Resend my activation email : Register : Log in 
BCF: Bike Chat Forums


Guys and dollies (how to pitch a tent)

Reply to topic
Bike Chat Forums Index -> Touring & Exploration Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next
View previous topic : View next topic  
Author Message

Flip
Super Spammer



Joined: 28 Feb 2004
Karma :

PostPosted: 16:07 - 09 Aug 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote

My 3 man Vango dome tent is f*ckin' awesome. Wind doesn't bother it at all. The 5 man Vango dome tent (huge porch, could stand up in) had both it's main poles snap the 1st night it went up 'cause of the wind. Thumbs Down To large tents.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

G
The Voice of Reason



Joined: 02 Feb 2002
Karma :

PostPosted: 21:07 - 10 Aug 2008    Post subject: Re: Guys and dollies (how to pitch a tent) Reply with quote

I did start writing a post when this was first put up, but never finished it and due to my own stupidity (clicking on a "april fool's" link you're supposed to send to others Doh! lost it).

Anyway, a few comments on the original post:
Quote:
Next thing is the angle to the tent. Most people put them WAY too close to the tent because they are afraid someone will trip on them. Just tie a plastic carrier bag to them and they'll be seen. Get them nice and far out so they can take the strain off the poles/flysheet.

I would take issue with the above. If you find your self in a situation where long guy ropes with plastic bags on are an ideal solution, I would suggest that you:
a) Find an event that has more people.
b) Find an event where people are suitably intoxicated.

If people actually notice the plastic bag is tied around the tent, rather than perhaps trying to stamp on the wavey-floaty white thing it if they do actually see it, I'd suggest that most definitely the people at your event are intoxicated enough!
Similarly if there is a chance of avoiding long guy-ropes, it's likely that either there aren't very many people at this event, or you have camped away from the main congregation of people, leading to a unnecessarily long walk to such areas.

I very rarely use guy ropes and always have them as close to the tent as possible.
I've just got back from two weeks camping, at some cases in moderate winds (30mph recorded where we were at one case, probably more by the sounds of it while I was in the tent) and not only haven't used guy ropes, but only used pegs once and then only two!

If I was expecting really nasty weather, well, I'd probably take the van or find a suitable structure to protect myself with.

On this, I was using a pop-up tent. Carrying on the bike wasn't ideal, but not a big problem with my large touratech panniers being wider than the 80cm disc, so just plonked it on top.
I believe 62cm disc ones are available too and hopefully this will be reduced further in the future.
https://cdn.mydeco.com/product_images/s7ondemand4.scene7.com/9824b16b52be2468e49fcb36985831c9b59c6850_270.jpg
The one I have is a Eurohike 'Mach II Blackout', which I have to saw I'm very impressed by. It does have two extra poles that go in at the top, but otherwise does do the '2 second' claim - as I found when a bungee broke dropping the bag onto the rear wheel 5 miles away from John o Groarts - cue looking into my mirror to see my tent nicely setup in the middle of the A99.
The pop-up tents have quite good floor dimensions for me - they are decently long compare to their width, meaning I don't need to get a 3/4 man tent to easily fit into it comfortably thanks to an oval kinda design.

Putting mine away takes a bit more effort than some of the others; it has 3 loops rather than 2 so is a bit harder I think. However I've now perfected it and can get it folded up in under twenty seconds, I'd say.

Tents on tarmac shouldn't be a big problem - with a dome tent you should only need to hold out the porch bit if you have one - any decently weighted or immobile object will do. Done this plenty of times at race meetings.

My choice of tents for 'normal' ones would be a dome tent - possibly based on my above prejudices against using guy ropes Smile.
Dome tents need minimal pegging and guy-roping, are generally easy to put up and are mostly-self supporting.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

stinkwheel
Bovine Proctologist



Joined: 12 Jul 2004
Karma :

PostPosted: 23:00 - 10 Aug 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote

We had recorded wind speeds of 40 knots, gusting to 50 at the Simmer Dim rally this year. 30-35 knots at the Meinhoff Ace of Spades last year which is a "summer" rally in a sheltered field.

