Using your new tent

Before using your new purchase…

Very occasionally, new tents are delivered with parts such as guy lines, runners, pegs or even a pole missing. There could even be a manufacturing fault such as a tear or incorrect stitching lines. For this reason, we recommend that before taking your new tent anywhere, particularly abroad, you take the whole item out of its package and erect it at home (preferably inside). By doing this you will immediately be able to see if there is indeed anything missing or incorrect with the tent. This should be done allowing plenty of time to obtain replacement parts, as necessary. It will also give you a chance to practise erecting your tent quickly and easily before embarking on your holiday.

Pitching and using your tent…

Double skin tents can be pitched in one of two ways, either the fly-sheet or outer tent first or the inner tent first.

The great advantage of pitching the flysheet or outer first is that it is the waterproof part of the tent that is erected first so that the inner can be pitched without the worry of it getting wet. Having erected and secured the outer tent, the inner part is then attached which can require a little crawling around inside.

The alternative system requires the inner tent to be erected first. These type of tents are quick and easy to put up and as the flysheet is thrown over the already erected inner it requires no crawling around inside. One disadvantage is though that the inner has no protection during pitching and may be soaked before the flysheet is added, if you had to pitch in bad weather.

There are a few tents that can be stored and pitched with the inner attached to the outer tent. This makes them very quick to pitch and keeps the inner tent dry during wet weather pitching. However if the outer tent is damp it is advisable to separate the inner from the outer before packing and to let both parts dry before storing.

When choosing a place to pitch your tent, a flat, dry sheltered spot is the best. Clear the site of sharp stones or debris. If possible tent should be pitched facing away from the wind. If camping in windy weather, try not to pitch down wind of trees. You will find that the noise of the wind through the branches or even twigs blown from the tree could make for a very disturbed night.

When pitching a tent where the flysheet pitches first, make sure that all the poles are threaded through the correct sleeves before you attempt to secure the poles in the eyelets or ring and pins of the flysheet. This is especially important if the tent is a large one. Most of the large dome tents require two people for ease of erection. For some it is useful to have an extra person, possibly a child, to go under the flysheet, to take the weight of the fabric and it then becomes an easy job to make the fabric taut and so to connect the pole ends to the eyelets or ring and pins of the flysheet.

Dome tents are self-supporting and so can be moved to the most favourable position before pegging out. Always ensure that you have an adequate amount of pegs and secure the tent with guy lines, especially if the weather conditions are adverse. When striking camp you may find that the outer is damp through condensation or rain. If possible separate the inner and the outer and spread them to dry in a suitable place while you continue with other tasks. The inner should be dry on all areas except perhaps the groundsheet base and should be packed carefully to ensure that it does not come into contact with a damp or dirty flysheet or dirty pegs. If you are packing in a rucksack make sure you pack the items in the order that you can quickly retrieve them to pitch the next time, without having to unpack your whole bag. If you must pack the tent when wet or damp then at the earliest opportunity spread out both the inner and outer to dry thoroughly before repacking or storing. At the end of your holiday, make sure that your tent is clean and dry. Use only recommended tent cleaners. Always store in dry conditions and your tent will be ready for your next camping trip