The story behind evolution of tents
Tents are portable structures made up of different fabrics. They are used in outdoor activities like trekking, mountaineering, or jungle safari. Earlier tents were mostly used by soldiers and farmers for their nature of work. Tents are still common among different nomadic clans as well as people who are close to nature.
Did you know the history of tents?
Though the exact date associated with the invention of the first tent is not known, pictures and demonstration confirm that these were fundamental structures, made up with an aim to stay warm, dry and safe during the night when there is little probability of getting any better shelter.
Scientists have found the earliest archaeological evidence of improvised tents from ruins old as 40,000 B.C by carbon dating. The historic significance of tents finds its place even in the Bible, in the verses of Isaiah 54:2 which says “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations: spare not, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.
Regarding construction of tents, they were usually made of hiding, leather or another material, wooden supports, ropes and wooden stakes.
An array of tents to meet the varying requirements:
Military Tents
Army people started innovation in tent structures until the evolution of recreational tents. The importance of these structures was immense to them as each of the soldiers needs to be healthy and fit at the line of duty. Along with the canopy material, the guy ropes also changed in quality and equipment to make them more helpful regarding setting up and breaking of tents.
Recreational tents
With the start of 21st century, make and model of tents started changing with different designs being incorporated and fabrics being improved. Eureka! Tent Company was the pioneer in launching modern recreational tents. From wooden poles, it was changed to fabricated steels and then to plastics. As time passed, guy ropes disappeared and there came flexible supports with campers. The ease of setting up tents have increased several times with materials like nylon; tents became more resistant to the elements. The recreational tents have been a revolutionary invention, which has hugely altered our conceptions about tents. Today people can readily think of party tents, whenever they have to accommodate several guests comfortably within a roof.
Tent types in the modern era:
The basic structure of tents and their fabrics and even the mechanism to set up tents have changed, and that is for better. Several design modification with improved fabrication has come up. Some of them are:
Tunnel tents
The tunnel tents, as the name itself suggests are shaped like tunnels, which offers more interior space than the original ones.
Inflatable tents
The inflatable tents are one of the most convenient forms of tents, which are made up of inflatable beams. Thus, they can be easily moved from one place to another and are the favorite ones for people who love outdoor adventures and long hiking trips.
Geodesic tents
The beams are crisscrossed making them hardy and offer the benefit of using anywhere and in any weather conditions like snow, hail or extreme climate conditions. They are mostly used by the geologists and travelers, who have to battle adverse weather conditions to achieve their goals.
Pop-up tents
They have several hoops in series which can pop up the tent and set it immediately.
