Most of the myths about campgrounds and camping are created by anxious mothers who never went camping. Usually these ideas are based on data more than thirty years ago, on the stories of grandparents and have little in common with reality. You should not deprive the child of an interesting and useful rest just because in your imagination a bear hides behind every tree in the forest, it is better to read this article and then decide.
Myth number 1
Only experienced tourists can go to the tent camp, there is nothing for beginners to do there
Rather the opposite. Experienced hikers plan challenging hikes and look a little down on it. For them, this is a get-together, relaxation, bard festivals, but for beginners it is a good opportunity to live in a tent for the first time, sleep in a sleeping bag, go on a short hike, cook dinner over a fire.
Myth number 2
To go to the campground and go hiking, you need to buy a bunch of
special equipment that will not be useful later
Of course, it may be so, but you just have to choose the camp more closely. There are many camp sites where you can rent equipment, and some organizations generally include equipment rental in the price of the tour. Arrived, got a backpack, sleeping bag, tent, paddle, catamaran and off you go! Later, if you understood unconditionally: “such a vacation is mine!”, Of course, you should gradually acquire your own equipment, but for the first time it is not necessary to litter the house and empty your wallet.
Myth number 3
You can't look good in a campground, you have to go there,
dressed in old clothes "for discard"
Oh, if you really think so, then you are far behind the times! Today tourists are the biggest fashionistas! There is a huge tourist fashion industry, chain stores, Internet sites and so on. Leisure wear marked "outdoor" is very practical, incredibly comfortable and attractive. If you do not know what gortex, membrane, polartec, vibram are, then you have lost a lot! This is what helps people not to get wet, not to freeze, not to slip out of the blue, something that many cannot part with even in urban conditions.
Myth number 4
You will have to sleep on the ground, which is harmful
Tourists learn first of all to take care of themselves for ... future hikes. They do not want to lose their health, and the organizers of the tent camps do not want clients. Therefore, there are usually several layers between the traveler and the land, of which the most important is a tourist rug. It is made of modern thermal insulation materials and perfectly protects from the cold. Of course, no one cancels the fact that the tent must be set up wisely, that sometimes it is useful to clear the place of cones, sometimes you have to make drainage grooves, you will learn all these wisdom gradually from more experienced people. But, after that, you came to the campground, so that with comfort and health benefits!
Myth number 5
We'll have to carry weights, and this will affect the spine
Firstly, not every hike is a constant carrying of weights. For example, in a water hike everything is carried by the water, which is why the overwhelming majority of lovers of water hikes. And it is better for a person who is unsure of his physical form to start with water. Secondly, if we are talking about a properly organized tent camp from which you can go on short trips, then everything is much simpler here. For example, you can leave some of your belongings at the base. In the process of preparing for the trip, training is carried out, the muscles get stronger. The workloads increase gradually (in our "Big Adventure", the guys first go on a simple one-day hike). Plus anyone analyzes the physical fitness of the participants and wisely distributes public equipment.
Travel allows a young person to better know himself, his character, his abilities. Indeed, during the campaign there is no pretense, there is nowhere to hide - you are real during the campaign.
Myth number 6
You will walk dirty all the time
If you want - you will certainly! And in the city with the same ease as in the forest. The rule is the same everywhere: if you don’t wash, then you go dirty, if you don’t brush your teeth, they turn yellow. We do not argue: in the field you will need to spend a little more effort. But believe me, boiling an extra pot of water in the evening is not overloading. But then in the apartment you, as a child, will enjoy the stream of hot water from the tap.
Myth number 7
Camping is not for girls
Considering all of the above, not at all! The girl in the camp is not a woman with a paddle, she can always remain clean, beautiful and fashionable. And keep in mind, a girl can become a real hearth fairy only here!
Myth number 8.
The campground means wet feet and eternal colds
Any traveler will prove the opposite to you. In nature, the body is mobilized, and people get sick less. And having learned how to dress correctly, keep warm and move a lot on a hike, you will get sick less in the city.
Myth number 9
Camping is a cheap vacation
A quality vacation cannot be cheap. The cost of the voucher includes payment for quality work - instructors who need to be trained, and all personnel; again, high-quality, modern equipment; implementation of the pedagogical part of the program; security measures, including satellite communications. You will say there is no cost to maintain a large building in a campground. Right. But there is another side to the coin: electricity, gas and water are significantly more expensive in a campground than in buildings connected to existing networks.
Myth number 10
You won't learn anything new in a tent camp, you won't broaden your horizons
This myth is probably the most common, but at the same time it is the easiest to debunk. And the point is not that the camp is in some amazing place, that the child is surrounded by virgin nature, that there are meaningful pedagogical programs. It is not important. The main thing is that travel allows a young person to get to know himself better, his character, his abilities. Indeed, during the campaign there is no pretense, there is nowhere to hide - you are real during the campaign. And, being alone with your "I", you can make a choice - to stay the same as you were, or to change. In a good camp they do not read lectures, in a good camp there is no moralizing, but in various difficult situations experience is gained and there is a feeling of victory, which is so important for a modern teenager.
