TENTS

Putting them up, taking them down and taking care of them! 

Your tent is your home from home and just like your house a little bit of care and attention will keep it welcoming and cosy.

Four basic rules of tent care

  1. Do read the instructions (boring yes, but well worth it!)
  2. Be gentle with zips and poles
  3. Clean it sometimes
  4. Never store a tent when it’s wet

Putting your tent up

Practice first at home so that you know you have all the bits and how it works. Arriving at your campsite in the dark is not a great point to start working out which pole goes first or worse still that you have no tent pegs!

Check your site

Two minutes checking the ground for sharp stone or branches will be well worth it. If the site slopes pitch your tent so that your head will be higher than your feet when you sleep.

Use a footprint

This is a waterproof ground sheet which is exactly the same size as the tent so that water does not collect at the edges and run back in. It will keep the bottom of the tent safe from sharp stones etc and be more comfortable to sleep on. If you use a larger ground sheet just make sure you tuck it under at the edges.

Looking after your tent while you are camping

Sunshine
Avoid leaving your tent up for long periods in very bright sun as the UV rays will affect its life span.

Muddy boots
Don’t take dirty boots and shoes into the tent. If you are camping from a car take a large plastic box with a lid and keep them outside. If you are backpacking a bin liner or plastic bag will do the same job.

Food and drinks
Don’t go out for the day and leave food inside your tent as insects and other animals will smell it and invade! Again a sealed plastic box is better.

Dogs
Beware of leaving dogs in tents, they my decide to chew their way out and come and find you (or next doors picnic!) even in a dog crate they can easily get too hot or cold so always take them with you.

Taking your tent down

Start in the middle and push don’t pull the shock cord poles. Shake it to remove dust, twigs, insects etc. If it is damp and its not raining, dry it before you put it in the stuff sack (if this is not possible and its not completely dry take it out and dry it as soon as you get home) Roll, don’t stuff it into the stuff sack.

How to clean your tent

Use a non-abrasive sponge, a Nikwax soap and cold water to give your tent a gentle clean each season or after a very long trip. Wash gently and be careful of coated areas of the floor and fly. If your tent has a musty smell or is discoloured it means that you have mould or mildew use a Nikwax cleaner to gently scrub it clean.

Pine sap is sticky and strong smelling but it is possible to remove it if you let it dry out or sprinkle on a dry, unscented powder or just use hand sanitiser or wet wipes and then rinse with water. Nikwax Spray-on solar fabric treatment will improve UV resistance. Clean zippers and poles, brush off dirt and grit then apply a dry lubricant to zipper tracks and pole ends.

Waterproofing your tent

This is a great way to extend the life of your tent. First spread it out and check the seams, if they are damaged gently remove the sections of tape that are peeling off, apply new seam sealer to the inside of the fabric, you can also use seam sealer to mend small holes in the fabric.

Renew the waterproof coating on the fabric by gently cleaning and then applying a coat of Nikwax re-proofer.

See www.nikwax.co.uk for further information on specialist cleaning and re-proofing products