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We recommend a tent that can handle the extreme conditions of a desert festival.
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If you’re planning on camping out at the Burning Man festival this year, you’re going to want to put some extra thought and research into selecting a tent which is going to be safe and comfortable for the duration of the event.
To help you do that, let's talk about some of the weather conditions you can expect during the festival. Then, we'll share our favorite recommended tent for Burning Man with you and explain the features which will help protect you from the elements.
The official website for Burning Man says, "Weather on the playa is often violent and unpredictable. Dust storms, high winds, freezing temperatures, rain, we get it all out there. It’s impossible to be overly prepared when it comes to the elements."
You will be in the Black Rock Desert in Gerlach in northwest Nevada. During the week that Burning Man takes place, average daytime highs reach around 88°F and average lows dip to a round 52°F. It is possible for the lows to drop down into the 30s and for the highs to crest above 100°F.
The good news is that the official website for Burning Man seems to exaggerate the potential highs and lows, probably to help you stay on the safe side.
Indeed, it doesn't appear that temperatures ever have actually dropped below freezing during the festival. Also, most of the time, you can expect temperatures to stay below 100°F, unless there is a severe heat wave the year that you attend.
That being said, 88°F under a tent can feel like it is baking hot if you do not have a tent which is well-ventilated. Likewise, if the temperature is down in the 50s or even below, you can feel pretty cold if you are not well-prepared.
Finally, high winds, rain, and dust are all possibilities that you might have to contend with. So, you're going to need a tent which can protect you from all three.
Taking into account everything we have discussed above regarding possible weather conditions at Burning Man, our recommended tent for the event is the Coleman Dome Tent with Screen Room.
Made out of polyester taffeta 75D, it is the sturdy, breathable tent you need to be comfortable in a wide range of desert conditions. It is available in two configurations. One of them is large enough for six people, while the other is big enough for eight people. In fact, you can get up to two queen-sized air beds inside comfortably even if you go with the smaller configuration. At its center, the height of the tent is 5 feet and 8 inches. That means that many occupants would be able to stand fully upright inside.
The construction of the tent includes protective seams and patented corner welds as part of the proprietary WeatherTec system. These features prevent water from seeping through the needle holes in the seams and ensure that both the floor and the walls of the tent are waterproof. The zipper to the door also is water-resistant thanks to the fabric of the cuff. All of these features also help to keep desert dust out of your tent.
So, hopefully you will not need to deal with rain during your Burning Man stay, but if you do, this tent will keep you dry. And if there are any high desert winds, the responsive design of the frame with its guy-out triangles and sturdy poles will be rugged enough to stand up to gusts while also keeping the interior comfortable.
As for coping with the heat, there are a few features which make the Coleman Dome Tent with Screen Room a good option. First of all, the tent colors are white and green, neither of which traps heat the same way that a darker color would (one thing you do not want at Burning Man is a black tent).
Secondly, the tent incorporates extended window awnings into its design. With these, you can open your windows to allow a cross-breeze while enjoying some extra protection from sunlight or precipitation from the extended awnings.
Hopefully, opening your windows will allow you to be comfortable in the interior of your tent even at midday. But if you still need to cool down more, you can sit in the screen room in front. There, ventilation is maximized, but insects can't get at you. There is even enough room in that area of the tent to sleep if you want to take a nap during the day (at night, you should be plenty cool inside the main section of the tent).
To help you stay organized, the tent includes storage pockets which are built into the walls. With their mesh design, you can easily see what you have stashed inside each of them.
One more advantage which makes this tent a good fit for Burning Man is its fast and easy setup features, including Insta-Clip pole attachments and continuous pole sleeves which resist snagging. It shouldn't take you more than 15 minutes to set up your tent after you learn how. So, not only can you set up initially quickly, but if you decide to relocate your tent at any point during the event, you can do so rapidly.
If you want to have a good time at Burning Man, you need to be prepared for the wide temperature range between day and night as well as the possibility of dust and rainstorms in the desert.
With the Coleman Dome Tent with Screen Room, you have a spacious, rugged tent with multiple waterproofing features, resilience against wind, and excellent ventilation. With its fast setup process and its reasonable price, it is the ideal tent for your Burning Man adventures.