A tent is a camping house. Not only comfort, but also safety depends on its reliability and design convenience. It is for this reason that my first branded foreign item from my travel equipment back in 1997 was the Italian Ferrino tent, which, thanks to its classic universal design, optimal dimensions and the highest quality of production (then still made in Italy!) Served 15 years (! !!).
I have five tourist tents at the moment! Doubles weighing 4.1 kg for mountaineering, 2.2 kg for mountain hikes, light 1.3 kg for trekking, as well as an ultra-light triple weighing 1.8 kg for family trips and a single egoisk tent weighing 800 grams. I'll try to tell you about each one.
THE NORTH FACE Mountain 25
Purpose: 2-person 4-season assault tent. My most serious tent!
Strengths : incredibly strong, warm and comfortable. Strength is achieved due to the construction of four (!) Arcs made of durable but lightweight aluminum and a large number of conveniently adjustable guy wires. The tent is warm due to the very dense fabric of the "inner" tent. But the main thing in this tent is the convenience and comfort of living. It is provided thanks to a large number of pockets in the inner tent, two entrances, two vestibules (one of which is full, and the second is very small), as well as the presence of a fantastic ventilation system (a comfortable temperature inside the tent can be ensured in almost any weather and in any situation. It's hot - you can open the through ventilation windows, located under the tent dome and duplicated with a net, it's cold - you can completely close everything. I think this is very important and I use this opportunity all the time, because good ventilation is the key to good sleep and rest. In general, the tent is really very comfortable It is really possible to live in it for a week and not bathe! It is also great that the construction allows you to set up only an inner tent if the weather is good. This is exactly what we did on Elbrus on days when there was no precipitation!
Weaknesses : in a tent of an "expeditionary", assault class, a skirt would be useful, at least on the vestibule, so that the snow would not blow out, as in Kamchatka (in later versions this drawback was fixed!). I would also like the second vestibule to be a little more spacious, and not just "exit + 30 cm of space for shoes." Then it was possible to cook and arrange the kitchen in one, and walk / go out through the second. And of course the weight of a tent of 4 kilos is a lot for a kopeck piece. But, on the other hand, miracles do not happen - after all, it is very spacious and functional, and not "minimalist".
Characteristics of the tent THE NORTH FACE Mountain 25 model 2007:
- Purchase year: 2007
- Capacity: 2 people (Jack enters 3 !!)
- Frame: aluminum
- Number of entrances / vestibules: 2
- Weight: 4.1kg
- Manufacturer website: thenorthface.com
- Tent THE NORTH FACE Mountain 25 in the Sport-Marathon store
The North Face Mountain 25 tent is so "harsh" and powerful that I went with it only three times - to the traverse of Elbrus with an overnight stay on the saddle, to a hike on the volcanoes of Kamchatka and to a family hike to the Bzerpinsky cornice, when I just needed all three of my tents to accommodate six adults and two children. Below are some photos from these hikes and ascents:
Camp "3700"
Elbrus North
We remove the camp
Kamchatka, Tolbachik volcano
In the glade of Emanuel
Elbrus, July 2012
On the top of the flat Tolbachik volcano,
Kamchatka
Camp on the Bzerpinsky cornice
Krasnaya Polyana
Imprisonment!
Elbrus North
General view with and without awning
Tent dimensions
As you probably already understood, tents of this class are not cheap. Professional brands cost from 40 to 80 thousand rubles today! In addition to THE NORTH FACE Mountain 25, among other two-seater two-layer assault climbing tents, you should pay attention to the American MARMOT Thor 2, the Swedish HILLEBERG Tarra or the Italian FERRINO Snowbound 2. If you need a 3-seater, check out THE NORTH FACE VE 25, the Norwegian BERGANS Helium 3, the Italian FERRINO Snowbound 3, the Swedish HILLEBERG Saivo or the domestic ALEXIKA Matrix 3. Among the 4-seaters are the domestic ALEXIKA Mirage 4, TNF Bastion 4. For five people, the best option would be the American MSR Stormking tent. For those who are seriously concerned about weight reduction, manufacturers also make single-layer assault tents. In addition to the well-known "Bibler" there is a "one-and-a-half-layer" kopeck piece with a removable vestibule MARMOT Hammer 2p weighing 2.2 kg and approximately the same design for THE NORTH FACE Assault 2!
BIG AGNES Blacktail 2
Purpose: classic double tourist tent. The most versatile of all my tents. If I didn’t have the opportunity to have many tents, I would buy one of just such a plan.
