Hi everyone, welcome back! Today we are talking about a very big passion of ours here at SOHO, tents. When it comes to event tents there are many options, so we thought it would be helpful to break down the different types of tents and give y’all just a little bit of information about each one. The first thing you should understand is that our tents fall into certain categories based on their build and structure. The three categories of tents we work with at SOHO; pole tents, frame tents, and engineered structure tents.
So let's start with a pole tent. As you probably guessed, these tents are named this because they are supported by poles on the perimeter of the tent as well as in the center. They are secured through the use of stakes in the ground and ratchet straps that tension the tent tops as they are tightened. The tent tops are laced together to create a full canopy. There are different ways to secure different tents, but a pole tent requires the use of stakes. This means you are limited in where you place these tents as they must be staked into the ground. Because these tents are supported by the center poles, you can go larger than a frame tent. Pole tents have a lot of character and style, like high peaks and flags. Our favorite pole tent here at SOHO is the sailcloth tent. They have natural wood poles and give off a beautiful glow when lit up at night!
Next is the frame tent. This tent is the type most of y’all are familiar with from events you've attended, such as; Arts & Crafts, Mardi Gras, or festivals. These white vinyl tents are supported only by perimeter poles with no poles in the center. The frame is assembled and then the tent top is placed on top of the frame and secured to the frame. Because of this, frame tents are limited in size to a maximum of 50’ wide. With a frame tent you have two options for securing; stakes or concrete. If we are unable to stake your frame tent to secure it, we will then use concrete blocks. The size of the tent will determine how much weight is required to safely secure the tent. A perk of the frame tent is that it is a very open layout with lots of room to work with since there are no center poles to contend with. Because of this, these tents are used in a variety of environments for a multitude of events.
The final tent type we work with at SOHO is an engineered structure tent. These tents are supported by perimeter poles with no need for center poles or extra supports. This allows for a clean looking event space. Losberger tents are the structure tents we work with. The tops of these tents are attached through the use of keder tracks, allowing them to easily slide in and be pulled into place. With the use of keder tops this helps give a very tight fit to help keep the elements out of your event. These tents are professionally certified by an engineer to be structurally sound and safe. They are able to handle weather, such as heavy rain, snow, and they are even wind rated up to 100+mph. Because of this, these tents are often put up for extended periods of time. You can get these tents tops in clear, all white, or a mix of clear and white tops. This gives you flexibility of style when you are designing your event. A factor to keep in mind is that the clear tops can get hot during warmer months. The combination of the Losberger tents strength and safety as well as style flexibility make it an extremely versatile tent, and one of our favorites!
We hope that this general overview of our types of tents has helped you understand a little more about them and will aid you in deciding which type of tent is best for your event. If you have any questions, we would be happy to answer them!
Until next time, cheers!