Best advise someone ever gave me was don't be afraid to take your tent down, un-stake it, or move it to get your pitch better. It is worth the time spent. This summer I didn't move my tent after setup and realizing one side was too close to a fallen log so the vestibule couldn't be staked out properly. It was getting dark and I needed to get dinner going. In the morning the entire underside of the rainfly was soaked in condensation....lesson learned.
Spend time with your tent before you go into the field. That’s the best advice for any piece of gear. Question about the trekking pole tent used in this video. It looks like the standard pitch requires two trekking poles, and then a third for the guy line? Is there a recommended way to tension that guy line without a trekking pole? I would image a sturdy branch could do the trick?
@@LostAgainwithJim good catch! Yes the tent uses two trekking poles. So either use a third pole if you happen to be sharing the tent with a friend/partner, or find a good sturdy stick and use that. 👊🏻
Glad you mentioned the guy line tension. I see so many people with DCF tents tighten their guynes almost like a guitar string. You’re just asking for damage to the DCF at those locations.
Over tensioning of DCF will change the structure of the fabric and actually affect the way the tent pitches over time. Not with structural points with seams, but mid panels, and yeah, I see it often as well.
I’ll watch it in full, but skimmed through a good 10 minutes of his video. I don’t necessarily disagree with him. It’s an interesting discussion. Will return to watch it in full.
Great video! With how thin the fibers on fabrics are nowadays, pitching it wrong or over tensioning the stretch points will damage their investment and is a costly mistake
One additional consideration with trekking pole tents is the height at which to pitch the tent. Having more pole options can help improve sleep comfort in changing weather conditions. Start with the recommended pole length and learn to pitch the tent correctly. Then you can play with other heights - longer for more ventilation and shorter for better rain / wind protection. The pole length does affect how you pitch the tent so it pays to have a good starting point before experimenting with these other pitches.
"Spend time with your tent before you go on a trip." Soundest advise right there! While giving you a chance to familiarize yourself with your gear, it also provides you with the opportunity to check for obvious manufacturing defects or missing parts before heading out.
@@johnwright9930 you aren’t wrong. I didn’t go through each tent for the sake of time and also every tent is a little different. But appreciate the feedback.
@@jarradphillips2218 not rocket science. In my university class I teach, I spend a day going through shelters/tents and have my students pitch several different tents. Sometimes it is the first time they’ve set up a tent, and it’s pretty foreign to them. So it may not be common sense. 😊
Best advise someone ever gave me was don't be afraid to take your tent down, un-stake it, or move it to get your pitch better. It is worth the time spent. This summer I didn't move my tent after setup and realizing one side was too close to a fallen log so the vestibule couldn't be staked out properly. It was getting dark and I needed to get dinner going. In the morning the entire underside of the rainfly was soaked in condensation....lesson learned.
That's great advice! Totally worth the effort to take 5-10 more minutes and get it right if you can. :)
Spend time with your tent before you go into the field. That’s the best advice for any piece of gear.
Question about the trekking pole tent used in this video. It looks like the standard pitch requires two trekking poles, and then a third for the guy line? Is there a recommended way to tension that guy line without a trekking pole? I would image a sturdy branch could do the trick?
@@LostAgainwithJim good catch! Yes the tent uses two trekking poles. So either use a third pole if you happen to be sharing the tent with a friend/partner, or find a good sturdy stick and use that. 👊🏻
I have used a stick for these short poles.
Glad you mentioned the guy line tension. I see so many people with DCF tents tighten their guynes almost like a guitar string. You’re just asking for damage to the DCF at those locations.
Over tensioning of DCF will change the structure of the fabric and actually affect the way the tent pitches over time. Not with structural points with seams, but mid panels, and yeah, I see it often as well.
I invite you to watch David Canterbury's video on how to put in a tent steak...
I’ll watch it in full, but skimmed through a good 10 minutes of his video. I don’t necessarily disagree with him. It’s an interesting discussion. Will return to watch it in full.
Trent Reznor would be proud that you have a nine inch nail stake!
I will give this comment a little of the love it deserves.
Great video! With how thin the fibers on fabrics are nowadays, pitching it wrong or over tensioning the stretch points will damage their investment and is a costly mistake
One additional consideration with trekking pole tents is the height at which to pitch the tent. Having more pole options can help improve sleep comfort in changing weather conditions.
Start with the recommended pole length and learn to pitch the tent correctly. Then you can play with other heights - longer for more ventilation and shorter for better rain / wind protection. The pole length does affect how you pitch the tent so it pays to have a good starting point before experimenting with these other pitches.
A shock cord loop on each guy line tie out might be helpful.
@@drytool I’ve seen that be used often in tarp pitches and think it’s smart.
I do this with my tents. It does work well - BUT be sure that you have a durable shock cord. Cheap cords will break after a little use.
"Spend time with your tent before you go on a trip." Soundest advise right there! While giving you a chance to familiarize yourself with your gear, it also provides you with the opportunity to check for obvious manufacturing defects or missing parts before heading out.
Absolutely! I’ve had a couple times with new gear have missing parts or some kind of defect that would have been a huge pain on a trip.
@@BackcountryExposure Same!
I don’t know why, but this video has me pitching a tent.
Well, the people who have this problem need to learn a lesson anyway!
The mistake is..... you're using a tent! ;)
If doing a video on the mistakes made pitching a tent, why not show how to do it right. Skipped that.
@@johnwright9930 you aren’t wrong. I didn’t go through each tent for the sake of time and also every tent is a little different. But appreciate the feedback.
Buy a single wall it'll save the stress....
@@MarkMcLarenVaingit explain more, what does that change?
No thanks I'd rather not have condensation all over my sleeping gear
Common sense advice… when common sense doesn’t prevail.
@@jarradphillips2218 not rocket science. In my university class I teach, I spend a day going through shelters/tents and have my students pitch several different tents. Sometimes it is the first time they’ve set up a tent, and it’s pretty foreign to them. So it may not be common sense. 😊
Is there still common sense in todays society?