My favorite tent Ferrino Movin 2000 (description on the Previously Used Equipment page), which served faithfully for more than 15 years, since 1998, still "died" while hiking in Switzerland in the summer of 2015. The tent lasted 24 hikes and 154 hiking days! Choosing a replacement for this tent, I came to the conclusion that I want to replace it with two tents: a lighter "three-ruble note" for family hikes and a "two-room" for full-fledged mountain hikes. I had the following requirements for a "kopeck piece":
- Strong frame... The frame of a tent for mountain hikes must be with a full-fledged classic crosshair of two arcs in the center of the tent (the so-called X-frame), and not the now-fashionable Z-frame, which is lighter, but holds the wind worse.
- Strong fabrics... The wind and rain in the mountains is much stronger than on the plain. Requirements for materials of fabrics for mountain tent are increased. In my opinion, the density of the awning should be at least 30-40D, the bottom - at least 70D.
- Two vestibules... Believe me, two vestibules are convenient. Very comfortably! And in the end - comfortable. And we go to the mountains to rest, not to suffer. Those who deny the need for two vestibules for a two-man tent usually cite weight gain. But damn it, I'm ready to sacrifice an additional two to three hundred grams (100-150 grams per brother) of weight for the sake of convenience!
- Discreet color... Specific requirement! In fact, I've always said that the mountain tent should be as bright as possible, ideally orange. This is an element of the so-called "passive safety". A bright tent is much easier to find. It doesn't matter who - you, returning to fog and bad weather from a radial or, God forbid, rescuers. But there is one BUT: the bright tent is also noticeable to other people, including the huntsmen of the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve, on which I like to walk. And although there are a number of absolutely legal routes in the reserve (my guide to Krasnaya Polyana), sometimes you really want to break it! In general, I realized that I needed NOT a bright tent.
After buying a three-person tent for hiking with the whole family, I realized that I would like to take a second tent from the same company. By design, the BIG AGNES Blacktail 2 tent is a classic! Reliable and stable classic frame with a cross, materials optimal in terms of weight / reliability / durability, two vestibules on the sides, strong fabrics, eco-friendly color, good weight / price ratio. Someone will say that the weight - almost 2 kg - is a lot for a kopeck piece. But pay attention to what sturdy materials are used in it? I think the tent will live for a very long time!
With closed vestibules
Inner tent
Individual installation of tarpaulin only
Tent floor dimensions
Height of the tent
Specifications:
- Year of purchase: 2015
- Capacity: 2 people (three will come in with a jack !!)
- Frame: aluminum
- Number of entrances / vestibules: 2
- Full weight: 2.2 kg
- Price in 2016 - 19,000 rubles
I have this tent not so long ago, so I have not visited so many hikes. However, in two campaigns in Abkhazia (a hike to Malaya Ritsa and a hike on the Arabica plateau), a hike and in Iceland, it was very useful! I will do a more detailed review later. Now I can note two small drawbacks - the absence of a double zipper on the vestibule (and this is very convenient, if there is one, for additional ventilation you can open the zipper in the upper part of the vestibule, which very well removes condensation from under the awning). Well, the second point - the inner pockets are not as big as we would like and only at the top. But again, the “Blacktail” series is not the top, but the “classic” series from BIG AGNES, and it is not true to demand all the “chips” and gadgets from this tent. If this were all, the price for a tent would be significantly higher.
- Manufacturer website: bigagnes.com
- Big Agnes tents in Sport-Marathon store
BIG AGNES Slater UL2 +
Purpose: Ultra-light two-person three-season tent for spring / autumn hikes
I bought this tent as a very light, but at the same time roomy two-tent for hikes in the fast & light format in spring or autumn, when it can be cold and windy. One moment bribed me - with the actual three-season nature (the inside of the tent is not made of mesh, but of a dense material), the weight of the tent in its complete set is only 1.3 kg. The tent is planned to be used primarily in spring-autumn hikes with an outboard night temperature of about zero and below.
Pros:
- Low weight... Only 1.33 kg for THREE! -Seasonal double tent.
- Large internal length... The length of the inner tent is as much as 244 cm (that is why the name contains the prefix "+"). This was done specifically so that in bad weather (snow, blizzard, cold wind) you can store things (backpacks) right in the tent. They really fit in the legs without any problems. And of course, such a tent is perfect for tourists of high and VERY HIGH GROWTH!
Features:
As in everything in our life, the disadvantages of this tent are a direct consequence of its advantages. To reduce weight, the designers had to sacrifice some points.
- The tent is not a free-standing design. To install it, you need to fasten the guys. For "seasoned" tourists, of course, this is not a problem, because even ten years ago we did not know any other tents at all). However, it can sometimes be stressful, like our very first overnight stay with this tent in the Bavarian Alps. Then we were standing right on a dirt-gravel road (the road went by a traverse of a steep slope and there were simply no other flat areas) and no pegs entered the ground. I had to climb in the dark through the forest and look for stones in order to somehow pull back the guys.
- Entrance to one and from the end (from the head), and not two on the sides, as I like. This is of course much less convenient.
- Despite the large area of \u200b\u200bthe bottom of the tent, due to the design features, the internal volume is not so large. The side walls in it are inclined, and not vertical, as in the now classic "hub-hub" designs.
