A Life in Tents

Explore how our relationship with tents changes over the years—from solo adventures to family outings—and what each stage teaches us.

Some people mark time by job changes, house moves, or family milestones. These events help you peg where you were, who you were and what you were doing at a certain period in time.

Music is another way people unlock stubborn memories. Doesn't work for me though. Put me in a pop quiz and I will be decades out.

Camping however, well this is where my memories have forged deeper connections. So much so I can actually picture my life in tents.

Let me take you through the timeline of tents that have shaped me.

Chapter 1: The Frame Tent

Stage of Life: Growing up, curiosity and discovering adventure.

This is where it started. Family holidays in Scotland and Wales, hopping from campsite to campsite, moving from East to West trying to find the sun and avoid the rain.

2 week stints under canvas, and it really was canvas in those days. It was a big, heavy canvas tent supported by metal poles. It had room dividers, pockets for toys and books and big PVC windows that could be pulled back and opened. It was never the biggest or newest tent on the campsite, but it was nothing short of magical how we could turn up at an empty space and transform it into a home.

With nothing but a thin skin around us, we could net a chunk of space and make it our own.

It's strength was literally its weight. It would endure storms with grim determination, standing strong while others fell around it.

With muted colours typical of the time; oranges, blues and creams along with that distinctive canvas smell that felt strangely homely, it sheltered us from all weathers.

Of course canvas is now back in. Usually with a round footprint and a bell shaped fly. It shows the enduring appeal of canvas for outdoor living. Bright, airy and breathable.

Chapter 2: The Two-Person Tent

Stage of Life: Partnership, shared adventures.

Then came the two-person tent. The family base camp was great but it was fixed to one location. The smaller tent allowed us to spend a night out in the mountains and return to our base camp the following day.

I think my first 2 person tent was a Blacks Stormshield, I'm not 100%, but it sounds like the kind of thing I would have bought. A powerful name carrying promises I hoped it would deliver on. It was a tunnel tent with fibreglass poles- heavy by todays standards but when you are starting out the psych has a way to overcome any weight penalty.

It served admirably allowing us to camp and climb in remote locations like Glen Avon, but eventually this was replaced with my first techy tent - a lightweight Saunders Spacepacker.

This really was a golden age of tents with wonderous names; Spacepacker, Jetpacker, Phreeranger, Phreak, Phortress, Bullfrog, Quasar.. where have all the good names gone?

It was a period of shared sunrises, whispered conversations in the dark, wondering what lurked outside. We weren’t just carrying gear; we were building experience.

As well as the mobility there was also private space, slowly slowly extending the family nest. I will remember these tents for DofE and the my first adventures outside of the family circle.

Chapter 2a: The Teepee

Stage of Life: Making a statement

This is a total wildcard, and not necessarily a logical progression in most peoples tent timelines. The teepee appeared in my life at a time when Alpkit was getting off the ground. Its first outing was for Cols wedding, who incidentally slaved for days skinning bark under a merciless sun.

It was subsequently transformed with a hand painted Andy Smith design and became fully incorporated into the Alpkit family.

With this the teepee became a centrepiece at staff camp outs and Alpkit events, sheltering up to 20 people at a time, I have fond memories of toasting marshmallows, singing songs and getting smoked as we failed to trim the flaps to control the fabled chimney effect.

Of course transporting the teepee wasn't easy and pitching it was always a spectacle, but those old sticks and bag of canvas are as much the fabric of Alpkit as any of us.

Chapter 3: The One-Person Tent

Stage of Life: Gaining confidence and solo adventures.

As confidence in my own ability grew I upgraded to a single-person tent - an early Ordos. Solo camping adventures became the norm, whether hillwalking or bikepacking. A single person tent provided the weight savings and compatibility that I needed to be self supported. I had a home I could carry on my back, or on my bike.

This little tent became my sanctuary in wind, rain, and midge season. I learned to pack efficiently, cook under a flysheet, and become comfortable with the feeling of solitude that comes when you're miles from the nearest human.

Chapter 4: The Solo Bivvy Bag

Stage of Life: Pushing for fast and light experiences.

There was a time where a bivvy bag would be seen as the domain of the young, broke, and convinced discomfort = authenticity. This didn't describe me, or the problem I was trying to solve. My journeys were taking me further, sometimes in single pushes and I needed something as light as possible to catch a few hours sleep or use as backup if things didn't go as planned.

Camping as an activity to be savoured took a back seat. Smaller than a loaf of bread, a bivvy bag is the minimalist’s shelter. Just enough fabric to keep the worst off your sleeping bag, and barely enough headroom to avoid suffocation.

But it was also magical. Sleeping under the stars on remote hillsides made me feel small in the best way possible. Quick to set up, quick to strike camp. I could literally ride until dark, fall off my bike and be away again as day broke.

Chapter 5: Van camping - minus the kitchen sink

Stage of Life: Children, chaos, and passing on the spirit of adventure.

Having kids doesn't mean giving up camping—it's just another reason to get out more.

I had come full circle, accept this time I was the one packing the car and it was simply not big enough. Enter the van with the extra space needed for 4 people and all the toys. I was now driving a tent on wheels.

Long trips around the UK and Europe commenced. Even with the extra space, life on the road was a tricky balance of protecting liveable space and storage for the kit. Bikes, canoes, climbing kit, bouldering mat, dog, food, sleeping kit, electronic gadgets and the Burley bike trailer.

Space was saved to some degree with all the lightweight kit I already had. It was an excellent match, packing down small ensuring the back of the van remained as useable as possible. The Viso tent freed up some sleeping space until we had the pop top fitted with the Double Dozer just about fitting in the roof cavity.

The van was utilitarian, no kitchen sink just a simple bench seat which I argued was modular.

Life has a nasty habit of getting in the way and anything that reduces the friction after a week at work has to be a good thing. Being able to keep the van loaded at all times - like a giant go-box meant easy get aways and easy set ups in 90 seconds.

These days I would consider a roof tent instead of the pop top, the same elevated camping high above puddles and ants. A mattress, a ladder and the best view in the campsite.

A tent for every season

Looking back, each tent holds more than memories — it holds a version of me.

The kid experiencing nature for the first time protected by the thinest of veils. The explorer sharing the load. The fearless solo hiker. The parent reliving his childhood, with a few more home comforts and still wanting to fall asleep to the sound of wind in the trees.

How does your own tented timeline look?