Basic mistakes to avoid when setting up your tent

As hard as it might be to believe it, setting up a tent requires a bit of skills and experience. While almost anyone can manage to set one up, a lot of people do all kinds of rookie mistakes and end up with their tents fallen apart at the slightest breeze or with sleeping in a very uncomfortable tent.

Here are some of the most common and basic mistakes campers make when setting up their tents:

• One of the most common mistakes has nothing to do with the way the tent is actually set up, but with buying the inappropriate tent from the beginning. The most common mistake is buying a tent size that isn’t right for you. The way you should think when purchasing a tent is this: always go with one or two numbers higher than what you need, because tents always seem to feel more crowded than their indicated capacity: if you want a tent for one person, buy one for two, if you want to be able to feel comfortable in it and still have room for your camping gear. If you want one for two people, buy a 3 or 4 people capacity tent
• You are not looking up when choosing your spot. This is a more common mistake than you would think and it can cause a lot of trouble: we always tend to check only the ground we’re going to set our tent on but forget to look up, too, for loose or rotten tree branches which might fall and destroy our tent and even hurt us, or for spider webs, beehives and so on
• You’re not paying attention to the sun. The direction of the sunlight is very important especially during the hot season, because you can end up with a sauna in your tent. Paying attention to the sun is also important during winter, because if you set your tent right, you can take advantage of the sun, gain a few degrees and stay warmer
• You’re choosing a low level ground for your tent. It is best to set up your tent on a higher ground, in case it rains, otherwise you’ll end up with a river in your tent
• Your stake is not pushed all the way into the ground. Inserting it only halfway won’t hold it there, especially if the weather is bad. Also, another common mistake is to drive the stake at an angle, and not perpendicular on the ground, because it won’t be as solid and resistant. Also, if you want to make it hold even better, you can try placing a rock or something heavy over the stake
• Your tent is not taut, it has an incorrect tension. Try to picture a giant X over the top of your tent, when you are installing in it and make sure you follow the angles of that X when you pull the corner guy lines
• You’re not practicing at home first, especially if you’ve got a new tent you haven’t used before. There’s no shame in setting up a tent in your own garden or living room for a few times, before your real adventure into the wild. This way there will be no surprise when the time comes to actually use the tent. Practice makes it better!