It can also require quite alot of strength to secure the bent pole using a pin anchor at each end.Īirbeam tents certainly have less bits in the bag to lose, and are often backed up by a lifetime guarantee against leaks and punctures – however, repairs are fairly easy to fix yourself – think of a bike puncture repair kit. Pole tents on the other hand require a process of a) searching through a bag for the folded poles, b) unfolding the poles (often many metres in length) and then c) painstakingly threading them through the tent before trying to bend them and secure them into shape. This is because the inflatable struts come ready-integrated into the body of the tent and simply require the attachment of a pump to a valve on each airbeam. Perhaps the most important advantage of ‘airbeam’ tents is that they can be set up more quickly and easily than pole tents. Advantages and Disadvantages of Inflatable Tents In this article we outline the main considerations to look for when choosing the best inflatable tent to cater for your particular needs. The old ‘bendy pole technology’ which could sometimes be fiddly to set up for large family tents (not to mention the risk of pole-snapping) is slowly getting superseded by tents using easy-to-inflate air pipes instead. The times have been changin’ in the world of tents in recent years.

Vango skye air 500 airbeam tent review