Tents and camping structures come in a dazzling array of styles and varieties!
From the three bedroom triple dome and the camper trailer with kitchen dining and ensuite to the ultralight two person tent that is roughly the size of a can of soft drink and weighs about the same, there are myriad styles and sizes to choose from.
By far the most popular tent design is the basic dome tent; self supporting with two to three aluminium or fibreglass poles they are relatively fast and easy to erect and offer good headroom and breathability.
It is always a good idea to erect your tent at home in the backyard first. Backyard campouts are fun and they offer the opportunity to get familiar with your particular tent in comfortable surroundings.
At the campsite, particularly if you are bush camping or in a National Park, the first step is to identify your space. Make sure it is free of sticks and stones and not on top of ants’ nests, particularly bull ant nests, they really don’t appreciate it and will quite happily make their feelings known.
- Lay out the components of the tent and make sure you have everything you need close at hand including a hammer.
- Assemble your poles and lay them out so you have the different lengths ready to go.
- Lay out the tent and peg down the corners diagonally so you end up with a flat base, this also makes it easier to insert the poles into the sleeves.
- Insert your poles and ‘pop’ the tent into shape, clip the tent onto poles.
- Take the fly and orient it to match the tent, attach one side to the tent then walk it across with two people, attach the other side.
- Tie down guy ropes, these give tension to the tent to help it operate effectively and also prevent it from flapping and being overly effected by wind.
Voila, your palace is complete!