Picking The Best Decking Material To Pitch a Tent On

It can be tough to pick the best decking material for a bell tent, particularly if budget is a constraint.

Over the years we’ve seen many different ways to build decks and much cheaper alternatives to the one we chose for our showroom. Some of the best (and most affordable) were constructed from:-

1. Treated scaffolding boards
2. Recycled hardwood

Recycled Hardwood Is Way Up There!

The best example we saw was a deck made from recycled hardwood. It was built in four square sections which could each be handled separately. It was important for this landowner to be able to reposition the decks around the site from time-to-time, and to be able to stack the decks away during the winter months. The landowner built them in such a way that a forklift truck could easily grab and raise each quarter section with its forks.

This particular landowner had five bell tents, all on decks. This equates to 100x ‘pegging’ out points (or screwed hooks) and so he had a special drill bit made for his drill that would fit onto the screwed hooks and enable him to easily extract each one with speed and ease. Genius!

Untreated Pallets Really Are Not The Best Decking Material!

The worst example we saw was made from untreated pallets. The pallets were unstable and noisy underfoot. The pallets didn’t look great and they didn’t last long at all. Part way through the season the landowner was forced to replace and rebuild leading to two weeks of lost revenue, but more importantly two weeks worth of annoyed glampers who had been looking forward to their holiday.

An Example of an Above Average Deck

Below is an image of a bell tent on a slightly uneven deck, although it’s not a bad build at all. Notice how the slides on the tent are still functional, so this tent can be adjusted as and when it is necessary.