Dome Tent Assembly Instructions

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Dome tents are roomy and relatively simple to set up, making them a good choice for campers who put comfort ahead of ultralight travel, car campers and families looking to accommodate a number of people. The most common dome configuration has two poles that arch from corner to corner of the tent, crossing in the middle. You may, on occasion, see larger dome tents supported by three or even up to six poles, but the basic procedure for setting the tent up remains the same.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step 1

Select a level, flat area to set up your tent. Soft ground is a bonus, but level and flat, free of sharp rocks or protruding plants that might puncture your tent floor, should be your first priorities. If you're using a tent footprint or ground cloth, spread this out in the place you've selected for your tent.

Step 2

Remove the body of the tent from its stuff sack and lay it out, floor facing down, on the ground cloth (or the bare ground, if you're not using a ground cloth). Remove the tent poles from the stuff sack as well and line them up so that the shock-corded sections snap into place. You may, rarely, see screw-threaded tent pole sections that must be screwed into place.

Step 3

Slide the poles through the fabric sleeves in the top of the tent, and secure each end of each pole to the corners of the tent. Some tents have small pegs attached to each corner, which slip into the hollow pole ends, while other tents have grommets through which you insert the closed pole ends.

Step 4

Place the rain fly over the tent. Make sure that the door on the rain fly lines up with the door on the tent and secure the fly to the tent poles, if your tent provides a means of doing this--plastic clips or snaps are the most common means of doing so. You usually must secure the rain fly to the ends of the tent poles as well.

Step 5

Pound stakes into the ground at a 45-degree angle (ends pointing toward the tent) and connect them to the guy points on the tent with cordage, if necessary, to help keep it taut. This may not be necessary in mild weather, but is a good idea in windy, snowy or rainy conditions. You can also tie the guy points off to solid objects, such as fences, trees or heavy rocks, or even tie them off to gear, like a backpack filled with rocks, in a pinch. If you're camping in deep snow or sand, you may need to use snow anchors instead of stakes to stake the tent out.

Article Written By Marie Mulrooney

Marie Mulrooney has written professionally since 2001. Her diverse background includes numerous outdoor pursuits, personal training and linguistics. She studied mathematics and contributes regularly to various online publications. Mulrooney's print publication credits include national magazines, poetry awards and long-lived columns about local outdoor adventures.

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