How Important is a Vestibule in a Tent?

[Son of a Beach]

How important is it to you to keep your pack stowed under cover at your campsite? (Eg, in your tent or your tent's vestibule, or under a tarp). Or what other reasons do you really need a vestibule for?

Up until about 6 years ago, my only tent at the time had no vestibule at all, and I was perfectly happy to leave the pack out in all sorts of horrible weather. The pack was waterproof enough to not get wet inside, and the gear was all in waterproof bags anyhow. I also had no problem cooking with the stove just outside the tent door in the pouring rain, and opening the door occasionally to poke my arm out to stir the pot. I could just cram my boots between the tent and the fly (with gaiters over them) to prevent getting mud in the tent and water in the boots. Back then it didn't bother me in the slightest that my tent had no vestibule.

These days, I actually unpack almost the entire contents of the pack into the tent (except for the contents of the front/top pockets, which is odds and ends and waterproofs). I figure I'm going to wear/use/eat-from almost all of it anyhow, and have to empty the pack to re-pack it later, so why not have it all handy in the tent? This way, I also don't have to worry about getting wet to get at anything in particular.

And yet now that I've got huge vestibules in both of my current tents, and almost nothing in the pack when camped, I usually do make sure that the pack is stowed in the vestibule. The only time I leave it out of the vestibule now is when sharing my large tent, and wanting one of the vestibules empty and I can't be bothered trying to balance two packs on top of each other in the other vestibule.

Still, it doesn't trouble me much to leave the pack out in the rain overnight, or to cram my boots between the tent and fly, or to have the stove out in the rain, while I'm either in the tent or wearing wet weather gear while cooking. So I still don't really feel the need for a vestibule. But I sure like the luxury of it.

It seems that most other people here like to have large vestibules in their tents, and the stated reasons are usually for stowing packs to keep them out of the rain.

So how important is it to you?

[Ent]

Hi Nik

As you may gather I love vestibules and even get a groundsheet to get full value from them. My size 48/49 boots would unlikely cram between the fly and the inner A vestibule with a ground sheets keeps the pack clean and also gives us with knee problems better options for getting dressed. At the walk to Meston (or some place near there) finding your pack in the snow might have been a challenge Also in less honest areas I would be reluctant to let my pack go too far from sight. As for storing things in a tent, err, um, me and other stuff in a tent is rather pushing the dimensional space relationship. Also I tend to split stuff up in my pack so it is faster to find things plus makes for less chance to "lose" things. Also if it rains during the night you can start the day with a nice dry pack. Ok just to be perverse it probably rains more during the day than the night but on that rare day

As for cooking it makes for a more pleasurable experience also provides a wind break for the less sheltered type stoves. If you are cooking bacon and eggs the rain could be a problem but two minute noodles should not be such an issue

For me vestibules in space and design is a critical issue on tent design, but you knew I would say that I always did like the Federation style veranda as well

Cheers Brett

[Robbo]

The main use for me is cooking when its raining or wet. I have never been comfortable with cooking inside my tent, although many do. Of more importance, I think, is the nature of the protection they provide. Many of the fly designs provide little or no protection of the tent and its contents, when the vestibule is unzipped.

TR

[alliecat]

I like the vestibule in our Nallo 2 a lot - it makes life a great deal easier. We store our packs and any wet gear there, our shoes/boots and anything else we don't want inside the tent (dirty gaiters mostly). I can kneel down in the vestibule and get out of my rain jacket, then turn around and sit in the door of the tent to get my over-trousers off and only get a few drops of water in the tent and without getting my base layers wet. In horrendous conditions I can cook in the vestibule. And if there are no flying insects around, I can completely unzip the tent's door and half the vestibule and get lots of fresh air and views, even if it's raining. In snowy conditions, a pack left outside could end up a frozen solid block, and that wouldn't be much fun. So yep, I like vestibules and I don't think I'd buy a tent without one.

Cheers,
Alliecat

[Franco]

Nice to be able to talk about cooking in the vestibule without having to think of bears and warnings..

How important ?
Now very. You get used to them.
Yes for cooking, storing my boots, my pack if isn't raining or windy (I use the pack to deflect wind inside my Tarptents...) but also to be able to leave the fly open if stuck inside in the rain, providing it isn't blowing in that way. Some also offer a rain protected entry , not a big deal (Chux) but particularly nice for those nature calls when you don't want to be too careful not to get the sleeping bag wet.

BTW, this is why I like the single hoop design (Akto/Vela/Scarp and now the TT Moment) as well as the "supported" vestibule, like the Bibler Pinon and now the Hilleberg Soulo/Allak
Franco

[Nuts]

yep, as with groundsheets, not that important... lots of tents have an option to pull back the inner if caught for an extended time in bad weather, which, for a personal tent, is usually just the evening and I dont Plan to (at least) leave when theres bad weather coming. Otherwise a small vestibule covering the entrance will do.Like a lot of gear, I draw the line quite early as to what is necessary %90 of the time and whats carried and not really vital. Its these little things that make a big difference to packed weight. Going really light, a tarp and groundsheet negates the need for a dedicated vestibule (or 'footprint').....

