Materials
Tents are normally made of only two materials - nylon or polyester. The advantages of nylon are that it is very light (60 to 70 g/m2), very tear- and wear-resistant, and does not rot even when kept in a permanently damp condition.
The two main disadvantages of the material when used as an outer tent material are its sensitivity to ultraviolet light and its tendency to stretch when wet, which makes it necessary to tension the tent on a regular basis.
Because of this it is only used in high-quality tents if both sides of the tent material have been coated with silicon (e.g. SALEWA XPD Base, XPD Altitude, Scorpio II, Zodiac I/II). Thanks to this process, both the ultraviolet stability and the tear resistance of the fabric increase, the quality of which is already high even prior to coating.
The advantage of using polyester as an outer tent material is its lightweight nature (70-80 g/m2) and high tear-/wear-resistance. High-quality materials hardly stretch at all when wet, do not rot and are ultraviolet-resistant. In the event of strong wind, polyester tents are louder than nylon tents.
Nylon is often used for tent floors and the inner tent area in order to benefit from its lightweight properties. Polyester is increasingly used as an inner tent material in cheaper models (tents under 150 euros and family tents under 350 euros)

RipStop qualities: In order to increase tear resistance without increasing tent weight, and at the same time reduce wet expansion, extra-strong weft and warp threads are weaved in every 5 mm. Should the fabric tear, the tear is stopped at these strengthening thread points (RipStop). As a result, the tent can continue to be used without additional repairs being necessary.
Beware: Not everything that looks like RipStop is actually RipStop. Some materials have the exact same appearance without any of the functionality. If you have any doubts, ask whether the material has the properties in question.

Poles
Three types of pole material are used - steel, aluminium, and fibreglass. Steel is used for frame tents and for the telescoping poles used to form the entrance area of family tents. Aluminium is normally used for trekking and modern family tents. Don't allow yourself to be confused by the different number codes used. The system is essentially quite straightforward:
Stability is indicated by the alloy, and 6000 and 7000 alloys are used. 6000 is more brittle and breaks more easily but is cheaper. 7000 is stronger and more stable but is also more expensive. 7075 indicates that the material originates in Europe. 7001 poles originate in Asia.
The elasticity of the aluminium is indicated by the T... value. This ranges from T1 (very elastic) to T10 (very hard). A good compromise is the frequently-used T6 aluminium.
Another decisive factor for the weight is the combination of individual poles used. The poles are stuck together by sticking in (or graining in) an insert into one end. The second pole section is then pushed over the insert and both poles are held together using an elastic cord. The shorter the sections, the more inserts are used, and the higher the weight with the same construction length.
In response to this DAC has developed the so-called Featherlite pole. This involves expanding the end of a pole so that the other section can be inserted into it. The advantage: No additional weight is created by the inserts (weight saving approx. 15%), and the connection is very stable.
The third and still most widely used material is fibreglass. Fibreglass is a combination of polyester and vinylester. It is relatively heavy, very flexible and very cheap. The brittleness which plagued it during its early years is a thing of the past, and modern fibreglass is sufficiently strong to be used in camping tents.
With the development of the compound pole, Salewa has significantly improved the general standard, with the breakage strength of compound poles approx. 30% higher than that of normal fibreglass poles. Salewa uses these poles in all its 2-season range of tents.

Clips and Pole Length
As we developed our own clip system it has been rigorously tried and tested. The clips are made out of unbreakable flexible synthetic material and adapt to various pole diameters, facilitating a quick setup of the tent. The main poles come in all the same section length – time consuming colour coding and incorrect insertion of tent poles are a thing of the past.

Anchor Points
The tent pole is flexible, but can also break in a worst case. Anchor points and guy lines help to avoid this. They keep the poles in place even during high winds. The anchor points are an integral part of the external pole structure. A new feature is that this structural design has now been incorporated for the internal poles supporting the flysheet. Our unique Polehook is taped to the inside of the flysheet and connects the pole securely with the anchor point.

TENT SHAPES:
1. Dome-shaped tents
Dome-shaped tents consist of two poles of equal length which intersect at the highest point and create a square-shaped ground surface area. Salewa was the first company to bring a so-called igloo tent onto the market, and in 2006 the Salewa Sierra Leone will celebrate its 30th anniversary!
Revolutionary at the time was the fact that the tents could stand up without guy lines, which in the mountains especially, where the ground is rocky, was a huge advantage.
Depending on the tent's features, up to two entrances can be created and different-sized canopies incorporated with very little effort. The walls are relatively steep, and the inner tent has a spacious feel to it. Two entrances ensure good ventilation inside the tents.

2. Tunnel tents
Of all the different tent shapes, tunnel tents are the ones in which space is utilized best i.e. tunnel tents are relatively light compared to their size. Between two and any number of poles can be used to form the tent. They are bent into arches and aligned parallel to each other Normally two to four poles are used. Tunnel tents that have their narrow sides facing the wind are very stable; only if there is a very strong side wide do any problems arise. In such cases, tunnel tents need to be guyed using all available lines. This works very well, and is also partly the reason why tunnel tents are chosen for expeditions. In alpine environments tunnel tents are somewhat at a disadvantage as they must always be guyed.

3. Geodesic tents
Geodesic tents are complicated to pitch, but on the other hand are the most stable. The numerous poles intersect at various points, with the number of intersection points having to be higher than the number of poles used if the tent is to be a "pure" geodesic tent. Tent pitchers aim to end up with a (hemi-)spherical shape, which in nature is the most stable shape. It can withstand the highest wind speeds and heavy snow loads and remains stable even on poor subsoil. Geodesic tents are therefore the first choice for all extreme expeditions. Pitching with two people is quicker and easier and the poles are not subjected to excessive strain.