Hey all, so I'm writing a dissertation, It'd be really great to get some help & some thoughts!
I'm interested in how tents have been repositioned from being basic shelter to being a commodity, a leisure activity & product... I'm trying to understand how the market is changing too.
I'd be hugely interested to know what you all think of the modern tent's design in general. (maybe based on a tent you are familiar with?)
Would you like tents to be more durable, lighter, more interesting?
Is there a problem with sustainability, do you think tent-making (as a whole) is going to change in the future?
Are there any issues you've encountered with your tent?
Do you think camping is getting more popular?
Do you think tents are expensive for what they are?
How many nights per year do you camp?
I've spoken to some big tent making brands and it'd be great to contrast that with what you think!
the more opinions the better!
thanks,
1st tents came after caves and always been in use and still are somewhere as shelter so are you talking recent 5 years 10 years 20 years 50 years 100 years.
They are not a leisure product they keep us warm and dry. If they don't they are on a council tip.
Is camping more popular then when ?
Camping very popular, then 1970s cheap flights to sunny areas, recent no flights because of covid, now costs of travelling. Popular again.
Will it remain the same no, there is always something else that will take it's place.
So anywhere that is warmer/cheaper/ more fun will be the next growth market.
Cost of tents set by the what the buyers are willing to pay. You pay it and they will make it for you. They will also build unsuitable units if dafties want them.
Not spent enough nights camping in a tent 20 years old and it's still good for a few years yet.
As you can tell I chose to be a camper I enjoy the lifestyle and always have. Tent, caravan, freedom to be where I want, when I want, do what I want.
Yes I want everyone back on flights so they are somewhere else, causing global warming not a bad thing when in a field in Britain. Might be a bit iffy on a coastal site.
------------- Yesterday is already a dream and tomorrow is only a vision, but today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
What type of tent? There are different tents for different uses and activities.
How do you define a modern tent? All my tents are modern. Some are the latest designs. Some are very old designs but they all date within the last 10 years.
It is too broad a subject to comment on.
The tent market is split between people that want lightweight tents that will survive a storm up a mountain and people that want a home from home that they can stand up in at a luxury resort of their choice.
Of course this is a generalisation and there are happy campers with their own personal requirements between these 2 extremes.
Hikers and climbers have to carry their tents and will pay extra for hi tech materials and designs that make their tents lights and more weather proof.
Family campers arriving on site by car want a tent they can stand up in which led to the flat roofed frame tents of the 1960's. They are now tending towards inflatable beam tents.
Festival goers want a tent they don't have to put up and which they can't be bothered to take down and return home with. The really poor quality instant erection tents are only made to be showerproof and tend to be disposable.
As a tent designer you balance the quality of the materials and design you use against the retail price of the finished tent. A family tent made to mountain tent specs would be seriously expensive. While a similar tent made of shower proof fabric might look much the same and be loved until it starts to rain.
Tis the season of the student project, again: I wonder what is the one-line title of this one?
jjbar, your questions are very open ended, many are unconnected, you can find many of the answers online & you’ll get even more answers if you borrow a tent, go camping & observe - what tents do single people on bikes camp with / families with 6 children / comfortably off retired people / student couples etc. All these groups want something different, have different budgets, different amount of room to carry the tent etc etc
Oh, read a few decades’ worth of CAMC and CCC magazines - tent reviews galore.
Good luck with the project, of course, but I think it’s an impossible brief.
Re sustainability, the festival market is increasingly attracting companies/schemes which recycle tents which have been left behind in previous years and hire them out to new festival-goers. One we’re regulars at have these.
Quote: Originally posted by Age4rcard on 01/6/2023
Re sustainability, the festival market is increasingly attracting companies/schemes which recycle tents which have been left behind in previous years and hire them out to new festival-goers. One we’re regulars at have these.
e.g. https://camplight.co.uk/events-booking/greenbelt-festival/
The OP never came back, even once (sadly typical of the annual flurry of student project questions), so we’ll probably never know if they found your post helpful (but I hope so).
Quote: Originally posted by Fiona W on 01/6/2023
The OP never came back, even once (sadly typical of the annual flurry of student project questions), so we’ll probably never know if they found your post helpful (but I hope so).
Disappointing they didn't have the courtesy and motivation to return and thank the contributors who all had something valuable to say.
------------- Camping - emotional resilience in action, a triumph of hope over adversity and antidote to virtual reality.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Opinions on the modern tent (in general)
via mobile 30/4/2023 at 3:45pm
