Setting Up A Cabin Tent

Setting up your cabin tent might seem a complex task if you’re doing so for the first time. Tents are useful and essential piece of camping gear, but it’s really difficult to set them up properly in the dark without proper preparation. However, once you successfully set up your camping tent, it becomes a familiar routine that you can easily repeat even in the most difficult camping and hiking conditions. Best of all, once you’ve mastered the technique of setting up one kind of tent, you can easily set up other kind of camping tents, be they family tents or dome tents. Hiking and camping should be enjoyable, and they certainly can be if you become expert in setting up your hiking and camping equipment. Let’s have a close look at few tips that will help you in setting up your camping tent efficiently and quickly.

Tent placement tips:

• You should choose relatively flat area on high ground. This will prevent rain from building up under the tent. It also stabilizes the tent base and you won’t roll downhill in your sleeping bag. 
• Set up your camp away from the fire pit to avoid fire hazard, as this will prevent any sparks from hitting your tent. 
• Leave some space for the tent lines to be pulled out. This will keep the rain fly from coming in contact with the tent roof and leaking. 
• To avoid rips in air mattresses or the tent bottom, choose an area that is clear of stones/sharp sticks on the ground. 
• Avoid the area with too many trees with dead branches. In case of a lighting storm, tall trees can be a target of lighting strikes. Dead branches can also fall in the heavy wind. 
• When camping, leave space for other camping equipment, such as dining shelter.
• Use ground tarp underneath your camping camp to lessen the wear at the bottom and stay dry. 
• For setting up your camping tent, follow manufacturer’s instructions. Every tent comes with its own set of instructions. Have patience, tent setup will become faster with practice!  

How to setup a cabin tent perfectly?

• Before you go out camping, you should practice setting up your cabin tent at least a couple of times. Though some camping tents (such as family tents) have simple designs, other tents can be complex, such as dome tents, which are difficult to assemble when it’s dark and you’re deep in the woods. 
• Select a flat area free of all sharp objects. Clear this area of rocks, large sticks or other debris that would be uncomfortable to sleep on or could cause a puncture or can rip your tent.
• Unpack your tent and all its parts. Now sort out parts of your cabin tent into respective groups-tent poles, tent stakes, rain fly and so on. This way, you won’t have to frantically search for them when you’re setting up your tent. 
• Unfold your camping tent and lay it gently in the selected area. Make sure your tent is facing the direction you desire. For instance, you can point it towards east if you would like to open your tent door to the rising sun. 
• Now stake down the corners of your camping tent. If your tent has a footprint (a ground cloth shapes specifically for your tent) or a ground cloth, set that down first. Next, stake down the tent, pulling its floor fairly tight as you do so. Family tents and big tents almost always have to be staked down, but this might not be necessary with some backpacking tents. This is a good feature if you’re planning to camp at a place where staking might be an issue. 
• Connect the tent poles. These poles come in sections that you can easily put together. Mostly, tent poles are color-coded so that you don’t put the wrong sections together. If you’re not sure, you can read instructions to find out ways to differentiate between the different poles.
• Now assemble the frame of your camping tent. These days, you can get camping tents in various designs. Some tents are simple two-pole designs and will stand up only when tent is staked down, while others are free standing, such as dome tents that use many poles to support each other. Whichever way your tent works, erecting its frame will involve sliding its poles through sleeves on the outer side of the tent or securing the pole ends in grommets at the tent’s base, and then firmly attaching the body of the camping tent to the poles using clips. 
• Secure the rain-fly of your cabin tent. Most of the camping tents (except single-wall mountaineering tents) are not waterproof. Most camping tents come with rain-fly (waterproof cover) that easily secures the top side of the tent for protecting it from rain. If your tent has a rain-fly, you should secure it over the top of your tent. You can do that easily by fastening the corners of your rain-fly to the cords that attach to the base of your tent. You can use additional ties or clips that can be attached to the tent poles.