Pro Action 6 Person 3 Room Tunnel Camping Tent

Only Pack Away a Dry Tent

Packing your tent away while wet can lead to mildew build up and your tent becoming mouldy. To prevent this, simply wait until your tent is dry before packing it away. If waiting until your tent is dry isn’t possible (thank you UK weather), then pack it away while wet but remove it once home and hang it up to dry.

Ensure that all areas are dry (use a towel if necessary), double check and then pack your tent away, ready for your next trip – mould free!

Have a Dry Run

When planning a camping trip it’s always a good idea to test your tent out before you go away just to make sure that A) You remember how to pitch it, and B) To check that there are no damages that you missed last time you packed your tent away.

This will save you time in the long run as you’ll have the memory and method fresh in your head of how to put your tent up and you won’t end up in the unfortunate situation of arriving at a campsite with a broken tent.

Re-waterproofing

To replace the waterproof membrane on the outside of your tent, you’ll need to pitch it and ensure it is clean and dry. Once pitched you should apply waterproofing spray all over the tent to reinforce its waterproof properties. Wait for it to dry before either giving it a second coat, or pack it away so you’re ready for your next trip.

Pitch Smart

Take some extra time to scout out the area before deciding where to pitch your tent. Taking the time to do this will increase the durability of your tent and allow it to last longer and get damaged less.

Avoid or move any visible rocks and use your tent pegs to test the ground to see how rocky it is under the surface – don’t test too hard though as you don’t want to damage or bend your pegs. Have a look at what your surroundings are. Is there anything close by that could rub against, fall on or rip your tent? If so, avoid!

Be wary of pitching your tent too tight and stretching the fabric. Don’t force it into any position or put too much pressure on it. This is the main cause of rips and tears. Take the time to make sure it has some give and allow for a little extra room if it is especially windy.

Finally, you should always try to pitch your tent on level ground, but if the area is hilly, pitch slightly uphill. This will prevent rain and water from pooling around your tent, allowing you to stay warm and comfortable while camping.

Small rips or holes may not seem like a huge problem at the time but they can certainly become massive issues during heavy downpours, cold nights or if snagged and lead to a much larger rip

The first thing you’ll need to do is find out what type of fabric your tent is made with. Buy products designed for this type of fabric to prevent any further damage being done.

To fix a small tear, use tent repair tape. Make sure the area is clean, dry and flatten the fabric to remove creases before applying the tape. Remember to apply it to both the inside and the outside of your tent and finish off the job by covering the tape and about 2cm extra around the edges with seam sealer.

Bigger rips are slightly more complicated but you still have options on how you’d like to approach them. You’re going to need a sewing awl (designed for sewing heavy duty materials), some waxed thread and potentially a patch of tent fabric (not always necessary).

Sew it Back Together

If the area around the rip is slightly loose, then pull the two sides together, fold one under the other and sew back together using the sewing awl. Ensure the stitches are sewn close together (to prevent leaks getting in) and once you’re finished, apply seam sealer on and around the area.

Broken Teeth

Take a look at the teeth on the zip to see if they are broken or just misaligned. If the teeth are only misaligned then all you have to do is run the zip slider back and forth a few times to sort the realignment.

If the teeth are broken in any way then unfortunately you may need to replace the entire zip, which is something that would be too difficult to sort out on a camping trip. Once you’re home, you can take the tent to a seamstress or tailors to see if they could fix it or you could attempt to buy a new zip and replace it yourself.

Damaged Slider

If it’s the zip slider is jammed, then you may be able to loosen it using some WD-40, although be very careful not to get any on your tent’s flysheet.

If the zip slider itself is damaged in some way then there are ways to repair it. Click here for a handy step by step guide for how to remove, repair and reattach a broken zip slider.