Tent Glossary

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Foreword

This glossary, a list of technical terms, has been written by campers for campers. But not only for them. It is meant to serve all those who read texts about tents or about camping in general and those who have to write such texts: manufacturers and salespersons of tents and camping equipment (including exporters and importers), editors of camping magazines, camping journalists, officilas of camping organizations and authorities who have to edit texts in this field.

The glossary is a fundamentally revised version of a list which was compiled in 1975 by the Tent Commission of the International Camping and Caravanning Federation (FICC). This first list served later on as a base for the corresponding Vocabulaly of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), issued in 1984 as ISO standard 7152. Owing to technical evolution, a completely revised and enlarged version of this standard is being published in 1996. The present glossary has been worked out in close collaboration with the competent Technical Committee (ISO/TC 83/SC 2). To a large extent the two lists are identical. The FICC glossary cantains however more terms and definitioons, as, in contrast to the ISO standard, which is intended only for experts, the glossary is meant aloso for amateurs.

For the time being, the glossary exists only in English, French and German, the three official languages of the FICC. Its authors hope however that experts of other countries will translate it sooner or later into thier own languages. The exact explanation of the meaning of each term should make this easy for them.

Don't forget however that every language changes - together with technical evolution. Thus the glossary is not made for eternity and will be adapted in future to comply with technical and linguistic changes. In this sence we wish it a long life and hope it will be useful to all who have to do with tents.

Summer 1996
Hans Behrmann
Chairman of the FICC Tent Commission