How to Care a Tent
Tent Care During Setup
Look for an established campsite. This key Leave No Trace principle should lead you to setup spots that are smooth, level and relatively free of vegetation. After that, you only need to clear away debris ( twigs, small rocks) that could poke a hole in your tent floor.
Use a footprint.
A footprint protects your tent floor from abrasion and provides a clean surface where you can pack up your tent.
Go slow with the poles.
Don’t whip a pole around, trying to snap its shockcorded sections into place. You can chip a section and weaken the pole—or whack your hiking companion. Setup will go more smoothly if you unfold and fit pole sections together one at a time.
Tent Care During Use
Be gentle with your zippers. Don’t force a stuck zipper. Instead, hold the zipper track with one hand and gently back the slider up, wiggling it from side to side until the stuck fabric is free.
Leave boots outside. Dirt, grit and small rocks falling onto the tent floor will be perfectly positioned to abrade and puncture your tent.
Keep food and fragrant personal products in a secure container outside of the tent. Little creatures will chew through the fabric in search of their next meal.
Tent Care During Break Down
Shake your tent out. Clean out dirt and debris and remove trash before you pack up.
When removing a shockcorded pole from your tent, push rather than pull. If you pull and the other pole end or a pole section gets hung up, then you can put undue stress on the elastic cord.
Start in the middle when you break down your poles . This evenly distributes tension along the cord. Repeat this trick on each subsequent half section until your pole is fully folded.
Dry before stuff-sacking.
If you must pack up in wet conditions, make sure to dry the tent as soon as you get back.
Roll up your tent rather than stuffing it like a sleeping bag. That’s less stressful on fabrics and coatings.
Tent Care at Home
Never machine-wash or machine-dry a tent.
Do a basic cleaning.
Use a non-abrasive sponge, cold water and a non-detergent soap. Gently scrub soiled areas by hand, being extra gentle on coated areas of the floor and fly.