Dinning Shelter Pitching

In many ways, pitching a dinning shelter is like pitching a ridge tent or patrol tent. With the exception that we have no side panels or door to deal with, plus it is possible erect the shelter with only two people.

Find a suitable piece of ground - that is, flat and with no sharp objects sticking out. Remember, you will also need to ensure that the main opening of the dinner doesn't face the prevailing wind.

 

 

Lay out the groundsheet in the intended position of the shelter and put a peg in the ground at each of the four corners. (See 'Tent Pegs' section).

Empty the valise or bag of the dinning shelter and its parts. Lay them out so that you can see what the shelter consists of.

 

 

The metal ridge pole is colour coded to make it easer to connect them together. I.e. 3 red stripes are connected together then 2 red stripes are put to together and so on until you have finished

Open out the shelter on the ground with the inside uppermost. Assemble the ridge and upright poles and lay the ridge pole at the half way point of the shelter. Take care not to stand on the canvas whilst you are doing this and be careful not to damage the canvas with the ridge pole. One way to ensure this is to lie on the canvas and feed the ridge through gently.

 

 

Put in four large pegs for the main guy lines. Do not put the pegs in too deeply at this stage as they will probably have to be moved later.

 
Place the spikes on the upright poles through the holes in the ridge pole and corresponding eyelets in the ridge of the shelter. Again, care must be taken to avoid damaging the canvas. Once this is done the shelter can be folded over along the ridge and you can put the dollies, attached to the storm guys, over the spikes of the upright pegs.

 

Never walk over the canvas of a tent when pitching or striking it as this will not only potentially damage the canvas but it will also affect the waterproofing. Never let anything (or anyone!) rub against the inside of a tent in the rain as water will seep through the canvas.

With help, stand the shelter upright, raising both of the uprights together to avoid bending the spikes. Attach the main guy lines to the previously placed pegs

Hold the uprights until the main guy lines have been tightened. The shelter should now be upright but rather unsteady.

Peg out the other guy lines, corner ones first. Generally, if a corner has one guy rope it is pitched at 135 degrees or, if it has two, they are pitched at 90 degrees. The pegs should be placed so that the runner, when the guy line is taut, is about one-third of the way up from the peg. The side guy line pegs should be in a line parallel with the ridge pole and the guy lines following the tent seams.

 
 

 

At this point you may need to adjust the main guy lines; check that the poles are upright and adjust by slackening the guy lines. Do not move the poles when the guy lines are tight. If a shelter looks well pitched with everything neatly in line and nothing sagging - then it probably is well pitched, well done!

     

     

Striking camp and packing Away

 

In general, a shelter is 'struck' or taken down in the reverse way to which it was put up. However, there are a few useful tips to consider:

Loosen all guy lines except the main guys that support the ridge pole. The ropes and guy lines need to be checked for wear and tear caused by friction.

Tying up guy lines before putting the Shelter away, makes it easier to put up the shelter next time as it prevents them from tangling.

Each shelter is different but usually folds into two or three sections and then is rolled before putting into the valise or bag. Try not to pack up a wet or damp tent. However, if it cannot be avoided, make certain that it is unpacked and thoroughly dried as soon as possible. Wet and damp canvas, guy lines and brailing loops are soon affected by mildew and then rot.

 

It is vital to ensure that any Shelter is completely dry before storing it. Any dampness will cause the material and guy lines to rot. Take up the groundsheet last, and turn it upside down to dry off the underside. Remove all grass and dirt before storing.

 

When removing tent pegs, gently tap them backwards and forwards to loosen them. Do not hit them on their flat sides as they may split or break.

After removing pegs from the ground, scrape the dirt and soil from them and dry them off.

Always scrape tent pegs of mud before putting them away - even if they are being put into a separate bag, the mud will dry, fall off and leave the pegs dusty.

 

Tricks of the trade

 

ü      Loosen all guy lines at night, as when the morning dew dries it will tighten them.

ü      All guy lines should also be loosened if rain is imminent as this will cause shrinkage to the canvas or tent material. Failure to slacken them could drag pegs out of the ground, ropes could be broken or, worse, tent material torn.

ü      Sagging canvas causes undue strain and can cause the tent to 'flap about' in the wind. Even the best pitched tent will sag eventually! Therefore, ensure that the guy lines are tightened periodically to prevent this. However, guy lines should not be too tight as this can also put unnecessary strain on the tent material. The guy line tension should be equal all round and sufficient to stop the tent flapping about too much in the wind.

ü      Close doors before pegging out - this way the tent will look like it is supposed to, and won't put lots of pressure on the door when it comes to close it up.

ü      With the exception of corner guys and storm guys, always peg out the guy lines straight from the tent, usually in the direction of the seam line.

ü      Tying up guy lines before putting the tent away makes it easier to put up next time as it prevents them from tangling.

ü      If staying on the same site for some time, move the tents occasionally to let the grass recover.

ü      Always practise pitching and striking a tent at home or at the Troop headquarters never let the first time be at camp. It won't be the best place to learn if it's wet, windy or dark!