tents for music festivals in Australia

Introduction

most music festivals in the southern areas of Australia are from Nov-April
each festival usually has strict rules on what is allowed into the festival (eg. no glass, no stoves of any type) and your vehicle will be searched on arrival
these festivals generally have a camping area where you set up your camp NEXT to your car

The issues for choosing a shelter

you should be prepared for any weather as even in summer in southern areas of Australia you may get a mix of hot sun, strong winds, heavy rain, thunderstorms and even chilling winds and cold nights
this becomes very challenging for camping especially for those who do not have a budget for a storm proof well ventilated shelter, nor the camping experience.
this is further exacerbated by the probable desire to sleep in the shelter during daylight hours and you almost certainly won't have any midday shade protection from trees (it is not wise to camp under large branches of our gum trees as they can drop unexpectedly and kill you)

DO NOT take a super cheap budget popup or other tent which will likely leak in the rain, have poor ventilation options, only one door, fall apart or break in modest winds and compromise your experience as well as just adding to landfill
you will need to be spending well over $AU100 for a reasonable tent, plus you should buy 1-2 tarps and some tent poles, extra guys and pegs - this is to protect you form the hot sun - a tent alone will NOT protect you from the hot Australian summer sun - it will add several degrees of heat and you will get dehydrated rapidly!

it is easier to add layers to warm up than it is to cool down - choose a well ventilated tent with at least 2 doors for cross ventilation and plenty of mesh in the inner tent
bring a collapsible bucket so you have plenty of water on hand to wash or cool down with

take a tarp or two - but preferably not a cheap polyethylene one - they will be very noisy in the wind
- go to Bunnings and consider getting a Polytuf Xtreme tarp - yes it costs a lot more and is a bit more bulky but it will be much better
  - a 3×3.6m one should be fine for shade and shelter for two people in a hiking tent and will cost about $79
  - a 1.8×2.4m one is great to put under a tent (or over a leaky tent) and can also be used as an emergency shelter and will cost about $35
- if you are into hiking then consider a polyester or silnylon hiking tarp from a high end camping store or online shop as this is much lighter, more compact and much less noisy
  - eg. DD Hammocks Tarp 3×3m polyester tarp online: https://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/dd-tarp-3x3-olive-green/DD-71025 for $75 or better still, the XL 3x4.5m or 4x4m versions for ~$93
- keep all sharp objects away from tent materials and tarps - even the Xtreme tarp!
- advantages of a good 3×3.6m tarp over a gazebo:
  - much lighter, cheaper, less bulky, more versatile and less likely to break in heavy rain or strong winds
  - if a part of it does break, it is easy to carry a spare of everything
  - for sun shade or rain protection, just set up a “flying A frame” over your tent - needs 2 tall poles and perhaps 6-8 strong guy ropes and strong pegs
  - for wind protection or rain protection, just set up a “lean-to” - sloping wall pegged close to the ground with roof using 2 poles, or a “plow point” for extreme winds using just one pole
    - if using a gazebo you will need to buy and attach side walls which can increase the wind stress on the gazebo
    - in heavy rain, you need to ensure water does not pool on top of the gazebo as the weight can break the structure
take some stronger pegs and a hammer - just in case the ground is very hard
when using additional guy ropes for tarps, buy the reflective ropes with a spring on one end and buy a large carabiner for the other end to make it faster to attach to the tarp
- eg. PolyTuf 3m x 6mm reflective Glow in the Dark Guy Rope with Spring (these cost about $20 per pair)
when buying poles for your tarp, buy extendable ones, not ones that you need to assemble - these have a habit of falling apart in strong winds
if thunderstorms are forecast, consider taking thick interlocking foam rubber 50x50cm square mats (a pack of 4 will cost $10) to place under your tent to reduce chance of extremely rare ground spreading electrocution from a nearby lightning strike whilst sleeping
- if taking these you get the added bonus of not needing a tarp or ground sheet under the tent and these will give you extra cushioning to sleep on
- ps. these won't stop a direct lightning strike but this is much less likely in a small tent

option 1 - a "3P hiking tent"

