Camping means experiencing the best of what nature has to offer. But you can’t make the most of your camping experience if you don’t have a tent that has been set up well. For any first time camper, pitching a tent might seem like a frightful experience. Tents are essential and a useful piece of camping gear, and you need to understand how to pitch a tent properly in order to make the most of your camping experience. It might seem like a difficult task, but after you’ve practiced a few times with our helpful guide, you will be able to set it up easily at the campsite.
Setting up a tent has four phases:
1) How to prepare before the trip: practicing pitching the tent before the trip and making sure you have all the camping and tent essentials on your checklist.
2) Campsite selection: You need to make sure you pick the right campsite that has enough protection from the weather.
3) Pitching tips: Follow these tips to make the set up easier and your tent sturdier.
4) Guying guidance: How to use guylines to prepare for strong winds.
How to prepare before the trip
1) Set up the tent at home
Read the instructions carefully and make sure you have all the parts needed to pitch the tent properly. If you have a piece missing, you have time to get it before the trip. You can use a copy of the instructions, and you can also practice pitching the tent according to YouTube tutorials.
2) Zero in on the campsite
Decide on where you want to pitch the tent before you leave your house for camping. Picking the right campsite for pitching your tent is very important. Though tent floors stand upto water, abrasion, wear and tear, it’s best to find stable ground which will make your tent pitching easy. You can also buy a tent footprint which will protect your tent floor from rough ground. A tent footprint is smaller than your tent floor so that it doesn’t catch and pool rainwater under your tent. If you make your own footprint, do the same. If you bring a full tarp, fold it under so that no part extends beyond the floor perimeter.
Campsite selection:
The best way to pick the right campsite is:
- In well-traveled areas, seek out already existing campsites.
- Always camp at least 200 feet from lakes and streams
- Keep campsites small, and focus the activity on where vegetation is absent.
- Try and not choose pristine areas, areas of nature which haven’t been disturbed yet.
A good quality tent is built to handle both wind and rain, but you can minimize stresses and hazards by selecting sites that offer some natural protection.
Here’s how to select the campsite to avoid wind related problems:
- Look for trees or a hill between you and the prevailing breeze, which will act as a natural windbreak.
- Camping near damaged trees or limbs that can be blown by a severe gust should be avoided.
- Though campers will orient a tent with the smaller side facing the wind for reduced resistance, it’s more important to place the side that has the strongest pole structure facing the wind. If you are camping in hot weather, then make sure one door is facing the wind.
Here’s how you can select the campsite to avoid water-related issues:
Seek higher and drier ground, so you don’t have to deal with the moisture in the air to form condensation inside the tent as temperatures drop.
Look for sites under trees because it will be a cooler microclimate that will provide less condensation.
Pitching tips:
Here are a few helpful tips for when you’ve selected the campsite and are ready to pitch the tent:
- Clear the debris from your tent site.
- If it is windy, then stake down the corners of your tent at the outset.
- Make sure you are extra careful with the poles since they can get tweaked or chipped if not handled properly.
Tent setup: Guyline guidance
Most tents come with guylines for extra stability in strong winds. You will need to attach guylines to guyout points, the sturdy loops that are there on the tent to make sure the tent doesn’t fly because of the wind.
The points to attach the guyots to the guylines should be determined beforehand so that you can set up your tent quickly without any stress.
Conclusion: Since you are going camping to make the most of the beauty nature has to offer and to have fun, make sure you are well prepared when you reach the campsite and know everything about setting up a tent before you reach there. This handy guide will help you keep the few points in mind when you are setting up a tent.