When sleeping outdoor a two man tent is usually the first thing people think of. A tent provide protection against the elements, making it possible for you to get a dry and wind protected spot to sleep in anywhere.

All tents contain some kind of rain shelter cloth, one or more sticks to erect the cloth into the air to create the tent shape and some tent lines. If you remove the stick it is no longer a real tent but a simple tarpaulin, or tarp for short.

Tarp

A tarp at its most simple form is a simple sheet of plastic that is large used to protect from rain and snow falling straight down. Usually the sheet is large enough to serve both as protection against the wind as well as give protection from the moist from the ground.

A simple line stretched between two trees that the tarp either fold over or is attached to keeps it in the air. Usually there is some loop holes in at the edges to secure it to the ground or trees with tent lines.

Tarps come in different sizes but here a normal tarp is defined to be roughly 3×4 meters. A half size tarp work as a cover for a large dog and double the size is enough to give cover to six people to sit in or three people to sleep.

Ridge tent

Ridge tent or pups are very common in the sizes of 1-2 people and is considered a classic military design. They are not much more than a tarpaulin with one or more sticks to keep the celling in the air, usually they come with an attached plastic base that protect against running water and small animals. A few lines then help to keep the tent in place when the wind blows.

These tents are very light and small, usually not taller than a grown man can sit upright in it. They are quick to set up and a favourite among solo hikers who do not use a hammock.

Tunnel tent

A tunnel tent is a more modern design of the rigid tent with foldable, flexible tent poles. They usually range in the size of 2-4 people and sometimes come with a pantry space in front of the actual tent. These pantries offer shelter to luggage and shoes without having to bring it into the tent itself.

The tunnel tent is usually more work to set up than the ridge tent but usually offer more air space inside because of their tunnel shape. Their round shape make them better suited for cold weather as well as snow will not build up along them in the same way as a ridge tent because of the steeper incline.

Dome tent

A dome tent is set up by crossing two tent poles, creating the dome structure that give them their name. They usually range from 2-6 people but the larger the tent is the more troublesome to setup as they require more flat space, especially as the assembled tent poles need to be pushed in from the side. But once setup they offer greater space inside than the tunnel tent.

Sometimes these come as foldable tents, sacrificing the size of the tent when packed to the advantage of being able to quickly set them up. As when these are folded they become very flat but still retain a large part of their base size they are quite troublesome to carry long distances. A foldable tent is thus better to use when base camping with a vehicle like a car.

Geodesic tent

A geodesic tent is in essence a dome tent but with more tent poles, pushing the tent fabric even further out to make them look closer to an igloo than a tent. They usually range in the same size as the dome tent with space for 2-6 people, but because of their shape offer greater comfort such as head space.

When it comes to handling windy and snowy weather they are superior to the ridge or dome tent and because of their spheric shape a few steps better than tunnel tents.

These tents are even more cumbersome than dome tents to set up though and require steady fixtures to the surroundings because of their size. The space they need in the campsite is also larger than dome tents because of their multiple tent poles.

Some geodesic tents come with the option to have a fireplace inside and then offer a prepared hole in the fabric where the chimney can be put through.

Pyramid tent

These tents are based on the classic nomad tents that come in various pyramid shapes across the world. They are usually designed with a centre pole that is used to erect the tent just as a ridge tent while the base layer is kept in place with tent nails driven into the ground.

A pyramid tent that is portable enough to carry range from 4-12 people, with the 12 people tents being quite cumbersome. Usually these 12 people tents are possible to split up into several pieces and the load shared between the group of people living in them.

The shape of the tents is based on having little to no natural protection or support from the elements. Basically the shape of the tent when gathered in groups on open terrain created the simulated protection of a forest for the people, making it possible to survive even in some of the harshest elements on earth long before modern technology.

Another thing with the pyramid shape is that it allows for a fireplace inside tent, providing fire and heat. These are usually placed in the centre of the tent where also the top of the pyramid is either left open or contain several pockets that let out the smoke from the fire.