Tent Question #3: Common Tent Setup and Maintenance Mistakes?

I've seen more tent damage from mis-use, carelessness than anything else, here are some off the top of my head (Scout Leader)

#1) Tent not fully dried when packed. Mold will destroy a tent fast.

#2) Not fully opening zippered doors prior to entry/exit. My little twits can not get out of the habit of opening the fly with the double zipper juuuuusssst enough to step through. At best this puts a lot of stress on the zipper and eventually they will no longer close the zipper coils. Worse, though, the little buggers overestimate their grace and frequently trip on the small opening, causing a tear.

#3) Along the lines of grace, tripping over guy lines.

#4) Tent pole jousting (rolls eyes and sighs)

#5) Food in tents (including other objects that smell like food to animals). Ever see what a determined squirrel can do to a tent? I hope to never see what a Bear would do after seeing a tent destroyed by a small furry mammal.

#6) Failure to pin and guy the tent. I've been in the middle of a 50 mile long lake when a tent went rolling by. I was impressed with it's ability to shed water, but never did locate the owner. My Scouts frequently are running after tents, but have never lost one...yet.

We do use ground tarps cut from large sheets of plastic, seems a good practice.

I have read, but am unable to locate the source, about a test between high end and cheap tents pitched in direct sunlight. The gist was that both were functionally destroyed within 150 days.

Seam sealer, if it is not broke, don't fix it. About every other year we gently hand wash the tents and re-apply nickwax as per the instructions. We only seam seal if there is a leak noticed as we begin the wash process.

Many tent makers claim to have sealed their seams and everything is supposedly ready to go right outta the bag. Never trust a claim always test everything at home first and make adjustments accordingly That is the most common mistake. Learn how to use your stuff where you can control the outcome no matter what the conditions are. Tents do lose their weather proofing with age and should be checked annually.

Next is site choice and prep. The site should be gently sloping so no rain pools under the tent with wind breaks if possible but still enough breeze to keep the skeeters at bay and nothing directly overhead ie trees. Depending on the season I prefer afternoon shade in the summer full sun in the winter.The ground should be cleared of sharp objects this is the number one issue with tent floor failure and leaks. In In general I like a layer of leaf duff under the tent to help soften the hard ground.

Next use a water barrier the size of the "tent foot print", I use plastic painters tarp, then set your tent with the water barrier tucked under the tent floor. Set the tent properly guided out and staked even if a free standing model. Again depending on the season I'll set the door into the wind in summer and in bad weather the back to the wind. Here is where free standing tents are a plus because you can quickly change directions if need be.

@trenching around a tent always leaves an argument. The leave no trace crowd believes it damages the earth and yes it leaves a mark but you don't need a deep trench, just in inch or so will be enough to direct water flow away from the tent and when done on the uphill side only you should be fine with out harming mother nature.

Use the right type of tent for the trip your taking as demonstrated before a summer season tent is no match for high altitude and bad weather. You can save weight doing so but you won't save the gear.

You asked about animal situations, be bear aware no food or eating in the tent ever. Note where rodents are as well. Setting a tent near a picnic table at a campground is an open invitation for mice in the tent food or not.

@the tent stakes that traditionally come with most tents are worthless I bring four thicker ones I made from lag bolts they are a bit heavier but never fail me.

Campmaster Tents

A lot of these factors (with regard to maintenance) are specific to different constructions and materials, so it is usually a good idea to reference the tent or fabric manufacturer's website for details. Many tents come pre-seam-sealed, while others don't, and some that are seam-sealed at the factory could definitely be redone with better sealing products (I like the SeamGrip/SeamSeal family of products). Waterproofing and fabric treatment depends strongly on the material, but Nikwax offers many excellent products for everything from tents to boots to gloves.

