How to check that my tent is in good condition before going camping - title

How to check that my tent is in good condition before going camping?

Do not forget to check your tent before leaving home so that you don't have a bad surprise when you arrive at the camp-site!
Find out our advices!

The first day of the adventure!It's time to set up your home for the night ; take out the biscuits (always start with comfort, whatever the sayings may say), then the canvas, the bedroom, the pegs ... and the you realise that there's a little problem! To avoid any last minute problems (something missing, the tent needed repairing...), we advise you to anticipate and to check the condition of your tent before leaving. Here is a checklist from our tent product managers so that you can leave with peace of mind!

How to check that my tent is in good condition before going camping?

Before leaving:take the tent out of its cover, wash it and clean the mold

The most important step before you go camping is to take your tent out of its cover and pitch it. Whether in your garden, or even in a public garden, this is the best way to ensure its overall condition, from the canvas to the number of pegs, poles and guy ropes. You will be able to take the opportunity to look at its assembly and disassembly by watching the dedicated video. It would be a shame to deprive yourself of this help, especially as you may not have internet connection at your campsite. 

If your tent was stored a little damp, it might not smell very nice. You will therefore need to open the tent, air it, wash it with soapy water and leave it to dry.

If it shows marks of mold, you can clean it with soapy water.

How to check that my tent is in good condition before going camping?

Check the poles, pegs and guy ropes.

In order not to find that you're missing anything once you arrive at the campsite, check your poles.
If you have a 2 Seconds tent, have a look to make sure that the poles haven't broken during storage.
- If you have a classic tent, count the number of poles and check that none of the sections are broken. If this is the case, order your pole section or your replacement pole in your DECATHLON store.
- If you have an inflatable tent, remember to take your pump with you.
So that your tent can be securely anchored to the ground, check your pegs.
- If you plan to camp on stony or very hard ground, invest in « hard ground » (impossible to twist).
-If the ground on the campsite is sandy, invest in more suitable angled pegs.
as well as the guy ropes and cords which stabilize the tent in the wind, and the tensioners intended to regulate the tension of the guy ropes. They are available as spare parts in Decathlon stores.

You need spare parts? Click here!

Examine the groundsheet and check the zips.

- And make sure there are no holes in it, if this is the case, do not hesitate to repair it with patches that you can find in your DECATHLON store.
- Check door zips and other openings: they need to work correctly.

Download Decathlon Camp

Revise the folding-up system

Do not hesitate to take a few moments to watch the video concerning the folding system of your tent.

Find all the videos for setting up and dismantling tents on the Decathlon Camp mobile application! To find out more, follow me:
I discover the Decathlon Camp App!

If you follow all of these steps and everything is OK, you are good to go! And for a really optimal preparation, you can also consult our article:

How to check that my tent is in good condition before going camping?

Cloé

Hiking lover at Quechua

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