Tent and its components

Abstract

A tent having one or more features including a condensation barrier, removable insulated floor, reinforced portions, retractable vestibule, vent elements and vent cowling, insulated walls, and split outer vent is disclosed. The condensation barrier restricts frozen condensation to only a small portion of the tent. The removable insulated floor is efficiently installed in the tent to provide added comfort and safety for the occupants. The reinforced portions facilitate assembly of the tent poles from the inside of the tent and provide an efficient means of installing the removable insulated floor. The retractable vestibule may be extended to provide added shelter and retracted in extreme weather to protect the tent from damage. The vent elements facilitate the circulation of air through the tent and reduce stress on the tent seams during higher winds. The insulated walls provide added warmth in extremely cold climates without compromising the weather resistance of the tent. The split outer door vent provides ventilation without adding significant additional weight or complexity to the tent or allowing precipitation to enter the tent.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional patent application No. 60 / 618,359 filed Jul. 16, 2004, and No. 60 / 618,359 filed Oct. 13, 2004, both of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to tents and their components and more particularly, to a tent having a condensation barrier, removable insulated floor, reinforced corner portions, a retractable vestibule, pressure relief openings, insulated walls, and split outer door vent. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART [0003] One classic problem with tents in the winter season or cold climates is waking up after a cold night with frozen condensation or frost on the inside of the tent. A person can loose as much as a liter of water or more through the moisture in their breath when exhaling during a normal night's sleep in a cold, dry environment. As a result, the tent may be lined with frozen condensation in the morning. Even in ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] The present invention is a tent having one or more of a condensation barrier, removable insulated floor, reinforced corner portions, retractable vestibule, pressure relief openings, insulated walls, and split outer door vent. In one embodiment, the present invention is a more effective and novel approach to prevent or at least reduce frozen condensation or frost from forming on the inside of a significant portion of the tent. A condensation barrier or curtain is operatively attached to the inside of the tent, which isolates the moisture exhaled or generated by the tent occupants. An area of the tent above the occupants' heads is isolated or separated from the remaining portion of the tent when the occupants are in the tent usually in the sleeping position. When the occupants are lying down, the condensation barrier or curtain is deployed and hangs down proximate a predetermined position on the occupant, such as proximate the upper torso area or roughly shoulder level of the occupants. The condensation barrier or curtain is operatively connected to the ceiling and walls of the tent and hangs down and loosely over the occupants, sleeping bags, and the floor of the tent. Vents in the tent walls on both sides of the curtain keep air circulating throughout the entire tent.

[0008] Although frozen condensation, or frost, may form on the inside of the tent on colder days, the condensation barrier or curtain contains or isolates most of the frozen condensation to only a portion of the tent. When the tent occupants wake up in the morning, they simply move into the larger, dry area of the tent by sliding under the curtain or they can carefully roll up the curtain and secure it to the inside wall of the tent. In this way, they are able to get dressed and pack their equipment without the annoyance and hazard of the falling condensation. After they exit the tent, they can roll up the detachable condensation barrier or curtain, remove it from the tent and shake it out. This will serve to remove most of the frost from the inside of the tent, which is very difficult to do with ordinary tents when the entire inside of the tent is covered with ice crystals. During a longer expedition, this will reduce the overall weight of moisture trapped in the fabrics of the tent.

[0009] In another embodiment of the present invention, the removable insulated floor is efficiently installed in the tent to provide added comfort and safety for the occupants. The floor is constructed of first and second thin sheets of material which encapsulates a foam core. The corners of the insulated floor include circular holes with grommets which are reinforced to receive tent poles. In this embodiment, the tent has internal poles, which in addition to speeding up the setup of the tent, also allow the ends of the poles to be inserted into the grommets on the removable insulated floor, spreading the floor pad out and holding it in place inside the tent. The reinforced inside corners of the tent protect the tent from the ends of the poles, facilitating setup and use of the removable insulated floor. The retractable vestibule may be extended to provide added shelter and retracted in extreme weather to protect the tent from damage, or in nicer weather to allow sunlight into the tent. The tent vent elements facilitate the circulation of air through the tent. The insulated walls provide added warmth in extremely cold climates without compromising an outer layer of the tent. The split outer door vent provides ventilation without allowing precipitation or snow to enter the tent.

Problems solved by technology

One classic problem with tents in the winter season or cold climates is waking up after a cold night with frozen condensation or frost on the inside of the tent.

Even in a well-ventilated tent with breathable fabrics, much of this moisture ends up condensing and freezing to the inside of the tent walls.

In the morning, when the tent occupants awake, this frozen condensation is both a nuisance and potential hazard.

Even a slight shaking or disturbance of the tent walls will likely cause ice crystals to fall, melting on contact with any warm surface, including the inside of sleeping bags or the occupant's clothing.

This causes the inside of the tent and items in the tent to get wet, which can be very dangerous in extreme environments.

It is also uncomfortable to wake up to ice crystals falling on your face.

However, even the most breathable fabrics cannot prevent vapor from freezing to the inside tent walls when the tent occupants are asleep in highly insulative sleeping bags.

Therefore, if it is below freezing outside, the tent walls will likely be below freezing, causing vapor inside the tent to condense and freeze before it can pass through a breathable fabric membrane.

Another problem with prior art tents is that they often are set up in very cold environments, such as on snow.

Although vestibules serve a useful purpose in protecting the opening of the tent from snow and wind, they may also add vulnerability to the tent by catching the wind and exposing the seams of the tent to high stress.

Especially in the case of a partial vestibule, which does not extend to the ground, high winds could lead to stresses on the seams of the tent severe enough to ultimately tear the tent apart.

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