Don't Forget All Your Accessorizing Options

Explore the breadth of accessories and customizations where you'll find starting prices listed on most pages where it's possible for us to give you an estimate. And always feel free to reach out for more pricing info!

1. Durability & Materials 

Frame materials are one of the biggest contributors to cost discrepancy you see amongst tents, domes, truss, and accessories.

This boils down to 2 factors:

• Type of materials used
• Amount of materials used 

When we say “material types” we’re talking about the fact that aluminum tent frames cost more than their steel counterparts because the same amount of aluminum costs more than the same amount of steel. We choose to use aluminum because it has a better strength-to-weight ratio compared to steel. The result is a higher cost for a stronger, yet lighter tent.

Additionally, the higher cost of aluminum plus more overall material (think thicker legs and all connectors/fixtures being made of aluminum and your costs go up a little higher.

For comparison, you can see our mightyTENT medium-duty frame legs and MONARCHTENT heavy-duty frame legs compared to the industry standard:

TentCraft uses all-aluminum frames, reinforced aluminum joints in its MONARCHTENT frames that offer both larger profiles and gauge (which is why we can offer a lifetime warranty on the frames).

Recommended Reading: Steel Pop-Up Tents vs. Aluminum Pop-Up Tents: An Honest Comparison

The same is applicable for canopy materials. At TentCraft we’re selling a 600 Denier Polyester for our MONARCHTENT line. It’s designed to optimize for a mix of ink absorption (to prevent cracking and peeling, while still being flexible enough to conveniently fold up, and strong enough to take on weather as well as general wear from use and transport.

Tl;dr: Higher quality materials means costs are higher.

Pro Tip: If you’d like to save some costs, it can be helpful to ask the sales rep you’re working with if there are multiple options of either soft good materials or frame materials to try and get the best mix that fits your budget.

2. Customization, Size, & Complexity

The word custom gets thrown around a lot in this space. For the majority of tent vendors, custom generally means that you have some ability to choose what the canopy looks like, but the actual amount of customization may be limited.

This often means:

1. A standard, non-customizable frame
2. The option to choose from several stock color canopies
3. The ability to include your logo

The more options to customize, the more complexity you’re adding into the manufacturing process, the higher the cost of the product because:

• Our machines have to be set up to accommodate multiple frame specs
• Our engineers have to help ensure the designs will function in the field
• Our print specialists and in-house designers are going to play a more hands-on role in making sure your designs match your brand specs, the resolution requirements, and the overall vibe you want your custom event tent to give off.

You’re buying a tent or set of tents to create a highly unique footprint that is on a limited run, possibly even a 1-of-1.

At TentCraft, we try to mix unique standardizations with the customization you need to help control costs.

As an example, we’re offering a breadth of standardization that feels “custom” by designing 6 MONARCHTENT Frames (All with Different Roof Styles) plus the MONARCHSTALL that’ll allow you to have a canopy tent that is different from your competitors.

Our canopies are truly customizable and we’re offering the services of our in-house design team, including an artists choice option for teams that might not know what they want, yet.

And naturally, the larger the size of the tent, the higher the price. For example, a 10'x20’ pop up tent will cost more than a 10’x10’ pop-up tent. And a 10’x10’ (semi-permanent) frame tent costs more than a 10’x10’ pop-up tent.

3. Accessories & Add-Ons 

Weighted footplates for ballasting tents, heaters, flags, lighting, gutters, custom walls, umbrellas, and signage all make for a more well-rounded, impactful event experience.

And as you can imagine, they also drive the costs of your overall purchase up.

Pro Tip: Ask your sales reps about popular bundles as those will often have a better price point and deliver a mixture of the custom + practical goods you’ll need for any event you encounter.

4. Production Speed aka Turnaround Times

We aim for a window of 3 to 5 days (after art is approved) to make your custom tent. We can hit those quicker turnaround times for the tents we manufacture precisely because we’re actually making the whole tent here in Traverse City, Michigan.