- Well, the last nuance, which directly follows from the three-season purpose of this tent - in hot weather it is stuffy and hot, since the inner tent is made not of mesh, but of windproof fabric.
So far, the tent has only been hike in the Bavarian Alps. A more detailed review will be in a year or two, when more statistics are collected.
- Manufacturer website: bigagnes.com
- Big Agnes tents in Sport-Marathon store
BIG AGNES Copper Spur UL3
Purpose: ultralight triple tent
Last year, our son turned two years old and I realized that we need a lightweight, but the most comfortable three-person tent for our family hikes in the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana. My old "treshka" FERRINO Movin 2000 of 1997 was still alive then, but fundamentally did not suit me for at least three reasons. Firstly, it was heavy - almost 3 kilos per three rubles for dad, who is too much to carry equipment for three in our time! Secondly, with fig ventilation - in the heat it was unrealistic, but in Krasnaya Polyana, where we live now, in the mountains, in general, it is usually quite warm. And thirdly, she had only one vestibule, which is extremely inconvenient for family trips with a small child!
Choosing a tent for a long time and slowly, and having studied, among other things, the popular MSR scarves, I settled on the Copper Spur UL 3 model of the legendary American company BIG AGNES, famous for its ultralight tents. In this tent, I liked the following points:
- Incredibly low weight... On our family hikes, I have to (and already have to) carry a lot of equipment for the three of us, so every gram is now more important than ever. And BIG AGNES Cupper Spur UL3 is one of the lightest free-standing three-person tents with two vestibules to date. Here's an overview in our Blog. Basic weight - 1.9 kg. The total weight, including pegs, guy wires and even an extra bottom (not included) is just over two kilograms!
- Space and internal dimensions... Family hikes are not the tin and hardcore "sport hikes". On a hike with your wife and child, you want maximum comfort, and if you have a small child and a girl with you, then believe me, you will have just a bunch of clothes, and it would be good to place all this inside the tent. BIG AGNES Cupper Spur is simply huge and spacious! You climb into it, and you can't even believe it! The bottom of the tent is 229 cm long (!!), the width is 178 cm, and it also has practical vertical side walls. Thanks to all this, the tent is very spacious. Subjectively, compared to the old Ferrino, there is twice as much space inside it !! If we now calculate such an indicator of the tent as the ratio of the useful internal volume of the tent to its weight, then according to this indicator this shawl of mine is almost three (!!!) times better than my old Ferrino! That's what progress means!
- The presence of two vestibules... When the whole family is with you on a hike, and even with a small child - two vestibules are not a luxury, but practically a necessity! "Logistics" in a tent with two vestibules is incomparably more convenient and simpler: one vestibule is used for the “kitchen” and storage of things, and the second for entering / exiting the tent. It is not only very convenient, but also safe.
- Mesh inner tent toprather than thick fabric. Thanks to this, you can admire nature without even getting out of the tent (through the vestibule or even throwing half of the upper awning open (unrealistically cool feature of such tent designs !!). Of course, the use of “retina” in the inner tent, and not dense fabric, makes it much less warm. But living in Sochi, we can afford to go on family hikes in the outskirts of Krasnaya Polyana, choosing days with good weather, so I don't need a "warm" tent for these purposes. If you, unlike us, are looking for a "warm" tent, in which you plan to spend the night in freezing temperatures - this tent is not for you.
- Positive design... Subjectively, I really liked her positive appearance. The tent is sunny, joyful, light! It's very cool in her. In many tents, unfortunately, the sensations are completely different ...
I would like to point out the following important features of the BIG AGNES Copper Spur UL3 tent:
- Low wind resistance... The type of tent construction - Z-frame with four guys at the ends - does not imply use in the highlands. The wind resistance of the tent is not very high, and it is necessary to take great care in hiking with the installation of camps above the forest zone. This is especially true for the two-seater version - Copper Spur UL2. But I took it for family trips (when I have to carry everything for three), and with my family we go to the mountains only with a good forecast, so I think my choice is justified. If you are planning long autonomous hikes in the highlands and or in areas with a high probability of prolonged bad weather (Kamchatka, Polar Ural, Sayany), this tent is not for you.
- Very thin materials... The lightening of the tent is achieved, among other things, due to the use of very thin awning materials in its construction, and especially of the day. So the tent is not designed for those tourists who are "better served", because they always break and break everything .. With this tent, as in general with all ultra-light equipment, you need to handle skillfully - to understand how and where to put and do it carefully. If your hands are out of w ..., BIG AGNES Cupper Spur UL3 is not for you.
- Extra pegs required... The pegs in the basic tent configuration are not enough to stretch all the guy wires there are in the tent. I purchased four additional end guy pegs.
