History of Tents
Whenever spending time outdoor is cited, a tent will be definitely included. Tents have turn out to be a crucial piece for open-air living to shelter us from the bugs and rain. Since the beginning of time, nomadic tribes from different continents and eras used tents to settle down on lands they found suitable for hunting and finding water.
Take for example the Native Americans. The Great Plains all over the United States were not at all times permanent grounds for the animals the Indians hunted to survive. Being mobile was crucial and Indian tents known as tipis provided their tribes shelter.
Indian tipis were made from everyday resources the Indians used such as tree barks and skins of animals. Indian tipis were easy to pack and unpack. It was put together by ropes and poles and gave enough space for inhabitants to put extra necessities therein. The best feature of an Indian tent is its resilience, ability to shield people from rain, and provide insulation by retaining coolness during hot days and warmth during cold nights.
The yurt is another good example of a large tent and was/is used by early and present Mongolians. Yurts are probably the most intricate of all kinds of tents because of their size and design. Unlike other tents, yurts are much bigger and can give shelter to dozens of people as well as their pets. Even the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan was born, grew up, lived and died in a yurt tent.
Modern tents nowadays come in different forms and sizes and most distinctively, made with added functionality. A simple 1 man tent consists of poles, a fabric, stakes and guy lines. The structure of this type of tent resembles a house’s roof.
Manufactured tents come in a variety of features and uses. Tents that can be carried on a person’s back are branded as backpack tents. Backpack tents are popular with hikers who often hike on mountains and spend most of their time in the wilderness. There are different kinds of backpacking tents. Some of them are one-person tents, dome tents, family tents and tarp shelters.
One-person tents are popular among individual campers and hikers because they are light-weight and quick to assemble.
Dome tents have a more modern look than traditional tents and they come with more bendable poles made of modern composite materials and their doorflaps are usually closed by zippers. It could house 1-2 persons depending on its size.
The much larger family tents are more popular to big groups of campers spending their nights outside. These tents can come with a single skin and some have double skins. Inner and outer skins are usually made from natural and man-made fabrics such as polyester and microfiber. Just like the leather tents of the Native Americans, modern tents made from these materials are also breathable.
The presence of tents is always likely for people who spend their time outdoors. For the rugged outdoorsman, tents will continuously be an crucial piece to have shelter, privacy, and portability.