However, the quicker the turnaround times, the more our team has to intervene in the production process, moving orders around based on various priorities and deadlines.

5. Domestic Manufacturing in the United States

Unlike a lot of our competitors, we choose made-in-USA manufacturing (not just assembling), allowing us to offer higher labor standards, and have greater in-house quality control. This does mean that our products sometimes can carry a premium compared to overseas imports.

However, with more tariffs, there is greater pressure on companies relying on multiple countries for products and resources who are forced to raise their prices.

1. Shop Light and Medium-Duty Construction

Some companies offer an extremely lightweight product with thin steel legs imported from overseas, cheap canopy fabric, and heat applied logos. They’re cutting all the corners to remove the cost barrier, but they’re putting the investment risk back on you, the customer. These often come with no or very limited warranties.

Others offer a whole range of tent products that include a light, medium-duty tier, and heavy-duty tier of canopy tents. 

Our mightyTENT is still heavier-duty than most of our competitors' strongest tents, but we use a slightly thinner aluminum leg profile plus we use plastic for the connections and joints to help offer a reduced-price option for customers. It’s still heavy-duty enough that we’re able to offer a 5-year frame warranty.

2. Partial Branding or No Branding

Printing fewer sides or ordering solid, stock color options for canopies can greatly reduce the costs.

3. Standard Sizes

Off-the-shelf dimensions (10x10, 10x15, 10x20) are more affordable than custom sizes and leg extensions that’ll require different machining, lengths of material, and potentially welding services.

4. Bulk Orders

Sales teams and production teams appreciate larger orders that are efficient to produce. When it’s feasible, a sales rep can often offer better deals to account for the business you’re offering the company.

They’re also hoping you’ll come back the next time you have another large order. Communication with the company is key.

5. Ordering Early

Ordering early means two things in the tent manufacturing world.

It might simply mean that you order in advance enough that you’re not requiring the manufacturer to reprioritize other orders, the design teams aren’t required to stay late to hit tight deadlines, and you won’t require special, expedited shipping.

It also can mean placing a custom order during your slower event seasons. Outdoor events, especially in the US tend to happen during the narrow band of spring, summer, and fall. If you order during the high season and you need a tight turnaround, you might experience higher costs than if you had ordered during the slower winter planning seasons.

6. For Frame Tents, Truss, and Event Domes, Consider Renting

We just launched our new rental program that allows brands to rent the hardware of specific products, while purchasing their branded assets and accessories.

This gives teams who don’t need to own another large asset or who want to avoid storage and maintenance costs the ability to still rent a structure that can be fully branded.

Learn more about our rental program here!

TentCraft prices tend to fall on the high-end of the market compared to competitors because we’re selling heavier-duty products that are manufactured in the US, always built to order, and we do very little stock/standardized work.

We're also the company you come to when you're looking for a meaningful service or partnership experience as we excel at providing white glove support that requires communicating goals and ideas as we build your next activation.

You'll find our prices are very competitive when you appropriately compare apples-to-apples products, and what’s included in your purchase (accessories, warranties, custom project support, engineering, logistics management, and design help).

There are a lot of reasons that we continue to be a beloved brand in the outdoor event infrastructure and customization space.

Our customers, perhaps like yourself, think of their custom tent purchases in terms of an investment rather than an initial cost.

They value a product that will last them years and years, and they value having our manufacturing expertise in the planning, designing, building, and shipping process.

Products like our MONARCHTENT Frames or E-Series Frames come with a lifetime warranty that we offer because we know we can stand behind the quality of the engineering and craftsmanship. The idea here is that you can use our TentCraft frames for years and years and simply swap or replace soft goods (like canopies) as you rebrand for specific events.

An investment mindset gives you perspective on a long-term asset rather than buying a lower-quality product you might have to replace more frequently.

Customers who are price sensitive tend to prefer a limited print shop that buys in overseas steel frames knowing that they only need a lightweight tent with a logo for 1 or 2 events before they'll either throw it out or need to replace it.