How to Assemble a Tent
Whether you're hiking in the mountains or camping in your backyard, a tent provides quick shelter to protect you from bugs, rain or snow. While tents vary in size, most tents have a similar design and are assembled the same way.
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Instructions
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Survey your tent site and remove any large rocks or sticks from the area where you want to assemble the tent. This protects your tent from getting tears. If you're in a cold area, you should stake a tarp to the ground. You'll assemble your tent on top of the tarp to create a barrier between the ground and the floor of your tent.
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Unpack your supplies, laying your tent out with the top up. Some companies color coordinate the poles' ends with the corner guides or sleeves the poles go into. Small tents may be assembled with two long poles, but most tents should have two poles for the top and four poles for the legs. If you have the directions provided by the manufacturer, it's a good idea to review them.
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Assemble the tent poles. Newer tent models have shock-corded poles that break apart into small sections for easier transport. Snap the pieces together and your poles are ready to go. Older tent models have pole pieces that aren't connected and may require trial and error before you get the right pieces together to form the correct length.
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Insert the poles for the top of the tent. These generally crisscross the tent in the middle and run diagonal from corner to corner. Gently slide the poles through the sleeves and then insert the tips into the corner guides. You may have to slightly flex the pole to get the tips into the corner guides. Some larger tents have a third pole that runs straight across the middle of the tent's roof.
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Set the side poles into place. There shouldn't be a specific order for your side poles. Insert the top of the pole into a corner guide and run the pole vertical to the ground. The bottom of each pole may have a hole in it or an elastic band. If your tent has small metal stakes at the bottom corners, you need to insert these into the bottom of your poles.
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Use metal stakes to secure your tent to the ground. Elastic bands at the bottom of the tent pole can be looped over the hook on the metal stake before you hammer it into the ground. Some stakes may fit into the holes on your tent poles. Depending on the surface where you assemble your tent you may be able to step on the stakes to drive them into the ground.
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Determine if you need a rainfly over your tent. The rainfly should have small hooks designed to fit into holes at the bottom of your side poles. Secure one side of the rainfly and then toss the other side up over your tent. Position the rainfly properly and then hook it in place on the remaining two poles.
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Tips & Warnings
Before you head away from civilization, inventory your supplies and ensure that you have all the poles.
Practice assembling your tent in your backyard before taking a new tent camping.
If your poles aren't color coordinated, compare the lengths of your poles. The four poles that are the same length should be the side supports for your tent and the remaining poles should be for your top support.
Forcing the poles into place may rip your tent.
Unless you're an expert at assembling your tent, plan enough time to set up your tent while it's still light enough to see.
