How to Use a Gear Loft in a Tent

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Your tent is your home-away-from-home when camping, but like an efficiency apartment it doesn't come with a lot of closet space. You've pared down your gear to the bare essentials, but it would still be nice to have somewhere to store your toothbrush and GPS watch so you don't roll over them in your sleep. Use a gear loft to add handy storage space to your tent.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Choose a gear loft to fit your tent. A gear loft is essentially a square or triangle of netting that attaches with clips and shockcords to the clothesline loops located just below the ceiling of a tent. Check camping gear websites to find out which gear loft models work best with your tent. You can even rig your own improvised gear loft to save money.

Step2

Secure the gear loft so it forms a shelf or cargo net below the tent ceiling. You want to make sure the gear loft hangs low enough to keep things within easy reach, but high enough not to throttle you when you sit or stand up. You can adjust the tension on most gear loft clips to raise or lower the net.

Step3

Store small, lightweight items in the gear loft to save space on the tent floor and still keep items close at hand. Think of your gear loft as your tent's equivalent of a nightstand. Use it to stow your watch, phone, keys, wallet, book, maps, glasses and other personal items. Some gear lofts feature handy pockets to keep items organized.

Step4

Turn your gear loft into a chandelier. Hang your headlamp, a lightweight flashlight or a battery-powered taplight in the gear loft to serve as an overhead lamp. (This is a great way to give little campers a nightlight.) A few camping gear manufacturers offer gear lofts with built-in lights.

Step5

Hang your gear in to dry. You can toss lightweight, wet articles like socks and T-shirt into the gear loft, or hang them from the shockcords, to dry overnight. Speed up the process in dry weather by opening your tent's roof vents, if you have them. Gear lofts aren't sturdy enough for heavy wet articles like jackets, so dry these outdoors.