I’ve been researching tents, trying to find one that is livable for more than a night or two. If I ever went on an epic walk, I’d probably have to get something extremely lightweight, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to carry it, but if I went car camping, I’d have many more options.
The simplest tents are little more than a tarp. The most complicated have multiple rooms and even more complicated set-ups, especially if one person has to do it alone. The cheapest tents cost about $40. The most expensive top $4,000. The biggest tents seem to be circus tents, which are not something I have any interest in owning. (That’s just a guess about circus tents being the biggest. For all I know, the military has constructed temporary hangars that would make a circus tent look small.) The most terrifying are the bivy bags — they look like something a vampire would sleep in. I can’t imagine waking up in the middle of the night, still half-asleep from remembered nightmares of being buried alive to find the tent inches from my face. Oh, my. Sounds like heart failure waiting to happen.
Tents as both portable and p
ermanent housing have been around for probably 40,000 years. The list of materials used for making tents throughout the ages reads like a mini history of peoplekind — mammoth hides, deerskin, silk, canvas, nylon, cuben fiber. Colors varied, too, from basic dead animal skin to rainbow hues, to camouflage and other “natural” tones.
When I imagine tent living, I don’t think of modern miracles of lightweight shelters that keep out both bugs and rain (though of course, I would need both such amenities). What I think of are glorious and sumptuous structures right out of Scheherazade or the Arabian Nights or even a fabric representation of Jeannie’s genie bottle — lots of jewel-toned pillows, rugs, silk swaths.
Sounds kind of fun, actually. I doubt I would make such a colorful tent — way too much trouble especially since there are thousands of styles on the market. Besides, I’m more of a practical person, at least on the outside. I can see getting a durable and sensible tent but inside, where it counts, furnish it with simple, colorful, lightweight portable luxuries.
I’m probably being silly since I don’t know what is feasible when it comes to fabric-home living, but I like the idea of decadent luxury coupled with sturdy practicality. Who says I have to get a solo tent? Who says I have to use a boring old sleeping bag? Who says a fabric house can’t feel like a home?
Who says I can live in a tent, even for only a night or two? I certainly don’t know, but as with all the rest of my whimsies, it’s fun thinking about.
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Pat Bertram is the author of the suspense novels Light Bringer, More Deaths Than One, A Spark of Heavenly Fire, and Daughter Am I. Bertram is also the author of Grief: The Great Yearning, “an exquisite book, wrenching to read, and at the same time full of profound truths.” Connect with Pat on Google+. Like Pat on Facebook.
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March 26, 2015 at 5:46 pm
My best friend, after careful researching, purchased a Hillberger tent for just over$1,000. It is marvelous! Worth every penny. Don’t forget to check that brand out when looking to purchase.
March 26, 2015 at 6:00 pm
Thank you for the suggestion. There are so many tents out there, it’s almost impossible to figure out what to get, especially for a neophyte. Even that one company has a huge assortment. Luckily, I don’t have to get one today.
March 26, 2015 at 8:07 pm
We have one of these:
http://www.hennessyhammock.com/
It’s super light and comfortable, but only works in places where there are trees (so maybe no good in the desert…)
March 29, 2015 at 3:40 pm
Apparently, you can use them on the ground, too. Not as comfortable, but useful in a pinch.
March 26, 2015 at 8:15 pm
Interesting article on tents. What about keeping snakes out?
March 26, 2015 at 8:48 pm
Any decent tent will have an attached floor so you can zip up in confidence that no creepy crawlies get in. My favorite tent was a 2-room tent. Not hard to erect and I had a bedroom and a porch/dining area/second bedroom if needed.
March 29, 2015 at 3:38 pm
I love the idea of a two room tent!!
March 30, 2015 at 3:22 pm
Sounds good.
March 27, 2015 at 1:16 pm
This is what makes this stage of your life – fun! Thinking of possibilities – what a blast!
March 29, 2015 at 3:39 pm
Yes, it’s the thinking I find fun. I’ll have to wait to see what the doing will be like.
March 27, 2015 at 7:39 pm
Sheesh, Pat all I can say is you have more “guts” (perhaps saying you are a ‘braver person’ would sound better) than this gal. I cannot imagine going out alone, particularly in this day and age, and camping by myself in a tent. Not even sure I would consider an RV an alternative with all that goes on in this sad, ugly world we currently reside in. And that, in and of itself, is such a darn shame. (Also unfortunately shows my lack of faith in my fellow man as well) Ever thought about getting a Doberman to travel with you?
Blessings,
Ree`
March 29, 2015 at 3:37 pm
I don’t think camping is any more dangerous than anything else, particularly off the busy paths. There are so many easier pickings. I try not to think of the danger of today’s world, otherwise I would become the catless crazy cat lady who never leaves her apartment. (But if I don’t have an apartment, I can’t become her.)