What’s a Tent Vestibule? Find Out the Use and Purpose

Tent vestibule is like an extension of a tent. It’s a covered space which does not include the sleeping area in a tent. Most of the vestibules do not have a floor surface and have just the upper cover layer. If you need a floor surface then you can always carry tent footprints.

Vestibules give you space where you can drop your shoes, dirty and wet clothes, basically, it helps the tent to be clean. These also provide some privacy and these are also helpful for cooking at night or while raining.

Vestibules usually come without a zipper but there are vestibules with the zipper as well. There are 2 types of vestibules. These 2 types have some subtypes or we can say these 2 types of vestibules can be fixed in different styles; I will be discussing some types and styles down below:

Front Vestibule

Front vestibule basically covers the front part of the entrance of a tent. It works with small tents of large family cabin tents.  In any kinds of camping, the front vestibules are like a porch. You can store your gears here, also you have a vehicle like a bicycle or a skateboard with you then vestibules can protect it.

Vestibules are of different shapes and sizes. Front vestibules usually come with tents, but if not then you can buy your desired one.

Side Vestibule

Side vestibules are usually bigger than front vestibules and for that, these offer a wide entrance.

If you have a small tent or if you want to accommodate two people in one tent then side vestibule is the best option. Also if you have extra gears to store then you can also use side vestibules.

Tents with side door and side vestibule

Side door and side vestibule mean it stands on the lengthier side of the tent. So you have more space on the sides and the vestibule covers the side door.

This type of tents and vestibules are good if you have more belongings and fewer people.

Tents with side door and with a front vestibule

Here front vestibule means, the vestibule stands on the shorter side of the tent. So the tent door is on the longer side and the vestibule is on the shorter side.

This type of vestibule is for those who want a separate space to cover their belongings but do not want to cover the tent door.

Tents with a front door and side vestibules

This is just the opposite of the above one. Here the vestibule stands on the longer side of the tent and the tent door is on the shorter side of the tent.

This type of vestibules is also for those who want a separate space for their goods.

The only difference I could find between these two types of tents is the size. With this side vestibule style, you get more space for your belongings than the front vestibule style.

Tents with a front door and a corresponding front vestibule

This type of vestibule is for tents which are for two people but has only one door. When it comes to this type of tents, it is better to have a front door than a side door.

In this way, both inhabitants will get equal shares of the tent and both will be able to use the door properly.

Benefits of Tent Vestibule

The vestibule is made of a very lightweight fabric, so it is very easy to carry. Also, it will not take a lot of space in your bag as vestibule does not have any structure and it fits according to the tent’s arrangement. So you do not need to carry extra things to fix it.

Storage space

Vestibule can be used as a storage space. You can put anything and everything inside of it as it can protect things from the weather. There are some tunnel style vestibules which can connect to tents as well.

If you have kids and you cannot accommodate in one tent then you can easily stay in two tents and connect those with the help of this tunnel style vestibule; in this way, you can enjoy your tent and also will not have to worry about the kids.

Cooking

In winter or while raining many times you need to camp cook or even need to boil water to drink but you cannot do that outside because of the weather. A lot of people think you cannot cook inside a tent, but if you use vestibule you can cook inside your tent.

You can set your cooking utensils inside the vestibule easily and cook your food, but obviously, you will have to be careful as you are cooking inside a covered place.

Weather shield

The fabric of vestibule is waterproof so if you fix it with your tent this will definitely save you and your tent from rain.

Also, you can enjoy rain from the inside of the tent vestibule, at the same time your belongings will remain dry as the rain splashes will not be able to reach inside your tent.

When snowing vestibule can protect your tent from snow and also it can make the inside of the tent a bit warmer. Many tents have built-in vestibules, but if not you can always buy and set it up easily.

Also, if you are using a hammock tent, this can be great protection with the hammock tents for camping.

In the past, most of the tents were used without vestibules. Therefore it is not a must if you are a tent camper, but then again vestibules are now very much in use as it gives extra space and helps to protect the tent and your belongings. It can make your tent life easier.

Vestibules can protect your tent in bad weather. Caring vestibule really depends on you as you will be caring the extra weight.

The vestibule is very handy if you are a weathered camper or if you are camping for an extended period of time. It is the light weighted thing which will serve so many purposes of yours.

Also, you can easily set it according to your necessity. If you have never used vestibule before then you should definitely use it. You will understand the usefulness by yourself.