I choose my tents the same way I choose a new car: by carefully examining the color and aesthetics only, in that order.

Vestibules are actually French for the place where massive spiders build webs in at night trapping you inside your tent

Excellent advice. When I was a kid I had to learn these lessons the hard way. It's no fun waking up with your sleeping bag sloshing around in a pool of cold water. Back in the day, we had canvas pup tents with no "bathtub floor," and would dig a small trench around the base of our tent so the water shedding off the tent would be routed away. We also had no double walls in our tents, but canvas would swell in a rain and create a watertight barrier. But if you messed up and touched the tent ceiling from the inside, it would form an instant leak by having the fabric disturbed.

Hey Dan, great video. I agreed with nearly everything you said except the guy line tightening statement. When one is in windy conditions, the wind acts on the fly like a big sail and given the surface area it can whip the fly with a lot of force. Tents with looser guy lines enable the tent to be whipped by the wind and the shock of the guy stopping that movement when the slack in the guy is used up puts a lot of strain on the reinforcement which can begin to tear it loose. Guy lines should be taut, not like the cables of a suspension bridge, for sure, but enough to prevent the fly/guy combo from being yanked. An modification to the guy system that one could make is to add a small elastic bugee about three or four inches long between a pair of loops tied in the guy line so that when staked, the bungee is under tension but there is a bit of slack in the guy line. When pushed by the wind, the elastic can "snub" the force before the guy reaches the end of it's slack and lessen the snapping of the fly. I learned about this from some mountaneers while doing some winter hiking in the Cascades.

Vestibules are also great for keeping the rain out of the inner tent when entering/exiting. I've got one tent with no vestibule to speak of and when you open the zips to get in/out, rain can come in through both inner and outer doors. With a decent vestibule, you've got an area that shelters the inner door and you can have both open without rain pouring through and filling up the "bathtub".

Another tip for the better tents is watch Luke On "The Outdoor Gear Review" Saved a lot of frustration with his reviews of set ups, then weather testing of many tents. All kinds of priced tents And he is not sponsored by any tent maker.

The very first thing about setting up a tent, you missed it, pick and choose the exact micro climate the tent will sit on.. Never pick and absolutely flat and level spot. If it rains you will be doing the midnight backstroke. Never set up right under a tree without checking for dead limbs. Never set up out in the wide open if you have a choice,, something, anything to break the wind. The ideal tent site is on the tiniest little nearly flat mound. It only has to be a couple of inches higher than the surrounding AND it must have drainage away from the tent. Near bushes to break the wind, not under huge trees that can direct lightning. Pick the spot perfectly first.

Here in Belgium everyone gets introduced to tents because of camp sites at music festivals. Basically everyone gets the same brand from a European sports and camping store (Decathlon) which are known to have great quality, cheap, double walled pop-up tents that are insanely easy to set up. They go for around €60 and I've been using mine for about 6-8 years now.

I’m loving all your content. It’s clear, informative and you can tell you enjoy it and aren’t just trying to make a quick buck. Your videos are some of the few things I can watch all the way through and remain interested.

I really appreciate how much you break everything down. I've been loving how informative (and funny) your videos are, keep it up!

Many tents come with covers that form vestibule, which creates a double layer to keep moisture off the tent and allow circulation through/over your tent to keep it cooler in warm weather. Never seen a tent with a pad cover...so we always used big tarps to lay below the tent, but Tyvek is a good suggestion.

Hi Dan you always bring great and interesting content even if it does not fit our specific needs. Thanks for all of you efforts.

This video was very informative for a beginner like me. I've been wanting to buy a decent tent for some weekend trips but most importantly for my upcoming multi month/year overlanding trip and this is really helping me make the decision on the right tent for me.

Can’t tell you how much you’ve helped me starting out. I would of waisted a ton of money on the wrong items. I now I have list of items needed and the order I’m buying them. I can see how easy it is to go down the gear rabbit hole, but damn it’s fun. Thanks again and I enjoy watching you on The Office Jim!

One benefit to buying the footprint meant for your tent is the fast fly mode (setting up the rainfly without the body of the tent). Super helpful if you get caught in the rain, or it is raining when you get to your campsite.

