Stretch tents
Stretch Tents, also known as Tents, Canopies, Semi-permanent Structures, Bedouin Tents, Tensile Tents, Flex Tents, etc. are a recent development of pole marquees originating from South Africa from the late 1990s onwards. What began with some simple ideas to create shade quickly became an efficient, informal and trendy outdoor option for all kind of events. Some Stretch Tents Manufacturer have developed specific product lines adjusted to European climate such as 100% waterproof structures protecting from the wind, UV from the sun and the rain. Stretch Tents were first introduced in Europe by a well established Stretch Tent manufacturer located in Cape Town, South Africa. Over time, they established a large network of Marquee Rental Companies in the United Kingdom in the late 2000s where their Stretch Tents became very popular at outdoor music festivals such as Glastonbury Festival and Glade Festival as well as for private and corporate events. This innovation in the Marquee Industry has quickly spread to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, etc. Stretch Tents are aesthetically way better looking than traditional marquees, much faster to install and uninstall and very easy to handle anywhere.
A Stretch Tent consists of a Stretch Fabric, accessories such as doors or tents skirts, a set of Aluminum or Wooden poles and a set of Rigging equipment enabling to set up a specific tent with 1, 2, 3 or 4 sides opened, playing with the poles to create all kind of shapes. Some Stretch Tents Manufacturer offer Modular Stretch Tents whereby all the Tents can be joined together to create a larger tent. A Stretch Tent can be installed on all kind of terrain even if the ground is not even or steeped. The tents can be configured in many different ways to create reception spaces in places traditional marquees cannot access. The installation time is much faster than a traditional marquee. For example, it takes about 1,5 hours for three experienced riggers to install a 10x15 meters Stretch Tents.
Genuine Stretch Fabric is manufactured from High Tenacity Polyester Stretch Fabric. The fabric can be covered with an Elastomeric Polymer Coating, can be treated with flame retardant, anti-microbial agents and UV Stabilizers. There are plenty of different type of fabric on the market but not all are stretch fabric. The main technical features of a Stretch fabric is the technical characteristics of the fabric and its layers, the weight per square meters, ranging from 50g / m2 to 750g / m2, its classification according International Fire Standards and the Set of Documents required by law in a given country to exploit Stretch Tents, to be provided by the local Distributor of the Stretch Tents Manufacturer.
Training is necessary to learn how to inspect a site, check set up feasibility, check weather and winds forecast, recommend possible set up to the end user, install and secure the tent in respect of Instruction Manual and Safety rules, etc. A Stretch Tent is put under tension with ropes and carabineers on poles and pegs. The Supervisor or Chief Rigger must qualify the ground and ensure that the pegs provide the minimum pull out resistance required. It is also possible to use counter weights such as cement blocks or water to put the tent under tension instead of pegs into the ground.
Local Support and hotline in your language is a must. Installation and maintenance of a Stretch Tent require proper training by a local Specialist & Trainer in your language and with your tent. Make sure you get the Instruction Manual in your language and professional support from a local representative of the Stretch Tent Manufacturer.
The technical requirements and exploitation of Stretch Tents are more or less regulated depending on the country.
In France, whereby the legislation is rather strict compared to the UK, the exploitation of a Stretch Tent require to obtain a so called “Security Register” from the local prefect confirming that this very tent is compliant to local safety regulation and that its owner is competent to install and maintain the structure safe. The owner of the tent must apply for the Security Register with the assistance of a Verification Bureau approved by the French Interior Ministry and shall submit, among others, the following documents: a fire test certificate issued by a French Engineering Bureau confirming that the fabric is classified at least M2 according to French Fire Standards, a static analysis confirming that the tent resist to winds of up to 100 km / h and 4 cm of snow load, and a so called “Cold Solidity Test” issued by a French Engineering Bureau required for large public events. It is critical to get those documents from the Stretch Tent Manufacturer in order to apply and obtain the Security Register for a particular tent. The Security Register has to be maintained and renewed on regular basis as described in the Security Register. Very few Stretch Tents Manufacturer can provide the correct set of required documents. It cost a lot in both time and money to perform all the tests and it can turn out that the tent is not compliant to French Standards and cannot be legally exploited in France and covered by Insurance Policy.
In Germany, the best Stretch Tents Manufacturer have now received TUV approvals and the product is becoming very popular and trendy in the events industry.