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We are new to ukcampsites and hope some one can help us

Just got back from a disastous night camping. We have been camping many times with our wynnster sattelite 6 (no problems with this tent it is great) my query is a really stupid one i have errected this tent many times however is there a set way too pitch a tent of this size for instance i start placing the central ground sheet on the floor and peging it down then i lay the outer tent on top of it then insert the three main poles then raise it up then i insert all the remaining poles and start to peg down the bed rooms then i peg the guide ropes down. Now i now i am doing something wrong i just dont no what it is ? surely someone can help.

Also is there any way i can stop the vent cover on top of the dome from making a loud noise when the wind hits it it is so loud we have to shout over it?

camping kit list

box trailer

wynnster sattelite 6

and all the other needed things

Hi and welcome to the forum ,from what I have seen of this tent it seems to be a bit of a design fault so I dont think your doing anything wrong as such .

As for pitching tents like this ,the easiest way is slot in all poles then ring and pin it then drag the groundsheet in ,never try to pitch to the groundheet as most ground insnt flat you will never end up with the same shaped tent twice ,so pitching it to the same shaped groundsheet ever time could sometimes make the tent too tight or too floppy .

thanks for that skatty

Just so i now i lay out the outer cover put in the first three main poles in then lift them and place them into the ring holes then peg this to the floor first then insert the centre ground sheet after making sure that the ground hasnt got any bricks or uneven surfaces. but still i am un wise this last time i went camping it really was windy and i had to reinsert the tent pegs several times i now have a house full cranky upset kids and a very very tired couple of parents and to make matters worse we took our 2 year old neice she loved it but it was cold the wind was blowing under the outer sheet how can i prevent this from happening i must confess to siting right in the middle of the field what a prat i know but it wasnt windy when we started yesterday too also is there any way of stopping that cover on top of the dome from flapping so loud it keeps me awake lots.

Also i live near manchester do you now of any exhibtions or tent displays local to me i am willing to travel but not to far.

You shouldn`t need to repeg a tent that many times in one night. Were you putting the pegs into the ground straight up and down (wrong) or at a 45 degree angle for the bottom loops, and at a ninety degree angle to the line of the guylines(correct)?

And were you pulling the guylines out correctly? They should peg well out from the tent, as far as practicable really. One peg per guyline or other pegging point. And were you using the appropriate pegs for the ground conditions? Most of the time the skinny little wire pegs provided with even the best tents are not good enough. Invest in some big butch steel pegs, some V-profile pegs for soft ground and even some Delta Ground Anchors. That lot should peg most tents down.

And next time, pitch in shelter.

Quote: Originally posted by dodgy99uk on 25/4/2006

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put in the first three main poles in then lift them and place them into the ring holes

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Umm...you are putting the pins up the ends of the poles, yes? Not just balancing the pole end inside the ring? (It`s been done, belive me....)

Quote: Originally posted by dodgy99uk on 25/4/2006

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thanks for that skatty

Just so i now i lay out the outer cover put in the first three main poles in then lift them and place them into the ring holes then peg this to the floor first then insert the centre ground sheet after making sure that the ground hasnt got any bricks or uneven surfaces. but still i am un wise this last time i went camping it really was windy and i had to reinsert the tent pegs several times i now have a house full cranky upset kids and a very very tired couple of parents and to make matters worse we took our 2 year old neice she loved it but it was cold the wind was blowing under the outer sheet how can i prevent this from happening i must confess to siting right in the middle of the field what a prat i know but it wasnt windy when we started yesterday too also is there any way of stopping that cover on top of the dome from flapping so loud it keeps me awake lots.

Also i live near manchester do you now of any exhibtions or tent displays local to me i am willing to travel but not to far.

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Hiya dodgy99uk - hope this experience has not put you all off camping! You are bound to learn things as you go along.......here are a few suggestions.

In really windy weather, no conventional tent peg will stay put - if you look around this forum you will see several threads referring to delta pegs. These are a new, patented design and lots of folks on here (including me) have got them and can vouch for the fact that they are really revolutionary and truly stay put. You only need them on your main guy ropes, not on every flysheet loop, so whilst it seems costly, they really are worth it. Also, UKCS members get a 10% discount.