Guy ropes!
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Shay HTFC
World Chat Champion



Joined: 18 Mar 2007
Karma :

PostPosted: 00:35 - 11 Aug 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also, the guy ropes not only stop you from blowing away, but keep the inner tent away from the outer tent.

To my misfortune, I didn't have any guy ropes and after a rainy night, in a lot of places the inner had come in contact with the outer which is asking for trouble if there is anything touching the tent side.

The material isn't all that waterproof when things are pressed up against it. The surface tension or whatever gets broken, so the water can flow through. Although, that may have just been my tent Laughing
____________________
Full Motorbike License - GS500E '95
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

G
The Voice of Reason



Joined: 02 Feb 2002
Karma :

PostPosted: 22:44 - 11 Aug 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shay HTFC wrote:
Also, the guy ropes not only stop you from blowing away, but keep the inner tent away from the outer tent.

In my experience this isn't a big issue on decent tents.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

flamair
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 22 Oct 2008
Karma :

PostPosted: 15:59 - 04 Nov 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great info on tents guys, thanks for that. I have a Coleman Adrenaline 2 which I used in the Alps this year and although it's a great tent for bike camping and fitted easily into my panniers, give me a B&B any day for ease and comfort. I tend to find that camping is twice as much effort and gear to carry than B&B's for a third of the comfort and convenience!!! Very Happy
____________________
Remember you're unique-just like everybody else..
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

bikedemon99
Spanner Monkey



Joined: 24 Nov 2008
Karma :

PostPosted: 23:34 - 12 Dec 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote

dont be soft, use a tarp

Yours Sincerly.... Ray Mears : inventor of the Birch bark motorcycle
____________________
Ride safe
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

owdamer
World Chat Champion



Joined: 06 Oct 2004
Karma :

PostPosted: 23:32 - 20 Dec 2008    Post subject: Reply with quote

More tips.

Campfires.

Great for sitting around, and great for warming you up. But be careful where you have them. When the fire starts popping and cracking and sending showers of glowing embers into the night air it can easily wreck your tent. It probably isn't going to burn down, but it will put burn lots of little holes into the fabric which will then let water in. Discovered this the hard way at the farmyard. Everything getting wet on the first night of a weekend isn't a good start.

Mind where you park your bike.


Probably wont make any difference at most rallies, but at somewhere like the Bulldog you can easily find yourslf blocked in as they tent to jam everyone in. Not a problem if you are happy to spend the entire weekend onsite, but a lot of people want to head into stratford for a macshit.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Sir Black Pig
World Chat Champion



Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Karma :

PostPosted: 18:14 - 03 Mar 2009    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stinky, good offering very informed.

Good tips as well about the guy ropes, on a modern tent in summer the main corner guys, any other time all, including the storm guys.

They are the difference between a tent and a kite.

Also you mentioned the correct length for a guy, bravo sir, all to often overlooked.

As a rule of thumb, halve the guy rope by running the slider all the way to the canvas, then at the furthest end you will have found the midlength of the guy rope, hold this bit, run the slider to midlength, then hey presto you guy should be just about the right length, for the guy to be in line with seams and headers and not put undue stresses on any fabrics or poles.
____________________
Eurotrip 2009
Sportugal 2010
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

shenpen
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 06 Mar 2009
Karma :

PostPosted: 12:13 - 12 Mar 2009    Post subject: Size Matters Reply with quote

Great thread.

One thing to add that I don't think's been mentioned so far.... when considering what tent to buy (regardless of type) bear in mind how much room you'll really need inside.

Generalising a bit....

1-man tents are usually big enough for an average height/size bloke, but don't expect to have much space left over for your gear (or to be able to sit up).

Likewise, 2-man tents are big enough for 2 people (who know each other VERY well) without gear, or perfect for 1 person with gear. Always good to have a tent with a decent size porch for stowing away wet stuff overnight and sitting in with a brew in the mornings.

