How to use a Pop Up Tent
A pop up or backpacking tent is a simple shelter you can carry with you whether your hiking, biking, camping, or just enjoying the outdoors and with a little care and maintenance, a quality tent will last for years. In the following steps you will learn how to erect a tent so that it will provide protection from the elements. You also learn some helpful tips on minimizing your environmental impact while camping and some important safety guidelines.
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Things You'll Need
- Tent Body
- Tent Fly
- Plastic Ground Cloth
- Tent Poles
- Junction Tubes
- Tent Stakes
- Rope
- Hammer or Hatchet (for driving stakes into hard soil)
Instructions
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Setting Up a Pop Tent
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1
Clear the area of any rocks or sharp sticks that may puncture your tent floor before setting up your tent. A ground cloth is simply a sheet of plastic cut to fit the footprint of a tent. If your tent did not come with one, you can buy plastic sheeting at any hardware store and make one yourself. Spread the main body of the tent out over the ground cloth.
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2
The tent body will have either a metal ring or fabric loop at each corner. Drive a stake into the ground at each corner making sure that when you are finished the floor of the tent is taut. Make sure the ground cloth does not stick out from the tent body. This could collect rain and cause the floor to leak.
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3
Assemble the tent poles. On an A-frame tent there will be at least four poles, one for each corner, and one ridge or center pole. Take two of the corner poles and join them using one of the junction tubes.
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4
At each corner of the tent body there will be a metal pin attached to the ring you staked out earlier. Insert these pins into the bottom of the poles. Next look at the junction tube, there will be a hole drilled through the center. The hole pointing upward must face the center of the tent.
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5
Raise the two tent pole frames with the help of a partner. The ridge or center pole will be made up of three or four sections usually connected by a shock cord running through the center. Slip the ridge pole through the holes drilled in the center of the junction tubes. Aluminum tent poles can easily bend or break if you apply too much force to them, so be careful. If you are having trouble, separate the ridge pole in the center, slide each side through the junction tubes and then reconnect the sides.
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6
Take the loops of elastic cord tied above each end of the tent and attach them to the junction tubes. Your tent may have clips along the sides of the doors that attach to the corner tubes. If so, attach them now.
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7
A tent fly is a sheet of nylon or plastic secured over the tent to provide added protection against wind and rain. Lay the center of the fly over the ridge pole. Each corner of the fly will have a hook, attach these to the rings on the main body of the tent.
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8
Locate where the center pole passes through the junction tube at the back of the tent and slide on the small section of aluminum pole. Attach the hook in the back of the fly to the end of the pole. Pull the fly tight at the front of the tent. Hook the fly onto the last small section of pole and slide that pole onto the center pole. It may be a tight fit, be careful not to damage the poles.
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9
On either side of the tent there will be two or three D-rings depending on the size of your tent. Attach these to the clips on the inside of the fly. Pull the lines on the sides of the fly taut and then stake them into the ground. If your tent is equipped with a vestibule pull out the loops at the bottom and drive stakes through them. Your pop up tent is now fully assembled.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure you follow the manufacturer's instructions for sealing the tent seams if you are using a new tent. This will prevent leaks. Always set up you tent at least 200 feet away from any body of water. This will minimize soil erosion and help protect the environment.
Do not set up your tent underneath any trees with large overhanging branches. During a storm even healthy trees can loose limbs and injure you or damage your equipment. Be aware of your surroundings. Is there a potential for rock slides or avalanches? Is there evidence of nearby snakes, bears or other potentially dangerous wildlife? Nylon tents are highly flammable. Never have an open flame in or around one.
References
- Photo Credit All Photos By Jeffrey L. Caldwell
