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Topic: solo erecting tents

THEEmrwall

11/3/2020 at 12:16am
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hi, I used to camp around ten times per year as part of a family. I am now wanting to set up on my own. does anyone have advise on tents that can be put up and down on your own. if anyone would like to recommend sites with walks for beginners that would also be great.

taafe75

11/3/2020 at 9:08am
Location: Manchester
Outfit: Vango Rivendale 800XL

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I put our air tent up on my own quite often.
Just peg it and pump

bazpoint

11/3/2020 at 9:29am
Location: South London
Outfit: Conway Crusader (2010) (+ a few tents)

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You ask about walks - does that mean you're looking for tents you can carry when walking, because that's a whole different genre?

Otherwise any air tents, teepee styles tents or pop-ups should be reasonably doable solo.

Bob61

11/3/2020 at 10:13am
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I am assuming since you want a tent you can erect on your own that you are considering buying a family sized tent. Since we don't know where you live or where you want to go camping we cannot recommend any campsites.

With regards to tents...I have mostly camped solo and had tents from 4 man to 6 man and I have found that any tent with no more than about 3 or 4 poles set in-line rather than crossing each other are a doddle to erect solo. I have also found metal poled tents to be the easiest to erect and more stable in wind.

I know little about inflatable tents but have heard some horrible stories about how unreliable they are at the present time with regards to deflating or exploding poles and leaks so I wouldn't touch one at the present time.

DeborahTurner

via mobile 11/3/2020 at 1:25pm
Location: London
Outfit: Vango Kalu Hypercamp Eldorado

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How big do you need your tent to be?

Look at the Gary Cross, Cross Camping Video, how to put up a tunnel tent in your own.

If you go for air beam, check that it is a weight you can lift in and out of the car on your own, and check the size of it packed down: they take up a lot of space!

Sites on the South Downs and in the Lakes tend to have great walks straight from your tent, for example.

Bramston

11/3/2020 at 4:40pm
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As an already experienced camper you know that you can already put up nearly all tents on your own. You already know that pop up and festival tents are the first to leak when it rains and the first to blow away in the wind.
Cotton canvas is heavy, holding up the tent poles while trying to secure the guy lines in the wind and rain is somewhat difficult so opt for a nylon tent.
If you don't have a car you'll need a lightweight 2 man tent.
If you do have a car you can have a 3 man tent or larger. The larger your tent the more height you'll get allowing you to stand up and stretch in a 6 man tent.
If you are choosing flexible poles for your tent a flysheet with pole sleeves on the outside is easier to put up than one with the pole sleeves on the inner tent and the flysheet thrown over the top. Some tents allow you to keep the inner tent inside the fly when taken down so the tent is up as soon as the fly sheet is up. Some Vango tents are like this.
If you go for a bigger tent you may get more than one room and also a mess area. You won't need to put up more than one room giving you a bigger mess area, but big high tent rooms get very cold in the spring and autumn and some camp sites don't allow much more space than a 3 man tent and a car. A three man tent with an extended fly will give you height though not standing room, a warm sleeping area, plenty of storage space enough for one person.
I've never used an inflatable tent, like 3D TV they keep coming in and out of favour and I'm not sure if they are right yet.

As a single person with a car I use a Vango Pulsar 3 man gothic arch tent with an extended flysheet. When I have time and space I can put up either a small or large tarp allowing me to extend the covered and shaded space. If I lost it I'd buy another one.

If you wish to begin walking in the countryside then you need to improve and practice your map reading skills. Buy your local OS Explorer map and get used to knowing where you are and where you are going in your local country park.
Joining a group that does walking and camping means that as a single person you won't be alone. If you are male and tolerant a group like Outdoor Lads might help, see their website.
There are campsites everywhere and as they tend to be outside towns have good walking on their doorsteps. I live in Kent and I like camping in Dorset and I have the maps for both areas.

Post last edited on 11/03/2020 17:30:07

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Enjoy the liveliness of the syntax.

Caligula

11/3/2020 at 10:13pm
Location: Suffolk
Outfit: Very variable

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I must admit, I don't have a nylon tent, whether one man or big bell or pyramid tent, but if you want back packing, there's not much option except nylon (although there again, mine's polycotton!)

Point being all the tents, including the bell are quickly and simply put up solo?

As others have said, what, where, with whom if anyone, are you intending the tent for?

The Slumit Flashframe range of nylon tents are well known for quick solo set up????

Cross Camping

via mobile 12/3/2020 at 6:43am
Location: Hertfordshire
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Air tents are super easy, peg the corners and inflate then finish the rest of the tent... Tunnel pole tents are just the same. Here's a video. https://youtu.be/9r39I72Mpdw

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Gary Cross - The masked camping guru.

Bob61

12/3/2020 at 9:55am
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Another way of doing it I have found, is to thread all the poles then pin the front pole and stand that up first using the guy rope in a similar manner to the above video, and then pin the other poles in turn. Far easier I have found with metal poled tents because they don't sway and buckle while trying to thread poles through the sleeves or pin them.

Different tents seem to need slightly different methods though, so you will quickly get to know the best method of erecting your own tent...if you struggle with one method try it another way.

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