For solo camping (campsites & wild in all weathers) I've used a Vango Storm 200 (2-man) geodesic tent for several years. Quick and easy to put up, never leaked or broken, and doesn't take up much space on the bike. I don't think they make that particular model any more, but there are newer and probably even better equivalents from both Vango and Coleman.

https://www.vstromownersclub.com/Portals/0/blogphotos/hu08.jpg

Getting the balance right between having a tent spacious enough to be comfortable/useful vs. small/light enough to pack easily on a bike can be tricky, but if you can, go for a 2-man for solo camping or a 3-man if you're sharing.
____________________
Iain Harper
V-Strom Owners Club UK
www.vstromownersclub.com
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website You must be logged in to rate posts

Mudskipper
World Chat Champion



Joined: 22 Aug 2006
Karma :

PostPosted: 12:41 - 12 Mar 2009    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just to throw a spanner in the logic...

My £20 Tesco tent last Easter Laughing
https://www.yorkmotorcycletraining.co.uk/images/Various/slides/19a-400.jpg
It survived that and then went to Farmyard and Ganton Gathering.
I do plan to upgrade this year though, not pushing my luck! Laughing
____________________
CBR125|||GSXR400|||CBR400|||CBR400|||CB250RS|||GSXR750|||CB250RS Mr. Green
"You're clumsy, you eat too much and you behave like a 12 year old boy. But you know what? Every once in a while, you find a thumb."
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

raak
Spanner Monkey



Joined: 21 Dec 2006
Karma :

PostPosted: 02:00 - 19 Mar 2009    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mudskipper.... Shocked

Hardcore, sir..hardcore.. Laughing Thumbs Up
____________________
Previous bikes: Suzuki GT250A / Yamaha DT125 / NTV Honda 650 // currently Suzuki RF900
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

c-m
World Chat Champion



Joined: 12 May 2006
Karma :

PostPosted: 23:21 - 25 Mar 2009    Post subject: Reply with quote

After seeing some good sized tunnel tents I spent £38 on an OhVee 2 man tunnel tent for my tour of Eastern Europe. By the time I got from Norwich to London for a tournament the tent was already wrecked.

Zips broke, fiberglass (isn't this meant to be stronger than steel?) poles bent and broke, the whole tent was a nightmare.

It was very spacious for two people and full gear light weight, but wasn't really suited to the task.

Tunnel tents need to be fully guyed out all the time, there is no other way they can stand up. If you are on a campsite like the one I visited in Klon or Split the you have a major problem - rock hard ground and pegs made of cheese.

Here is how my tent looked by Croatia


https://lh3.ggpht.com/_mJuQcw6-3ws/SOOo0pwZ1VI/AAAAAAAAAUw/B5igeThLk44/s512/dscf1291.jpg?imgmax=800

I am going away again this year and bought an Aztec Esquina Plus Tent:

[img] https://www.venturesport.co.uk/images/products/product_5335.gif [/img]

It is semi geodesic with aluminum poles. It is reaonsably light and folds down to about the size of a 3 litre bottle of cider if not smaller. I expect it to serve me well this summer.[/img]


Last edited by c-m on 10:53 - 03 Jun 2012; edited 1 time in total
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website You must be logged in to rate posts

Grazoid
Scooby Slapper



Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Karma :

PostPosted: 21:49 - 14 Jun 2009    Post subject: Reply with quote

G wrote:
Shay HTFC wrote:
Also, the guy ropes not only stop you from blowing away, but keep the inner tent away from the outer tent.

In my experience this isn't a big issue on decent tents.