My 1st tent back in the 80's was a winter tent made here in Quebec Canada. It won a design award. You could put it up in the middle of a Canadian blizzardin two minutes, approx. Built-in innerwall, two poles going crossways. Simply pull out one end of the tent from the bag and stake two ties pull out more, slip in poles crossways, pull and stake opposite end, whole tent went up instantly. And it came 'avec un vestibule'. It was my 1st ever camping trip, from Canada through the USA to the bottom of Mexico. 1st stop was the 'Rainbow Gathering' which my friends neglected to tell me was the largest nudist gathering in the USA. I left them and continued on by myself. 2nd stop was first time going into a totally different situation in Mexico by myself but all went well, nice people. It was nice back then, wouldn't try that today. My new winter tent has a skirt to pile snow around.

Great advice and information Dan well worth a view. Ive got the lot , Tyvek footprints , Golite single skin teepee with tub floor (10 years old still great) Vaude Terra Trio up in one 2 skin tough as old boots. And a 6' teepee with built in tub and 6 vents to lower condensation. I pick which depending on the season. PS for those who dont know stick your Tyvek in the washing machine it comes out just like Dans as its normally stiff as sheet cardboard

Good info. I started out in the old canvas wall tent when I was a kid and progressed to a 2 man backpack tent for places like Philmont Scout ranch in NM and hiking Mt Washington in NH. Got old and the wife insisted on a camper. Now I am back to a canvas Kodiak Canvas truck tent. Almost full circle. I still have the old Eddie Bauer nylon (when they actually sold outdoor stuff) but it's 50 years old and would probably disintegrate in a breeze if I ever set it up. Thanks for the video, Stay safe and God bless.

This September I backpacked for a couple weeks on the SHT. This was my first backpacking trip since 1983 and I was really curious to see how it went with my gear. I started with a Zpacks Solplex. It's a good tent and it did amazing in a super bad (I mean SUPER bad!) thunderstorm that came in 3 waves with torrential rain and high winds. The tent did great. Really impressive tent performance (damn scary night though!). But the condensation in the tent was pretty bad and that ended up being a deal-breaker for me. I switched over to my BA Fly Creek UL2 and I was much happier in a double-wall tent. My daughter used a Zpacks Altaplex (single wall) and was happy with it.

Thanks God! I am the first one here today! I am a solo mountain hiker from the Lower Chitral District of Pakistan!

I wish I new that one person tents are very small and just mean as a shelter and that a two person tent is really a one person tent with a decent amount of space to chill when is raining or just to read when I can sleep. My first tent was a Lashan one and I only used once because I hated how small it is. Maybe I will give a second chance in the snow and see if I like it.

I like your uploads. Useful for helping new campers who are looing for information about camping. Clear communication as well. 👍

I love videos at Camp Becker! As a former cheesehead its like visiting home. I often ponder how many backpackers you could actually hostel in your "camp" at once time. That would be a funny sight; walking out on your deck in the morning to a sea of tents. Great information.

Love your content, dude! I'm looking to get into backpacking and hiking myself, and all of your "BLANK I'd wish I'd bought/hadn't bought" / "things I wish I knew" videos are super informative! I only wish we had the same range of gear in Australia as you folks have in the USA..!

That was a really useful breakdown. I'm seeking to start my camping journey.

Excellent content! This is the 3rd video of yours I have watched. Keep up the great work and thank you!

Thank you for this video im about to buy my first tent never owned any camping stuff before and your cahnnel Helps alot. I hope for more winter tent / Gear videos. Love your Chanel dan. Best regarda from Dalarna in Sweden

Good video as always, just the right amount of humor and explanation 👍🏼👍🏼

The first tent my husband and I bought was a 2-person one from Walmart. I don't remember much about it, but it was sent to the thrift store about 2 years later. We then used a hand-me-down from my folks before buying our own (a Eureka Chic-Choc 5, perfect for car camping with kids). It hit my major requirements: 5-person tent for a 4-person family, full fly, and a vestibule. Bonus: there was a manufacturer's defect (that we easily fixed), so we got it for 75% off at Sail. It works great for late spring, summer, and early fall, and it's fairly easy to set up and take down.

I always get some much good information from your vids. Many thanks

Thank you so much for this clear beginner guide!

Nice Review. I like to add that my layer down to the tent have plástic (protects better not only the floor tent and better insulation) to the lenght of the vestibule too. Because there we enter normally crouching and you dont want to wet your knees in wet grass. Just my xp. Other advice Is look for the Gap between roof and floor. Good tents have minimal gaps or none (lateral winds comes by the gaps)

Thank you for making such good quality videos for beginners like me. Subscribed!!

