Why You Shouldn’t Invest in a Used Tent
We have all been there. You’re doing the math in your head. You’re trying to figure out how many times you will even use the product you are looking at and it’s starting to seem like renting would be cheaper, especially if you don’t know how often you’ll use your tent that year. While this strategy might work for a new tool or testing out a new car, renting a tent is never a good option.
Who exactly were the Previous Owners?
For starters, you have no idea who rented the tent before you. It could have been a camping aficionado who made sure to keep campfire embers from burning the tent fabric, but who borrowed the tent before that? Who else has been sleeping where you will be sleeping tonight? When was that tent last cleaned? Does the rental facility spray for bedbugs or other pests? Are they stored in an area that gets wet occasionally? Is there any mold in the fabric? Are these concerns worth the money you saved by purchasing a used tent instead?
Put your mind at ease and buy your own tent! For example, you can find an acceptable tent for thirty dollars and an incredible tent for sixty. You will also get the opportunity to research and choose which one is the right pick for you. Do you need a tent tall enough to stand in? Do you need a lighter tent that’s easier to carry? Avoid the headache at the rental desk and bring your own. You can not guarantee what type of tent they will be handing out, so don’t be forced to compromise your standards.
If you own your own tent then you know where it has been. Every time you want to take your tent on a trip or outing, you should set it up at home to check for holes, spiders, unpleasant smells, or stains. If you are renting a tent you might not have the time to make sure it is up to your standards before heading out to your campsite. You have then condemned yourself to a night of potential leaks or insect bites. When you realize how much easier your trip could have been with your own tent, you’ll be wishing you had made the smarter choice.
Be Prepared with a Canvas Tent
A standing tent can always be used during events as shelter from the sun’s rays or an indoor fortress on a rainy day. If you lose power in the middle of the winter and the temperature in your apartment is dropping, set up your tent in the living room and use your body heat to warm the smaller space.
Do you consider yourself prepared for an emergency? What would you do if you were forced to evacuate your home due to a natural disaster? A tent is a portable, resilient shelter you can store in your car or a bug-out bag easily. If you are forced out of your home, standing in line to rent a tent is going to be towards the bottom of your list of things you would want to be doing in an emergency. Make sure you’re prepared for the worst, even if it means spending a few extra bucks to make sure you own what you need when things go south.
Renting a Canvas Tent
Many people consider renting a product because they are not sure if the item will be used a second or third time. You might be considering renting a fishing pole because you have a one-day fishing license, but you always have permission to rough it in a tent. If you can’t go anywhere secluded for your camping trip you can always light a campfire in the backyard, roast some marshmallows, and spread out in your own tent. You’d feel pretty silly needing to rent a tent for that!
Maybe you’re considering renting because you aren’t sure what kind of tent you’ll want or even need. Sometimes the vocabulary can seem exclusionary to people who don’t already know what they want. Do you want a bathtub-bottom tent? A three-season tent? Which three seasons do they mean? Should the fly be covered? There are hundreds of features that can be combined to make the perfect tent for your trip and the best way to make sure that you have the equipment you need is to research and pick it out yourself with a helpful professional.
Instead of relying on whoever is passing out rental tents to give you what you need, speak with one of our professionals who can determine what product you should use based on where you plan to camp. A person who enjoys camping on mountains might need a smaller tent that helps insulate body heat and won’t be caught in the wind, while someone in the valley just a few miles away isn’t concerned by these factors at all.
The Tent that’s Right for You
Camping is different for everyone, so why shouldn’t you get the tent that suits your individual needs? Why take a chance and accidentally ruin your trip over poor planning or the lack of knowledge of whoever sold it to you? By owning your own tent, you will be in control of your camping experience instead of hoping someone else knew what they were doing.
At the end of the day, your camping experience is what you make of it. If you want to have the best time possible, you are going to find it with your own tent. You won’t have to worry about the negative effect the previous owners of your equipment will have on your trip, and most importantly, you won’t be caught in the rain with the wrong type of tent. When you own your own equipment, you’ll become familiar with it, learn to set it up and break it down quickly and decide when you want to use it.
At Elk Mountain Tents we sell wall tents for every season sturdy enough for all weather. Our product will make sure that you are ready for the worst conditions out there and keep you dry. Be prepared to have the time of your life!
Sources:
https://www.fema.gov/pdf/areyouready/areyouready_full.pdf