The problem of the draught coming in under the edge of the flysheet can only be solved by either

a) making sure you pitch the tent so that the fabric is evenly tensioned around the poles in order to reduce that gap to a minimum. However, some tents do seem to have a larger gap, whatever you do.

b) if that does not work you can "sink" the pole feet into the ground a little, even using a hammer to create an indentation in the ground for this purpose (this is handy if you are pitched on uneven ground and need to drop a pole end a little in order to even up the pitch of the tent too)

c) use a larger groundsheet that comes up the insides of the flysheet to close the gap, or an extra layer under the usual GS - something like those dust sheets from DIY places may do

d) add "mud-flaps" made of groundsheet material to the bottom of the tent's flysheet which will tuck under the groundsheet and close the gap. I know one or two DIY inclined folks on this forum have done this

e) ....expensive option.......buy a different tent which either has mudflaps already sewn on, or one with a fully sewn in groundsheet so that all the living area is sealed in. (See the priority topic on the pros and cons a fully sewn in groundsheet)

The flapping of your top-cap is not something I can think of a solution for.....but maybe someone else will have a moment of genius?

And a good way to start hunting for camping retailers is to use the company search facility at the top of this page - you can find people listed near you, check out their websites and even ring them to see if they have something you are particularly interested in.

hi valk

well what a great help i am looking for my local camping shop going tomorrow to buy some good pegs the delta ones sound the best. as for pins problem. i will tri to illustrate

                               main    bedroom     peg

                               dome     pole           to

                                pole                    ground

                                   I              I            I

 tent side of  ring tabs   O            O          O outside edge

that is how i peg it am i right or wrong?

should i put all the poles in firtst (including the bedroom poles) then fix all the tabs. i have in total 12 tabs with poles in them down then put the guy ropes down first or the little elastic rings around the bottom edge of the tent first. I now i sound really STUPID but we enjoy camping and have discovered a great community were ever we go everyone is friendly

thanks for you help

Okay, had a quick look at a pix of this. Simple design and very similar to my Colorado, so I`ll try to walk you through the basic tent pitching steps

Loosen off the tension straps on the flysheet rings..

Thread in the dome poles and the side poles. Forget about the outer bedroom poles at the moment.

Pin and push up the dome poles to form the dome. (If the vent cover needs hooked on in any way, this is the time to do it.)

Put the dome side poles fully in also.

Align the dome  the way you want the tent to pitch. Peg down each dome ring.

Put in bedroom poles and fix in pins.

Pull outer corners of tent fully straight, peg once in each corner.

Peg down the rings at the ends of each bedroom pole.

Go back round each ring and tighten the tension straps.

This means the main body and shape pf the tent is now set. Go round and peg down all the elastic loops on the bottom of the flysheet.

Then go round again and peg out the guylines.

Put down the groundsheet. If you have stormflaps at the base of the flysheet then tuck them under the groundsheet.

Hang the inners and peg any internal points required.

HTH .That`s how I`d try pitching this tent anyway if someone gave me it without instructions. It may have a few quirks that I don`t know about of course. I`ve never even seen this tent in the flesh. But it looks an absolute bog-standard design, so I`ll be close.

Didn`t you get a set of instructions with the tent, btw?

Hi

Go outdoors and camperlands have a good selection of tents on display and you could do both in the same day there only about 15 min apart also winfields at haslingden have a display of tents, I haven't been there yet but its suppose to be very good.

Good luck with your next trip, practice makes perfect

Quote: Originally posted by SnowyUK on 26/4/2006

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I have a wynnster satellite 12, and the instructions for erecting the tent are actually on a label sewn into the storage bag.  Might be worth checking if yours is the same.  We've never had a problem with noise from the cap - are you sure that it is fastened properly?

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Thanks Valk,

i am going onto my local waste land tonight to attempt to erect it in the way that you have instructed me to do this i am taking a friend whom has been camping for years so we may get to the bottom of it

hi snowy

the instructions are in the bag but they are very vague do you now if the cap is addjustable in any way ? i am going to have a really good look at it tonight and try to understand it more

thanks fiona mark and joan will have a ride over this weekend

thanks foggers

i will check all these things tonight on the waste land it is really doing my head in it is so so loud we have to shout over the noise it makes at night not good when we had a little 2 year old with us that was sleeping LOL i will well get away in the next few weeks and give it a really good effort and check everything before i go

Thank you all