Taking Care of Your Tent While Camping
When you are out in the wild, it becomes your home away from home. It is the only thing that stands between you and the outside world. Therefore, taking care of it is definitely a good idea. Can you imagine if something disastrous was to befall it while camping, you would be left to fend for yourself against the elements!
Whenever you are braving the great outdoors, selecting a good spot to pitch your camping tent is very important. You should look for a spot that is very flat, it should also be clear of trees and bushes or anything that can damage the tent. This will eliminate the possibility of the tent getting any holes in it.
It may also be a good idea for you to use a footprint for your tent. A footprint is a cloth that is made specifically for the floor of your tent. You can purchase it before you start your trip; this is a very good way to prevent any damage to the floor of your tent, it acts as protection for the floor, therefore increasing the overall survival of the tent. Another great benefit of using a footprint is that it stops water from gathering under the tent floor.
If you have a very colorful camping tent, or any other color for that matter, to prevent it from fading, you should cover the tent with the rainfly; the special coating which covers the rainfly is more resistant to the sun’s rays. This not only protects it from fading, but it also protects it from harmful ultraviolet rays that may cause the tent material to degrade and become weak, therefore shortening the life span of the tent.
You should always ensure that the inside of your tent is kept clean. Therefore, you should have a container on the outside that can hold anything that isn’t sanitary, for instance, dirty shoes or boots should be placed in it. This way unwanted mud or dust will stay on the outside of the camping tent.
When packing away your tent, you should make sure that any unwanted items are thrown out. Packing away the tent with garbage in it may cause unwelcome pests to invade, giving you lots of work in the long run. It may also attract larger animals, based on the type of trash that it contains, the last thing you want is for a wild animal to destroy your tent just because it had a whiff of the chicken you had the night before!
Finally, when you are packing your tent away, you should try your best to fold it differently every time. If you fold the tent the same way continuously, the creases may become fragile as the bends become permanent. This will also shorten the survival of the tent.
Taking good care of your tent is very important, especially if you want to get the most out of it. By just doing these little things, your camping tent can last a bit longer!