these is higher portability during traveling. Their weight and compact size make them ideal for all the campers.

They protect you from the bad side of the natural elements and cradle you like a child. If you invest in these, you are guaranteed to enjoy the most while staying close to nature.

Why should you look into a guide before making a purchase?

When you are planning for a trip to escape from your stressful life, you are preoccupied with many thoughts accompanied by a lot of excitement. This sometimes blocks your mind, and you lag a lot while searching for the best equipment for you and your buddies.

Since searching one product on different platforms creates a lot of confusion, it is always worthy of referring to a guide.

Here, information from various sources is collected and simplified, so that you get access to a better view of the product and find your best pick.

Before stepping ahead for your search for tents, it is wiser to take a glance at all the key features of it and then choose the right one made only for you. Let's take a tour of it.

Types of Pop Up Tents

Since the pop-up tent is the most preferred tent for travelers and campers, the demand is high, and so is the need for different variants.

During your search, you will commonly find three variants of these tents.

1. Spring-loaded

Remember how a spring retains its shape even after pressing it hard. These tents are also somewhat similar to a spring. You will find that these tents are secured with a strap. Want to know why?

As the name suggests, these tents pop open as soon as the strap is opened. This is because the tent's material is pre-attached to the poles and folded to offer you an upright tent in no time.

2. Umbrella type

You will find joints in these tents just like in your own body. As you go on unfolding it, the joints lock in their respective places.

If you want to have a hassle-free tent, this is a great option. It's easy to fold and unfold, and not knowing its operation beforehand is perfectly fine.

3. Pre-assembled

If you had the play tent houses at your home, this tent would remind you of the same. The skeleton of the tent is pre-assembled.

The only thing you need to do is arrange the poles through loops present in the material and secure them on different hinges to ensure that your tent stays upright and in shape.

Things to deem about while selecting appropriate Pop Up Tents

Size and Weight

Size matters a lot! You will never want to sleep in a congested room where you have to struggle even to turn a bit. Imagine, three adults, sleeping in a tent with all their gears and backpacks, which can occupy only two.

To help you overcome this problem, pop up tents feature large sizes. This helps you choose among different variants according to the number of people you will be traveling with.

It is advised that you go for a size larger than the number of people accompanying you. This ensures that you have enough room to accommodate all of you and your belongings.

Besides the ample space that they offer, they weigh less despite their large size. It offers you the ease to carry it along with you and set it up immediately.

You don't have to shift a heavy load from one place to another. Thanks to the lightweight poles and the materials used. Your task is reduced a lot.

But try to avoid purchasing extra large tents which can considerably increase its weight and become a problem for you later on. Search for the ones in which you can comfortably accommodate.

Double Doors

A tent having no ventilation in it is a strict no. Also, you will not want your tent mates to crawl on top of you in the middle of the night to access the loo if you have only one door in your tent.

To eliminate such a situation, pop up tents have double door features that allow you and your buddies to have different exits.

It makes your movement easy and also offers breathability by reducing the congestion inside.

Many variants also have two layered doors, an outer layer made of nylon, and the inner one a transparent screen. It allows you to open the outer layer for the air to flow-in while preventing insects from entering your tent.

Construction Material

When you buy a tent, your primary motive is to get shelter and remain protected from bad weather. To endure all this, your tent has to be strong and damage-resistant. The strength and durability of your tent entirely depend on the material used to construct it.

Materials used, impart their extraordinary properties into the tent and make it strong enough to stand firmly against any damaging entity.

Pop up tents

1. Nylon and polyester fabric:

Makes the tent durable and light in weight. It provides you the ease to open it in a hassle-free manner.

2. Polyurethane (used for coating):

It helps the tent to become resistant to heat and water, thus making it more durable.

Besides the fabric of the tent, it is vital to inspect the frame of your tent. Just like you need minerals and calcium to make your bones strong, a tent requires some special material to make the frame stable. This assures you that your tent stays in shape and upright.

Poles

1. Fiberglass:

It is a flexible and robust material that makes it weigh less, stay strong, and maintain stability.

