Table of Contents
insulated tents
see also:
Introduction
- whilst there are many insulated cube tents designed for ice fishing, there are very few companies manufacturing insulated tents for general use such as:
- Irish Crua Outdoors tents
- their air tents require a 7psi (0.5bar) regulated air HAND pump (not a powered pump).
- as of May 2023, company say they do not deliver to Australia as too expensive and customs issues
Benefits of insulation
- warmer tent in winter
- an unoccupied tent with no heat source will eventually attain the same temperature as the outside temperature no matter how well insulated
- the better the insulation, the longer it will take to equilibrate with a change in outdoor temperature
- the benefit of insulation in winter is that it will retain YOUR BODY HEAT and any other heat source (eg. electric blanket) for much longer
- for example, with an unoccupied 2P tent which has been covered with PVC to stop almost all ventilation and then covered with a thick quilt and the only heat source inside is a 48W electric blanket, the temperature inside the tent will be 7deg C warmer than outside increasing ventilation will rapidly reduce this benefit but may or may not improve condensation inside the tent
- NB. you body acts as a 100W heat source and as long as this is not all retained inside an enclosed sleeping bag (ie. use a loose quilt instead if not too cold), this will function in a similar manner to the 48W electric blanket
- possibly less noisy
- if there is too much ventilation, no amount of insulation will improve the warmth of the tent as all your warm air will escape and be replaced with cold outside air!
- controlling air flow is YOUR FIRST STEP in making your tent warmer
- at normal elevations, one person will NOT run out of oxygen or get too higher a build up of carbon dioxide inside an enclosed 2P tent overnight (refresh the air each day) but condensation can be an issue (this assumes you are not running a heat source inside the 2P tent which consumes oxygen and gives off carbon monoxide such as a gas burner - NEVER do this!)
DIY insulation of your two person (2P) tent
- you can apply this to a 1P tent or a swag and these will be even warmer as they have less air volume to heat up, but they also less amenity
- tips to insulate your own tent - far less expensive, more versatile and easier to wash
- use a small tent - the less air volume, the easier it is to warm it up and keep it warm eg. 1P or 2P tent or swag
- insulate yourself from the ground
- your body loses a LOT of heat to the ground, so insulating yourself from it is important, this also applies to hammocks and stretcher beds where you lose heat to the air underneath it (hammock users use an under-quilt to address this)
- a thick memory foam mattress with a high R value (at least R > 3, preferably greater than 5 if cold conditions) will be great but if that's too big, there are other smaller mattresses with high R values (but some of these can be noisy)
- protect tent from wind chill and reduce air flow into the tent
- site selection
- use a full fabric inner instead of a mesh inner (unless you almost fully cover the mesh with PVC or reflective foil or other material
- reduce ventilation but need to watch for condensation issues if fully closing the tent up
- consider adding an extra rain fly or tarp (eg. perhaps even an air tarp)
- consider place it inside another larger tent
- add further insulating cover:
- this is easiest if using a 2P inner tent inside a larger tent and not using a fly as it allows adding extra layers OVER the inner tent such as:
- thermal foil survival blanket (this will reflect body heat back into the tent as well as further reducing wind chill and provide some internal condensation protection to any layer above it)
- as long as the tent is fully covered to stop ventilation, this measure alone will increase tent temperature by ~ 3-3.5degC if a 48W heat source is inside
- quilt or sleeping bag
- a nice -10degC rated synthetic large rectangular sleeping bag (~4kg) which can be unzipped to be a quilt to cover your 2P tent works almost as well and is far less expensive, more versatile and easier to wash
- as long as the tent is fully covered to stop ventilation (eg. with PVC sheet or insulating foil), this measure alone will increase tent temperature by ~ 7degC if a 48W heat source is inside
- consider options for reducing internal condensation as well:
- options for managing internal condensation of 100-150mL water exhaled per person overnight include:
- ventilation, but this will lose much of your valuable warm air, or,
- de-humidification dessicant packs (these absorb ~40% of their weight and can be renewed in the morning by drying out near a fire or stove or placed in the sun)
- finally, you have additional options of supplying heat into your tent as well, much of which will be maintained inside the tent if you have insulated it well
- eg 12V electric blankets to add an extra 48W or so of heat into the tent and allow you to sleep semi-naked under a loose quilt or with only partial cover to gain even more efficient heating from your body into the tent (instead of into a sleeping bag) - you will probably still need warm socks and a head cover if outdoor temperatures are below 10degC
- place insulating quilt or sleeping bag INSIDE a queen size bed mattress PE transport protector bag which you can buy cheaply from hardware stores such as Bunnings, then place this over the top and sides of your tent and clamp in place
