Updated at: 06-12-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

And so it was that my two closest companions and I found ourselves lying in a tent. A wind gust lifted our roughly 7-inch-tall tent for ten people and lowered it till it was only a few inches above our noses as we sat there. Wow, what a wild night that was. As expected, the night we decided to pitch up camp at the canyon’s mouth, the wind picked up significantly. The tent survived, thank goodness. There was no actual fear among us. Why? Simply put, because our tent was the Taj Mahal of its kind. Huge, long-lasting, and practically indestructible, it was!

It’s not quite indestructible, but it’s certainly well-maintained and strong. Like it happens to most people at some point. We probably all have accounts of bad tents that didn’t protect us very properly. A typical opening line in such tales goes something like, “We utilized this crusty old tent with broken zippers and branches still in it.” My guess is that it’s because the tent wasn’t properly maintained. To keep a tent in good shape, storage is crucial. Learning how to set up a tent is essential, but knowing how to clean it is just as crucial.

Tents: The most common source of dirt on a tent’s floor is rainwater running off the fly, which splashes dirt and muck from the ground. It’s usually easy to get rid of this by giving it a quick washing with the water at home. Aside from pine sap and food spills, any other potential disasters may require on-the-spot attention. Don’t use anything that could damage the tent’s fabric. It’s important to give your tent plenty of time to dry after you’ve cleaned it with water.

Instead of folding or rolling it, we recommend stuffing your tent into the stuff sack. By doing so, you can reduce the likelihood of permanent wrinkles in your tent’s fabric and increase its longevity. Until you’re actually ready to pack on an expedition, you shouldn’t put your tent in your stuff sack for long-term storage. For clarification, read on.

8 Tips To Store A Tent

There was never a tent in my house when I was a kid. It’s a lie, but that’s fine. We probably had a tent the whole time; we simply never knew where it was or how it was holding up. Consequently, I was forced to rely on strangers and their tents on every camping trip I took. It made me feel bad to phone them and ask, “Hey, might I sleep in your tent this weekend?” Do not make the same mistake I did. Instead, you’ll be able to effectively store your tent and take along a functional shelter on your next camping trip. To learn how to, consider the following eight suggestions.

We love our equipment — what it does for us on our adventures, the memories we attach to it, and the beauty in its simplistic design. Here are a few tips to

1: Clean the Tent

To illustrate, picture yourself unrolling your tent and being greeted with the stale, musty aroma of your last camping trip after a summer has passed. As for me, if I were in that situation, I think I would prefer to sleep under the stars. That’s something to think about, at least. The first order of business for any tent owner is, of course, cleaning the tent. This piece of advice is consistently disregarded. When folks arrive home from a long day, they are often too exhausted to do anything save “Netflix ‘n’ sleeping the rest of today” in their mountain castle.

Schedule some time instead to clean the tent. For now, though, simply know that I’ll be discussing this in further depth shortly. People’s lives are on the line in high-stakes fields like the military, law enforcement, firefighting, and medicine if equipment isn’t properly maintained. Taking the scout troop up for weenies and s’mores isn’t exactly a life-or-death situation, but you should still treat your gear with respect. Let’s set up the tent first.

2: Store in a Cool, Dry Place

It is important to safeguard stored items against manipulation. Bivy bandits aside, the most common pests you’ll encounter are mold, insects, and mice. For a moment, let’s put our best rat brains forward. These beings only need a nice, cozy, and warm place to call home. Since they are not choosy, your tent will likely be invaded by a variety of pests if it satisfies even a few of the conditions.

You can keep these parasites at bay by keeping your tent clean and storing it in a cool, dry spot. Mold growth is stunted by the cold, and bugs and rodents aren’t very fond of it either. Keeping it dry is also helpful in stopping the growth of mold and fungus. Your tent will last longer if you keep it in a cool, dry environment. Just focus on storage and forget about pests.

3: Store the Tent Loosely

Even while most tents come with a bag for storage, the bag might not be the ideal option. Compression sacks are included with many tents. This is a wonderful camping and hiking accessory. The condition of your shelter won’t be maintained nearly as well. While storing the tent for an extended period of time, take care not to fold it up too small. They need to unwind and breathe easy because the tent is constructed of textiles. Enjoy people, tents don’t like being squished or stretched for too long.

The best item for this purpose is a used pillowcase. Make sure the tent doesn’t get squashed smaller than a gumball, though. The tent can either be rolled up or folded before being placed into the pillow case. It could go either way. The pillow case can be placed practically anywhere from that point.

4: Partially Assemble the Tent

Picture yourself as a highly strung person. You’re certain to lose your cool at some point and accidentally set off an explosion. Your tent’s support poles are the same way. Poles for tents are typically cylinders made of metal, plastic, or wood with a bungee rope running through their centers. The bungee cord is shortened during assembly and lengthened during disassembly. If you leave it like this, the rope may eventually break, rendering the poles unusable. You can reduce the load on the poles by leaving them in a semi-assembled state.

5: Dry your tent thoroughly

This recommendation is similar to “clean your tent,” but with a few key differences. If you’ve been camping and are returning home on a sunny day, you should set up your tent again to let it air out. A towel can be used to dry any sections that won’t dry out in the air. Your tent should never be dried in a dryer. Camping tents cannot be washed or dried in a conventional household appliance.

6: Use Silica Gel Packages

We’ve all seen those “DO NOT EAT” stickers on the beef jerky bags. Use them as a desiccant for your tent by placing them inside before putting it away. The tent will be dry and moisture-free after using these. They’re inexpensive, and I’ve already said how convenient it is to locate (just make sure you wash them thoroughly).

