We had promised our daughter Griffin wild horses, but we didn't realize how close they would get. All the way up from Georgia we told her about the ponies at Grayson Highlands State Park in southwest Virginia. The more we talked, the higher the stakes became. By the time we got to the park, Frank and I were a little nervous that the ponies wouldn't follow through on our promises.

But within minutes of setting up our tent, a curious pony had ventured close enough to poke his head into our dome tent for a closer look. Griffin, then two years old, was enchanted by the nose to nose encounter in our camp "home."

That night, we could hear the ponies grazing near the tent. Occasionally, one would venture over to snuffle the tent fly before plodding off. The sounds weren't all that much of a distraction, but we wouldn't have been able to get Griffin to sleep through the night if we hadn't had our refuge from equine curiosity.

Almost any tent camper can tell you of a time they were glad they had the refuge of their tent. They can also tell you of a time they cursed it. While tents have their advantages over tarps and over sleeping under the stars, many have drawbacks, and as always, it comes down to personal preference—how much discomfort you're willing to withstand on a camping trip.

Strictly speaking, a large piece of plastic and some rope is all it takes. When asked what type of shelter he prefers, the camper will give you a range of answers. From tarps to roomy dome tents (obviously recreational vehicles do not come into play here!), campers will tell you that their tarp or tent has proven adequate.

Tents, which can range anywhere from $10 to $1,000 in price, are the most practical alternative for staying dry on a rainy night. Tents keep out the rain and bugs; they are warm on cold nights because your body temperature helps warm the tent (sometimes by as much as ten degrees), and the tent itself dulls the force of the wind. When it is cold, wet or buggy, tents are invaluable.

Features to Look For

What shape tent you purchase is just one of the many factors involved in finding the tent that is just right for you. The shape of the tent, of course, determines a lot, but you will also find that even if you are in a car, the weight, size, ventilation, tent materials, tent poles, workmanship, waterproofing, set up and color will also matter. For example, if you drive a Geo Metro, it is doubtful you'll want to fill your car with a full-sized cabin tent.

	Camping Tip Before heading out on your first camping trip with a child, let them take naps or spend the night in your tent at home. The claustrophobic environment takes some getting used to, and its best for both you and the child to accustom yourselves to a tent at home rather than the outdoors where it is darker and you rnight bother other campers.

Size

The most important thing to look for in a camping tent is roominess. Are you tall? Is there enough room to stretch out to your full length when you are in your sleeping bag? What about headroom? Do you have enough room to sit up comfortably? Do you intend to spend a lot of time in your tent? Decide how much room is important to you before purchasing a tent. Also will you be cooking in your tent? Some tents offer cook holes for cold weather camping. On cold mornings, it is not unusual to see steam rising from beneath the vestibules of tents as campers heat water for coffee or oatmeal. If you think this is a possibility (something that never occurred to me but that I have done many a time), make sure the vestibule has enough space beneath it so that it will not ignite when you light your camp stove. Whenever possible, I have placed a flat rock beneath my stove for further fire insurance.

Tent manufacturers tend to overestimate the number of people their tents can accommodate. If a tent claims it holds one to two people, it usually means exactly that and with little room for much else. Two people will be a tight fit without their gear, and one person will fit with plenty of room for clothes, food, etc. Keep that in mind when considering how much you want your tent to hold.

Weight

When you are making your tent wish list, remember that you will be responsible for how the tent reaches the campground, be it a primitive site in a state forest or a fully-equipped site at the nearest KOA. For backpackers, the most important feature of a tent is its weight. Car campers, on the other hand, are more interested in roominess and comfort. Even so, carrying more tent than the camping trip calls for can be almost as much of a mistake as not having an adequate tent. Some of the larger family tents weigh in excess of 30 pounds.

Don't purchase a huge, bulky, heavy tent if your time in the tent is limited to the eight hours you will be sleeping in it. If your tent will be used only for the"rest" half of R&R;, you might want to look into one of the less expensive small family camping tents.

However, if you head out on a camping trip in a heavy duty vehicle intending to set up a base camp for several days or more, the larger tents may be worth the bulk as well as the price. Many campers set up in state parks, particularly those on lakes or the ocean, and live in the campground for a week or more.

Ventilation

This is another important feature to look for when shopping for a tent. On hot, buggy nights there is nothing worse than being stifled in a poorly ventilated tent. Many tents these days offer plenty of no-see-um netting for cross ventilation as well as protection from bugs. Well ventilated tents also have less problems with condensation build-up inside the tent than tents sealed up tight. If you are planning only cold weather camping, this feature won't be necessary.

Most tents can be classified as three-season. In other words, their construction makes them comfortable from spring through fall. There are also tents that are almost entirely no-see-um netting for ultimate ventilation and which are perfect for camping in the summer, particularly in the South and Southwest. On the other hand, if you intend to hike in every season, a good rain fly will compensate in cold weather for the extra ventilation needed in hot weather.

Tents built for four-season use usually have very little ventilation and often feature a cook hole in the floor so that you can cook inside your tent. Four-season tents theoretically keep you warm or cool, whichever the case may be, year-round.

Tent Fabric

Most tents are made of strong but lightweight nylon taffeta or ripstop nylon, which weighs approximately 2 ounces per square yard. Some of the bigger tents use coated polyester or cotton poplin canvas, which weighs a good deal more.