2. Aluminum:

Though it is a little heavier than fiberglass, its ductility helps your tent withstand stormy winds.

Headroom

Because of the compact design, finding a tent with adequate headroom can be tough sometimes. You will generally have space for sitting and sleeping purposes only.

Due to their incomparable features, pop up tents always stand apart. These not only provide you adequate room to sleep and sit but also give you the freedom to stand and carry out your activities.

Though they are small, it would be wrong to ignore them for not having appropriate height. Many pop up tents have a taller height despite being small and light in weight. Search for variants that have enough space to allow you to walk and stand freely.

Breathability

It will be suffocating and stuffy if there are no windows and doors present in the tent you are staying in!

The situation may get even worse if you are staying with your tent mates. To provide you some relief, pop up tents have numerous openings inside to allow maximum airflow.

The windows feature layers of fabric to provide you privacy as well. The mesh and nylon flaps can be removed according to your preference. If you want fresh air to flow in with no mosquitoes, you can open the nylon flap entirely.

If you want complete privacy, then you can put down the nylon flap as well. This creates a fresh environment inside and helps you stay away from the stuffiness and the stink.

Occupancy

When staying outdoors, your tent becomes your temporary abode. This means that it should also have that home-like feeling in it, but that is not possible. But you should leave no stones unturned to make it comfortable.

Like a king-size bed can accommodate three adults, but at the same time, it feels very stuffy. Similarly, a tent that can occupy three adults can fit 4 in it, but it will become very congested.

The occupancy of pop up tents should be decided according to the number of members in your group. Also, you should consider their belongings and pets, if any.

It is always better that you go for a tent which has extra space for a minimum of 1 more occupant. This helps you move around easily, tackle unexpected situations, and keep all your belongings safe with you.

If you are traveling with kids, make sure that you have enough space for them to play inside without troubling you.

Portability with carrying bags

When you think of camping, your biggest nightmare comprises transporting all your essentials to the camping site.

Pop up tents are the best tents available in terms of portability. They come in a carry bag which stores your tent safely in it. This increases the durability of your tent because it is not exposed to the rodents staying secretly inside your house.

Along with it, other accessories that are required for the tent, come in a separate accessory bag. Having carrying bags helps you stay organized and not miss out on any essential item.

Tent carrying bags are compactly designed, which enable you to store it anywhere because they do not occupy much space.

Weather Protection and Waterproofing

While purchasing a tent, you will want it to withstand every weather and heavy rainfall. Buying a tent specifically for one season will lead to heavy investment and consume more time.

Search for pop up tents that have waterproof material used in them like nylon and polyester. But it is not always a good decision to rely entirely on these two fabrics. You never know when they may tear off!

Hence, to overcome this problem as well, these tents feature an extra protective layer on them and have sealed seams. This is great to fight against heavy showers and prevent water leakage.

Manufacturers of these tents also use silpoly fabric to impart more water repellent properties to your tent.

Also, search for more variants with fabrics that block UV rays from hitting your tent. Long exposure to the harmful rays damages the frame of your tent, including its color.

Do remember that water and sunlight are not your only enemies; you might always come across storm-like conditions. This will bend the frames of your tent. To ensure that this does not happen with you, look for stronger frames or additional stakes in your tent package.

Search for different unique features in your tent and opt for the one that suits you best and make your trip fun and enjoyable.

Shape

For easy setup and quick packaging, tents come in various shapes, but the most common ones are:

1. Dome

Pop up tents having a smaller size, feature dome shapes. It is an ideal shape for attaining greater stability and is durable. It has excellent resistance to strong winds.

2. Cabin

Tents having this shape have tall ceilings and resemble your room at your house. These offer more comfort to you than the dome-shaped tents. The main drawback is, they require more time to be set up and weight a little more.

Depending on your height and preference, choose a tent with the correct height and adequate space to feel comfortable even while staying outdoors, especially in the wild.

Assembly

Pop up tents are known for their hassle-free assembly. Unlike the traditional tents, you do not have to waste your time and effort to join the poles and place them at the correct place in your pop-up tent every time you set them up.

