I missed out on sleeping in a tent as a little kid. My family wasn鈥檛 outdoorsy, and the closest thing we got to a tent was my grandparent鈥檚 cottage in Michigan. So I had to surmount a steep learning curve when I finally pitched a tent for the first time.聽
Over the years, I've learned proper technique through lots of trial聽and error: once,聽in the Grand Canyon, just as the clouds started to roll in, I set up a tent without a tarp underneath it. Those clouds turned into a six-hour downpour, after one hour of which my tent was completely soaked. I spent the night below a covered picnic table.
Thankfully, I've made the mistakes for you. Here鈥檚 how to avoid bungling your tent the first time out.聽
Buy a freestanding tent that鈥檚 easy to pitch
Most tent designs聽these days use two poles to create a dome that鈥檚 relatively straightforward and easy to set up. That鈥檚 what you want to look for: a tried-and-true design that鈥檚 kept people warm and dry for years. Whatever you do, get a free-standing tent: non freestanding tents can be great for going ultralight or if you have a lot experience in the backcountry, but for the most part they鈥檙e a pain to set up and don't offer the same amount of protection. Tents like or (my personal favorite) are standout classic. The Half Dome 2 even comes with setup instructions right on the tent鈥檚 stuff sack.聽
Seam seal聽the tent and fly聽
Most tents come from the factory with a waterproof rain fly, but over time, they'll lose their waterproofness. In my experience, this is even truer with lower-priced, entry-level tents, some of which I鈥檝e had trouble with right out of the box. One way to make sure your tent won鈥檛 leak on you聽is to apply a and use on the fly. Give it plenty of time to dry聽before taking it camping.聽
Always use a tarp or footprint
My night in the Grand Canyon would have been a lot less soggy if I鈥檇 had a footprint or tarp with me. Tent floors are pretty durable and water resistant, but a lot of rain pooling below will defeat them. Plus, not only does a聽footprint聽keep water out, it also prevents your tent floor from getting ripped up. I recommend buying聽聽to make your own footprint, just make sure to make cut the Tyvek so it鈥檚 smaller than the tent floor so water doesn't collect on it.聽
Always聽stake out the tent鈥攚ith nice tent stakes聽
I once woke up in the middle of the night at a campground in Moab to someone else鈥檚 tent blowing past my campsite. Regardless of whether there鈥檚 wind or rain in the forecast, a properly staked-out tent is going to give you more interior space and keep the tent walls off your face at night. I also recommend buying some , as the ones that come with a lot of entry-level tents are garbage and will bend the first time you use them. You鈥檒l want to drive the stakes in at a 45-degree angle facing away from your tent.聽
Use the rainfly聽
Here鈥檚 another misconception: 鈥渋t鈥檚 not going to rain, so there鈥檚 no need for the rainfly.鈥 Wrong. First of all, and this is especially true if you鈥檙e in the mountains, weather changes quickly. It鈥檚 much better to have the thing on than聽scramble聽to set it up at 2 a.m. Using the rain fly will also keep you much warmer, and most tents these days have great ventilation, so you don鈥檛 need to worry about getting too hot. If you鈥檙e really worried about heat, then check out a tent like the or , which have cool, roll-up rain fly designs.
Bring paracord
Most tents come with a few pieces of string with little plastic sliders attached鈥攖hese are guy lines, which are meant to provide additional support for your tent in strong winds. They attach to fabric or webbing loops on the rain fly and can be staked down (that鈥檚 what those extra tent stakes in the bag are for). These work pretty well, but I keep some extra with my tent stakes, as well. If it鈥檚 really windy, you鈥檒l need to attach more guy lines, and having paracord gives you more options with no weight penalty.聽
Organize in the daylight
Once the tent is set up, the first thing I do is organize anything I鈥檒l need in the middle of the night and hang a or small聽 from the tent鈥檚 ceiling. Most tents have either an included gear loft or, at the very least, a loop in the ceiling. I like to get the step聽out of the way while there鈥檚 plenty of daylight so I鈥檓 not left searching for things in the dark.聽
Bonus:聽Don鈥檛 put the fly away wet聽
The first thing you should do in the morning is peel off the rain fly and hang it up somewhere to dry. Chances are it鈥檚 wet鈥攅ither from condensation inside the tent or dew on the outside鈥攁nd you don鈥檛 want to put it away damp if you can avoid it. Obviously that鈥檚 not always possible, so at the very least take it out and let it dry when you get home. Otherwise, it鈥檒l mildew and you鈥檒l have a lot more cleanup to do.