Sportiva Tent Instructions

Sportiva tents are made by an Australian company, OzTrail, which has a line of roomy family camping tents that sleep anywhere from 8 to 13 people. The tents have doors that convert to awnings for extra shade and color-coded poles for easy pitching. The Sportiva tents are all made with a UV-treated waterproof fabric, waterproof floors, mesh on the windows and doors, sturdy fiberglass poles with stainless steel joiners, and a special "FlowAway" strap system that will prevent the tent awning from gathering puddles of water.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Helper
Hammer

Step 1

Clear a site to set up the Sportiva tent. The ground should be as level as possible and located far enough from campfires to avoid dangerous sparks. Remove anything pointy, like rocks and sticks, that could damage the tent floor.

Step 2

Lay out the inner tent with the door facing in the correct direction. Drive tent stakes into the peg points located around the edge of the tent. Do not pull the tent fabric too tight--you can always adjust the tension from the tent stakes after the tent is fully assembled.

Step 3

Put the tent poles together. Select the roof portico poles, marked in burgundy, and push through the burgundy-trimmed tent sleeve. Put the end of each pole into the portico hubs, also marked in burgundy. Attach clips from the inner tent fabric to the poles.

Step 4

Find the navy-marked portico poles and push through the navy-trimmed tent sleeves. These poles should slide under the burgundy poles. Insert ends into the navy-colored portico hubs. Attach clips from the inner tent fabric to the poles.

Step 5

Find two black steel roof reinforcement poles. Place these poles into the yellow-marked opening in the portico hubs at the corners--they will go across the short side of the tent. Clip to the inner tent.

Step 6

Place the black steel corner portico poles. You will need a helper for this. Each pole goes into a corner hub with the bottom fitting into a ring and pin assembly on the corner-floor portion of the tent. Attach pole clips from the inner tent to the pole.

Step 7

Drape the fly over the tent--you may need a helper again. Attach the four corners of the fly to the base of the tent. Secure the Velcro attachment points on the inside of the fly to the inner tent.

Step 8

Put the side halo poles across the short sides of the fly roof. These will go through a sleeve on the underside of the fly and the ends will slip into grommets on the inner tent.

Step 9

Stake down attached guylines at a 45-degree angle.

Article Written By Denise Bertacchi

Denise Bertacchi is a freelance writer with a degree in journalism from Southeast Missouri State University. She is a St. Louis suburbanite who has written for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Boys' Life, Wisconsin Trails, and Missouri Life.

Editor's Pick

Backcountry Camping Tips

You've already tried car and RV camping. You've camped at commercial campsites that had a convenient restroom and water supply. Now, you want to explore the road less traveled. Backcountry camping, also known as primitive camping, is a wonderful way to explore the remote...
More Backcountry Camping...
Popular Article

Beach Camping Near Pismo Beach, California

Pismo State Beach, California, has many attractions and activities including camping, swimming, hiking and wildlife viewing. Birdwatching is one of the primary activities in the area. The park also has the largest over-wintering colony of monarch butterflies in the natio...
More Beach Camping...
Featured Video

Common Sense Hiking Tips

The first and most fundamental thing is never hike alone. There are too many situations, especially as an unexperienced hiker, where you may find yourself without anyone to help you. So the buddy system works and applies very much in hiking.
More Camping Basics...