My family had a big Terka tent, canvas with a steel frame on the inside. Yes it's heavy but for staying in one place for a week or more it's better then our big dome tent. Both tents work well but we use the one that suits our camping trip, dome if we are moving about every couple of days, Terka for stopping in one local for awhile. The Terka has no floor but does have sleeping compartments that hang from the internal frame, flyscreen top and sides with a large heavy rubber tub where you put your matress and sleeping gear. The dome has a bathtub floor and has been tested by rain and that one time our camp site got flooded, we stayed dry but had to dry the tent out when we got home.

I use two person footprint on my single tent, I setup my tent in once side and use the rest of footprints for my gear and seating it under vestibule so no worry about rain and keep my gear clean.

Same with freestanding. 👍 Good video

If I am car camping, I take a bigger tent and a smaller tent, and set them up with the smaller tent inside the bigger tent. Works great for airflow if you have a lot of rain because you can keep the windows of the inner tent open and not use the rainfly. Also gives you space for gear or wet boots. Would maybe work for backpacking if you have two people who can each carry a tent.

I usually bring a small roll of garbage bag when I was hiking or camping, it can be used as a cheap ground cloth or waterproof bag for my clothing.

I used to top off our tent with a tarp(blue) to protect from heavy rain and cold mornings!

Great video Dan nice break down on the different type of tents 🏕 🙏🏻👍

Nice tent intro. Wish I had all of this info for my first tent :) One important pro you missed for single wall is the advantage when setting up in the rain.

When l camp (bushcamp or car camp), l bring two tarps with me... one for a ground sheet and one for a waterproof fly to fit over the tent. Depending on the size of the tent, these can be purchased at a Dollar Store, or big box store...they are very inexpensive. Using these two tarps gives you a waterproof undersheet for the tent, and a second "wall" to collect condensation and make the tent rain proof. Simple, lightweight, cheap and effective. No mystery.

Great job on this topic ... perfect to help out beginners! Thanks for sharing!!😎😎

Loved your video. One tip about Bath tub floors, some tents the floors run 1/2 up the side and some closer to the ground. The floors that run up higher on the tent will block the air flow. This is good for keeping you dryer and warmer in bad weather, but in makes the tent hotter in warm weather. If you are below the Bath tub wall, you will not get any cool breezes during the night when you have the top pulled back. The height of the Tent is important. Low tents you have to laydown to change clothes in tent. Taller ones you can be in a sitting or kneeling positions to change clothes in the tent. Think about your needs when buying a tent. Campground camping is different from back backing. I did motorcycle camping at campgrounds. I needed a tent to compact into a small size, but hated laying down to change clothes. They make so many different kinds of tents am sure you will find one you like.

Really well done- quick, all the good points. I thought I knew tents ....until I watched this vid. Cheers

I got lucky when entering this maze of outdoor gear. Dan Becker said buy the big agnes tiger wall ul2, the nemo tensor 3" pad, and a host of other stuff. I did. Little did I know that these items wind up on the 2018 buy list only to be put on the 2019 what didn't work out list. Mine held up and I don't regret too many expensive purchases. Also got the UGC bandit quilt. Again, just luck, but Dan gets credit! Doesn't take too long to figure out the churn and burn of the youtube channel and products.

Tip #1 omg! I have always purchased cheap tents until recently. It came with an "extra" piece that I had no clue as to the use because I've always had to purchase my own tarps (a.k.a. footprint!) for this use. Thank you.

I grabbed a tent on clearance cause it was cheap. We set it up for the first time a few days ago and was pleasantly surprised. Of course i didn't have anything I should have but we made it work. Had a good night's sleep in the yard. We really need sleeping pads etc. We slept on top of cheap sleeping bags with regular blankets. 😅

Talking of bath tub floor, it actually became a bath tub with water inside when I was camping at Malam Jabba. Storm came that flew away the top tarp and then water keep accumulating inside till it was filled!

I usually have one of my cheap two wall tents set up in the woods between the house and the road. I keep a sleeping bag, blankets, pillow and pad inside. I never know when I'm going to sleep in it with my dog. I have an old piece of a coal stove to build a fire in and cook over.

Great job!👍🏻Thank you for sharing.

Love that word, "vestibule".