How to Store a Tent: 8 Simple Steps to Prepare For Storage | Neighbor

Take extra precautions to ensure that these individual servings stay out of the reach of curious toddlers, curious pets, and other curious beings. They’re not a tasty treat. They mean you damage. This is a point that needs to be emphasized again. As a general rule, when camping, it’s important to be mindful of the environment. It’s likely that, once you’ve set up camp, you’ll forget about these packets and leave them lying around. Rather than leaving them, please pick them up and exit the area in a trash-free state.

7: Store the Poles and Fabric Separately

The fabric is easily harmed by poles and stakes. Tent poles and stakes should be kept in a different location from the tent itself to prevent any unintended penetrations. The prospect of losing their tent poles, pegs, or possibly the entire structure causes considerable anxiety for many people. You won’t have that problem anymore after reading the following advice.

8: Organize Your Storage Space

My previous place of employment was a stained-glass studio. We were working on a lot of different projects at once, and it was mayhem. Not until we took the effort to organize the area could we maintain anything, not even our thoughts, in any kind of order. We were able to construct the windows and do other tasks considerably more quickly and easily as a result of this.

The same rule applies to stowing away your tent and sleeping bags. Make a designated area and store all of your camping goods there. Labels should be aesthetically pleasing if they are to be read, therefore if you must create them, do so. When in doubt, do as the system suggests. For this purpose, we have some outside cabinets that have served us well. Tents and their associated stakes and poles can be stored together, provided they are kept in separate, untangled bags.

How to clean a tent that smells (8 step process)

Tents require cleaning before being put away for storage. Clean your tent before using it. No matter what’s going on, you need to clean the tent. But the question is, how do you clean a tent, especially one that has begun to smell? Okay, then let’s do it together.

1: Gather Materials

You’ll require the following items:

  • Use a soft sponge or rag instead of something rougher.
  • A fragrance-free, mild dish detergent.
  • a bathroom fixture, such as a bathtub or washbasin
  • Cold or room temperature
  • An outdoor gear-cleaning chemical

2: Spot Clean the Tent

Scrub (but don’t rub too hard) any particularly grimy areas with the sponge or rag. This may be the case with any very odorous sections of the tent, or with any sections that have been stained by sap. Make sure you don’t go overboard with the dishwashing liquid. To avoid destroying your tent, avoid rubbing it too vigorously.

3: Fill the Tub

Water should be lukewarm when you fill the tub (this is usually done right out of the faucet, but if you prefer the waterpump and bucket method, then by all means, go ahead). Then, pour in the chemical cleaner for the apparatus. If you want to know how much to add, check the label on the bottle. When using chemicals, be sure to read and observe any safety warnings on the labels.

4: Ready the Tent

Turn your tent inside out by unzipping all of the doors and windows. You should also do this with the rain fly. If you want to be thorough, you should remove the twigs and other debris that accumulates inside a tent. Taking this action outside will prevent any messes from being tracked into your bathroom.

5: Submerge the Tent

Immerse the tent and let it soak for a time. To learn how long to soak the tent in the cleaning solution, go to the product’s label. Don’t leave it in there for too long, but it also won’t get clean if you don’t give it enough time.

6: Rinse the Tent

You’ll need to empty the bathtub and refill it with fresh water before you can use it to rinse down the tent. You may need to repeat this process more than once if there is residual soap on your tent and fly. To remove all traces of soap from the water, rinse thoroughly several times.

7: Dry the Tent

Place the tent in some calm shade to dry. You can either pitch the tent or hang it up. If you must, you can use soft towels, but you shouldn’t scrub or be hard. A lint-free towel is a must. Leaving nothing on the tent floor is essential.

8: Deep Clean the Tent

This process is a catch-all for any additional scrubbing that may be required. If you’re looking for the truly potent substances, you’ll find them here (like Mineral Oil, MiraZyme or other enzyme cleaners). Please read the labels on the bottles carefully before using any of these chemicals, and keep your tent safe from any spills.

Storage Solutions for Camping Gear

Having to find a place to keep all of your camping stuff might be a hassle. Although most of the equipment is designed to be simple to operate, there are several items, such as dutch ovens (which are quite heavy), oars and paddle boards (which are extremely long), and axes and hatchets (which are extremely sharp), that require careful consideration before stowing away.

The good news is that you have a lot of opportunities to choose from. You should move in with a neighbor if you can’t make room for them in your own house. You may find plastic bins at stores like Home Depot and Lowes if you prefer them to being hung up, but if you prefer the latter, you can also find hooks to hang your belongings from. Even 3M’s hooks, which can be mounted on practically any wall, are useful for stowing camping equipment.

How to organise your tent - Practical Advice - Camping - Out and About Live

The best piece of advice I came across while researching how to effectively store camping goods was to make use of the available space in a way that was unique to the camper. In other words, you turn it into a monument honoring your time spent exploring the great outdoors. Display photographs from your most recent camping excursion. Convert the closet into a place of warmth and nostalgia for all your belongings. Every time you enter, you’ll be filled with joy, and that’ll inspire you to go on even more exciting excursions.

Conclusion

To further your adventures, you now have the proper knowledge. Tents are easy for you to put away and maintain. Now that everything is set up, all you have to do is have amazing journeys. You can’t put into practice what you learn here until you’ve actually pitched a tent. Use any pretext you can to sneak off on a mission. Try a different route, scale a different mountain, or break through a different wall.

Make sure your tent is clean and dry before putting it away. Believe me, you won’t regret it. How would you recommend stowing your tent for the winter?