Top tent pitching tips

Ever found yourself tripping over the tent pegs or woken up in a sopping wet sleeping bag? Then check out our top tent pitching tips.

1. Reflective guy lines make going to the loo in the night less triptastic.
2. Do a last round of tensioning the guylines before going to bed if it’s windy. Line Loks are useful tensioning devices. I recommend the glow in the dark ones.
3. Take a camping mallet as you can’t always rely on finding a stone to bash pegs in with and summer ground can be hard.
4. When pitching your tent, select an area that’s as flat as possible, and sheltered from the prevailing wind by a hedge or similar (face the door away from the wind, too).
5. Don’t pitch your tent in a low-lying area or on a river bank if rain is a possibility. Otherwise your tent’s ‘bath tub floor’ may become just that.
6. Don’t pitch under a tree if it is likely to rain. The tree will continue dripping long after the rain passes – Chinese torture!
7. Consider lying down to check there are no bumps or hollows. Clear away all the sheep poo, stones and sticks that may damage your tent.
8. Think before unpacking your tent if it’s windy. Put something heavy on pole/peg bags and flysheet. Get at least two upwind pegs in as soon as possible.
9. Pitch it taut enough so the fly isn’t touching the inner: air circulation between the two will keep your inner dry and lessen the risk of condensation forming.
10. To further minimse condensation, cover any exposed ground in the porch with a plastic- based sheet or spread out waterproofs and/or rucksacks.

And above all else, make sure you’ve got yourself a top-notch tent - check out our buyers guide.

If you have any extra tips you’d like to share with us -just facebook us, tweet @OAGmag, or comment below with your ideas!

Words: Sarah Stirling

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