While we have written about camping more in general and will continue to do so, we’ve decided to also write, in parallel, about tents. This is the first article of many to come. Hope you enjoy!
New to the world of tents? Or have already been camping with friends or family but the words cabin tents still don’t mean much? Worry not, we got you.
You can always ignore this article, but don’t complain if your kids argue about the tent you chose for your next outdoors adventure.
What is a cabin tent?
Cabin tents, also known as wall tents, have vertical walls, making it look like a cabin, as opposed to the more traditional dome tents, where the walls converge towards the middle and are not vertical but more diagonal.
Before we deep dive on cabin style tents, as a rule of thumb always pick durable canvas tents as polyester or nylon are not very resistant to adverse weather conditions.
Pros of cabin tents
Although they also tend to be taller than dome tents due to its cabin-like structure, and also more expensive than other types of tents, cabin tents have great benefits:
Are super spacious: they can accommodate multiple campers (you can use it for a romantic getaway with your significant other or for large groups of 10 people) but also let you achieve a unique level of comfort (by taking large mattresses to upgrade your sleeping conditions or even preparing a screen room for your children)
Let people dress comfortably as they have a lot of space and headroom
Provide additional privacy to families as they have multiple rooms and doors that separate the different divisions of the tent
Cons of wall tents
However, this article would be incomplete if we didn’t mention some disadvantages of cabin tents. As with all tents and even non-camping things, they are not perfect:
The extra interior space comes at a price: cabin style tents tend to be heavy and bulky and with low portability, so bring a vehicle to transport it if you’re preparing a camping trip with this type of tent, because carrying around this weight will not be a pleasant experience
Cabin style tents’ materials and shapes provide great comfort and headroom, but are also vulnerable to strong wind and their flattish structure on top (vs. dome tents) makes them an easy target to heavy snow – you may experience loud noises or even some damage in this climate; they are great for hot weather though, given all its windows and great ventilation
Some tents’ cabin structure makes it very hard to set it up on your own; please buy easy setup cabin tents
Ultimately, it’s up to you and your family to decide whether for a specific camping trip a cabin tent is a great choice or you will be better off with a different tent.
The universe of cabin tents
If you’ve read the article until now and are telling yourself that a cabin tent is not for you and that you need a different canvas tent, this section is for you.
Think of a cabin tent as a parent, with multiple different tents as children: there are so many variations and styles of cabin tents that you would be better off not reading this article at all rather than not reading it completely. Your type of cabin tent is out there, you just need to know what you are looking for and what exists!
The luxury cabin tent
When you want to take your camping experience to the next level (aka go from camping to glamping), this is where your eyes should go.
A luxury cabin tent is a cabin tent on steroids: a tent with so many perks that other campers will envy you. However, these are not cheap, so bear that in mind.
As an example, you can include the following items in your glamping experience:
A large screen room
A cooler
A portable shower
A wireless speaker
Top notch inflatable mattresses
The inflatable cabin tent
Remember when we wrote that some cabin tents are not very portable and are hard to set up? Here’s your solution: an inflatable cabin tent will solve your problems and still provide a spacious interior for larger groups or families.
However, there is a catch: durability is not the best.
The hunting cabin tent
This one is the opposite of the luxury camping tent, as it prioritizes practicality over luxury.
The hunting cabin is only there to store the essentials, so the camper can focus on going hunting on the mountains and spending very little time inside.
These tents normally have a simple sleeping bag, some hygiene supplies and cooking gear but not much; don’t expect to sleep on a screened porch and definitely don’t use these if you’re not in the hunting mindset.
Final thoughts
We hope this article opened your eyes to the world of cabin tents, as we feel that although there are a lot of variations of these, this is not really common knowledge.
We will be releasing more articles on cabin tents, but this one is a good starting point.
As a final piece of advice, always choose waterproof tents in case it pours and 4-season tents to stay strong on those hot days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a heavy-duty cabin tent?
Basically a heavier cabin tent that normally is made of aluminum to be more resistant to wind and snow.
Is a dome tent or cabin tent better?
There’s no correct answer as it depends on your objectives. Overall would say dome tent if you are a small group of friends and don’t really care about luxury; cabin tent if going with a large group or want a fancy getaway with the family.