Why an inner?

What is the purpose with an inner tent. The tipi by itself is a great tent. The indigeneous Sami people of Norway have used its design for over 2000 years without any form of inner tent. So why use an inner now? Mainly due to the modern fabric of the flysheet. In the past, the fabric of the flysheet was mostly cotton whose properties prevented rain from penetrating the flysheet and at the same time allowing for moisture inside the tent to escape through the fabric. This is perfect in order to obtain a dry climate inside the tent. Unfortunately the weight becomes a big issue with the cotton fabric. A six-person tent can easily weigh up to 20 kilos. With today’s modern fabrics we have managed to reduce weight of flysheet down to as little as 2 kilos. It gives the consumer more mobility to venture off the beaten track. At NorTent we apply silnylon for the flysheet material. It is lightweight and durable. It is also highly waterproof, which has both its pros and cons. It prohibits water to penetrate from the outside but equally it does not allow for moisture on the inside to escape out through the fabric. The humid air is held back and transformed into liquid water dripping from the inside walls of the tent. Unfortunately silnylon fabric is not breathable in that regard.

As with all single layered tents good ventilation is important to avoid build up of condensation. However, in situations where the temperature is low and humidity high, the fight against condensation becomes complicated and makes efforts to achieve good air flow challenging. Let us look at some measures to take to prevent condensation.

Many hikers prefer the tipi without the inner because you needn’t worry about dirty, wet shoes and gear messing up the tent floor. It makes the stay in the tent simpler and more flexible. Some are indifferent about waking up to condensed inside walls, others find it detrimental to the whole experience. Reflect on what is important to you in relation to comfort and plan your trip accordingly.