Top Tips to Avoid Tent Repairs
Posted BY Ian under camping-advice
The key to avoiding tent repairs is to look after your tent in the first place. It may seem obvious but if you ask most campers what they do to look after their tent they'll look at you stunned.
First of all, avoid fires near to your tent. Modern fabrics are very susceptible to fire and heat damage. It doesn't take much to melt a hole, and holes let water, wind and vermin inside. Not good.
Most modern tents have a sewn in groundsheet. This is better for waterproofing and because it avoids a gap with the same problems mentioned above. Unfortunately, the groundsheet is prone to damage. Pick your site carefully avoiding rocks and sharp prickles or thorns. Punctures are never completely repaired.
If you camp in rough terrain regularly you may think to buy an extra sheet to lay under the whole tent. This then bears the brunt of any potential penetrations.
Sunlight can be very powerful and the Ultra Violet (UV) element has a detrimental affect on most man-made materials over time. Tents described as UV Resistant may not suffer so quickly but you should still consider actions to minimize the damage in the first place.
In places where the UV is potentially strong think to pitch where there is some relief (a shaded area). Alternatively, create that 'shield' - air your sleeping bags over the tent and kill two birds with one stone.
Think whether you need the tent standing all day in the face of the full strength of the sun or whether you could pack the tent away. With modern tents this is a feasible option.
You should keep your tent clean inside and out. Take a small brush (a 10cm paint brush is ideal) to sweep out dirt, sand and vegetation that gets inside. Wipe off any bird droppings or other contamination that gets on the outside of your tent before it causes any chemical reaction.
Ensure your tent is as dry as you can manage before packing it away. If for any reason you have to pack it away damp, wet or even sodden then do take it out and dry at the earliest opportunity. This will prevent smells developing as well as protect the various materials.
Zips need special care. Be gentle with zips and try always to help guide the zipper along its true path. Stop quickly if it jams. If you were gentle in the first place it should be an easy matter to pull back on track. A broken zip is difficult to cope with during a trip and not easily fixed on your return.
If you take care of your tent then tent repairs should not be one of your concerns. It pays to carry a repair kit for minor issues as you can't avoid all accidents. This should at least have something to cover small holes and to fix one broken guy line.
Always carry a few spare pegs and some sort of tape to repair poles. The same tape will be useful for many otther pourposes around your camp.
I've owned one tent for 20 odd years; it's still functional. The only serious damage (broken poles) occurred when I lent it out (one warning) and when I left it unattended in the Atlas Mountains for a few hours. I came back to find a local enjoying my yoghurt. Unfortunately, she didn't know how to use a zip so had cut her way through the mesh door. Perhaps I should have left it wide open.