How to Pitch a Tent
Setting up your portable palace in the great outdoors
isn’t simply a matter of picking out a random spot in the woods and tossing
the tent fabric onto its poles.
It pays to keep in mind that you’ll be using the tent as your temporary
shelter for the duration of your camping or hiking trip.
As such, you should not only be well-versed in the actual pitching of
the tent, but would do well to similarly consider the ideal spot in which to
situate your home away from home.
Before you set out on your journey into the wild, you
should practice pitching your tent at home, especially if you’re a novice
when it comes to setting up outdoor equipment.
This way, you won’t be hampered by adverse conditions, such as
freezing temperatures or strong winds, while you’re going through the
learning process. Should you
encounter a harsh environment during your actual trip, you will at least be
familiar with the pole attachments, how the rain-fly fits over the inner
tent body, and other aspects of the tent’s basic setup.
When you do actually head out, bring the instructions
for the tent along, just in case you forget something when the time comes to
pitch it. Time your first foray
out with the new tent so that it is still daylight when you pitch the tent,
as darkness in the wilderness, without any reliable sources of natural or
artificial light, will make the tent pitching a significant challenge.
The best spot in which to pitch your tent would be one
where the ground is level, and there is sufficient shade to protect against
both the sun and the wind.
Choose an area that has decent drainage, where water does not collect, to
protect against wet weather conditions, and one that does not have any rocks
or roots where your tent will be situated, to avoid damaging the tent or
causing discomfort. If you are
in a populated or public camping area, do try to maintain some distance
between you and your neighbors, so you don’t end up interfering with each
other’s activities. Consider the
layout of your camp site, where you will be doing your food preparation,
washing up, eating, and starting a fire, and plan in such a way that
potentially hazardous tasks do not end up harming you or destroying your
tent.
It is always a good idea to secure your tent with guy
lines and stakes or pegs, even if the tent is a free-standing model.
For most tents, the best results can be obtained by driving in the
stakes first, and then attaching the rods that allow the tent to pop up.
Make sure the stakes are positioned as far out as you can get them,
for optimal tautness and to avoid sagging.
The guy lines should extend straight away from the tent, normally in
the direction of the tent seams.
You want your inner and outer tent fabric to remain separate so that the
inner tent will remain dry if it rains, which can only be achieved with taut
lines. Different kinds of stakes
are needed for different kinds of terrain, so make sure you’re bringing the
right types for your location.
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