You need more experience then Very Happy ... most deffo is the worst reason for damp inners as it also causes condensation. S'alright been camping for over 40 years now; so have plenty of experience with all types of tents and so far agree with everything Stinkwheel has posted apart from pegs... I have in my tent bags a 10" long Titanium alloy peg spike, obtainable from even Millets, which can be used to break through most obstructions for pegs. Handy for very dry ground and even breaks through rock layers in slate and limestone areas. Bit stuck with gritstone and granite though , but makes a very good anchor for kites as well.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

John933
Crazy Courier



Joined: 01 Mar 2005
Karma :

PostPosted: 03:41 - 13 Feb 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've done a bit of this camping lark ... And what I use as well as peg's is 6/8 inch nail's ... And a small pin hammer don't take much room ... But very handy ...
John933
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

G
The Voice of Reason



Joined: 02 Feb 2002
Karma :

PostPosted: 11:08 - 13 Feb 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

Grazoid wrote:

You need more experience then Very Happy ... most deffo is the worst reason for damp inners as it also causes condensation.

Or you need more experience with half decent modern tents rather than 40 year old ones Wink.

I've only got memories of camping for 26 years or so, but in that time some pretty significant advancements of materials have happened.
With a cheap tescos tent it is still an issue, with a really expensive ultra-light tent it might be an issue too, but much less so with modern half-decent ones.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

stinkwheel
Bovine Proctologist



Joined: 12 Jul 2004
Karma :

PostPosted: 14:24 - 13 Feb 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

Princess Sunshine wrote:

Or you need more experience with half decent modern tents rather than 40 year old ones Wink.

I've only got memories of camping for 26 years or so, but in that time some pretty significant advancements of materials have happened.
With a cheap tescos tent it is still an issue, with a really expensive ultra-light tent it might be an issue too, but much less so with modern half-decent ones.


I think the most significant advance is that the outer is errected first and the inner just hangs off the inside via a series of plastic clips/toggles on short bits of elastic. As such, it tends to move/flex with the flysheet/poles.

On older tents, the inner was the structural part and the flysheet was thrown over the top of it then pegged down. This allowed the two parts of the tent to move independantly and if the flysheet wasn't held away from the inner, you'd be getting wet.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

ms51ves3
Super Spammer



Joined: 08 Jun 2007
Karma :

PostPosted: 14:28 - 13 Feb 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

Halfords are doing 15% off all Gelert tents at the moment.

Clicky

I'm eyeing up the Gelert Eiger 2 Man Tent. £25.50 delivered Thinking
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

G
The Voice of Reason



Joined: 02 Feb 2002
Karma :

PostPosted: 17:37 - 13 Feb 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

stinkwheel wrote:

I think the most significant advance is that the outer is erected first and the inner just hangs off the inside via a series of plastic clips/toggles on short bits of elastic. As such, it tends to move/flex with the flysheet/poles.

Most of the recent modern ones I've liked have had the inner hanging off the poles with a fly sheet then also attached to the poles.
However, I'd say it's noticeable that the material not the design seems to make the big difference - ie a half decen ttent vs a tescos tent of the same design - the tescos one was terrible when the ok ones have lasted me many years.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Grazoid
Scooby Slapper



Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Karma :

PostPosted: 20:26 - 24 Apr 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

G wrote:
stinkwheel wrote:

I think the most significant advance is that the outer is erected first and the inner just hangs off the inside via a series of plastic clips/toggles on short bits of elastic. As such, it tends to move/flex with the flysheet/poles.

Most of the recent modern ones I've liked have had the inner hanging off the poles with a fly sheet then also attached to the poles.
However, I'd say it's noticeable that the material not the design seems to make the big difference - ie a half decent tent vs a tescos tent of the same design - the tescos one was terrible when the ok ones have lasted me many years.


Here we have an example of Mr Parsimonious fair weather camper... all modern top quality and middle quality tents for THIS climate pitch outer first or can be pitched inner and outer together.

Inner first tents are for far more clement weather than we have and are used mainly in hotter wilderness areas for better ventilation. The outer is used mainly for privacy and unless it is a mountain tent will not provide adequate protection outside of a couple of months in the summer.

Having a tent than can be pitched outer first is a boon in a wet climate as you can then get the inner up at your leisure and all of your kit can be protected.

