TENT STYLES
Frame or Pole Tent, Which will work best for me?
Frame Tents
When you should choose a frame tent:
• Installing a tent close to a building or over decks and patios.
• Loose soil or ledge limits staking.
• Walkways or underground obstacles limit staking
• Special layouts that center poles might interfere with.
Frame tents have a metal tube structure that supports the tent fabric. This structure does not rely on the tent stakes to keep the tent fabric tensioned. This allows flexibility when staking a tent. This flexibility allows frame tents to be placed closely to buildings and other structures that could not be done with a pole style tent. The lack of any center poles in a frame tent allows for greater flexibility when laying-out a tent plan. Visibility is also slightly better in a frame tent.
In some cases weights can be used in place of stakes. Even heavy weights are not as good at holding a tent in place as a stake. This can limit the amount of wind a tent can handle before it becomes unsafe to occupy. Using weights instead of stakes should be the last choice for installing a tent.
Pole Tents
When you should choose a pole tent:
• If you have an open area that has no staking limitations.
• If you want the most space with the lowest cost.
• If the set up spot is free from any obstructions and/or obstacles while maintaing a level ground with no more than a slight pitch.
Pole tents use center poles to support the tent fabric. The tent fabric is tightly tensioned to keep the tent from collapsing. All the tensioning is held by the stakes. Pole tent staking must be strong and in the correct positions to support the tension load. This limits the flexibility when staking. Improperly staked tents can collapse in relatively light winds. A properly staked pole can handle severe winds in excess of 20 miles per hour.