Tents & Shelters

Choosing the right tent can be quite tricky and at times confusing. This is due to a market that is flooded with so many styles, all offering effectively the same thing – shelter from the elements. So what is the difference?

The experienced staff at Alpsport are here to help. Among us we have had many nights lying inside tents often thinking...‘Is this rain ever going to stop?’, ‘Where are these ants coming from?’ or ‘How on earth am I going to cook in this snowstorm?’

With all of these experiences  we have put together a tent range from the following quality brands Wilderness Equipment, One Planet, Mont, Mountain Hardwear, MSR and Outer Limits

We offer many styles of shelter to suit virtually any condition on the planet. We also have one of the largest selections of single and two person tents in Sydney. We know that tents are not easy to choose from whilst in a bag and on a shelf, so we are always happy to set one up for you and run you through it. We also have a showroom with popular models pitched up to browse through.

There are some common questions we get asked all the time from tent buyers, these include:

Could I carry this tent in a backpack?

Most bushwalking tents are designed to be a size small enough to go into an overnight pack. Most tents can be split up with a walking partner to spread the bulk and weight for example, separate the inner, the flysheet, the poles and the pegs. Family camping tents are an exception.

How heavy is this tent?

Most manufacturers of tents will publish a complete or packed weight. This is the weight of the whole tent, including all the spare pegs and guy ropes. Then they usually have the minimum weight. This weight will only include bare essentials to pitch a shelter, which could include the inner only with minimal pegs for pitching. It is best to look at the complete or packed weights of each tent when choosing, as it will give you a more realistic weight.

Matty putting a WE tent to test on a trip to the Snowies

Is this tent easy to setup?

Most tents these days are fairly quick to pitch, with some being easier than others. It is always recommended to setup your tent before you venture out with it. This will make you familiar with setup. The last thing you want is confusion when you are trying to pitch your tent in the rain.

Could I pitch this tent flysheet only?

Some models of tents can have their outer shell pitched alone. This allows you to climb inside out of the weather to attach the inner keeping both yourself and your inner tent drier. Having a fly only also allows you to pitch a shelter without the inner, keeping weight to a minimum. Traditionally, you would pitch the inner first, and then attach the flysheet over the top, which is good as it allows you to have a free-standing inner. This could be used as a lightweight bug shelter only.

Could I use this tent in a snow storm?

Most good quality tents will withstand a little snowfall. For example if you were camping in Tassie and you had a dusting overnight, more than likely you would be fine. If you were in mid-winter camping on the main range in the Snowy Mountains whilst ski touring, and you were stuck in a blizzard, then an expedition style tent would be better suited.

Wilderness Equipment First Arrow in the mountains

A tent for these conditions should have an efficient design to resist very high winds, snow loading, thicker floor fabrics, the ability to fully enclose the inner to keep out spindrift snow, and to keep extra heat in and a vestibule for gear storage or cooking. Some models of expedition tent are just as suitable in summer as they are in winter because of their versatility.

Considerations before buying a shelter include:

• What is my price range?
• How many people need to fit inside or underneath?
• Where is it going to be used?
• How light does it need to be?

If a traditional tent is not the option for you then maybe a swag is the go. We stock a variety of swags and accessories from The Jolly Swagman and True Blue.

In addition to being able to choose from a large range of quality products our staff are always happy to pass on valuable knowledge on shelter set ups and proper maintenance for your tent, bivvy, or swag.

If standing inside your tent is important, then head to our Family Camping page. We carry large tents for extremely comfortable camping by OZtrail.