How To Pitch A Tent Like A Pro

First-time camper and not sure where to start? Or love camping and want to nail the perfect pitch every time? Whether you’re pitching up at home, on a campsite or on a deserted hillside, hear from one of our Core Experts and camping enthusiast, Matt, on the basics of pitching a tent and how to make the most of your time under canvas. 

“Over the years that I’ve been camping, I’ve discovered that there is no one way to pitch a tent. There is so much variety in terms of shape and size, and structure changes from brand to brand. However, there are some simple steps and basic principles to follow that make pitching a tent more manageable, whether you’re a first-time camper or passionate pitcher looking to spend less time setting up and more time enjoying the great outdoors."

1. Unpack your tent, find the entrance and lay it flat with the entrance door in the direction you’ve chosen to pitch. Top tip: You should always try to pitch downhill and in the same direction as prevailing wind, if possible.  

2. Peg down the corners of your tent. Use a mallet or hammer to put pegs in angling away from tent. Top tip: always try to put the pegs in at a 45-degree angle. 

3. Take your poles out of the bag and assemble them. With modern tents, most poles are colour coded. Top tip: remember, in high winds, the lightweight pole bags can go flying so always find somewhere to stash the bag once you’ve taken the poles out.  

4. Find the pole sleeves on your tent, then start threading through. Always start with main poles on the tent before the porch. Top tip: sleeves are sometimes colour-coded to match the poles, so be sure to check you are threading it through the correct sleeve before committing. Also, you should always push poles through the sleeves – do not pull them!

5. Once the tent has shape and structure, you can continue to put the rest of the pegs in and then pull out the guy ropes to add further tension and stability to the tent. The guy ropes will also need to be pegged down. Top tip: remember to put the pegs in at a 45-degree angle leaning away from tent. 

"Most tent manufacturers will provide some form of instructions that come with their tent, but if you need more of a practical demonstration, there are plenty of YouTube videos to get stuck into if you need help with the perfect pitch.”

There you have it: a simple, 5-step guide to pitching your tent like a pro. Hopefully with a bit of practice using this method, you’ll be pitching up in record time, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the great outdoors.