Here is our fifth instalment of the very popular Camping Know How volumes, to celebrate Vango winning Tent Brand of the Year 2023 we have decided to treat our followers to this next volume, we hope you enjoy this new instalment!
Q – Would you recommend inflatable furniture for camping?
A – This is a difficult one, and one we are often asked, although we do own some ourselves to be honest we would normally advise to stick with the conventional folding chairs which will last longer and you wont have the issues of re-inflating and punctures.
Q - When pegging out the corners of my Airbeam© tent prior to inflation, which pegs should I use for this?
A. You need to use the “V” pegs for this that came with your tent, these pegs are designed to hold firm and not move under pressure, using the thinner standard pegs could result in the pressure forcing them out of the ground.
Q – What is the best lighting for my tent?
A – To be honest this is based on personal choice, if you have EHU you could use flexi beam light systems or plug in lamps, without hook up using battery powered lanterns, we would always recommend that you carry both in your accessories holdall.
Q – Would it be a problem for me to pitch my tent on a slope?
A – We would not recommend this especially for larger family tents, this puts a strain on the structure and guy lines, and it wouldn’t be too comfortable especially for sleeping.
Q – Should I peg all the skirt points at the bottom around my tent?
A – Yes you should, this ensures there is no gap between the bottom of your tent and the grass, this will prevent rain water running under your tent and pooling water, it will also prevent wind from getting under your tent.
Q - What are the essential items I should always carry in my accessories bag?
A – We would always recommend the following essential items as a minimum:
Torch
Duck tape/repair tape
Matches
Airbeam tube repair patches/spare airbeam tube/spare pole sections
Spare batteries for lanterns
Spare gas cylinders for cooking
Small tool kit – screw driver, pliers
Spare guy lines
Of note we provide a full camping essentials checklist and this is available from the files section on our Facebook group page.
Q – What is the best way of cleaning my footprint groundsheet?
A – Peg out your groundsheet on your lawn at the corners so it doesn’t move around, using warm water and a mild detergent lightly scrub with a sweeping brush until the whole area is covered. Then using a hosepipe or power washer on low pressure to remove all excess soap. To dry, peg on the washing line on a fine day.
Q – Can I wash my tent carpet in my washing machine at home?
A – Yes you can, however for bigger carpets you may need to use your local laundrette which have a bigger drum capacity. Just ensure you wash it on a low temperature no higher than 30 or a 20 if your washing machine has this, and peg out on the washing line to dry.
Q – I want to dry some clothes when camping but it’s raining outside, do you have any suggestions?
A – Yes, if you have an Airbeam© tent – use your sky hooks from beam to beam inside the tent, use a guy line as a washing line inside your tent attaching it to each sky hook to make a clothes drying line, put your heater on and this will blow dry your clothes inside the tent.
Q - How do I weather my polycotton/TC tent before using it?
A - There are two ways, one is to set your tent up – it must be fully pegged out as if you were camping – then put the rain setting on your garden hose and give the tent a good soaking.
But the best method is using Mother Nature – again, pitch your tent and let her do her thing.
Most modern polycotton tents can be weathered while away camping. You may get a fine mist coming through the fabric the first time it rains but this will only be for a short time while the fibres swell and seal themselves.
Q - Should the mudflaps around the bottom of my tent be in or out? I always thought they were meant to be out, but a fellow camper suggested they should be tucked in?
A - Mud flaps are not really needed… the reason for this is the majority of family tents have a sewn-in groundsheet in the main living and sleeping area. Where they are still used is in the front enclosed porch areas of modern tents.
Some brands have designed their tents so the flaps peg down on the outside and some so they lay in the inside similar to the old frame tents.
We personally would do away with them fully in these front porch areas of modern tents as we like to have good ventilation around the base of these porch areas where I would keep my fridge or cooking equipment.
Q - What pressure should I inflate my tent to, and does the temperature make any difference?
A - Firstly, inflate the tent to the recommended pressure the brand suggests. Temperatures can affect the pressure in the beams, but you need a huge swing in temperature and most beams are tested to a far higher pressure than the suggested range.
If you pitch up and its 30°C then inflate the tent to the recommended pressure but, if in a day or two, the temperature drops to, say, 15°C, you will see the beams start to soften so a little adjustment may be required.
The same may happen the other way, so if the temperature increases greatly since you pitched up, the beams may feel a bit too hard, so letting a little air out would be a good idea.
Q - Is dampness on the tent floor in the morning evidence of a leak?
A - Most probably not. This sounds like the dreaded condensation, which you will suffer from at some point, especially if your tent is polyester.
Condensation is mostly caused by weather conditions – but lots of campers in a tent and wet towels, etc, will add to the dampness.
Keep all your vents open when camping as this may help reduce the amount of condensation. I always say the only time they should be shut is when packing away.
Q - Do I need to waterproof my polyester tent before use?
A - New polyester tents are ready to go, there's no need to weather them.
However, polyester tents will be affected by the sun's UV rays which can break down the fabric in a surprisingly fast period of time, especially tents that have a low denier (thickness of fabric).
So to prolong the life of your tent you could treat it to a coating of Nikwax Tent & Gear Solarproof or Fabsil, which we know from experience will extend the life of the fabric by up to twice as long. Vango supply a “Sky Shield” cover for some of their tents and this will protect the roof of your tent from these harmful sun rays and reduce the fabric degradation.
Q - What is the best way of removing bird poo from my tent?
A - If you notice the bird poo straight away (fresh) then lots of clean water will wash it away.
If the poo has dried then a stiff brush or even a credit card will scrape it away – then soak the area with clean water to remove the last residue.
The most important thing is to not use any soap/chemicals as these can affect the waterproofing agent.
Happy Camping
Paula and Darren
Vango Ambassadors
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