The safety chain

Most tents function well in normal conditions but storms, snow and cold weather will reveal just how good your equipment is. Poor equipment can spoil or ruin your excursion; at worst resulting in personal injury or death. We know that the weather can sometimes destroy buildings so it’s easy to und...

Most tents function well in normal conditions but storms, snow and cold weather will reveal just how good your equipment is. Poor equipment can spoil or ruin your excursion; at worst resulting in personal injury or death. We know that the weather can sometimes destroy buildings so it’s easy to understand that no tent can withstand everything.

Safety is a chain consisting of a number of links. The weakest link is the one that decides the level of safety of the tent you have chosen for protection and security. Some of these links are:

• Awareness. Good tent design requires an awareness of the challenges posed by the weather and knowledge of what materials to use and how.
• Crucial tent features. Any single one of a long list of features may constitute a link which may break. Good safety is dependent on the optimisation of the various tent components.
• Easy to handle. Equipment must be easy to handle, even when wearing gloves in cold or stormy weather.
• Emergency solutions. Ought to be readily available in the event that something does break.

Read about the components which are of crucial significance in this context.

Optimal height/width ratio

Optimal number of gussets

Tent fabric

Strain-relief for the tent fabric

Ground straps

Central pole

Cap for central pole

Storm cord fastenings

Snow or sand

Tent  pegs

Storm cord holders

Fire-making facility