Comparison Bestway Beach 2 vs Bestway Monodome 2

Classic tourist tents are divided into three main varieties: expeditionary, trekking and camping. In addition, on the market you can find tents for the beach, for fishing(including carp tents) and for shower / toilet, models like "umbrella", as well as varieties of tents: camping and tent tents. Here is a more detailed description of each of these varieties:

— Expeditionary. The most advanced type of camping tents. Expeditionary models can be used in any season, including winter, they are distinguished by high strength, reliability and maximum protection against cold, snow, wind, etc., while such properties are often combined with extremely low weight. As the name implies, these tents are designed mainly for long-distance expeditions, winter hiking, high-mountain climbing and other similar applications. But it hardly makes sense to purchase such a model for relatively simple tasks: expeditionary equipment is very expensive.

— Tracking. Tents designed primarily for ease of use on long hiking and cycling trips. Accordingly, the key features of such models are rather high reliability and resistance...to adverse conditions (albeit less than that of expeditionary equipment), a relatively low level of comfort, as well as low weight, in most models not exceeding 6 kg. Heavier tents are usually classified as trekking tents if they have the simplest possible design, and the weight is primarily due to the large capacity and/or increased reliability of the materials. In general, it is worth paying attention to this variety in cases where the equipment is planned to be carried “on oneself” often and for a long time; camping tents are better suited for staying in one place permanently (see below).

— Camping. Tents designed primarily for comfort while staying in one place all the time. They differ from tracking models in more extensive additional features (although a specific set of such features may differ from product to product), seasonality (most of them are not designed for winter), and also, in general, greater weight. So, it is customary to refer to camping tents weighing more than 6 kg; lighter models may also be included in this category if they have the characteristic features of camping equipment: additional features designed to increase comfort levels and/or relatively simple materials that are not designed for particularly adverse conditions. In general, tents of this type are perfect for overnight picnics, outdoor festivals, etc.

— Tent for fishing. Products for winter ice fishing; they are designed for one, maximum two people in a sitting position and most often either do not have a bottom at all, or they have special openings in the bottom so that the structure can be installed directly above the hole.

— Carp tent. Models intended mainly for lovers of carp fishing. Such fishing (especially at competitions) can last for days without interruption, and special equipment is used for it — including the so-called carp folding beds, which are a special kind of tourist furniture. Thus, awnings for carp fishing are large in size, allowing you to easily install one or even several folding beds inside. And by design, most of these products are no longer closer to awnings, but to full-fledged tourist tents: they can be used not only as canopies, but also as full-fledged closed shelters, including for overnight stays.

— For a shower/toilet. Tents designed exclusively for equipping camp showers or toilets; they are not designed for other purposes. Usually they are vertical structures without a bottom — a kind of cabin for one person. The height of such a booth is usually chosen so that an adult can stand inside without much difficulty (in some models, the height exceeds 2 m).

— Beach tent. Tents designed to protect from the sun's rays on the beaches, during picnics, etc. Most of these products are structures that are open on one or even several sides, and are designed for a seated or recumbent placement of a person. There are also models equipped with a valve that allows you to completely close the internal volume; this can be useful, for example, for changing clothes on the beach, or for protection from a short rain. However, even such models are designed mainly for open use — moreover, the valve, being unfastened, fits in front of the entrance and plays the role of an addition to the tent's own bottom.

— Car. The vast majority of tents are mounted on the roof of a vehicle. They provide car tourists with sleeping places on a kind of elevation, which guarantees the almost complete absence of any creeping living creatures during the night. Car tents are attached to the roof rails or crossbars of the roof rack of the car, the entrance to them is usually realized with the help of an attached ladder. There are models exactly in the entire plane of the roof of the vehicle and instances of autotents of an increased “square” with a rigid floor frame. There are also tents that are attached to the trunk of a car or the front door of a van, forming the so-called vestibule space. In the "tambour" you can leave things or put a table, while sleeping is supposed to be directly in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, folding the rear row of seats. Car tents give you the freedom to choose where to spend the night, whether it's a clearing at the edge of a forest, a flat area in a mountainous area, or a parking lot near a supermarket.

