Tents.... How to choose your tent .... What does H/H (hydostatic Head) mean?

One of the very first questions we are asked by customers who are choosing their very first tent is .... What does H/H ( Hydrostatic Head) mean in the tent descriptions? 
Modern Tents are made from polyester which unlike Canvas doesn't have any water repellency... Polyester has to be treated by the factories and then tested to give a waterproof rating ... Which is where the H/H figure comes from. 
H/H is the waterproof rating of the fabric used to manufacture your tent... a column of water is placed on the fabric - under tension and a measurement is taken at the level the water starts to penetrate the fabric - Hence the mm reading.... 
We have been selling tents for a number of years , when we started we had only ever camped in Canvas tents so polyester tents were a revolution to us but we soon learnt what to look for ....


For our family tents we like to see a H/H rating of at least 3000mm - some of our suppliers believe that anything beyond this is just a number... once the fabric has been treated to 3000mm there isn't much more protection beyond this. Others believe that the higher the better .... experience has taught us that as well as the waterproofing level it very often follows through that the quality and features of manufacture increase with the H/H - features such as mesh, vents and fly    screens..... 








Lower than 3000mm is fine for a weekend tent , festival tent etc this is still waterproof but we would probably suggest that you use your judgement to gauge the weather and if it's just a weekend then a torrential rain storm with heavy winds probably wouldn't be the best conditions. 












Specialist backpacking and Hiking Tents are very often treated to 5000mm H/H primarily due to the conditions that these tents are expected to cope with on a mountain side throughout the year. These tents are very often Ripstop Polyester too another feature that is making it's way into the Family Camping Market. 
















It's always worth remembering that a Tent is a temporary structure and you always need to be aware of the weather to make any necessary adjustments etc..... 

How to choose your tent ... Size and Sleeping ...

We can supply the room .... leaving you to choose the view 

Running the business ....our greatest pleasure comes from sending families away with a tent and camping equipment to go and have loads of adventures with ... We are very often asked for advice on choosing a tent and have put together a few snippets to help you choose your tent.... 




What size of tent do I need.... there are quite a few considerations to make when deciding the size of the tent that your going to need ... we usually start with some questions about what type of holiday your choosing a tent for. Is it just the occasional weekend? or a summer family holiday? 


For a weekend tent perhaps just for that spontaneous weekend away when the weather is fine then most of our customers will choose a tent to fit ... ie a 4 berth for4 people - usually space isn't too signficant as long as everyone has somewhere to sleep...


For a family Holiday then there needs to be a little more consideration .... we usually recommend that providing space isn't an issue our customers choose a tent 2 berth larger then they actually need .... this give storage room for clothes etc as well as a larger living area for if the weather turns a little. Camping with small children then choose a tent that's easy to pitch - there are plenty on the market - Tunnel Tents and some of the steel framed Tents are simple to pitch and can provided they aren't too large be pitched by one person. 


The size of your tent.... most of the tent manufacturers provide weight and packed sizes for their tents so it's easy to find out the package size of your tent but you also need to consider the pitch size... A few years ago a few campsites started charging 1 1/2 and in some cases 2 times the pitch fee for larger family tents ... this was in response to the Pod designed tents which did have a large footprint , the tents of recent seasons have been designed with this in mind and most are more pitch efficient - however it's always worth checking before you buy... The pitch size of a tent is always specified by the manufacturers ... the average pitch size is approx 7 x 7m but this can vary from site to site .... having said that though I think that some of our most memorable camping holidays have been on sites without any restrictions on size .... a little quieter but much more fun! 


Polyester or Polycotton ? ...The fabric ... over the last few years we've seen the introduction of Polycotton Tents these are similar to Canvas with many of the benefits ... they stay cooler in the hot weather and warmer in the cold - once in a polycotton tent you can feel the difference ... there is a downside though - Polycotton Tents have to be re-pitched if you pack them away wet ... Polyester tents still need to be dried but this can be done without re-pitching. A polycotton tent may shrink if not re-pitched to dry. 




Polyester Tents ... mesh , mesh , mesh - Modern tents do get warm - so make sure your tent has plenty of mesh - to create ventilation ... flyscreen doors are great and mean that you can create airflow with out little visitors!

H/H or Hydrostatic Head  choose a tent with at least a 3000mm Hydrostatic Head .... more info


Bedroom Layout.... some tents have individual bedroom compartments but most family tents will offer a configuration of one large single bedroom compartment which splits with a curtain making it totally flexible for family camping .


Did you know.... 

• 2 single airbeds are usually larger than one double ... which means that they may not fit in a two Berth Bedroom

• Tents are berthed (how many they sleep) quite literally with people lying side by side.

• Campsites can sometimes charge 1 1/2 to 2 times the pitch fee for larger family tents 

• From experience we have learnt that a Campsite that lays down too many restrictions very often aren't the most accomodating ... 

• Tents with steel poles - even if they are fibreglass across the roof - are usually quite a bit heavier than fibreglass tents... but do have a more grounded feel once pitched!

• A Inner pitch first Tent with a sewn in ground sheet means that the tent is double skinned throughout. 

• In a flysheet first pitch tent you can very often leave the bedrooms out (if you don't need them) to create a little extra living area.

• Tent Carpets are fine but ... they do get damp underneath so they need to be lifted to air - and should really be taken up completely in enough time before you come home to make sure that your tent goundsheet is completely dry before packing away. 

• What H/H or Hydrostatic Head means in the tent Descriptions? more info click here 

• The Most useful tent accessory you can buy is the Footprint Groundsheet - not only does this protect the groundsheet - it also means that if the ground is muddy you can pack the tent away without fear of mud on the flysheet and pack the footprint groundsheet seperately... it's also incredible useful for deciding where to pitch the tent!

Just a few words from IBEX Camping to help you choose your tent..... a few ideas and suggestions not recommendations or instructions..... we hope that this post has been helpful and would love some feedback.....

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