a 3P reasonably well made dome tent with two doors and lots of internal mesh combined with 1-2 tarps
- this provides plenty of room for 2 adults (although very tall adults may struggle and may need to sleep diagonally in some of these)
- the fly will hopefully provide reasonable rain and wind protection (up to 40-50kph gusts)
- the floor should be waterproof enough that it doesn't leak if rain pools under it (better still, if possible choose a site where water will not pool under your tent)
- ensure the seams are “seam sealed” otherwise they will not be waterproof!
- it will be super easy to set up if it has aluminium alloy poles (AVOID fibreglass poles which need to feed through sleeves as they will frustrate you in setting up and packing up)
- the basic ones will have just two poles, while the more expensive ones will have a 3rd cross-bar pole which provides for straighter walls which gives you more headroom inside
- it should have upper and lower level ventilation capability - a breeze is critical during the daytime in particular in summer
- the cheapest 3P tent that fits the requirements is a GeerTop TopRoad tents, but if you want stronger poles and more mesh, perhaps the Pro version of Nature Hike Yunchuan Cloud-Creek 3P tent is a better fit
- if you have left you buying to the last minute and you are on a tight budget then you could go for something like a Spinifex Nakara but it has fibreglass poles and polyethylene floor - neither of which I am a fan, plus it only has one door, but at least it has two side windows for ventilation

if taking a hiking tent such as this you should take at least one large 4x4m (or at least 3x3m) tarp, 2 poles, guy lines and pegs to provide heat protection for the tent from the sun
- this will not only allow you to have a better chance of sleeping during the day, but it provides additional options for relaxing in shade or sheltered from the rain, and it provides extra insurance in case your hiking tent is not as waterproof as it should be
- optionally, a 2nd smaller tarp (just a touch bigger than the floor size of your inner tent eg 2.4×1.8m would generally suffice)) can be used UNDER the tent to protect the floor of the tent and also to provide extra waterproofing (but clamp it to the sides of the inner tent so rain running off the fly does not fall on top of it and run under the tent - bring 4 clamps!)
  - alternatively this can be placed on top of the floor of the tent to reduce the chances of damage to the tent floor

companies seem to often “dump” older or poorly selling versions of their tents on Temu which can mean you can get a reasonable aluminium pole 3P tent with 2 doors for around $AU100 including delivery - it may take a couple of months though and you won't have the luxury of taking it back to the store to swap it if it arrives damaged - but if budget is a high priority then this may be worth it for you
test it under rain conditions before you go - especially if you are silly enough not to be taking a tarp!

option 2 - a 4-6 person touring tent

a touring tent provides enough height to stand up in and many of them have Blockout which makes it easier to sleep in during the day time
however, they are heavier, bulkier, more expensive and take longer to set up than a 3P tent - yes, even the “Fast Frame” tents take longer as you have to spend 20 inutes attaching the fly and securing it
they also generally have a tall vestibule in which you can sit down on a chair in the shade of the fly
these are perhaps the ideal option if you can get one - but remember a 4P tent will only sleep 2-3 adults comfortably while a 6P version could do 4 adults
if getting a “Blockout” or “Dark Room” version you probably don't need a tarp - although you probably should still take one just in case!
if strong winds are likely, take extra strong guy ropes and extra strong, long pegs and a hammer - this is what is needed to save your plastic hubs on your “fast frame” tent from breaking in strong winds
examples:
- Oztrail 4P or 6P Fast Frame Blockout tents

option 3 - swag plus tarp or car awning

this can be a great option albeit not very sociable one and lacks amenity
great option for those taking 4WD with a side awning

option 4 - high quality popup tent with blackout

whilst these are very popular in UK festivals, they tend to lack the ventilation required for Australian summers
still, some may prefer this, if so, as for option 1 - take a tarp to protect from the sun!
eg. Decathlon Quechua 2 Seconds XL Tent or DEcathlon Quechua 2 Man Pop-Up Tent

Table of Contents

tents for music festivals in Australia

Introduction

The issues for choosing a shelter

option 1 - a "3P hiking tent"

option 2 - a 4-6 person touring tent

option 3 - swag plus tarp or car awning

option 4 - high quality popup tent with blackout