Pitching A Tent

by Shelia
(UK - Portsmouth)

I wanted to share a few tips for pitching a tent. We go camping two or three times a year and have done for about 5 years now. We camp in the UK, mainly Devon, Cornwall and the Lake District. We have planed our next camping trip for April, we are not really cold weather campers but spring is on its way. We love it in the summer...


Try and set up camp and tent in daylight , to avoid missing the best pegs available. It also makes it a much easier less rushed job.


We try to choose a spot protected from the wind by using a line of trees, or close to a hill to use as a windbreak.


Level, firm ground is important but don’t select the lowest ground because water will pool there when it rains. Avoid dried mud , these are the first places to get boggy when it rains. Yuk


Position your tent so you sleep with your head higher than your feet. I have made this mistake and woke up with my face in the wall of the tent :(

A Groung Cloth helps protect the tent floor from getting damaged by sticks and stones, and it adds an extra layer of waterproofing below the tent. When you use a ground cloth, you won't have to clean off the bottom of the tent when you pack up to go.

Set up a sun shelter by setting up a tarp on the side of your tent. This is also a good rain shelter, provides extra cooking space and a place to leave gear if you don’t have one of these big posh coleman tents

In rain, use a tarp as a second fly. You can also use a tarp underneath your tent as an extra moisture barrier.

In heavy rain, dig a small trench on the high side of your tent to divert run-off.

If camping on a beach, avoid unprotected headlands or sand dunes. Find a sheltered spot out of the wind behind shrubs and trees.

These are some of the camping tips we use for setting up tents. Hope they help :)

Enjoy 2010 camping guys

Sheila