How to maintain & store your tent well
Prolong your tent's lifespan with our handy tips!
Love going camping even if it is just within sunny Singapore?
We share advice on how to properly use, clean and maintain your tents so that they can accompany you to many more nights of camping!
#1 Use
The first step to maintain your tent properly is to use it well.
Before setting up your tent, make sure its front door is securely zipped or closed. This will prevent the canvas from over-stretching during tent assembly.
Refrain from overstretching the guy ropes (the rope fixed to the ground to provide resistance for your tent against wind) as you might risk creating too much tension on the canvas.
Avoid overexposure to prolong lifespan of tents
To extend the lifespan of your tent as much as possible, we recommend that you do not overexpose it in the sun.
UV rays may damage the canvas of your tent and accelerate its wear.
Our tents are designed to withstand an annual exposure of three consecutive weeks to the sun - so feel free to use your tent for more than three weeks a year!
But we recommend to avoid continuously subjecting your tent to UV rays, as its lifespan might be compromised.
#2 Clean
The simplest way to clean a tent is to brush it using a sponge and soapy water while it is still up. Make sure to rinse it thoroughly to make sure there is no soap residue. We recommend using a hose to speed up the cleaning process!
To clean the interior of your tent, use of a brush to remove small stones, twigs and dust or a shovel to remove big stones.
Warning! Avoid using solvents as this will greatly reduce the waterproof qualities of tent fabrics.
#3 Drying
Storing a damp tent in its storage bag facilitates the growth of mould and unpleasant odour - both of which are difficult to get rid of.
Therefore, ensure that your tent is completely dry before stowing them into the bag. If it is not possible to air them right away, we suggest for you to dry them as soon as you can.
We also recommend you to store your tent in a dry place.
Lacking space to properly dry a tent?
Firstly, the simplest solution is to dismantle your tent; flysheet on one side, bedroom on the other. Then all you have to do is dry each item separately by hanging them out to dry.
Feel free to use the guy ropes to hang everything properly under the sun.
Secondly, you can also pitch your tent when the weather is nice and dry. Open all entrances and windows of your tent and wait for the sun and the wind to do their job!
If you are in a hurry, you can use a squeegee (like those used for swimming pools) to remove the water from your groundsheet.
Don't forget to dry the bottom of tent well
Remember to dry all surfaces of your tent, especially the bottom which is in contact with the ground.
The easiest way to do this is to fold your tent in half after removing the poles. This will allow you to dry the underside of your tent on one side and then on the other.
Don't forget to dry your bag cover well too – let's avoid storing a well-dried tent into a damp bag cover!
#4 Tidying up
To store, don't forget to remove all the tent poles, including reinforcement bars (present in large tents for more than four people).
It is also important to close or zip the front door of your tent securely when you store it.
Otherwise, your tent may be too tight when you unfold it again.
Remember to do a check and not leave any unwanted litter behind!