- The tent requires daily drying... The third feature is also related to the general property of modern ultralight tents. To ensure water resistance, the tent awning is siliconized. Because of this, the tent "breathes" relatively poorly, and in the morning it collects condensation on the inside of the tent. This feature of tents with siliconized awnings requires them to wiretap the tent every morning before packing them into a backpack. The matter, in general, is not at all complicated, and requires an additional ten to fifteen minutes of time (to lay out the tent in the sun, dry it, collect) and, in fact, the sun itself (which, unfortunately, is not always in the mountains). In this case, in principle, it is enough, as always, just to shake the awning well in order to shake off the moisture drops on the inner surface of the awning.
With that said, I want to warn against buying this tent for tourists with minimal hiking experience. To fully enjoy the advantages of this tent in terms of the weight and comfort of the inner space, you need to know a lot and be able to ... To be able to choose the right place for a tent so that it will not be put down by the wind, to know how to put it up in this very wind, to be able to handle it so do not break. If you are an experienced tourist, then for you this is perhaps the best tent that is on the market now, because a three-person tent with two vestibules weighing only 1.8 kg is not a miracle! And for me, as expected when buying, it is a very light, spacious and comfortable tent for simple trekking and hiking without spending the night at heights or on passes.
Against the background of the four-thousanders of the Alps
Switzerland, July 2015
On the Bzerpinsky cornice
Krasnaya Polyana, July 2015
Inside the tent
Krasnaya Polyana, July 2015
Inner tent
Installing tarpaulin only
("bedding" is purchased separately!)
Tent dimensions
Specifications:
- Year of purchase: 2015
- Capacity: 3 people (jack includes 4)
- Frame: aluminum
- Number of entrances / vestibules: 2
- Weight: 1.8 kg (!!!)
- Price in 2016 - 34 900 rubles
P.S. Immediately after the purchase, I invested a little money so that the tent would please me more and longer. Namely:
- I made an additional bottom from an aluminized rescue blanket (ripped at the seams, it turned out 1: 1). It only seems that the additional, second bottom in the tent is some kind of unreal crap. This is actually very smart! Because in addition to the additional protection of the bottom of the tent from cuts, you get a complete absence of condensation on the bottom of the tent in the morning. And it's worth a lot! As a result, only the awning of the tent requires drying.
- Bought four extra end guy pegs.
- Replaced end braces with smart ones from NiteIze. Now it is very convenient to adjust the tension of the guards without bothering with knots and / or "tapping" the pegs after, after or during the rain, the tent awning naturally stretches and sags a little.
- After all these manipulations, the total weight increased by 150 grams, the tent began to weigh 2 kg.
The tent is still quite new, it is not yet three years old. To date, the BIG AGNES Copper Spur UL3 tent has been used in a hike in the Swiss Alps, as well as in several hikes in the vicinity of Krasnaya Polyana, for example, in family hikes on the Bzerpinsky Karniz and. After a few years of hiking, I will definitely rewrite this text taking into account more substantial use experience.
- Manufacturer website: bigagnes.com
- Big Agnes tents in Sport-Marathon store
NEMO GoGo Elite
Purpose: one person ultra-light ultra-compact tent
Market analysis showed that the global outdoor industry offers a lot of models for freaks (geeks?) Like me. Of course, the English TerraNova Laser Comp with a carbon arc and a weightless cloth and a total weight of 450 grams is a miracle, but the price of $ 1500 stopped me. In the end, I settled on the Nemo GoGo Elite with a unique "inflatable arc" technology for serious tourism. I liked its compactness (less than 2 liters in a complete set), bright yellow color and ideal price-weight-quality ratio. 17 thousand for a tent weighing less than 800 grams seems to me to be the "golden mean" in this endless race to reduce the weight of equipment!
In Austria
Tent with things inside
My feet and a rug in the tent
Tent in its own cover
Tent dimensions
Sectional design
Specifications:
- Purchase year: 2014
- Capacity: 1 person
- Frame: one arc with air chamber
- Awning: membrane 10D OSMO ™ Elite W / B
- Bottom: 20D PU Nylon Ripstop
- Number of entrances / vestibules: 1
- Full weight: 800g
- Price: $ 430
Weaknesses: It's too early to tell. You can, of course, say - there is no space, small, low, cramped, to get into a sleeping bag, you need to undress in advance, "on the street", because you only climb into the tent with your feet forward (not for superstitious ones, in short). But ultra-light is not about "sleeping comfortably", but about "walking a lot on the route";) Although, to be honest, there are no problems in a dream - you sleep stretched out to your full height, there is also a place on the sides. So sleep is full, no problem!
So far, the Nemo GoGo Elite tent has been on two hikes - my third hike through the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve and a weekend hike in the vicinity of Innsbruck. Here are some photos from these hikes:
- Manufacturer website: nemoequipment.com
- Nemo equipment in the Sport-Marathon store
SEA TO SUMMIT UltraSil 15D Tarp Poncho
"In battle" since 2014
Purpose: ultralight 3-in-1 poncho tent
A camping tent, with the help of which you can quickly build yourself a shelter from rain and wind, is actually a must-have element of camp equipment for serious hikes. By stretching it in the camp, you can get an additional area protected from wind and rain, ideal, for example, in order to equip a kitchen. The second purpose is a quick shelter from rain and wind right on the route, when you want to quickly and comfortably wait out the bad weather, and not sit in a tent\u003e. There is a third, more original use of a camping tent - in case of rain, you can easily collect drinking clean water with its help. Once, while spending the night on the crest of a wooded Altai ridge, we did just that!