— Umbrella tent. Tents, the design of which resembles an oversized umbrella. When unfolded, such a tent consists of a dome, in which a special frame is built, and a canopy hanging from the edges of the dome; while the layout of the "umbrellas" may be different. So, in some models, the dome is located on a rather high vertical leg-support, and in the standard position, the height of the canopy is the same on all sides. In terms of application, such models are closest to awnings-tents (see above), and by turning up the canopy, you can turn the product into a classic beach umbrella. In others, the dome is installed obliquely and rests on the ground with one edge, covering part of the space on the sides, and the remaining space closes the canopy; such designs are more like traditional tents. Anyway, the main advantage of umbrella tents is the ease of installation and folding: such operations are not much more complicated than handling an ordinary umbrella, and even a beginner can handle them without much difficulty. On the other hand, when assembled, such products are rather bulky, and the complexity of the design affects the cost and overall reliability. Therefore, there are few such models nowadays.

— Tent tent. There are two main types of awnings. The first is an enlarged and lightweight analogue of more traditional tourist tents. The height of such a product, usually, allows you to stand in it, the bottom in the structure may be completely absent, the walls are single-layer, and most of their area is usually occupied by “windows” made of mosquito nets (although in some models it is possible to close these windows with external “curtains”). » made of dense material). Such an awning can be useful, for example, for short trips to nature, or as an overnight stay in warm summer weather.
Another kind of awnings-tents can be conditionally called "household". Such structures are intended primarily for the organization of one or another working space: retail outlets, exhibition and promotional stands, field cafes and canteens, administrative areas at public events, first-aid posts, etc. Among such tents there are quite large structures that can accommodate 10 – 20 people, or even more; such models, usually, have solid walls with inserts-"windows" made of transparent material. In turn, for relatively small household products, the walls are rather symbolic — they are made of mesh material, if necessary, closed with a zipper, and in some models they are completely absent.

— Camping tent. The simplest kind of awnings are products in the form of a piece of dense matter, usually rectangular or close to it in shape. Many camping tents are designed to be secured between trees, poles, or other makeshift supports. Such an installation can be quite difficult, but the awning itself is as light, compact and easy to transport as possible. More advanced models are also produced, equipped with their own supports and guy wires and suitable for installation directly on the ground. Anyway, camping awnings themselves are intended primarily for protection from the sun and, to a much lesser extent, from rain. In addition, such products can be used as additional protection for tents — in heavy rain, an awning can be a real salvation, especially if the tent itself is single-layer and not particularly moisture resistant.

The number of places for which the tent is designed.

In general, double and triple models are the most popular nowadays — they represent a good compromise between spaciousness and comfort on the one hand and weight, price and ease of transportation on the other. Somewhat less common are four-man tents, although they are also quite popular. The smallest one- man products are mainly either trekking tents or fishing tents (mainly for winter use, see "Purpose"). And in the largest structures, the capacity can reach 5 people or even more.

In general, this parameter is most important for traditional tourist tents (expeditionary, trekking, camping), as well as for fishing tents of "carp" specialization (see "Destination"). In the first case, the number of places is indicated by the number of adults of average build who can comfortably sleep inside — provided there are no bulky things in the tent. So when choosing, you should take into account the physique of users, as well as the presence of backpacks or other luggage, which may require space inside. At the same time, some models officially allow accommodation for 1 person more than originally provided; however, this significantly affects comfort and may require the location of the "jack".
...r> In turn, in tents for fishing, the maximum number of carp folding beds, for which the product is designed, is taken into account. At the same time, it is assumed that such folding beds can be used both for recreation and for fishing.

As for other types of tents, the number of places for them is rarely indicated. So, in separate tents-tents, the same rules apply as in ordinary tents — the number of beds is taken into account. In beach tents, a two-person design may be indicated if the product is guaranteed to comfortably accommodate two people. Models for a shower / toilet are, by definition, single-seated, for them there is simply no need to clarify this point; and for camping tents, the very concept of “number of seats” is not relevant.

The total weight of the tent is including the frame and other accessories.

This parameter depends primarily on the purpose (see above), and after that — on seasonality, capacity, and additional functions. For example, in trekking and expedition models, the weight usually does not exceed 5 – 7.5 kg, and the lightest of these products can weigh 2 – 3 kg or even less, while being full-fledged tents for 2 people or even more. However, for a trekking tent, such a small weight with a capacity of more than 2 people usually means that this model is designed exclusively for the summer. For most camping tents, the weight starts at 6 kg, although among them there are also quite light products — by 4 – 5 kg, 3 – 4 kg, or even less (in such cases, light weight can also mean a purely summer specialization). And the most capacious and/or multifunctional models can have a weight of 10 – 15 kg, 15 – 20 kg and even more; in this weight category, you can mainly find tents, camping tents for many people and fishing tents for carp fishing (see "Destination").

