Selecting a lightweight tent is not a difficult decision as long as you understand a few fundamentals concerning the type of material used to construct the tent, the waterproofing used and how to deal with the moisture condensation resulting with use. This may all seem complicated to the new camper but give these conditions some thought and ask an experienced camper of your acquaintance.

A good person to talk to about the necessity of venting moisture from your body outwards through a poncho or a rain cape, under abhakmatte cradle varying conditions would be a 2nd WW veteran or a Korean veteran. They can tell you how the moisture would become trapped between their uniform and on the underside of a cape freeze and cause untold problems when they were trying to get warm while huddled down waiting for trouble.

Once you understand the moisture problem you can begin to understand how the tent size and quality tent fabric plays in this venting process. A two man tent made of high quality venting material with a fly separated from the rent by approximately 2 inches (5 cm) may be the correct choice for one man to select if he intends using it in the spring or late fall under high humidity conditions. The size alone would mean one man creates less body moisture so more space can provide better ventilation area and a high quality fly will vent and provide necessary venting from the underside and still be capable of shedding rain and high winds.

The dome shape tent seems to provide the most inside space for the material used and its shape provides very good wind resistance. The support poles for these dome tents, usually made of fiberglass or carbon material, I believe offer superior strength, flexibility and usability over aluminum. Furthermore they do not tend to bend and kink as an aluminum pole might. The outside of the tent will have either folded tabs or a sleeve through which the support rod is threaded leaving the rod approximately 4 inch (10 cm) above the tent body. This method provides a direct support for the fly while maintaining a space between the tent and the fly. Pay particular attention to the tabs or sleeve where it is secured to the tent. Make sure it is well secured and reinforced even with a reinforcement tab underside the tent. There is a lot of strain placed on the loop or sleeve so you do not want a sloppy job done at the connection.