Survival tents can be used both indoors and outdoors. That may seem ludicrous, but by the end of this article, you’ll discover why one would want to use a tent indoors too.
Whatever the case, all preppers should have a tent or two, depending on the size of their family. A survival tent is basically a camping tent. Preppers just like to call it a ‘survival tent’ because they’ll usually be using it during a survival scenario.
When to use a tent
If your home is in the path of an impending hurricane, you may decide to flee to another place far off and camp out in the wilderness for a day or two until the hurricane passes. You’ll need a tent for that.
Any time you need to camp outdoors for whatever reason, you’ll need a tent. Period.
Some survival books will teach you to build a tent with branches, leaves and natural bedding material. This is totally unnecessary. We’re not in an apocalyptic situation.
You’ll ALWAYS be better off buying a proper tent and keeping it for emergencies. Even when buying a tent, you need to be cautious.
Some basic tents will require you to run a paracord between a tube tent and secure it to the ground with stakes and so on. These types of tents can provide shelter, but they’re not recommended because they’re flimsy.
Over and above that, you’ll need to spend time setting them up and they’re just not comfortable. The only benefit they have is that they’re very lightweight and portable.
Why would I use a tent indoors?
You were probably waiting for this question to be answered. During cold weather, if the power grid goes down, your home will not have heating because there’s no electricity. This happened in February 2021 in Texas. So it’s a very real and possible scenario.
Now, when faced with such a situation, it’ll be almost impossible to heat up an entire house. Even heating up one room will be difficult. You’ll need to shut the windows, close the curtains and place a towel at the bottom of the door to prevent cold air from coming in.
Once that’s done, you’ll open your pop up tent in the room and enter the tent. Now all you need to do is light a candle and place it in a glass lantern… or a mason jar.
One or two candles in the tent will heat up glass lanterns and the air inside the tent. When the heat emanates from the lanterns, you’ll feel warmer within a short while. It’s far easier to warm up a tent than an entire room. Just remember to keep the tent flap open a little so that the tent has some ventilation.
What to look for when buying a tent
For starters, it needs to be lightweight. During a survival situation, when you’re carrying your bug out bag and supplies, a heavy tent will weigh you down. So, it’s best to have a light, easy to carry tent.
Ease of set up is the next point. You really do not want to deal with tents that require trees to be a certain distance from each other and so on. Military styled tents are very rudimentary and not very comfortable.
You’re better off with the tents made for civilians. You can pop them open and set up only takes about 10 minutes.
The next point to be aware of is the material used in the construction of the tent. It has to be strong, lightweight and waterproof. Quality stitching, inverted seams and welded corners will keep the water out should it rain.
Ventilation is another issue to be aware of. The tent will get stuffy and there will be condensation inside it if there’s not enough ventilation. The good tents will have flaps that you can open to let fresh air into your tent. There will usually be a mesh to prevent bugs from flying in.
One important question to ask yourself is… “How many people will be staying in the tent?”
Generally, it’s best to have only 2 people in a tent, unless you have a small child that needs you to be close to them. The size of the adult plays a role too. Some larger adults may need a 2-person tent. Don’t be too quick to believe the marketing.
Very often, when the sales description says 4-person tent, it usually only fits 3 people comfortably. If a 4th person goes in, it’ll be tight and sleeping will mean that everyone in the tent is packed like sardines.
So it’s best to get 1 or 2 tents that are big enough for all family members to rest comfortably.
The color of your tent you choose should be green, grey, navy blue or a color that blends with the environment. At the very least it shouldn’t stand out. Avoid orange or neon-colored tents. During dangerous times, you’ll want to be as inconspicuous as possible.
Other items you might need
In most cases, you’ll be using your tent outdoors. You’ll probably need camping lanterns to light up your tent at night. A portable stove, mess kit, waterproof matches, paracord, first aid kit and an emergency radio will all be good items to have when camping out in the wilderness
In conclusion…
If you want to be prepared for most situations, you absolutely must have a tent or two ready, along with all the items you need. Practice setting up a tent in your backyard and camping outdoors for a night or two.
There’s a mental hurdle to overcome here too. Many people dislike camping, and they’ll need to get used to being in a tent outdoors so that it’s not so stressful when they have no choice but to be in one during a survival situation.
Use the pointers in this article when choosing a tent. Always remember that it’s better to save up and buy a better tent than to get a cheap one. A good shelter is a fundamental requirement when you need to survive.
Buy the best tent you can. Period.