The floors and flys are usually coated with polyurethane or another moisture-repellent substance to prevent moisture from passing from the ground into the tent. Although the body of a tent is often left untreated to increase the transfer of respiration and perspiration through the tent's walls, it is not unusual to wake up in a damp tent. Moisture can gather beneath sleeping pads or air mattresses (but not cots since they are raised above the floor). Large and airy tents have less of a problem this way because of the greater circulation of air throughout the tent. Some tents offer a double-roof construction, which further decreases unwanted condensation. I have spent a number of sleepless nights in tents that dripped continually from the ceiling.

Tent Poles

In the past few years, tent poles have evolved from unyielding aluminum to shock-corded poles of fiberglass or aluminum (except in the case of some of the larger, family tents, which still use rigid aluminum poles). These new poles are threaded in segments over elastic (shock) cord that allows the user merely to snap the poles into shape rather than piece them together. When dismantling the tent, the segments are pulled apart and folded compactly.

There is still some controversy as to whether fiberglass is superior to aluminum when it comes to designing tent poles. Fiberglass is less expensive and more flexible than aluminum. It does not require pre-bending or any special attachments. It also provides a better packing size when folded. Its major drawbacks are that it is affected by weather and can break into splinters and must be replaced. Aluminum is more likely to bend and can be splinted when it breaks. Durability is one of aluminum's main advantages along with the fact that it is easily replaced.

	Camping Tip Never shake out your shock-corded poles to snap them together. The violent action causes nicks to form at the joints that will tear your tent pole sleeves.

Workmanship

Although any tent may be adequate for your needs, you may want to consider how long you would like your tent to last. Good workmanship means you can have a long-lasting relationship with your tent. A well-made tent should have lap-felled seams around the floor seam. Lap-felled seams (like the seams on the sides of your Levis) provide extra strength, because they are actually four layers of interlocking fabric joined by a double row of stitching. On uncoated nylon tents, check for taped seams. Because nylon tends to unravel, taping or hiding the end of the fabric behind the seam with another piece of fabric will stop or stall this process. Finally, make sure that all stress points are reinforced either with extra stitching or bar tacking. Tug at the material to make sure the load is equally distributed across the reinforcement. Unequal distribution can cause premature wear on your tent.

Waterproofing

Campers agree that waterproofing is an important feature to consider. There is nothing more miserable than sleeping in a wet tent. The better the material, the more water-resistant, the more likely you are to sleep dry. But there are some days that it rains so hard that no matter how good your tent, you're going to get wet (if for no other reason that you bring the rain in yourself going in and out of the tent). It may rain for days on end while you cower inside your tent waiting for the deluge to subside. During this time, your tent does not even have time to dry out, but as long as your sleeping bag is fairly dry, you can sleep warmly, if not entirely comfortably, in your damp tent.

There are occasions like these that have taught some campers to keep a spare tarpaulin on hand. The tarp can then be erected over your tent to provide an extra roof and a little extra protection from the rain. Just remember to give the tarp a little slant so that water doesn't pool up in the middle of it.

To keep your tent as dry as possible, it is important to seal its seams. Although parts of the tent are coated, the needle holes in the seams will allow water to enter your tent. Buy some sealer (available at most outdoors stores) and follow the directions. Then seal them again. Depending on how much you use the tent, the sealer can last up to two years. If you use your tent a lot or have subjected it to a lot of rain or snow, seal the seams more often.

	Camping Tip When camping in the cold or snow, try to position your tent so that the early morning sun warms you and evaporates the dew or frost on your tent.

Set-up

You will also want to consider how easily a tent can be set up and taken down—important when it comes to pitching a tent in the dark or wind or rain. Practice setting up your tent before you camp in it for the first time. There may be occasions when knowing the set-up of your tent can save you fumbling in the dark, and it could mean the difference between wet and dry clothes.

There are several different methods of tent set up-clip systems, sleeve systems and grommet systems. In the clip system, the ends of the poles are held by grommets and the tent clipped to the poles; in the sleeve system, the poles are pushed through sleeves in the tent and the ends are held by grommets; and the simple grommet system, in which the poles, usually rigid aluminum poles, are held by grommets or loops with little or no bending of the poles. Some tents employ combinations of the two systems, the clip and sleeve combination being the most common.

Color

While color is a matter of personal preference, there are reasons why you may choose one color over another. Bright, neon-like colors are good only in a search-and-rescue situations because the blinding material will stand out against the snow or the green and brown of the woods or the sand in the desert. Since most camping involves designated sites, this situation rarely arises. It is more common among mountain climbers or others who find themselves in this situation having traveled in remote areas. For the very reason bright colors are effective in emergency situations as described above, these colors can be annoying to other campers, causing a visual disturbance in what is supposed to be a natural, outdoors experience.

The fabric color affects the quality of light inside your tent. If your tent is pale green or blue, the bright sunlight filtered through your tent will form a soft light inside. On rainy or overcast days, the light inside your tent could be slightly depressing. These colors are also a bit more inconspicuous in the backcountry. In contrast, orange and yellow fabrics are great in foul weather because they produce a brighter light inside your tent but few manufacturers use these colors anymore just because they are so bright.

As a matter of fact, there is a definite trend toward using more inconspicuous and environmentally pleasing colors such as grey, light grey, white and tan. These please the eye both inside and outside the tent. Blue and gold combinations are also used in many tents as are lodengreen or spruce, charcoal, burgundy, teal and aqua. Blue-grey and green are by far the most common tent colors.