[tasadam]

Plain and simple, I wound NOT be without a vestibule. It is invaluable to me.
It took a lot of contemplating before deciding on only one for my new tent, having had two for so long.

Used to use back one for pack storage (and access thru the back door), and front one for entry / boot storage / cooking etc...
Now only one vestibule and entry, but it's big enough.

(Aha, so That's how it's spelt...)

[sthughes]

My tent (Microlight) really doesn't have a vestibule to speak of. There is just enough room to store boots and my pack.
Frankly I would never buy a tent without a vestibule again, not for regular winter use anyway.

I don't care if most of my pack is out in the rain/snow, just so long as the opening is under the fly so I can pack it from inside the tent.
I am yet to work out how to cook in a Microlight - always had a group tarp when I have needed it. I really can't think of any way except like Nik said about sticking my arm out the door.

However my main issue is this (and luckily I have never really had this issue yet):
You are set up camp, nice down sleeping bag and puffer jacket in the tent ready to go and you come back from a toilet trip, social outing to group area, short exploration trip etc. in pouring rain in full wet weather gear. Now do I crack open my tent and jump in before taking off my wet gear (hence getting my sleeping bag etc. very wet), or do I take it off outside in the pouring rain and get all my dry camp clothes I am wearing under it cold and wet?
Now this is no problem with a vestibule, or indeed with a large enough tent to get in without being on top of your sleeping gear. But with a Microlight I have no idea. Hence why I build a verandah for it, making it heavier than a tent with a proper vestibule.

Last edited by sthughes on Tue 16 Mar, 2010 9:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Ent]

Good point on weight and where it best goes. With tents and most things bush walking the headline number is weight often at the loss of functionality that can result in weight been added to mitigate a problem this weight saving has caused. A tent with a too light floor requiring a ground sheet or a tent requiring a tarp extension to cook in may look better on paper but the test is field use. I keep on referring to the MD Kaon as I have one and selected it mainly on weight/strength and did not give much thought to a vestibule design. It has two that can store packs and boots (just) but the design means you get limited protection for cooking in it. In fact I have not as it looks a little dangerous thing to do with that design. Also as a inner pitch first tent you can not crib space by unclipping the inner. Something as simple as being able to unzip it from top or bottom separately and a vent type cover over the top would give it much needed ventilation and the ability to cook in it. But off course this would impact on it weight specifications and many gram counters would walk past it.

Like the posts on other threads re tent size. Sure make a small tent and it will weigh less but then people may not fit so one option is to trim off the vestibules. How many people when testing a tent actually take packs and mats to see how it all works? I am rather past reading just one number for tents, that being weight. Instead I look at many aspects such as ventilation and do mentally what Franco does re size. On a wet and cold night having a pack close at hand with the ability to cook in a vestibule along with the space to dump wet outer gear makes for a dryer night's sleep. If this cost a couple of extra grams then so be it. As pointed out a tent does not need to be a Mount Everest grade bunker for much of Tassie so with modern materials you can get designs at around 1.5 kilograms per person that have sensible vestibules and should be strong enough to survive in reasonable comfort though with some you might need to get up in the night to knock the snow off. Frankly I did not find this much a problem.

It is interesting to look at say the Hilleberg range of solo tents and you have options with various configuration and vestibule designs. Being the one manufacturer using the same materials it does give a good guide to weight and size trade-offs and also the thinking behind having a "virtual" vestibule. This can then be used to consider and compare what other manufacturers do. It does suggest that at least Hilleberg considers that one design can not do it all.

Cheers Brett

[Nuts]

You are set up camp, nice down sleeping bag and puffer jacket in the tent ready to go and you come back from a toilet trip, social outing to group area, short exploration trip etc. in pouring rain in full wet weather gear. Now do I crack open my tent and jump in before taking off my wet gear (hence getting my sleeping bag etc. very wet), or do I take it off outside in the pouring rain and get all my dry camp clothes I am wearing under it cold and wet?
Now this is no problem with a vestibule, or indeed with a large enough tent to get in without being on top of your sleeping gear. But with a Microlight I have no idea. Hence why I build a verandah for it, making it heavier than a tent with a proper vestibule.

I agree (which is why a small vestibule tent like eg.Nallo is inviting). In fact I have never had a tent without some form of vestibule. Ive always had tunnel styles... I did look at side opening style tents but many seem to suffer that same problem, no covered entrance. Even with the tunnel tents I find that I take off the jacket first, rain pants down, butt in, rainpants off, boots off... then in... sponge out if then needed....

Cooking, yer, I dont really pull the stove in under the an enclosed vestibule anyhow, though it is nice to have a covered area to shuffle food and pots etc.

[tasadam]

Another feature of the two tunnel tents I have experienced is that the inner can detach from the outer and make the vestibule area larger. In the Hallmark Snowcave this was done with velcro straps, it was efficient enough.
In the Hilleberg Nallo2 it has these nifty plastic hook thingys that work really well - quick to detach and fold the inner back, to make more room for cooking, or perhaps in preparedness for the space needed to remove totally drenched gear before retreating into the aforementioned down sleeping bag et.al, does sound inviting the way you've worded it...