SW and myself are all weather and all-season campers of experience , who don't have top line kit , but good quality kit and G is consistently a grade one troll.. who you gonna trust Wink
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

psychofox
Nova Slayer



Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Karma :

PostPosted: 19:00 - 14 Aug 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

The tent connoisseurs may laugh, but I reckon the Pro Action Cross (£20 one from argos, which I got for a bargain price of £12) is pretty handy. Me and a mate used it while hitchiking to Morocco. It survived heavy rain, winds and a little bit of snow. A year later we took it to Benicassim festival in Spain and the ground was so hard that we couldn't get the pegs in. No problem we thought, until this happened:

https://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i876b1b34206deb32bc9e4abc503d161d

Came back to find our little tent exactly where we left it, while other pricier tents were on the train tracks. We had a cosy nights sleep while some of our friends had to be evacuated to a local school.

I look forward to using it again in some other totally unsuitable situation.

https://www.argos.co.uk/wcsstore/argos/images/36-3400054A67UC318917M.jpg
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website You must be logged in to rate posts

G
The Voice of Reason



Joined: 02 Feb 2002
Karma :

PostPosted: 14:37 - 26 Apr 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

Grazoid wrote:

Here we have an example of Mr Parsimonious fair weather camper... all modern top quality and middle quality tents for THIS climate pitch outer first or can be pitched inner and outer together.

Inner first tents are for far more clement weather than we have and are used mainly in hotter wilderness areas for better ventilation. The outer is used mainly for privacy and unless it is a mountain tent will not provide adequate protection outside of a couple of months in the summer.
....
SW and myself are all weather and all-season campers of experience , who don't have top line kit , but good quality kit and G is consistently a grade one troll.. who you gonna trust Wink

Thought I'd respond to this abuse, despite being a year late, what with the spammer resurrections.
So.. Tut Tut. I have been camping throughout the year in all weathers around the UK and abroad - and pretty much always in cheap or medium priced tents.

The reality is, though, that we don't get serious enough weather in the UK to justify going silly spending money on tents to my mind.
Like the 'all the gear' types who insist on having the same leathers that Rossi uses, with hump and speed stripes, because they're doing a whole 90mph on A roads on their brand new R1!

Even if you find some really silly weather, you can generally mitigate the worst aspects by choosing where you camp carefully.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Livefast123
Nearly there...



Joined: 15 Mar 2010
Karma :

PostPosted: 22:39 - 28 May 2011    Post subject: Reply with quote

Finally managed to get my new Gelert Solo out in anger for the first time in preperation for the Hyo owners club meet in Billing.

It does what it says on the bag.....it's compact and light (1.5Kgs). There is enough room inside for me and a bit of kit but everything else will have to be stored under the fly sheet.

We'll see how it copes.

https://img69.imageshack.us/img69/4086/dscf6146a.jpg

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
____________________
Current ride - Yamaha MT-07
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

gixerbill
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 27 Mar 2010
Karma :

PostPosted: 13:55 - 23 Jun 2011    Post subject: pitching tent Reply with quote

rule 1.
when camping at sachsenring for german motogp beware of drunk germans falling onto tent.i got back to mine in early hours to find it collapsed.after re erecting and getting some kip i was woken at 6 am by the same german shouting and offering me a beer in compensation. Very Happy
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

G
The Voice of Reason



Joined: 02 Feb 2002
Karma :

PostPosted: 15:55 - 12 Sep 2011    Post subject: Re: pitching tent Reply with quote

gixerbill wrote:
rule 1.
when camping at sachsenring for german motogp beware of drunk germans falling onto tent.i got back to mine in early hours to find it collapsed.after re erecting and getting some kip i was woken at 6 am by the same german shouting and offering me a beer in compensation. Very Happy

Didn't use guy ropes, by any chance? Wink

Oh and thread resurrected by a spammer, which was removed, but saw fit to post anyway Smile.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts
  Display posts from previous:   
This page may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set.

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Bike Chat Forums Index -> Touring & Exploration All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next
Page 2 of 3

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum

Read the Terms of Use! - Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group
 

Debug Mode: ON - Server: birks (www) - Page Generation Time: 0.15 Sec - Server Load: 0.72 - MySQL Queries: 17 - Page Size: 147.08 Kb