> Last week (first time in a modern tent)I angled the stakes away > from the tent ("top" pointing away from the tent, "pointy end" in > closer towards the tent) to provide resistance if wind hitting > the tent was pulling on the stake, I did not anticipate winds > high enough to require guy ropes so opted not to use them, and my > peg loops are not adjustable so I just pegged it through the loop > "as is". I nestled the tent up against some underbrush to act as > a wind block - just in case. I made sure everything was taut. > > Is all that proper or improper, and what else do I and people > with my lack of tenting expierence need to know? Sounds like you did fairly well. I use guy ropes when I am in stormy areas. In areas where it is difficult to drive in a stake I put heavy rocks inside the 4 or 5 corners of my tent, sometimes more depending on the conditions. I have done that for many years on river trips. I use deadman when I set up tarps in sand. I also have a set of narrow aluminum stakes and a set of SMC snow stakes. The SMC stakes work well in sand in moderate conditions, in extreme conditions I would use a deadman. Pitching a tent with a good wind resistant angle is a good idea. I have a TNF Canyonlands tent that stood up well to the winds of Baja, but I always pitched the narrow face to the north wind. I use my big Moss tent for long raft trips and I will add guy ropes on it but only in extreme conditions. We had 40 mph winds in thunderstorms on the Grand Canyon and I never lost my tent and had no guy ropes on it but I did have a few heavy rocks in my tent. In Alaska on the Tatshenshini I will use both guy ropes and rocks. I would be more careful about guy ropes or use more rocks if I am gone from camp for a long period of time. -- MZ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Mary raises a third aspect of tenting that seems important; location and orientation (well OK, maybe a third AND a fourth). Beyond the strength of the tent and staking, location and orientation made a difference with our tornado; but some of it was luck. One the the trees that fell just missed one of the tents. Tent location should consider shielding from wind and weather as well as avoiding potential weather driven hazards such as falling trees, rocks, mud, snow, flooding, etc. Our campsite had the best access and view of Florida Bay, but it was also the most exposed and had several trees that proved to be hazards in the tornado. Though some might argue that such a tornado is a low probability, they do happen to campers and such considerations with location should be considered when locating and orienting tents. I appreciate all the helpful comments on brands and techniques. -- Al Vazquez KayakGuide.com tm the Place to Share Kayaking & Canoeing tm *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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