I lost the previous large Bask tent measuring 3 by 4 meters after hiking in Kamchatka and decided that the new camping tent should not weigh 2 kg, but 200-300 grams;)
But the permanent awning is the last century! The modern solution is an awning in which you can walk (!!!). Yes, walking in the rain, with a backpack, using it instead of a waterproof jacket. Such a miracle is called - a poncho tent. The poncho tent is a 3-in-1 solution - an awning, a raincoat and even a replacement tent (shelter from the rain + rug and sleeping bag, here's a den for you to sleep!). In general, consider yourself. But I will say - the weight savings are fantastic !! So it is not at all surprising that in our Sport-Marathon this model is wildly popular among the participants of all kinds of marches and adventure races!
Specifications:
- Purchase year: 2014
- Size: 145 x 280 cm.
- Weight: 230 g
- Price - 7300 rubles in yellow-green or seatosummit.com
- Sea to Summit poncho in store
How to have a good rest in nature and which tent to choose? Find out from our article and order your chosen tent on our website!
Spacious family camping tents
If you dream of a comfortable vacation for a family of 5-6 people for one to two weeks, then you need to get a camping tent. Large tents are suitable for this: Victoria 5, Victoria 10, Vega 5, Maxima 6 or Macon 6. Such a tent is a real home in nature. In such a camping tent you will find large spacious bedrooms up to 9 square meters, a hall for the dining room and kitchen, high ceilings, convenient entrances, complete protection from wind, rain and insects. For one family or a small company, the Minnesota 3 and Minnesota 4 tents will be an excellent choice. With their low weight and dimensions, they have a significant internal volume and high ceilings of 195 and 205 cm, respectively.
If you are traveling with a family or a small company and do not stay in one place for a long time, then compact camping tents are what you need. The tents provide comfortable accommodation for 4 people, are quick to set up, take up a small area and perfectly protect from bad weather. Models Grand Tower 4, Nevada 4 have large lounges and bedrooms for the whole family. Indiana 4 and Macon 4 have two bedrooms, each sleeping two people, ideal for two couples or parents with children.
You can buy a camping Alexika tent for a comfortable outdoor recreation on our website!
Shower or toilet tent
Problems with finding a toilet can be solved in advance by purchasing the Sanitary Zone tent. This is a special tent for a toilet or shower. With it, you can forget about messy public toilets, and also use this tent to organize a shower on a hike.
Small size and light weight allow using this tent both in stationary camps and in mobile campgrounds. Thanks to the additional sealing of the seams with heat shrink tape, the tent can also be used as a shower stall.
Tourist frame awning
A great addition to a camping tent is the China House or Summer House frame tent. It is possible to organize a kitchen, a dining room, a wardroom. The awning perfectly protects against bad weather and mosquitoes. Inside the awning, you can place a table and several chairs or, if necessary, rugs and sleeping bags.
Backpacking Camping Camping Tents
This type of rest requires light and compact tents for 2-3 people. Ideal for hiking there will be models, Rondo 2 Plus, Rondo 3 Plus, Rondo 4 Plus, Maverick 2 Plus, Maverick 3 Plus, Karok 2 and Tunnel 3. Scout is a simple and lightweight tent with one entrance, Rondo is a classic design tent with two vestibules, Tunnel 3 is a very popular half-roll tent with a large vestibule in Scandinavia.
You can buy Alexika double tourist tents in the Alexika online store.
For cyclists or water workers a tent with a large vestibule is required. The Tower 3 and Tower 4 models are longstanding bestsellers here. These models have large vestibules in which you can store bulky equipment and luggage.
You will find even more Alexika three-person tourist tents in the catalog.
It is very comfortable to sleep or read in a tent. But what to do when it rains, and you really want to sit in a cheerful company by the fire? The awning will save you from the rain and the sun, and in general will become an indispensable thing in the hike. Alexika awnings come in various sizes from 3x3 m to 5x6 m and are the best on the market. We advise you to purchase metal prefabricated racks for awnings.
You can buy a tourist tent Alexika right now in our online store!
Extreme vacation with a tent
Base mountain camp, polar expedition or any place that requires top-class equipment. For example, such as the legendary Mirage 4 tent, tested in many months of low temperatures, stormy winds and the local doomsday. With such a tent, you will forget about the problems of choosing a parking place, travel season or weather conditions.
Assault tents Matrix 3 and Storm 2 are reliable all-season tents for climbing and mountain trekking of high categories of difficulty, designed for 2-3 people.