Thankyou for ACTUALLY keeping beginners and for 6:12

I Lord, I got to much to learn 😂 , I'll swing it along the way while gaining experience,, , awesome vid 👍

Oh.🦈™- vestibules are game changer

Good stuff! Been thinking about picking up a single wall tent to replace my double wall, but I am concerned about the condensation thing. But they are just so LIGHT!

Great job! Like like the breakdowns.

Bathtub floors - not all modern tents have them, its especially common on tents that are made to take stoves, as they often have cutouts on the floor to place the stove in. There are still tents made that have no floor at all, often for winter use. Double wall tent - some tents have an inner layer, or an inner insert. for example, an 8 man bell tent will have an outer layer of heavy green canvas, and then inside a "set of tie points, where an inner layer of canvas wool, or cloth, creates an air gap between the outer and inner walll. This air gap acts as insulation to prevent heat from radiating directly out. Some of these set ups even include then an outer "shell" to protect the outer canvas help shed ice, and in some cases help camouflage the tent. Double walled tents TEND to be better for winter, because of the insulation factor of that air gap.

I have a waterproof single wall tent. It is an old Early Winters goretex tent. Two person tent that weighs 4 lbs. It was a breakthrough in its day. It is 30 years old and still works though it only saw heavy use for the first few years and then sporadically after that.

Blue tarp is the answer to life, universe and everything.

I feel so fortunate I can put up my tent anywhere I want. Except on somebodys property, in town and so forth. :)

Guy lines are also useful for preventing condensation, if the walls are touching each other it will condensate in the internal one, so you need to separate them

Thank You For Sharing 😁

Thank you for keeping us beginners in mind. I’ve camped, hiked, kayaked and fished my whole life but just recently started getting some better gear. Have your videos cost me a fortune? YUP, but I appreciate you. 🤓🤓🤓 Keep up the good work. 🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️

Back in 1989 when my husband and I came up the Alaska highway from Iowa to Anchorage, we camped every night. One night in Canada the wind was so strong that the only way to keep our tent from flying away or getting stakes ripped out was to line the edges of the inside with large rocks.

You can also use a tarp as well under your tent

Thanks for the video. I am glad I got a lesson in French history 🤣.

What I wish I had known is that 2 walled tents take longer to set up and usually you have to set up the inside wall first (which isn't water resistant). Seems obvious, but it's not obvious how much more bothersome they are during the rain - by the time your tent is set up your bathtub floor can really earn it's name

My tent was free I found it in the garbage and very minimal cost my set up for the most part. Also found in the bin a car windshield sun screen for underneath the tent along with foam mats. Best things in life are free!!!

I've got 5 tents and each works well for various scenarios. I'd add that in good weather a cheapie will do, but in inclement weather/cold a small heavy double wall tent with triangulated guy lines, solid ground perimeter staking, factory footprint with staking loops, and intenternal guys for high wind situations has kept me alive in major snowstorms and 70mph winds for two days. It's been used on Everest campaigns and is considered bulletproof.

Packing up after a night of heavy rain I detached the inner tent (Hilleburg Soulo) to pack dry but was able to wipe down the condensation on the inner side of the outer tent with a sponge. Another time I just pitched the outer (Hilleburg Stika) with home made 'footprint' so I could fit in a camp bed, again in the morning I had access to wipe down the inside of the tent getting rid of the condensation. If you pack an outer 'fly' away without drying the condensation the inside will get sticky. (not one of mine!)

tents have come a longggg way. When i first started camping, they were so new, campers said dome shaped tents were just a fad lol

Thanks for your great videos Dan. For the footprint, it'd be great if you poll your followers on if it's better to cut your footprint to match vestibule yet still be covered from rain, and if the answer is that is a bad idea because it'll blow up more from wind because it's not weighted down, creating chances for pooling rain, please tell us that too. Then the answer might be, cut a 2nd piece of separate tyvek for each vestibule, to set your pack and shoes on. Tyvek is easily found at new house construction job sites when they cut a nice piece out of the huge garage opening, or even some bigger windows.

How about considering how many people will be in the tent and how tall they will be, plus factoring in the space needed for equipment and bags when choosing a tent? I distinctly remember being on a Girl Guide camping trip and learning that lesson.

Good information. Thank you.