Their lightweight structure saves you from lifting unnecessary heavy loads. Your pop up tent makes your task easy and super fast, allowing you more time to enjoy with your buddies. You just need to remove the strap, and you are done!

These tents with their effortless assembly are a great choice if you are going camping the first time.

Durability and Strength

Whether outdoors or indoors, many threats surround your beloved tent. When you are staying outdoors, your tent gets exposed to many harsh elements. This, over time, degrades the quality of your tent.

To ensure durability, you should invest in a tent that has a long life span. Pop up tents are made of special fabrics which are damage-proof. These expand when your tent faces any rip-off and repair themselves.

Also, bonfires are an integral part of camping, especially in the fall. You should make sure that your tent fabric is heat resistant so that it minimizes the threat of fire-related accidents.

Additional Features

Having additional features in your pop up tent is like a cherry on top of the cake. These give you an enjoyable experience which you will never forget.

The various additional features which you can have access to are:

1. Pockets

Having numerous pockets makes your life a lot easier. These enable you to keep your valuables and gears in them safely.

Also, tents equipped with pockets offer extra space because you will not have to keep your belongings right next to you.

Some tents also feature pockets on the outside to put sand or stones in them so that they don't fly away. These give extra weight to the tent, and due to the force of gravity, your tent remains grounded.

2. Vestibules

Vestibules are useful, especially when you are camping during the rainy season. These are present at your door's front and are extended.

These also come with mud mats to take off your muddy shoes and keep them on the mats rather than carrying them inside.

3. Rainfly

This is the extra coating for your tent. This protects you from heavy rainfall and harmful sun rays.

4. Electric ports, dividers, and loops

Electric ports are small openings having durable zips that allow a power cable to enter inside your tent. Dividers are flaps which you can use to create partitions and have your private space. To illuminate your tent, ceiling loops are present to hang lights.

Price

It is a presumption that lower price means low-quality goods. But this is not always the case.

Even high prices quoted by the retailers can contain low-quality goods, which, after purchasing, you may repent.

Pop up tent is affordable by all, and that makes it the most favorite choice among the campers. It is always better to purchase a pop-up tent that fulfills all your requirements and fits in your budget.

Don't compromise on your safety and look only at the price tag. Check all the key features and then make your decision.

Teardown

Though the pop-up tent that you own, sets up quickly and takes no time, if you are a newbie, this won't be the case with you.

It will take a lot of practice to tear them down in the initial phase, but you will be a pro at it over time. The difficult one is the tent, which has to be stored in a circle-shaped bag. You need to understand how every pole is folded to fit it inside the bag.

You have to be very cautious while doing this because the poles are lightweight, and applying pressure on them will result in breakage. Breaking your new tent is not what you want.

With passing time and immense practice, you will become an expert in tearing down your tent and easily fold and unfold it. For more precision, these tents come with instruction booklets as well, which you can refer to and learn quickly.

FAQs

1. What are the steps to fold the pop-up tent properly?

A pop-up tent can be easily folded by following simple instructions. You can check all the instructions on the label of the manufacturer to know everything. You can also watch different videos on YouTube to provide apt information and the right steps.

2. What is the difference between traditional tents and pop up tents?

Pop-up tents are generally much faster and easier to operate than the other tents. Where traditional tents need you to learn every step correctly, these pop-up tents are easy to set up and install in just a few seconds. If you just want to camp casually, pop-up tents are certainly the best for you.

3. How do pop-up tents actually work?

Pop-ups tents have a spring-loaded frame that takes the desired shape as soon as all the straps are removed. It will help in an automatic tent formation. All you need to do is connect all the joints as requested on the tent's instruction manual.

4. What is the right way to erect the tent?

You just need to follow all the guidelines, as mentioned in the instruction manual. When you remove all the straps, all you need to do check for the joints and do exactly as stated in the manual. All the steps are provided as per your specified tent shape.

Final Verdict

Pop up tents can reduce the hassle of setting up the shelter after a long hike. When not used for camping purposes, you can use the product in your home in recreational activities for your kids.

With all this information in your hand, all you need is to select an elite tent. Go through this extensive guide and make an informed decision while selecting the best option.