Camping editor Iain Duff looks at a selection of smaller tents for your weekend and touring camping adventures in 2022
Weekend tents – also known as tourers – are smaller tents which have less living space than full-on family tents, but are quick and easy to pitch and pack away, making them ideal for shorter breaks when time is at a premium.
As the name would suggest, they are well-suited for weekends away, or any trip where you don’t want or need lots of space and loads of tent furniture and accessories.
This is also the best type of tent if you are planning a camping road trip or touring holiday. No one wants to waste lots of time pitching a huge family tent, when they will be taking it down and packing it away the next morning, only to go through the same process again.
Like the larger family models, weekend tents come in poled or inflatable versions. They tend to be for a maximum of four or five people but work especially well for couples who want a little more space to spread out.
A weekend tent can have a single living/sleeping area or it might have a separate bedroom and living room. Tents with dedicated living and sleeping areas work best for families. Depending on the model, there could be a side door in addition to the main front entrance.
Many weekend tents have a high roof that allows you to walk around inside, while others have very little headroom. If mobility is an issue, you should go for the taller style, as crawling in and out of the tent can be difficult. Generally, tents with more headroom are more comfortable.
The smaller pack size means they are easier to pack into the boot of your car without having to use a trailer or roof box.
Also included in this category are instant-pitch tents. Also known as quick-pitch or pop-ups, these literally do just pop into shape as soon as they’re taken out of their bags; after that, they just need pegging out.
ZEMPIRE EVO TS
With a winning combination of innovative design and top-of-the-range materials, New Zealand-based Zempire has been gaining a foothold in the upper end of the UK camping market in the last few years.
The new Evo TS is the latest addition to the award-winning Evo series of tents and is perfect for adventure-seeking couples on the move; quick and easy to pitch, with plenty of living and sleeping room inside. It’s ideal for shorter trips where weight, pack size, and speed are the top priority.
Like the rest of the Evo collection, the TS is constructed with inflatable SeroLink beam technology. It has multiple angles along the beam, to increase rigidity and stability
