How to pitch a tent or tarp

Tent pitching

There is a range of tents designed for every adventure. The tents vary from ultra-lightweight tents for the most adventurous travelers to more spacious tents for the bigger groups or families. A tents primary function is to protect both you and your belongings from the elements and give you the freedom of choosing your home for the night. A tent is your tiny home when you are on a trip, it isn’t just a shelter, but a comfy place for reflection, recover and rest. Tents differ in size, construction, fabric, weight, design and pitching technique. It is important to choose a suitable tent for your needs. Nordisk offers a wide range of tent styles, with different features and benefits. A lot of tents from Nordisk are outer pitched. It means that the tent allows the user to pitch the outer tent first and then crawl inside to attach the inner tent. It becomes really handy when the rain is pouring while you are pitching your tent. With an outer pitched tent, you can make sure that the inner tent and belongings stays dry.

1. Spread out the tent. Thread the poles through the color-coded pole sleeves. Ensure all doors are closed.

2. Fix the pole ends into the webbing eyelets on the outer tent.

3. Secure the tent to the ground by attaching pegs into the webbing loops in the direction facing the wind. Put the pegs to the ground in at a 45-degree angle.

4. Pull the webbing loops in the other end you and walk backwards to erect the tent. After pegging down both ends, secure the sides with additional pegs.

5. Secure the tent further by attaching the guy ropes to the ground. Depending on weather conditions,

judge how many guy ropes that are needed. In stormy weather, the tent must be securely anchored. Adjust webbings and guy ropes for correct tension. Mount the inner cabin in the O-rings and hooks. When you pack the tent, you can choose to leave the inner cabin attached for a faster pitching on your next adventure.

Find a good location for your tent

Finding a good place to camp is essential, if you want to wake up happy and dry. Make sure to pitch it on an even surface and remove any sharp rocks and snags to protect the groundsheet. Clearing the area also ensures a good night sleep for you and your back. Before pitching up your tent, check the conditions of the ground by unfolding your sleeping mat over the area and testing the comfort. Check the wind and sun exposure. Don’t place your tent in direct sun, but a place close to a shady spot if you want to avoid waking up in a sauna. Pitch your tent in the most streamlined position according to the wind conditions. The back of the tent should be placed against the wind direction, so the door is facing away from the wind. When you pitch your tent stretch the tent for optimal water repellency, ventilation and wind protection. If you are two persons pull in each side. Avoid pitching your tent on a hill, because it could be a threat to your safety. Both water and stones tend to run downhill, which makes hills a really bad place to camp.

Pitching a tarp

There is a range of tarps in different shapes, sizes, fabrics and weight classes. A tarp is a piece of thin waterproof fabric that can be tightened in a thousand different ways and provides shelter from rain and sun. A tarp is both lightweight and versatile and enables an easier and more flexible setup. The tarp has numerous functions. The tarp can add extra space in your camp, extend the dry areas of your tent, act as a roof to your camp kitchen or be used as a stand-alone shelter instead of a tent. The tarp can also be fixed to tents, that offer tarp enabling. On Oppland 3 SI (as mentioned earlier) you can open the front and side door and attach a tarp as an exit/entry extension.

Find good location for a tarp set up

In many ways, the recommendations for pitching a tarp is similar to pitching a tent. A suitable location, because a tarp is not great at protecting from heavy wind and rain. On the contrary, it offers great ventilation and intimacy with nature. Always choose a protected area. Areas in dense forest will be good choices. Avoid open meadows, tops of hills, or edges of tree lines. Always make sure to set up your tarp against the wind, so the wind and rain are coming from the sides. If it is really windy try to find a place where the wind side is blocked. It could be behind trees, rocks or a hill.

Shelter:	A-pitch:
Shelter with groundsheet:	Shelter with windbreak:
Diamond pitch: