- 1). Choose a level, sheltered, well-drained place to set up your tent.
- 2). Remove the tent sack from your backpack and lay out all the enclosed items on a plastic poncho.
- 3). Double-check to see that all items are present. This should also be done before you leave home, as well.
- 4). Stretch out the flexible shock cord supports and connect each section together so the unit becomes one long straight pole. Note if your tent has these shock cord units, there will likely be two or more items all total.
- 5). Insert each shock cord unit into its corresponding sleeve. The instructions will specify the location of each shock-corded support. Most Eureka supports have a closed end and also an open end. The closed end always goes in first and the open end usually is fitted by a small metal insert that is permanently attached to the tent. To complete this step, the metal insert will have to be placed in the open end of the shock-cord support.
- 6). Place the groundcloth at the spot where you want the tent to go.
- 7). Put together any exterior aluminum frame pieces according to the instructions included with your tent. Not all tents come with these items, but if an exterior frame is present, the various metal pieces may have to be slid through several tent loops before they are attached together.
- 8). Place the tent on top of the groundcloth. If the groundcloth is too big, fold the edges underneath to obtain the right size. Ideally, a groundcloth should be slightly smaller than the floor area of the tent, so water does not collect underneath the tent.
- 9). Stake the four corners of the tent into the ground. Make sure each corner is maximum distance apart. When this step is done correctly, the tent bottom should be taut.
- 10
Set up the tent poles. In a few of Eureka's one-man tents there are no poles, just the shock-corded supports. - 11
Slide a piece of rope through the front and back loops and tie a taut line hitch. The loops should be located at or near the peak of the tent. In some tents, there may be more than one present in both the front and back. - 12
Tie the other end of the parachute cord around a tent peg and place the piece of metal in the ground. Use a taut line hitch as a knot. - 13
Place the rest of the tent pegs in the ground. They should all fit through loops located at the base of the tent. - 14
Tighten the tent by adjusting all taut line hitches. - 15
Add the rain fly, if it is not built into the overall design. With a few of the smaller tents this may be the case.
previous post