What Is A Pop Up Tent? The Truth About Pop Up Tents
I was extremely satisfied with my Night Cat Pop Up Tent. To be honest, I consider it one of the best purchases I have made in the last months. With my sudden enthusiasm, I thought of creating a central hub of information about pop up tents. What is a pop up tent? When should you use a pop up tent? Who do I recommend pop up tents for? How waterproof are pop up tents. I will answer these questions and more about pop up tents below.
What Is A Pop Up Tent?
A pop up tent is a canopy that doesn’t require you to set up poles or any type of reinforcement before using it. As the name suggests, you just take it out of the bag and puff…it is standing and ready for use.
Why are pop up tents becoming so popular you ask? Well, who would not want to skip fooling around with complicated external pole structures, getting small fragments of fibreglass in their fingers or waste time with the classic shock cord connected poles coming apart while running it through the wall of the tent. Having a pop up tent is a great way to save time and effort!
How Do Pop Up Tents Work?
Instead of relying on an external pole structure, pop up tents have pre-connected plastic coated aluminium poles sewn into the tent walls. Once you remove the tent from the bag, and release it from the strap, the tension gets released. This released tension ,,pops up” the whole structure. Needless to say that pop up tents have the easiest set up out of all the tent options in the market.
The only step remaining is to stake out the braided loops. This will keep your tent secure in place.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Pop Up Tents Compared To Regular Tents?
Pop up tents have one huge advantage compared to regular tents: they are much easier and faster to set up. On average a pop up tent sets up four times faster than a regular tent. On the flip side pop up tents have larger carry bags. It might be harder to clean them, as you must set them up outside before cleaning. It is impossible to clean a pop up tent in a bathtub.
Pop up tents might suffer more from condensation, as they are always single wall tents. In case the pole structure gets damaged it is impossible to replace a pole, so you have to get a brand new tent. In my opinion the shorter set up time is worth it in case you are not a really serious camper. However in case you camp every week, you might need a more advanced tent than a pop up tent.
Pros Of Pop Up Tents
Easy to set up
This is the biggest advantage to pop up tents. They are easy and fast to set up. They literally pop up when you unfold them from the carry bag.
Lightweight
As pop up tents have no rigid pole structure and they tent to be single wall tents, they are lighter than regular tents.
Cons Of Pop Up Tents
No Vestibules
Since it is impossible add rooms or vestibules to pop up tents, they tend to have a smaller inner space. Vestibules can be a big miss, as you might have to store your wet clothes inside the tent without a vestibule.
Durability
The pole structure of pop up tents is more elastic, this allows you to pack them up or unfold them in one go. However in case it gets damaged, there is no way of replacing them. The constant folding puts the pole structure at high risk.
Waterproofness
Having only one wall limits how waterproof a pop up tent can be. It is fair to say waterproofing is not a high priority for most pop up tent manufacturers. I have not seen pop up tents over 4000 mm HH waterproof rating, which means they are three seasons tents at best.
Seam sealing
The constant folding and rough set up process can result in the seams getting overly used and torn up.
How To Carry A Pop Up Tent?
Just like regular tents, pop up tents come in their own carry bags. Often pop up tents can’t be folded up the same way as you would fold up a normal tent with an external pole structure. The poles of most pop up tents bend. This means they have to be packed up in unusual shapes. For example the Night Cat Pop Up tent comes with a round carry bag. You fold up the tent in a double 8 shape, then fold it once more into a big circle. Put a strap around it. Once it is in the bag, you can carry it as a backpack or on your shoulders. It is really an easy, hassle-free way to carry the tent around. The carry bag contributed a lot to how much I liked this tent.
How Big Is A Pop Up Tent?
Just like regular tents, the sizes of pop up tents may vary. There are single person, two person or even family pop up tents.
The Quechua Waterproof Pop Up Camping Tent is often touted as one of the smallest pop-up tents available on Amazon. With dimensions of 27.6 x 7.1 x 27.6 inches when packed, it’s incredibly compact and easy to transport. Once pitched, it provides a comfortable inner space of 6.89 feet in diameter and 3.28 feet in height, making it an ideal choice for solo campers or those who prefer a minimalist camping experience.
On the other side of the coin, the Abco Tech Pop Up Tent takes the crown as the largest waterproof pop up tent available on Amazon. It boasts a spacious interior, measuring 9.5 feet in length, 7 feet in width, and 42 inches in height.
Are Pop Up Tents Suitable For All Weather Conditions?
No, unfortunately the instant pop up structure puts a big limitation on how waterproof they can make them. I have rarely seen them over 3000 mm HH. One rare exception is the Ayamaya Pop Up Tent. It has a waterproof rating of 4000mm, thanks to its double-layered fabric with heat-sealed seams, ensuring an excellent level of water resistance.
On the other hand most pop up tents around 2000 mm HH waterproof rating. One example it the S’more Grotta. As you see most pop up tents are water resistant, but it would be hard to call them waterproof.
To make issues worse the constant folding might damage the seams. This is why seam sealing a pop up tent more often is essential.
Pop up tents are not the most aerodynamic. Also they don’t have the same solid structure as some other high altitude, four season tents might have. This is just down to the stability of the pole structure. As a result, pop up tents are really weak when it comes to dealing with heavy winds.
How Easy Or Difficult Is It To Pack Away A Pop Up Tent?
The key to swiftly packing away a pop up tent lies in understanding the fold pattern of the specific design you have. While some tents collapse in a straightforward manner by pulling certain ropes or releasing a catch, others might need to be folded in a certain way to fit back into their carry bag. The Night Cat Pop Up Tent has to be folded in a double 8 pattern.
To be honest, I struggled with packing it away first, simply because it was difficult to find the right spots to fold it over. It has to be said though that I didn’t read the instructions first…typical me. Most pop up tents come with an instruction manual inside the carry bag.
Conclusion
Pop up tents are the easiest and fastest to set up. However this is a blessing and a curse. It creates a limitation, and they are not the most waterproof. Also they are not fit for harsh weather conditions.
