Editing Tent (section)

{{short description|Temporary shelter which can be easily dismantled and which is portable}}
{{other uses}}
[[File:Tent at High Shelf Camp cropped.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|A modern two-person, lightweight hiking dome tent; it is tied to rocks as there is nowhere to drive stakes on this rock shelf]]

A '''tent''' is a [[Shelter (building)|shelter]] consisting of sheets of [[fabric]] or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or a supporting [[rope]]. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using [[guy ropes]] tied to stakes or [[tent peg]]s. First used as portable homes by [[nomad]]s, tents are now more often used for recreational [[camping (recreation)|camping]] and as temporary shelters.

Tents range in size from "[[Bivouac shelter|bivouac]]" structures, just big enough for one person to sleep in, up to huge [[circus tent]]s capable of seating thousands of people. Tents for recreational camping fall into two categories. Tents intended to be carried by backpackers are the smallest and lightest type. Small tents may be sufficiently light that they can be carried for long distances on a [[touring bicycle]], a [[boat]], or when [[backpacking (wilderness)|backpacking]]. The second type are larger, heavier tents which are usually carried in a car or other vehicle. Depending on tent size and the experience of the person or people involved, such tents can usually be assembled (pitched) in between 5 and 25 minutes; disassembly (striking) takes a similar length of time. Some very specialised tents have spring-loaded poles and can be pitched in seconds, but take somewhat longer to strike (take down and pack).

Over the past decade, tents have also been increasingly linked with homelessness crises [[Homelessness in the United States|in&nbsp;the United States]], [[Homelessness in Canada|Canada]], and other regions. Places of multiple homeless people living in tents closely pitched or plotted near each other are often referred to as [[tent cities]].