Updated at: 14-05-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

Packing your tent is an important skill to have, whether you’re prepping for a vacation or getting ready to return home after a long trip.

When it comes to packing up, tents come in many shapes and sizes, whether it’s for an adventure, a festival, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, or a family vacation. As a result, you must take care when putting your tent away, lest you have regrets about it on your upcoming vacation.

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If you’re having trouble putting away your tent, Winfields Outdoors is here to help you out. Whether it’s drying and cleaning or checking for rips and tears, we’re here to help. Each is critical to the long-term viability of your tent, no matter where you go.

Why is it so important to pack your tent away properly?

The bottom line is that if you don’t store your tent properly, it could be damaged or otherwise inoperable when you bring it out again next year.

When your tent is put away, it will still have any issues that it had when it was set up, and it may even have developed new ones.

So, how do you put it away in a way that is safe? If you’ve followed your tent’s directions, here are a few other things to keep in mind when dismantling it.

Dry your tent before it’s packed away

When camping in the UK, you’re more than likely to have encountered some rain. It’s never enjoyable to have to pack up your tent in the rain, especially if you’re a novice camper like myself. It’s bad for your tent as well.

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If you keep your tent in a wet bag, it’s likely to be covered in mildew or mold when you remove it. As a result, your camping plans may be put on hold until the tent is fully cleaned.

You should thus dry and air it out as soon as you arrive home if you pack it away wet. Make certain that the entire tent, including the peg points and guy lines, is dry.

The best thing to do if you’re sitting there remembering that your tent was damp is to unpack it and dry it out.

Check for rips, tears & breaks

Despite their lightweight, modern tents are capable of withstanding a significant bit of abuse. However, they aren’t invincible and can have a rip now and then.

As a result, you should take care of them before putting your tent away. A damaged pole or hole in the groundsheet are two things you don’t want to discover while trying to set up your tent at a campsite, and you don’t want to find out after you arrive.

When you go back home, thoroughly inspect your tent, particularly the poles, for any signs of damage. Even if the damage is slight, you may be able to repair the tent yourself; however, if the damage is more significant, you may have to replace the tent in its entirety.

Winfields carries replacement tent poles and guy lines, as well as repair items like tape, to help you fix your tent.

Fold or roll your tent properly

The temptation to just squeeze your tent into its bag may be strong; nevertheless, this would cause more harm than good. Both the tent and the bag could be damaged, which would need the purchase of a new tent.

In addition, it could alter the tent’s natural shape, making it more difficult to erect the following time.

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Bag pegs and poles

There is a good reason why your tent pegs and poles come with their own tiny bag for storage.

Make sure that all of your tent pegs and poles (and anything else that’s a little sharp) are stored in their proper bags before putting your tent away. You don’t want to puncture the tent before you’ve thoroughly examined it or purchased a new one.

Use anything you have to wrap them and protect your tent from the sharp points if you can’t find the bags.

How to care for a tent – Tent Tips

  • Open it up and let the air circulate for a few hours before packing up your tent.
  • Sweep and clean: you’ll want to make sure your tent is free of any debris, dust, or filth.
  • The tent doors should be slightly zipped to allow some air to escape when folding it up, rather than fully zipped.
  • If you’re a camper, duct tape is your greatest friend, so make sure you have some on hand to patch holes and repair poles until you can obtain new ones.
  • Removable groundsheet that shields the underside of your tent from slick or dirty surfaces.
  • In the event of a leaky seam, simply reapply sealant and let the material do the rest.
  • In order to avoid damaging the tent’s poles, avoid storing it on its side.