How to pitch a tent

Content

Part 2 of 3: Folding and maintaining the tent
Part 3 of 3: Finding a place
Tips

1 Place a tarp under the tent before starting the installation. When setting up your tent, it is important not to get the bottom wet, for this you need a tarp. Good quality plastic and vinyl tarps should be included with every tent.

Lay the tarp so that it matches the shape of the tent, even slightly smaller.You don't want a piece of tarp to stick out over the edge of the tent and accumulate moisture underneath. Fold over long ends of the tarp before placing it under the tent.

2 Lay out and count all the parts of the tent. Modern tents are made up of lightweight nylon, poles assembled into a single block, and stakes, while older tents usually include a rag awning and detachable poles. You will at least need an awning and poles, and the installation method is no different from the traditional one.

3 Place your tent on a tarp. Find the bottom of the tent and place it on the tarp. Place the tent with doors and windows in your preferred direction. Spread it out and start collecting the poles.

4 Connect the poles. Depending on the type of your tent, they can be connected with elastic bands, or they can be prefabricated, in which case you will need to connect them yourself. Connect the poles and lay them along the side of the tent.

5 Insert the poles into the holes in the awning. Most common tents have two through holes that intersect to form an X to form the main frame of your tent. To insert the poles, you usually need to find a hole in the corner of the shawl and slide the pole through this flap, or secure the poles with plastic clips sewn to the tent itself.

Read the instructions that came with your tent, or study your tent carefully to determine how to set the poles. Each tent is designed differently.

6 Raise your tent. This takes some dexterity, so it's best to pitch your tent with someone else. After you have attached both poles, they should be curved in their direction, straightened and raise the tent, so you should have a kind of berth.

With some tents, you will have to suffer a little. Pull the corners to square the tent and make sure the poles are secured and untangled.
Depending on which tent you have, there may be hooks attached to it, held by small ropes that are part of the structure. Attach these hooks to the poles by raising the tent slightly. It remains for you to add a few more necessary parts of the structure to raise the tent.

7 Secure the scarf. After the tent is relatively fixed, repeating the square shape of the tarp, use pegs that should be threaded through the holes in the corners of the tent to secure the tent to the ground. If you are on rocky or fairly hard ground, you may need a small hammer or other blunt object to drive the stakes. Some stakes bend easily, so be careful.

8 If you have one, pull up the awning. Some tents have a rain cover. It is made from a different material. Some have additional tent poles, so read the instructions that came with your tent to find out how to set it up if you have any difficulty.

Part 2 of 3: Folding and maintaining the tent

1 Let the tent dry in the sun before assembling it. If it is raining, it is imperative to let the tent dry inside and then fold it inside, or the next time you get out into nature, you will be in for a musty surprise. Hang the tent on low branches or on a rope when you get home and let it dry completely, then fold it down.
2 Roll up each item individually and pack. If you have a separate bag for each item, assembling the tent can seem daunting at first. There is no particular secret in how to fold the tent, it is usually even better to just fold it rather than fold it. Stack each element - tent and awning - and fold them in half, then fold as tightly as you can and place in the bag.
3 Do not fold the tent the same way every time. It is very important not to allow the formation of folds in your tent, from which small holes may appear, and they will become larger over time. Roll up, shove in the tent, but don't fold it.
- Better to have a crumpled awning next time than huge folds that create holes. Remember, a tent is not a fashionable thing, but protection from the external environment.
4 Lay down the stakes and poles at the last moment. When the tent and awning are already in the bag, you just need to tuck the stakes and poles on the side. Everything is pretty tight there, so be careful not to hit the edges of the tent with the poles - this can lead to damage.
5 Ventilate the tent periodically. Do this occasionally, for example, between hikes. It is a good habit to regularly ventilate the tent, to spread it out in the yard, because this way you avoid the appearance of mold, spoiling the structure of the fabric, or mice that have settled in the tent. There is no need to install it - just take it out, shake it and shove it back in (just fold it differently).

Part 3 of 3: Finding a place

1 Find a suitable tent spot. Choose a space that is large enough to assemble your tent. If you are in a city or national park, make sure you are within the camping area. Make sure you are not privately owned and follow all laws.
2 Find a level area in the camp where you will pitch your tent. Remove rocks, twigs, and other foreign matter from the tent site. If you are in a pine forest, you are in luck, because the layer of pine needles makes the soil dry and promotes restful sleep.
- Do not pitch your tent in swamps, turf or pits. Any places that are below the level of the surrounding terrain will be flooded in the event of rain. Even if you have a waterproof awning, there will be a rather unpleasant situation when everything is in the water. The ideal surface is flat and raised above the surrounding landscape.
3 Consider the direction of the wind. Position your tent so that the wind does not blow into the entrance, turning your tent into a kind of ball and applying excessive pressure on the stakes.
- Use the surrounding forest cover to create a windbreak. Place your tent close to the trees and they will slightly protect you from the wind.
- Do not sit on a dry river bed / bay - suddenly you will be flooded; Also, do not pitch your tent under trees that can become a dangerous threat during a storm, or under massive branches that can fall on your tent.
4 Determine where the sun rises. It would be nice to determine in advance on which side the dawn will be, so as not to be awakened by the rays of the sun in the morning. In the summertime, the tent turns into an oven, so if you don't think about how to hide your tent from the morning sun, you risk waking up sweaty and irritable. In the ideal place for a tent, shade awaits you in the morning, and you wake up when you want.
5 Organize your camp correctly. Place your sleeping time away from the kitchen and restroom (preferably, the kitchen and toilet are not located on the leeward side, attributing all the smells to your tent). If you are going to start a fire at camp, make sure the fire is far from your tent and be sure to put out the fire before you go to sleep.