Style of Camping Tents best suited to you – 4 of 6 (A-Frame or Wedge Tent)
This is the fourth in a series of six blog posts describing styles of camping tents to help you choose the design best suited to you. This fourth style of camping tents is the A-Frame or Wedge Style Tent.
Eureka Timberline Outfitter 6
A-Frame or Wedge Style Tents
Just like its name, this tent is shaped like the letter “A”. The design was actually the classic tent design in the sixties. The sturdy end frame at each end forms an “A”, with a single ridgepole across the top to hold up the tent’s canopy. This style is also called a pup tent.
A pup tent is a structure used for shelter that is made with some sort of durable material, such as canvas, and two poles. There are many types of tents, but the pup tent is distinguished by its small size and lack of roof. A typical pup tent was originally only about 6 ft (1.8 m) long, 4 ft (1.2 m) wide, and about 3.5 ft (1.1 m) high, though they may now be found in slightly larger sizes. One pole holds up the front, and one pole is placed in the back, giving the tent an A-frame appearance. They get the name of pup tent due to the small, kid-like size.
The sloping sides of an A-Frame tent does restrict the interior headroom, but A-frame tents have an efficient rectangular floor space. The angled sides sag in wet or windy weather, so other, more weather-worthy designs have mostly replaced the use of A-frame tents. The ‘A-Frame or Wedge style tent is the type that first comes to mind when someone utters the word “tent” and is a style that’s been in use for many centuries. More compact and therefore lighter in weight than either a wall-tent or a pyramid, a good sized wedge nonetheless provides excellent shelter for two people and all their stuff. Historically, big A-Frame tents such as 6 person tents were not as popular as 2 person tents. Tents and other temporary shelters were used routinely in the military for storage of guns and also by fur traders who needed shelters for their annual journey to and from the Bay or Lake Superior. Everyone had to live in A-Frame tents while a fur post was under construction. Today, A-Frame tents are popular with cub scouts, boy scouts, hikers and backpackers. They are also are bigger. The Eureka Timberline Series tents like the one pictured are very popular and sturdy A-Frame tents. Eureka Timberline series includes 2 person tents, 4 person tents and 6 person tents.
Tags: 6 Person Tents, A-Frame Tent