A good tent will make the difference between a good camping trip and a great camping trip — here are five things to look for:

• Screens are great because they make a tent weight less and at night, if you're not expecting rain, you can take the fly off and look at the stars. The mesh keeps the bugs out and lets the breeze come through for a more comfortable night's sleep
  
• Taped seams are important to keep a tent good and dry, because sewing creates thousands of tiny holes in the tent material.
  
• A bathtub floor — one that comes a few inches up the walls on all sides — keeps water from getting into your tent from the ground in a torrential downpour.
  
• A fly with a vestibule provides extra space outside the tent where you can store extra gear or put your dirty boots without getting the tent wet.
  
• Two doors are better than one. People can get out separate exits without crawling over each other.

When you're shopping for a tent, try it out in the store, asking a salesperson to help you set it up so you can do it more quickly on your own the next time. Or simply rent all the camping gear for your first outing. An outback pack for two may cost a little over $100 for the weekend and many stores will deduct the price of the rental from the purchase price if you decide to buy the equipment afterwards.