For the first time I spent the night in a tent ... I don't remember when it was ... Long ago ... I was very small ... Since then, I remember only my father's huge tent, fashionable, Polish, bright green-orange. The subject of pride of a parent and the envy of neighbors - savages. She stood like a fairytale palace in the middle of a gray-green tent world.
That tent visited many places: in the Caucasus and the Baltic States, in the Crimea and Transcarpathia, in the Belarusian forests, and stood among the fields of Ukraine. When I turned twenty, I took out a miracle - a tent from the attic and decided to use it for its intended purpose. Alas, the very first rain showed that nothing lasts forever and the decaying tarpaulin palace went to the dustbin of history.
And I began to build my camp for my fishing tasks. And that's what, in the end, I built.
Departure exit strife
Trips are usually divided into short and long. Although this is not entirely true. A couple - three men who are crazy about fishing will live well for a couple of weeks in the most Spartan conditions. And if women, children and other people leave, unaccustomed to hardships and hardships, then for three days you have to settle down with maximum comfort.
On short (or "wild") trips, there is no time, and even reluctance, to waste precious time on setting up a large camp. If you have somewhere to throw a tired body at night and what to put in a hungry belly - it's already good! On long (or "comfortable") trips, the camp is set up thoroughly, with all possible amenities and wisdom. It is highly desirable that the equipment for both types of trips overlaps as much as possible - this is cheaper and more convenient. But, alas, it doesn't always work out.
Let's start with the tent
Everywhere and always, the author uses such small tents with a small vestibule (photo 3). I have already organized three of them! When I go alone, I take "my" tent. If with the family - I add the second for the wife and the third for the children.
Places such tents take up a little, set up, with some skill, in 10 minutes. But each has its own, separate apartment. Nobody snores, does not breathe in the face of evening alcohol, does not farts in a dream. The tents are for two people, but one is freer in them, especially for large people. In addition, there is room for clothes and all kinds of small things. It is convenient to store shoes in a small vestibule and it protects the entrance from rain.
I personally consider a large "family" tent an overkill (although I understand that not everyone shares my point of view). In it, of course, you can put a mountain of things, put a table and even cook food. But we do it differently: if we go in a crowd or for a long time, then we take a tent. He is your kitchen and dining room and living room and cabins - company and shelter from the rain and wind. A tent is needed with a sturdy metal frame and double walls. In the heat - the net. In cold weather or rain, the mesh is closed with a cloth. For a short trip of one or two people, a small compact awning is suitable. He will protect from the rain and cover from the sun.
The main piece of interior furnishings is a tourist kitchen table. A very handy thing! There are different sizes, for long trips a large kitchen is more convenient (photo 6), for a short trip - a simple tourist one (photo 7). I prefer to sit on the simplest folding chair (yes, I know about the chairs too). I choose stronger and higher. And always with brace legs (as in the photo). This one does not sink in viscous soil under a rider. I never made friends with folding chairs (either because of the height of 195 cm, or because of the weight of 140 kg). They seem to me cumbersome and not very reliable. Those that cost real money, do not hold a lot of weight and quickly fail, and the expensive ones pull for a polished headset.
For long gatherings of a large company, folding tables and tables are not very suitable - the structure is painfully wobbly. In such cases, a folding table (or tables) are used as household tables, and a normal dining table is hammered out of wood. As well as the shops. Finding a few boards is not a problem if you attend to it ahead of time.
We cook food on gas. A bonfire is very romantic, but vain and dirty. Therefore, the fire remains for the soul or for the smokehouse. In the tent, under the kitchen table on the "long" exits, there is an ordinary household gas cylinder for a two-burner stove.
For short trips I use approximately the same cylinders with different attachments - for both “cook” and “shine”.
Here you have both gas and light. Although for very short trips today, it is probably more profitable to use "long" cylinders and equipment for them. They are cheaper, they are on sale everywhere and the equipment for them is also different "a carriage and a small cart".
Light is a big topic!
They shone with ordinary lanterns, then fluorescent ones appeared, tried gas, kerosene and petrol lamps. Then came LED lights - the most "long-lasting" ... And then one of our friends bought a compact generator, and life changed.
Phones and other tablets are always charged, there is plenty of light. Convenient thing!
"Personal" light is provided by cheap headbands (photo 16), spread in all corners: in a tent, in a car, in a kitchen, in a box with fishing lures. An electric flashlight of the “bat” type is convenient for night fishing (photo 17). I also carry a powerful "spotlight" with me, but I hardly use it (photo 18).
About dishes
Special compact and lightweight sets of pots and bowls may remain for hikers. For serious trips, I prefer spacious, reliable boilers or even ... old pots from home. I also prefer large pans with non-stick coating. We live in comfort and do not eat concentrates.
Everyone chooses personal dishes to taste. I use antique stainless steel bowls, spoons and forks. But I don't like metal mugs - they remind of the army. I drink from a completely homemade mug made from "shatterproof" glass.
Short trips are another matter. A small pot with a lid - a bowl, inside which fit: a mug, a spoon, matches and a tin with tea, sugar and salt. Stir up something "instant" and drink some tea is enough.
