First of all, what comprises a tent? For all the tents you’ll be using in the Duke of Edinburgh’s award, there are four main bits in the bag to worry about. The inner, the outer, the pegs and the poles. The inner is the bit you sleep in; it has a waterproof floor but non-waterproof walls made of light/mesh-like material and is supported by the poles in some way. The outer sits on top of the poles and forms the weather-proof barrier. The pegs keep everything pegged down (duh!) although most people don’t use them properly! Easy eh?

Putting up a tent is pretty much down to common sense but there are a few little tips and techniques which can really help, especially when you’re having to pitch an unfamiliar one in the rain/snow/dark/wind etc.

Everything there?

This is perhaps the most important one; ALWAYS CHECK YOUR TENT BEFORE YOU SET OUT. Ideally, this would mean having a go at setting it up completely, but at least see if the flysheet is the correct one for the inner, that the poles are correct, straight and not snapped and that you have some tent pegs (at least 10 should be okay for most 2/3 man DoE tents.)

Carrying it.

Tents are really heavy so don’t let one group member struggle with it; split up the various bits between groups members and try carrying different bits each day. Don’t carry any bits of tent on the outside of your rucksack! If it rains, it’s definitely going to be a wet tent to sleep in on the first night (yuck!) or at gold, it may even freeze solid, making it very difficult to put up. Don’t put it inside your rucksack liner though, just stuff it in. Poles and pegs always go inside the rucksack too.

Choosing a SAFE place.

The main thing here is to chose something out of the way of danger; falling rocks, falling trees(!), electricity pylons, mountain streams that may swell etc. Also try to minimise the spread of any potential fire; do not put tents too close together and ALWAYS COOK SEVERAL METRES AWAY FROM ANY TENTS.

Choosing a GOOD place.

A well put up tent can stand up to some quite severe weather, but the chances of getting any sleep are slim, so try and find some shelter: a brick wall or hedge is always handy but in a wild camp, the lee of a hill or a little crook next to a stream may be all you’ll get. Find the flattest ground you can but beware of trying to use small dips which will often collect rainwater and turn very soggy. Tents are usually most stable with their long axis aligned with the wind and with the back end facing into the wind to avoid draughts inside, but if you’re on a slope, it’s always a good idea to sleep with your head uphill from your feet (to avoid a headache in the morning); these two tips will usually determine the orientation of your tent.

Putting up the tent!

As all tent models are different, this is a difficult subject to cover but a few basic ideas should apply to most types. The first one is easy: always put up your tent as soon as you reach camp. Secondly, no matter how many tents there are for the group, it’s good practise for each member of the group to help put up one tent at a time, especially in bad weather; this makes things faster and keeps everybody warm (one person might be excused to get some water boiling for drinks/food…) When pegging out the groundsheet of the inner, keep it taught and flat to the ground, you can always throw the inner straight on top at this stage to keep off drizzle (don’t let it blow away!) whilst you insert the poles etc.

The key to keeping the tent weatherproof is to keep everything taught; the inner should be pegged and poled in such a way that it can’t flap about too much and the outer shouldn’t be creased or able to flap about in any way; if the outer can flap about and physically touch the walls of the inner, you’re going to be getting wet and miserable! If you have guy lines (bits of sting attached to the outer tent) use them by pegging them out tightly a few feet from the tent . A good guide to how well set you’ve set up your tent is to look at the seams and poles and guidelines, usually they should all line up. Play about with the tensions and peg positions until it looks right.

Always think about safety when you’re doing all this, camping is meant to be enjoyable and if you can have a laugh that’s great, but if you’re acting like a bit of an idiot and doing stupid things like waving carbon/alu poles around near electricity cables, don’t be surprised if your instructor/assessor gives you a telling off….