Advancements made to military tents have caused the temporary living spaces to be more durable, spacious and comfortable. Recently, the Army has started looking at military tent design that reduce energy consumption by as much as 75 percent. Clearly, sharp changes have been made to military tents since the Civil War, a time when a 2 person tent or a pup tent was most often used by military units.
Military tent design progress from Pup to TEMPER tents
During the Civil War, a pup tent, small enough to shelter one to two people, served as field homes. A pup tent was made of two pieces of canvas that were strewn over a pole or a rope. The tents were referred to as a 2 person tent because one soldier was assigned one part of the tent. This layout allowed sufficient space for an entire military regiment to shelter in a single, hidden location.
However, the pup tent was limited. Not only were the tents small, they were made of material that didn’t withstand inclement weather like rain and hail. A pup tent also didn’t keep debris and snow from blowing inside them. The Second World War saw the Army and other military units abandon the pup tent. More specifically, World War II saw TEMPER (Tent Expandable Modular Personnel tents grow in popularity.
Larger than the 2 person tent, TEMPER tents were roomy enough for 8 or more soldiers to sleep, dine and work in. Medical units took advantage of the improved military tent design. Emergency surgeries were performed by military physicians and nurses in TEMPER tents. The tents also housed supplies like food, military clothing, medical supplies and other military gear. Designed with vinyl coated polyester, these tents are extremely durable, which is why military units continue to use the tents today.
About modern military tents
DRASH (Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter) and Base-X are among the more modern military tents. Some differences between TEMPER, DRASH and Base-X tents follow:
- DRASH tents can be assembled in minutes and only require a few people to construct
- Aluminum frames are used to raise and hold up TEMPER tents
- TEMPER, DRASH and Base-X tents can withstand rain, snow and wind
- It’s possible to extend TEMPER tents, adding other tents to an original tent frame
- Base-X tents are used build modern tent camps (One of the tents is generally used as headquarters or as a main operation station.)
- Arctic DRASH tents are built for snowy conditions. Large enough to shelter 10 to 14 people, the tents can be easily transported from location to location.
- Some DRASH tents are built with anti-bacterial walls
Military combat tents have a military tent design that reflects back to the former pup tent. Today’s military combat tent is small, housing two people. Used as deployable shelters, these tents can withstand temperatures up to 120 degrees. The tents also hold up beneath wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour. Even if used by civilians during camping, hiking, mountain climbing and other outdoor expeditions, these smaller, durable tents can provide shelter for weeks without any damage being made to the tents.
Sources:
http://www.civilwaracademy.com/civil-war-tents.html
http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,SS_011205_Tent,00.html
http://www.drash.com/products/shelters/SpecialtyShelters/ArticTent.aspx
http://defensetech.org/2011/10/11/anti-bacterial-military-tent-walls/
Military Tents 