Forgot another important point ...
After trying different types of bedding, I settled on a self-inflating rug (photo 19). I prefer an ordinary sleeping bag, such as a "blanket" (photo 20).
Needed - zipped and received a bag. Need - unbuttoned and here's a blanket. By the way, I have two bedrooms: a simple, light one, for warm weather and a serious one, insulated, in which you can sleep comfortably even in cold weather.
That seems to be all the basic equipment. There is still a trifle, which should not be forgotten either. No toy shovels or tourist hatchets. A real shovel with a short handle and a weighty splitting ax.
I prefer the cheapest brazier, prefabricated.
If anything, it's not a pity to lose him. I will not give advice about the smokehouse. In this sacrament, everyone has their own secrets. In the "household" set: nails, rope, electrical tape, several clothespins, a piece of thick polyethylene, a cork - a washbasin for a five-liter plastic bottle. And, of course, strong and spacious garbage bags.
All of the above is a personal opinion based on the personal experience of the author. In principle, no brands and models of equipment are given. Photos show the type of equipment, brands and models are also randomly selected.
And in general, you can listen to advice, but not necessarily rush to follow them. There are many different equipment on the market, good and ... not so. Everyone will be able to equip the camp according to their own understanding and capabilities.
Summer is a long-awaited time for schoolchildren and a headache for parents with a decision on how to arrange a productive and memorable vacation for a child. The tent camp was created so that children can spend time in the fresh air with benefit and interest.
How does the rest work?
The organizers pre-select a place on a spacious meadow. More often a clearing is selected, which is located near a reservoir and a forest. Children's tent camp can be stationary and portable.
If the rest is planned in a different area, then the town is broken up by the guys with the help of instructors as they move. Thus, stationary buildings are not erected.
When the rest is planned in one place, the camp is set up in advance. The territory is equipped with dry closets and portable kitchens. In this case, the children are in only one meadow, and they can go hiking for several hours near the camp.
One tent can accommodate 2-4 people, depending on its size. They are installed close to each other. Soft inflatable mattresses are laid in them and the tents of instructors and counselors are located next to the children's ones. At night, in turn, adults are on duty around the fire and make sure that strangers do not enter the territory and children do not leave it.
Tent camp for children: entertainment
Throughout the rest, the guys are constantly busy with developing activities and games. Creative contests and sports events are held daily. Children participate in concert programs and play outdoor games.
While in the camp, the guys can learn:
- ecology;
- a variety of flora and fauna;
- classes in a team;
- history of the native land;
- musical skills (playing the guitar and songs to it).
In modern times, the biggest plus on vacation is the lack of TVs and computers. Thus, children understand that they can do many interesting things without having their own gadgets nearby.
What do children learn?
The tent camp is not only intended for children to rest, but also serves as a place for acquiring certain skills that will be useful in later life. When sending a child here, parents should understand that no one here will spoon feed and change his socks. Of course, the staff strictly monitors the discipline and safety of children, but the child must serve himself.
Such skills are now sorely lacking in modern children. Parents, inherently, suffer more and more from overprotection, and this is only negative for the younger generation. Teenagers do not know how to wash their clothes and in the kitchen they cannot perform elementary actions.
In the camp, the children understand in a few days that their mother is not around, and begin to take care of themselves on their own. Thus, responsibility for oneself increases several times over one shift in being in nature.
During this time, adolescents learn to look after and help younger children. In such an atmosphere and conditions, the desire to be in demand comes very quickly. Children clean up in and around their tents. They also learn to find a common language in a team with other guys, regardless of the character and habits of each.
Tourism development
Camping is about developing specific skills. The ability to light a fire or equip a shelter in any weather - such classes are held here regularly. A kitchen watch is established among older children. Girls and boys learn to peel potatoes and clean up the dishes.
In their free time, the guys with experienced instructors are engaged in tourist orientation. The training program includes:
- ability to use a map and a compass;
- overcoming the obstacle course;
- first aid.
In the evenings, counselors make a big fire. All camp residents gather around it and have fun. Most of all, the guys remember:
- guitar songs;
- collective games;
- skits and contests.
On hot days, the guys swim in ponds and sunbathe. Walking tours are offered daily.
Child safety
The summer tent camp has only trained workers on its staff. People with a pedagogical education work as counselors. On the territory of the recreation there is a medical worker around the clock.
The camp has bright markings around the perimeter, which indicate that there are children. Specially prepared beaches:
- the coast is sandy and clean;
- the bottom is removed from driftwood and glass;
- the area that is allowed for swimming is fenced with buoys.
All adults have round-the-clock access to communications. An ambulance or other services can be called at the right time.
In the canteen, food is tested for suitability several times a day. Products are imported only from establishments that have permission to supply them to children's institutions. Children from 10 to 17 years old are allowed to the camp only with a medical permit for this type of recreation.
In addition to teachers, professional athletes and instructors from various tourism organizations work here.
