Took me 12 camping trips to realize I was setting up my tent wrong the whole time

I've been camping for about 3 years now, mostly at state parks around Ohio. Last month at Hocking Hills, a guy next to my spot walked over and asked if my rain fly was supposed to look like a saggy balloon. Turns out I had been tightening the wrong straps first, leaving gaps where water could pool. He showed me to start with the corner clips, then pull the fly tight in a cross pattern, and suddenly the whole thing was taught in like 5 minutes. Anyone else have gear basics they just assumed they were doing right until someone called them out?

3 comments

3 Comments

michaelchen13d ago

Wait, wait wait... "saggy balloon"?? Man that's incredible you went through 12 trips like that. I've done the same dumb stuff with my tent poles so I totally get the feeling.

phoenix33113d ago

Hold up, I gotta say something real quick. It's not 12 trips, it's 12 times I set up that tent in the same trip (you know, moving spots every couple days). I mean, I did 12 campsites over 18 days, not 12 separate trips. That would be insane even for me, and I've done some pretty dumb stuff in the woods. The saggy balloon thing happened on like the fourth setup, so I was stuck with that floppy mess for 8 more nights. Just wanted to clear that up because the number makes a big difference in how bad the whole situation really was.

the_charlie11d ago

Man, @michaelchen said it best... twelve setups in eighteen days is brutal enough without adding a broken tent to the mix. That saggy balloon thing sounds exactly like what happened with my old dome tent after the shock cord snapped on the third night of a two-week trip. You've got my full sympathy, nothing ruins a good campsite faster than battling a limp, floppy pole every single time you move spots.