How to Pitch a Family Tent
Planning a family camping trip? It's important to learn how to pitch your tent ahead of time.
If you're pitching a new tent for the first time, the last thing you want is to get rained on whilst figuring out how to pitch it. You'll have no shelter, the instructions will start getting damp and the kids will start to get restless.
So, save yourself the frustration and learn how to pitch one of our family tents before your journey!
Pitching Your Family Tent: Step By Step Guide
Before You Begin
Make sure you aren't missing any of the equipment needed to pitch the tent. You'll also need to find a nice flat area clear of any rocks or other hazards that could damage the tent. If you want to be prepared in the event of any accidental damage, pick up one of our tent repair kits.
For the Karuna tent, here's what you'll need:
Step 1: Lay out the flysheet and assemble the poles
Unfold the flysheet and lay it flat on the ground.
Assemble the four larger fibreglass poles by slotting them together. Then, feed each of the poles through the sleeves, being careful not to force the poles as this can damage the fabric.
Step 2: Fit the poles
Next, you'll need to bow each pole to create the curved frame. This can be done starting from either the front or back of the tent.
Slot the tent pole into the attached pin on the groundsheet. It's easiest if you've got another person to hold this in position, while the other flexes the pole to create an arc and slots the pole into the opposing pin.
Once you've fitted each pole, connect the black hooks running along the path of the poles.
Step 3: Peg out
Gather the arced poles together, then lift the tent up.
Whilst one person holds the tent, the other should peg out the back guylines and corners to hold the tent in position. If you're working with harder ground, you can use a camping mallet to make this step easier.
Step 4: Pull out and peg out
With one person either side of the tent, walk the tent out pole by pole and peg the front corners.
Next, pull out the front guylines and peg them into position, then peg down the remainder of the flysheet.
First, position the larger bedroom so the red toggles are at the back of the tent and the yellow are at the front towards the living space.
Next, connect the black hooks at the bottom of the bedroom and then the red toggles at the top through the red loops of the flysheet.
Connect the front corners at the bottom and the yellow bedroom toggles with the yellow loops of the flysheet.
Repeat the process for the second smaller bedroom at the opposite end of the tent.
Step 6: Peg out
Peg out the guylines so that they're nice and taut, adjusting the length of the sliders depending on the space around your tent.
Lastly, connect the remaining fibreglass pole. Feed the pole through the sleeve above the side door and fix each pole in place.
There you have it! Your tent is now pitched and ready for furnishing. Be sure to grab some of our portable camping furniture so that you don't have to sit and eat on the floor, or check out the rest of our camping equipment if you're looking to get fully kitted out. Other than that, throw in a few sleeping bags and you're good to go!
Pitching A Family Tent: Video Guide
If you're more of a visual learner, we've also made an accompanying video guide to pitching the Karuna tent, which you may find useful.
