How to set up a tent for the first time, step by step

Setting up a tent for the first time takes about 15 minutes with a practice run and an hour without one. The order matters more than speed. Clear the ground, lay a footprint, build the frame, clip the tent on, stake the corners, then add the rainfly.

Before you leave home

Open the bag and check the contents against the maker's list: tent body, poles, stakes, rainfly, guy lines. Many tents print a diagram on the bag or the pole sleeve. Take a photo of it.

Put the tent up once in a yard or park. This is the best thing you can do.

Step 1: pick the spot

Choose flat ground, slightly raised, with no stones. Clear sticks and pine cones. Check overhead for dead branches. Face the door away from the wind. If it might rain, avoid low ground where water collects.

Step 2: lay the footprint

The footprint is a ground sheet under the tent. It protects the floor from damp and stones. Tuck the edges under so rain does not run between the layers.

Step 3: lay out the tent and stake one corner

Spread the tent body. Put a stake through one corner loop to keep it from blowing away. Do this even in calm air.

Step 4: build the frame

Join the pole sections. Thread each pole through its sleeve or attach the clips. Take your time with flexible poles and bend them gently. If one catches, pull it back and try again, because forcing it can snap the pole.

For most dome tents the poles cross at the top. Fix the pole ends into the corner grommets. The tent will stand up.

Step 5: stake the corners

Pull each corner out until the floor is flat, then push a stake in at about a 45 degree angle, leaning away from the tent. Stakes straight up pull out sooner. Tent stakes for sand and loose ground shows what to use if the ground is loose.

What goes wrong first. Stakes pull out in wind or soft ground. Add extra stakes and use the guy lines.

Step 6: add the rainfly

Throw the rainfly over the frame. Match the door to the door. Clip or buckle it at the corners. Check that it does not touch the tent walls, because rain can soak through where they touch. Tighten the straps.

Step 7: guy lines

Attach cord to the loops on the fly, stretch them out and stake them. Tension them evenly. This adds stability in wind and keeps the fly off the tent.

Step 8: set up inside

Put your sleeping pad and bag in, shoes by the door and a headlamp in a pocket. Zip the doors when you are away so bugs do not get in.

Packing it up

Shake the tent out and let it dry before you pack it. A damp tent will smell and may grow mould. If you must pack it wet, open it at home as soon as you can. Fold it the same way each time.

If you are unsure what to buy, how to choose a camping tent gives a simple rule.

Setting up in wind

Wind turns a simple pitch into a fight. Use this order.

1. Stake the windward corner first, the one the wind hits.
2. Keep the tent body low to the ground until the poles are in.
3. Ask someone to hold a corner while you work.
4. Put the poles in with the door facing away from the wind.
5. Put the fly on last, and keep a firm hold of it as it goes over.

If gusts are strong, wait. A tent can fly off and take a pole with it. For loose ground and strong wind, tent stakes for sand and loose ground explains better stakes.

Fixing common problems

A note on condensation. Your breath adds water to the air. In a closed tent it settles on the walls. Open a vent at the top and one low down, so air moves through.

Take care of the tent

Do not pull a pole to straighten it. Work it gently. Do not drag the tent over stones. Pack the stakes in their own bag so they do not tear the fabric. Store the tent loose and dry at home when you can, not squeezed tight in its bag all year.