How to Pitch a Tent
Pitching a tent well means a world’s difference between a peaceful sleep outdoors or your tent being blown over by the smallest gust of wind. Here’s how to pitch a tent correctly. Learn this at home, at least a week before your camping trip, so you won’t get lost doing it when you need the tent the most!
Be smart about your camping trip. Plan and schedule your trip so that you will arrive at the camping site at daylight. This will help pitching the tent easier.
Look for a flat site to pitch your tent on. Avoid camping on a hilly or a valley site. Indentations on the ground means water collecting in those indentations, and that won’t make for a very comfortable tent life.
pitch tent
Clear the area where the tent will be standing on. Rocks, sticks, detritus all have to go. The smoother the surface, the more comfortable you will be lying on top of it later.
Avoid trees that have “droppings”. For example, pine trees have a tendency to drop pine cones or tree sap. Try to avoid trees and go for open spaces, if you can.
Spread out a ground cloth that will protect the bottom part of your tent from dirt or water. Keep it tucked under the tent edges, so that water will not seep in through the sides of the tent, should it rain.
Avoid the typical beginner mistake of putting the rods in first. The correct way? Drive in the stakes before putting the rods. Make sure that they are positioned in the maximum area so that when the tent is put on, it will be taut and more secure.
Take the poles, pull them until they snap into place. Run them through the fabric through the holes until the tent can stand on its own.
Put the rain-fly on, pulling it back as taut as you can. This will help prevent it from flying off should high winds come.