Guy lines are often used to stop the outer fly from coming in contact with the inner lining. If that happens any condensation on the inside of the fly transfers to the inner lining and you have lost one of the main benefits of have a double layered tent. A lot of tent I have scene lately don’t have much much ventilation through the fly this is one reason condensation forms on the inside of the fly in the first place. Ventilation keeps the tent dryer and if the tent is dryer you are warmer even if the temperature is lower. Moisture allows higher heat loss and dry air insulates. My warmest tent has baffles between two skins which creates air pockets a still air this is different from most tent I see lately that have free air flow between the layer with a lot having mainly mesh inners so heat wise they are effectively single layered. The disadvantage of that setup is, it is a heavy tent. It has 4 poles that cross making a series of triangle pockets making a very strong tent but as a four person tent weighing 3.4Kg is a bit heavy. It has been through a cyclone where it was the only tent left standing and after a cold night on a ridge in a snow storm it was at least 6 degrees Centigrade warning than friends in their single layered tent. Design is everything!

If you have your tent stakes like this ⛺ / facing inwards they will be more sturdy in wind and just overall

My first real back packing tent (a Vango) that I bought well over fourty years ago had a sewn in waterproof (bathtub type) groundsheet and was double skinned or inner and outer tent and could be put up either outer or inner first. Yes modern tents are lighter and have either fibre type hoops etc. but to be honest, my old Vango lasted twenty years of hard use and went on to live with the local cub group. 😂 👍

Dear diary, today Neegan taught me about tents. I feel blessed

My first tent cost about 50 euros/dollars. I used it everywhere, North Europe, the Alps, Australia and New Zealand, Brazil, Andes, Sierra Nevada, ... It didn't have any bells and whistles, and it wasn't super light, but it worked. You can start basic.

ty ! love to learn!

Got the nemo kunai 2p as my first tent! Going camping in the next few weeks

Very wholesome video

But it also depends on the climate of where you're camping.back in the UK, I'd always camped in a double layer, smaller tent. But now in Japan where it's very hot & humid, I've gone for a large, single layer with wide windows.

Good information!!!!

Very helpful, thanks

Very informative thanks,!!!!!

I’m new to the hiking/camping thing. I’ve been using a Kelty late start single person tent. I’ve used it three times now and so far so good. Came with a footprint. Had a small vestibule. It was decently priced also.

I like watching videos about camping and outdoors stuff, while staying indoors except for maybe light strolls. We as humans invented houses like 12000 years ago because we decided staying put is better and that we should only have a casual relationship at best with the outside. And I respect that. Plus, camping is illegal. It's a crime. They call it loitering within tent!

I installed siding for over 10 years, I'm so ashamed I didn't think to grab a scrap of Tyvek to use as a ground cloth when me and the lady first started dating. We were dirt poor, our vacation funds mostly consisted of gas money and campsite fees, and we found cool free or nearly free things to do for entertainment. Cheaper, more water proof(even when heavily damaged) certainly lighter, and significantly more durable than any marketed product! Now we're older, wiser, and both have good careers, and no kids, were pretty well set up, we car camp at electric sites, and drive to the cool stuff these days! Still plenty of hiking to be done, but we're to old to carry all our ish while we do it. Just got a North face wewona 6 last season and love it, after we get our house, I want a backwoods teardrop though! 🤤

Look at you sporting the Appalachian Gear!!! I love their stuff! Alpaca for the win! Good video. Tents are more confusing than hammocks.

Have a hybrid tent, Sierra Designs Flashlight 2 tent from 2016. Cuts weight but let's it breath. 3 season only.

We use a footprint and double wall tent. Comfort beats ultra light.

I remember you Dan Becker .. I am Esther Petersen's dad! .. keep up the good work!

Nice video. I'm planning on spending a night on top of a big flat rock soon. It's in a relatively high mountainous area. Got any tips on what type of tent to use and how to set it up?

Dan, So I noticed that Nemo is the first tent manufacturer to start adding the “Landing Zone” as a feature in its vestibules… do you foresee or have you heard if other companies will begin to include similar vestibule floors to their tents? It seems to be a “better than sliced bread” addition that should have come along sooner and needs to become more common. Or at least I hope. Great channel. Keep it up. (Also, UL is overrated, keep fighting the fight, ha ha)

Great video thanks

Guylines. Best thing is what we in Australia call an Octopus Strap, commonly called Bungee Cord

Very informative 👍

I thought bathtub floor referred to the extra tensioning at the foot end of some tents that make them right-angled? As seen in tents like the REI Quarter Dome, Big Agnes Tiger Wall and Nemo Hornet