I was packing my tent wrong for years and only found out on a windy night in Moab

I was camping near Moab last fall when a big wind came up around 2 AM. My tent was flapping so loud I thought it would rip. I got out to check the guy lines and saw the problem. For years, I just staked the corners straight down. That night, I saw the rainfly was loose and the whole structure was wobbling. A guy at the next site came over to help. He showed me how to pull the lines out at a 45 degree angle from the tent, not straight down. He said, 'You need to pull the fabric tight, not just pin it to the ground.' We re-staked it and the tent went quiet. I felt pretty dumb. I had been setting up my old Kelty the lazy way for maybe ten trips. How did you learn to properly stake out your tent?

2 comments

2 Comments

coran633d ago

Classic learning the hard way. That wind is a tough teacher, huh?

mark_smith593d ago

Tell me about it. That wind turned my last hike into a full comedy show. One gust nearly took my hat, the next one tried to steal the map right out of my hands. Spent half the day chasing my own gear down the trail like a cartoon character. Definitely learned to pack heavier snacks after that.