- this will not only protect your quilt/sleeping bag from dirt or getting wet if it falls onto the ground, but will stop it getting wet from either condensation on under-surface from the tent or from dew on the top surface
- strongly consider using a 2P tent without its fly INSIDE a larger 3-4m diameter tent for wind and rain protection
- see touring tents you can stand up in and larger tents without integrated floors to act as fly tents or hot tents (if choosing a tipi style with wood stove, go for 5m diameter)
- this will:
- make you significantly warmer as you have less wind chill
- avoid you having to get out of a 2P tent through a cold wet fly
- provide a LOT more amenity especially in wet weather including:
- ability to stand up, ability to have a table and chairs for cooking, eating, reading, etc
- ability to add in a wood stove to make cold weather camping a LOT more enjoyable - you can cook with it, boil water for drinks, hot showers, bake in an oven, dry your clothes, possibly reduce condensation inside the tent, hasten drying out the tent prior to pack up, and of course, you get to enjoy the warmth (but you can't keep the fire going overnight so don't rely on this)
- provide a cooler experience on sunny days than a 2P tent but it will still be very warm so you do need a shady spot unless it is winter
Two-layer thick walled tents
- RBM All-Season Premium Outfitter Tent UP-5 with stove jack
- umbrella-type frame design fast setup dome tent;
- 173“ (4.4m) diam; 87” (2.2m) height; 69lbs (31.3kg)
- outer layer Oxford 300 PU 4000
- inner layer is Oxford 210 PU 2000
- doors and windows have mosquito nets
- four 5-layer windows for ventilation. The windows’ transparent layers are made of frost-resistant PVC (polyvinyl-chloride)
- detachable waterproof floor - opt. 3 layer insulated floor $US399
- RBM All-Season Premium Outfitter Wall Tent with Stove Jack “Pentagon”
Quilted insulated full tents
carbon fibre fast frame cube tents
Shiftpod iii cube fast frame tent
- hexagonal with each side 6.5' giving longest dimension 12'8“; two small doors and 6 small window portals;
- ~32kg; detachable floor;
- designed for light snow, sand storms, desert hot sun and freezing nights.
- international shipping $US300-400 per tent so it will probably cost ~$AU3000 shipped to Australia
- there is also a mini cube version with 6.5' sides and weighs 33.6lb for $US699
alloy framed tents
Irish Crua Outdoors Tri
- 3.18x2x1.6m tall; 1 door; two TPU/mesh windows; 5000mm WH laminated Poly-Cotton 80/20 outer; polyester with 220g/㎡ Insulation inner quilt;
- 22kg; packs to 88 x 58 x 37 cm;
- opt. reflective fly
Irish Crua Outdoors Cottage
- T shaped with central sunroom with TPU, mesh windows
- 78kg!!!
- opt. reflective fly
Irish Crua Outdoors Loj
- mid-2023 model; 7.3m long tunnel with TPU, mesh windows
- 92kg!!!
- opt. reflective fly
air tents
- Crua Core
- 3.5×3.4×2.3m tall; 1 door; ceiling and wall TPU
- 18.3kg;
- Crua Culla™ Combo insulated tent
- contains the front entry single door Crua Duo 2 Person aluminium frame outer tent (2.2kg) & Crua Culla™ 2 Person Insulated Inner Tent (6.8kg)
- when outdoor temperatures are minus 2degC, this combination with insulated sleeping pad, when zipped up, can give inner temperatures some 12degC warmer than outside just from clothed body heat (only 9degC if you sleep inside a sleeping bag), and even just a protected candle will provide added warmth to give around 16degC warmer than outside if one is clothed but not in a sleeping bag1)
- 6000mm wh; opt. fly;
Insulated Inner tents
- NB. the manufacturer states you MUST keep at least 1-2 vents OPEN - presumably primarily as a condensation management issue
air inner tents
- Crua Culla Solo 1P swag-like inner
- 180cm long x 56-80cm wide x 40-60cm high; 400g synth. insulation; large side door;
- 3.39kg; packs to 55x25x17cm;
- Crua Culla™ Modus insulated 1P swag-like inner tent
- NOT freestanding!
- requires the Air Poles and Bug Mesh to help it stand (or you can make your own end supports and not have to bring a pump!):
- Crua Culla 2P insulated inner
- 2.03×1.32×1.22m high; 6.8kg; fire retardant breathable polyester with 450g/m2 insulation; vents and single door but NOT waterproof! 7psi max;
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Crua-Cocoon-Insulated-Dome-Tent/ $AU1322 incl. delivery plus you need a hand pump
- Crua Culla™ Haul insulated inner
- 2.04×1.2×0.94m high; fire retardant breathable polyester with 450g/m2 insulation; vents and single door but NOT waterproof! 7psi max;
- 7kg;
- designed for the Crua Aer rooftop tent but can be used with other tents
- https://www.cruaoutdoors.com/collections/insulated-tents-summer-and-winter/products/crua-culla-haul $US669 plus you need a hand pump
- Crua Culla Maxx 3P insulated inner
- 207.2 x 195 x 121.9 cm; 450g/m2 insulation;
- this would be great inside a large floorless hot tent such as the Mobi Garden Guan Tu V (On The Road V) hot tent / gazebo
- 7.5kg; packs to 69.9 x 46 x 45.7 cm
- https://www.cruaoutdoors.eu/collections/crua-culla-series/products/crua-culla-maxx-insulated-tent €699,99 but no shipping to Aust
insulated ice fishing cube tents
- these are designed for fishing on frozen lakes
- not applicable in Australia
insulated liners for tents
- these usually are polyester quilts
- Lotus Belle tent insulated liners
- for various Lotus Belle glamping tents