Message Forums

Just back from practice pitching our new tent.

We managed to get it up, have a good look round and get the children trying out sleeping arrangement.

It took us about an hour and a quater to do all this.

We took ages to get the footprint down  - then decide which was front and back - we made sure not to pitch into wind (learned off here).

Have a couple of questions

1 Tent didn't seem to fit footprint properly. Is this right, was it just us being novices?

2 When the tent was up - after lotsof adjusting to try and make it look right, it still didn't. The back of the tent seemed to be higher off the ground (if that makes sense).  Will this come with time and practice or are we doing something wrong?

3 How the heck do you get it all back into the bag it came out of (as we only have the car to fit it all in)???

Apart from that was very impressed with how stable it was - as it'swindy here today- and think we will enjoy our outing. Children really excited which is the main aim.

Any advice appeciated- thanks in advance

Are there any helpfull people out there?

I keep asking questions -sorry if they're stupid ones but we are new to camping - but am not getting any replies.  Am I doing something wrong?

Someone out there must have a Hartford and some advise.

Hmmm......sounds like a similar problem we are having with the Hartford XL,take a peep at the thread linked below....

Dont use a footprint,but,packing back into the bag is frustrating!....you need a serious touch of combined patience and aggression...... 

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=32&TopicID=156115&PagePosition=1&ThreadPage=1&get=last#2399533

We are about to try again this afternoon - beautifull sunny day and no wind today so hopefully no fighting with the tent and it'll get back in it's bag - but I don't think the poles et al will ever manage it!!

Did you ever get any helpfull replies to your post?

Hiya

Sorry we dont have the same tent but did expereince the same promblem re getting it backk in bag, have you looked at how they fold it on the outwell video or sometimes there are videos on UTUBE.

Re footprint in what way does it not seem to fit?

Hi!

We have the Hartford L 2007 model which have had for a year and has been used several times so you would expect this may make us "experts" in pitching it, but I am afraid we still encounter the problem of one side being higher than the other! I think its to do with the height of the poles...well that's this weeks theory anyway! We first put it down to us pegging the inner before putting the poles in, but have since tried it the other way (poles first) to no avail! In June we went for a week and were very careful and slow in putting it up (depsite the impending rain!) and although we managed a much better fit of the flysheet, we subsequently had problems with the inner doors and couldnt close them again after opening them. This weekend just gone, we made sure the poles went in first, then pegged the inner tent, then made sure we attached all the velcro bits on the inside of the flysheet and although we had slightly more height on one of side of the tent the doors opened fine! I think it really is pot luck and so long as the flysheet is lower than the waterproof part of the inner tent there really shouldnt be a problem - afteralll it is providing free ventilation!

Re the footprint, we do have one and it is a precise science I admit - there is usually a little negotiating and shuffling of the tent (which is it where it comes in handy that you havent pegged it down yet! ) but believe me it is a god sent when you dont have half the grass you were just pitched on attached to your inner tent base!

As for getting it in the bag - we always fold up the inner tent so it is a "thin" narrow strip shape then put the flysheet (folded the same way) on top of the inner tent and fold the inner tent over the flysheet so it sandwiches it (am sure this does not make sense - let me try again!)

First we just take the flysheet off and shove it in the back of the car. Then we fold the bedrooms of the inner tent in towards the middle and keep folding bits in symetrically until we have what looks like a rule shape on the floor (ensuring the width of this inner tent "ruler" is no wider than the bag it is to go into.) then we fold the flysheet in anyway we can (generally trying to avoid it blowing away or sitting on the undoubtedly wet and muddy floor!) and we put it at on end of the ruler shaped inner tent. Then we either fold or roll the whole thing in on itself ensuring the flysheet ends up in the middle of whole thing and making sure to "body surf" on it to push out any air trapped in it!?! It then fits nicely in the bag. We then look for a slight gap and put the poles in there jostling the bag until they slide in. The footprint, door mat and little ground sheet for the porch area are all kept separately in a less glamorous bin bag!

Hope my little war and peace here helps a little! Any more questions I will gladly try to help!

Mushy

Thank you very much to everyone who helped.

We have success!!

We have had another go and it's amazing how much better it was today after having a go yesterday - and on a less windy day.  Pitched in half an hour and down in a little less and it fitted back in the bag, just!!!!

Footprint is deff a 2008 to match the tent and this time it all made sense and the tent fitted beautifully although we still had a bit of a problem with it looking like it was sat too high in places but I guess that's just how the tent is.

It pitches all in one (thank goodness) and so long as OH listens to me he'll be fine - or I'll threaten him with the mallet!!

Today has been the most perfect day here (Eden Valley, Cumbria  half way between Kendal nad Penrith), really hot and sunny. Great if you are just starting your hols - hope it keeps up till August.