Are you shopping for a new tent and paying close attention to tent accessories?
Does your tent leak whenever you try to run a cord through the tent door?
It sounds like what you’re looking for is an E port. These little accessories are actually really convenient and make camping a little bit easier.
But, what is an E-port on a tent?
An E-port is an accessory on a tent which allows easy access to an extension cord. This may not seem necessary, but it can prevent tent leaking and bugs from entering if you need to run a cord into your tent. Not all tents come with this.
Read on for more details.
Table of Contents
5 Reasons To Have An E-Port On A Tent
While E-ports may seem like a luxury, you should still check out the situations you may find it comes in handy.
#1 Easy Access To Cord
This first one is obvious, but it still bears saying. An E-port’s entire job is to provide an easy place to run a cord into your tent.
Rugged campers may not need this, but if you’re near a campground or visiting a friend’s house, the E-port can help you keep your phones, heaters, and other electronic accessories plugged in easily.
#2 Prevent Leaking
While you could run a cord through one of your windows or the door, it will never seal properly. Then, when it rains, you could have some serious leaking problems.
With an E-port’s design, even in rain you won’t have rain seeping in.
#3 Keep Bugs Out
Along the same lines, running an extension cord through the window or door can also let some bugs into your tent.
While most people fear water in a tent more, there are many who HATE getting a bug in their tent (my wife is one of these people!).
E-ports let the cord in without running the risk of a full-on bug invasion.
#4 Protect The Cord
Trying to force an extension cord where it isn’t meant to go can result in a frayed cord. The E-ports provide easy and straight connection which keeps the cord intact.
#5 Safety
If you add water in a tent from leaking to frayed and exposed wires from a damaged cord, you end with a very dangerous situation.
By avoiding this completely, an E-port provides safety for those who want to use a cord in their tent.
5 Tents With E-Ports
Now that you want one, what tents have E-ports?
There are a lot out there, but here’s a quick list of 6 tents with E-ports we recommend:
- Eureka Copper Canyon Tent
- Coleman Dome Tent
- Core 9 Person Instant Canyon Tent
- Coleman Elite WeatherMaster Tent
- ALPHA Camp Easy Setup Tent
Here’s a quick reference chart on these tents for direct comparison. Don’t forget to check current prices on Amazon to see if there’s a deal!
| Feature | Eureka | Coleman Dome | Core | Coleman Elite | ALPHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of people sleeping | 6 person tent | 2-6 person tent | 9 person tent | 6 person tent | 3-4 person tent |
| E-port location | Front Left | Front Left | Beside Side Door | Beside Side Door | Front Left |
| Price Range | Medium | Affordable | Above average | Above average | Medium |
| Overall Rating | 4/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Award | Best Extras | Most Affordable | Most Spacious | Editor’s Choice | Easiest Setup |
Conclusion
Now you know all about E-ports and how they can affect your camping experience.
While you may not want to pick a tent only based on the E-port, this extra accessory may be something that puts a certain tent you’re considering over the edge.
If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy the extra, but vital, accessory of tent footprints.