Tips For Pitching a Tent

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Flexible Poles

Most tent poles are made of aluminium or fibreglass sections, threaded with elastic. The sections clip together to make flexible poles. When putting them together, avoid swinging the poles in order to prevent damage to the elastic. The poles should be put together below knee height to avoid hitting anybody else in the face with an end.

Most tents have fabric sleeves to thread the poles through. The pole should be carefully pushed through the sleeve from one end; avoid using too much force or you may tear the pole sleeve. If you have somebody to help, they can pull gently on the sleeve in order to help the pole through. Avoid pulling the pole, as the sections will come apart inside the sleeve.

Next you will need to connect the poles on one side, either by putting the end into a brass eyelet or by inserting a metal pin into the hollow end of the pole. Once one end is connected, carefully bend the pole and insert the opposite end in the appropriate place. You may need to pull the tent fabric tight as you do so. If the pole seems to be under too much strain, stop and check that nothing is caught or tangled, otherwise you risk breaking a pole. If your tent has a separate porch pole, this is often the last to be inserted. 

In or Out?

Pegging Out

Once your tent is the correct shape, peg out the corners, and then any other peg loops. Zip up all of the doors before you start, or you may find that the fabric is too tight to close them afterwards.

Pegs should be driven in at roughly a 45 degree angle, pointing downwards towards the tent. Start with the back corners and then work your way forwards, ensuring the fabric is fairly tight, but not excessively stretched. Although thin tent pegs can be painful to press in to hard ground, don’t step on them, as they will bend out of shape. Instead, use a mallet or a small rock to tap them in. 

The guy lines hanging from the side of the tent are pegged out last of all to add extra security in high winds. They come with a plastic runner for adjusting their length. Start with the runner roughly one third of the way up the rope from the ground. This ensures that you can tension the rope afterwards, but doesn’t leave a long rope that people are likely to trip over. You can mark the ropes with reflective tape in order to avoid tripping in the dark.

Extra Rooms

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