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Spent 3 hours trying to pitch a new tent in the dark
Last weekend I got to my campsite up near Lake Tahoe way later than planned, like 9pm late. Thought I'd be fine setting up my new four-person tent in the dark with just a headlamp, but the poles were all color-coded weird and nothing clicked into place. Took me a solid 45 minutes of fumbling before I realized I had the rainfly on backwards and had to start over. Anyone else ever struggled way too long with a tent setup in the dark?
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jake_mason303mo ago
Ha, my buddy once set his tent up inside out and didn't notice til morning.
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the_ben3mo ago
Gotta disagree with you there. I've set up tents in the dark plenty of times and it's really not that bad if you do one simple thing. Before you leave home, set the tent up once in your living room or backyard so you know which pole goes where and how the rainfly fits. That 3 hour struggle would have been a 15 minute job. I actually prefer setting up in the dark sometimes because the headlamp keeps bugs away from my face.
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uma_patel193mo ago
Haha, the headlamp keeping bugs away is a solid pro tip I never thought of. But your comment reminded me of my buddy Kyle, who is the most prepared guy I know. He literally practiced setting his tent up in his living room three times before his first big trip. First night out, pitch black, middle of a thunderstorm, and he gets it done in like 15 minutes while I'm still swearing at my poles. Then a raccoon stole his bag of trail mix that he left on the picnic table lol.
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sam_harris683mo ago
Oh man, I've been there more times than I want to admit. That feeling when you're half frozen and the poles just won't cooperate is the worst. Here's what I finally learned the hard way: before you even pack it, set the whole thing up once in your yard during daylight. Take pictures of every step on your phone, especially how the fly clips on and which way the door opens. I also started putting a small piece of duct tape on each pole section with a matching color dot on the tent corner it goes into. Total game changer. Now even in pitch black with a dying headlamp, I'm done in under 20 minutes.
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