Tent setup is usually done best when you simply follow all the directions. With many tents, there are velcro tabs or clips to secure the poles properly. These are there for a reason and if it will be windy it is best to engage all these devices properly. As for orientation, obviously properly setting up the tent with the narrowest dimension in line with the wind (or better yet, on the leeward side of a rock/large tree/etc) is a good idea for best performance in a storm. Properly guying the tent out is a key too, including using all the guy points and maintaining the appropriate amount of tension in the appropriate direction, which many beginners fail to bother with. Tent site selection is important, primarily a location where the water will drain away from the tent (in all directions) and no sharp rocks/sticks exist underneath to damage the floor material. Keeping an eye out for dead branches or potential rockfall from above is a key to safety, as is being aware of avalanche paths in the winter. As for a ground cloth, I typically bring one when I am only going out for a day or two and/or I know the ground will be rough on the tent floor. If I am snow camping, going on a long trek with a heavy bag, or know that soft and relatively dry ground will be available, I don't bother with it. Regarding size, I have always tried to get one that is the same dimension as my tent or only an inch or two larger on all sides. If the manufacturer offers one, this is probably your best bet, but otherwise you will have to deal with what you can find from other manufacturers.

I think the biggest myth/mistake out there about tent storage is the old stuff vs. fold argument. Many people stuff their tents and flys into the storage bag because they want to avoid "wrinkles and creases that will damage the material". However, if you read any tent manufacturer's directions or listen to the experts, they will always say that folding and rolling is much better for the health of the tent coatings. This is because the folds have such a large radius that they do no damage to the material. On the other hand, stuffing the tent or fly in a bag causes countless microfolds and creases all over the tent which will significantly damage the materials and coatings.

Another big factor that will affect tent life is properly drying it after each use. While it is tempting to leave a wet tent laying around at home for a few days after a long hike, or to just store a tent with mild condensation on the inside, this can create mildew problems rather quickly. Of course cleaning dirt and debris from the inside and outside of a tent is always important as well. Unless it is raining, I try to turn my tent inside-out and shake it clean every morning before storing it, and I do the same when I bring it home and pack it away.

EDIT: I prefer titanium tent stakes for standard use. For snow I will bring wider pegs, or better yet, use buried items such as stuff sacks, axes, trekking poles, snow pickets, etc...which tend to work far better in snow. However with this technique, your tent won't be staked/guyed completely during the day if you head out for a day trip and need to take some of those items with you.

There are so many good answers here. The only one I haven't seen yet is about how to properly guy out the tent.

Many people make the guy lines way to tight. In strong winds this can actually cause the guy points to rip out. There should be just a tiny little bit of slack in the guy lines to allow the tent to move slightly in a strong wind.

We learned this at Camp Sherman on Rainier. We had our tent guyed tight and the ranger cam by and told us to loosen it. Sure enough, we experienced 70+mph winds on the glacier that night. Our tent buckled a little in the wind, but the group that got in later and had their tent guyed out to tight ending up having a guy line rip out and a pole break through the side of their tent.

In my Scout Troop we've replaced all of our guy lines with reflective line, it has reduced tripping and tent damage. Also we tie a bit of blaze orange gardener's tape on each line, the strips blow in the wind and catch your eye making the kids more aware of the line's location.

Those cheap spaghetti noodle stakes are not worth the aluminum they're extruded from. Metal stakes with a "Y" cross section are a better alternative.

ibid.

[LOL! ~ I have also followed my tent a couple of football fields across a talus field at 12,500 feet in forty-mile-an-hour winds after taking the weight of my gear out. I do not consider that user error as much as adverse conditions.]

[Tip: Do not strike the bear in the nose. A few years ago, a woman thought that a dog was sniffing at the side of her tent up on Meadow Creek Trail and bopped it in the nose, resulting in a shredded tent wall and a couple of stiches to close the claw marks on her forehead. I thought the bear was very tolerant and reasonably cool in its response to a very sore nose. It behaved much better than a few clients that I have represented in court.]

[Another Tip: Do not feed bears. You may look like food.]

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