When choosing a tent according to this indicator, it is worth considering that it does not always make sense to chase the maximum we...ight reduction. Yes, the light tent is the most convenient to carry; on the other hand, weight reduction inevitably affects one or several other characteristics at once. So, most often, lighter models are either more expensive or smaller in size and less roomy and functional than their heavier counterparts. And sometimes weight reduction also negatively affects the security (including moisture resistance) and the overall reliability of the product. Therefore, it makes sense to specifically look for the lightest tent possible in cases where weight reduction is of key importance; a typical example is long trips, in which all the equipment has to be carried “on oneself” for a long time. And even in such cases, it is worth remembering other important characteristics. For example, for use in late autumn, when frosts are likely, it is better to choose a heavier tent with winter seasonality than a light model that is not designed for winter conditions.

The number of entrances to the bedroom provided in the design of the tent.

It is worth clarifying that if there are several bedrooms in the design (see "Bedrooms"), then in this case, not the total number of entrances is taken into account, but the number of entrances per bedroom. For example, if a tent has 2 bedrooms, each with 1 entrance, then the specifications will show 1 entrance to the bedroom.

In other words, if the design declares 2 entrances to the bedroom, this means that there are two exits from each bedroom (regardless of the total number of bedrooms). This design is convenient primarily because it is possible to leave the sleeping compartment, if necessary, in the most convenient way, without disturbing the sleeping neighbors once again. .

The presence of ventilation windowsprovided in the design of the tent. These windows are essentially vents and, unlike normal windows (see above), are not designed to provide light or visibility. Their main purpose is to provide an influx of fresh air and remove moisture from the tent released by people during breathing and sweating. Good ventilation is especially important if a tent (usually a camping tent, see "Use") is organizing a kitchen.

The wind valve allows you to close the ventilation window to prevent snow or rain from getting inside. Its name is due to the fact that ventilation windows usually do not allow precipitation falling strictly vertically (in calm weather), but a strong wind can bring drops or snowflakes inside.

An indicator that reflects the ability of the tent awning to withstand moisture without getting wet. It is expressed in millimetres of water column — the height of the water column that the awning can withstand (the area of impact is out of the question, because the load per unit area under water depends only on the height of the water column and is not related to the area of \u200b\u200bits base). The significant figures indicated in the characteristics (for example, 4000 mm of water column, i.e. 4 metres) are due to the fact that raindrops can have a significant speed and, when they hit the tent, create a load at the point of impact comparable to the pressure on depth of several metres.

In general, the higher the waterproof rating, the better the awning will cope with the effects of rain and snow. Indicators up to 3000 mm w.c. Art. are considered sufficient for places where it rains rarely, awnings for 3000 – 7000 mm of water. Art. allow you not to be afraid of intense downpours, and in expeditionary (see "Destination") tents designed for extreme conditions, this figure can reach 10,000 mm of water. Art. and even more. However, more water-resistant fabrics, usually, have a significant weight, so in each individual case it makes sense to choose the option that is optimal in terms of durability and weight.

— Polyester. Synthetic material with good durability and waterproof performance. In addition, it is resistant to adverse effects (does not lose strength when wet, exposed to acidic and alkaline environments, temperature changes).

— Nylon. In general, the characteristics of nylon are somewhat lower than those of polyester: it tends to stretch when wet and is generally less resistant to adverse effects. At the same time, given that most owners use tents in relatively simple conditions, these points are not critical; in addition, some manufacturers use a special treatment to improve the durability of nylon.

— Polyethylene. This material is mainly used in inexpensive models of camping tents (see "Purpose") — this is primarily due to its significant weight. For other characteristics, it does not have key differences from other materials.

— Polyamide. The general name for a class of fabrics, which includes, in particular, nylon and nylon. Some manufacturers use this term for marketing purposes: "polyamide" sounds more solid than "nylon", although these materials practically do not differ in characteristics and are used in the same way — mainly in inexpensive models.

An indicator that reflects the degree of resistance of the bottom of the tent to moisture. For more information about the features of measuring this indicator, see "Tent waterproofness". Here also note that, for obvious reasons, the bottom, unlike an awning, is practically not subject to rain drops — as a result, the requirements for bottom water resistance are significantly lower. So, fabrics with a water resistance of 3000 mm of water. Art. are considered absolutely waterproof (up to the possibility of putting a tent in a puddle), and higher values usually indicate an increased thickness of the fabric and corresponding strength and wear resistance. Just like with an awning, more waterproof fabrics tend to have a significant amount of weight, so it doesn't always make sense to look for bottoms with maximum water resistance.