Pitching your new tent can be an intimidating
prospect when you don’t know how.
But with a few tips and pointers we’ll show
you that building your new home from home
is actually pretty easy.
Most tents these days are the tunnel type
where the poles all run in a line, these are
the simplest type to pitch so here’s how
you do it.
It’s essential that before you hit the road
for your camping holiday that you check that
the tent is complete – sometimes they come
in multiple bags.
So a practice pitch in the garden is the best
idea.
It will also mean then when you head to the
campsite you’ll already be an expert!
Firstly get everyone involved, the more hands
the better.
And don’t rush - slow and methodical will
win the day!.
Lay the tent out making sure you know where
everything is.
Outer, inner, poles, pegs
The poles may be different lengths but will
be colour coded – with one section different
to the others this will match with a tab on
the tent itself.
There’ll also be a big bag of pegs.
I usually put a handful in my back pocket
so I’ve got them when I need them.
This tent is tunnel style with a sewn in groundsheet
which is often the case – to check what
type of tent you have please have a look on
our website or pop in store.
This is the Zenobia 6 but the principals can
be applied to all sewn in tunnel tents.
Have a look at where you want the front entrance
of your tent to be.
There’s nothing like a nice view in the
morning.
If you’re in a campsite that doesn’t have
specific pitches, look for a dry, flat spot
that ideally isn’t under trees.
Peg out each corner then start slipping the
poles through their sleeves, this is a much
easier job with two of you, pulling the tent
fabric back over the pole as you push it through.
Follow this process for all your poles matching
the coloured section with the coloured tabs.
Un zip the doors otherwise you’ll create
a vacuum inside the tent making it hard to
get up.
Pop the pin in one end and start to lift the
tent up with one of you on each side.
If you’re stuggling and have a spare pair
of hands sometimes it can help to stand inside
the tent and lift the fabric.
Remember it should be quite easy so if there
is resistance don’t force it as this can
cause damage..
The pin will now go in the other end and your
halfway there.
Simply repeat this process with the remaining
poles.
The tent might need a bit of a re shuffle
to get it all straight, just make sure everything
looks parallel.
Now the guylines, these are vital for keeping
the tent stable in the wind.
Even if you turn up on the campsite on a beautiful
still evening, make sure every guyline is
used, you never know when a bit of wind might
pick up, you really don’t want to be out
in your pyjamas in the middle of the night!
The guylines should be pegged out at the natural
angle by which they are attached to the tent.
Resist the urge to pull them tight as you’ll
distort the tent and they can be adjusted
later.
Bang the pegs in at about 45degress to get
maximum resistance, if you hit a rock, just
pull it out and have another go.
It’s a good idea to stick the bedrooms in
whilst one of you is doing the guylines, these
are dead easy once you’ve found the coloured
clip follow the seams hooking it on as you
go.
Your tent is now up so it’s time to light
the barbeque!
Dome tents with cross poles are put up in
a similar way but a little more care needs
to be taken when threading the poles through
and you’re more likely to need someone inside
the tent pushing the poles up.
If you have a tent without a sewn in groundsheet
the technique is slightly different as you
put the poles in, then concertina 
the tent up from one end – like this.
