View Full Version : Tent Folding
Does anyone take the time to fold up their tent rather than just cramming it into its storage bag?
Blissful
09-05-2008, 13:56
Not me. I take a stuff sack literally... :)
BTW - Welcome to White Blaze!
Monkeywrench
09-05-2008, 13:58
Not me. I take a stuff sack literally...
Ditto for me. Unless your tent has some pointy hardware on it somewhere that might damage the fabric, what's the upside of folding it?
Folding increases the creasing and can result in cracking along the creases over time, or so they say. Stuff it!
Footslogger
09-05-2008, 14:02
I don't fold any of my tents ...either when I am carrying them backpacking or when I store them.
That said, if you are going to fold your tent(s) be sure and vary the fold locations to avoid wear/tear.
'Slogger
I fold and roll mine then place it in the stuff sack.
Folding increases the creasing and can result in cracking along the creases over time, or so they say. Stuff it!
Ditto. If you do practice some sort of folding, you want to make sure you're not making sharp creases, and that you're not folding in the same places over and over. I usually do a sort of loose folding thing, then roll it up.
Ditto for me. Unless your tent has some pointy hardware on it somewhere that might damage the fabric, what's the upside of folding it?
I've done both over the years. I've never had a tent that was folded and rolled delaminate at the fold locations. Even one that was used every day for eleven straight months. Not sure if this isn't a recommendation based more on theory than on practical experience.
The advantage of folding and rolling, is that it is easier to unpack and place on the ground in the exact position you want. I always rolled the tent toward the door so that the air escaped. I could then just stand where I wanted the door and toss/unroll the tent into the exact position I wanted it. Saved fumble time when setting up in a hurry.
Some of the newer tents with much smaller stuff sacks are easier to just stuff.
Two Speed
09-05-2008, 14:17
Whereas I'm the anal retentive type that always folds the same way. Got 15 years out of my Clip Flashlight before it gave up the ghost. Been handling a SD Light Year and an SMD Lunar the same way. No problems yet.
Go figure.
You know this is the exact opposite that we did in the boy scouts. We folded and rolled them every time. Of course we hiked in jeans and cotton socks as well. I am surprised that I am still backpacking after all of that.
RadioFreq
09-05-2008, 14:21
I fold and roll mine then place it in the stuff sack.
Ditto that. I make a couple of loose folds then roll it up around the tent poles.
You tent-stuffers are WRONG! :eek: :D
Both MSR and Mountain Hardwear say that stuffing your tent is far worse than folding/rolling.
MH's Chris Hilliard : "Repeatedly cramming a tent into a stuffsack creates a lot of small radius bends in the fabric. These tiny edges end up being subjected to far more abrasion and moisture than the coating would be if the fabric were folded."
He also states that "it would be impossible to fold the tent in the exact same place every time, " that would create creases.
*quotes from Backpacker March 2008
Two Speed
09-05-2008, 14:25
Oh boy, looks like we've got another subject like trekking poles, cell phones, dogs, guns, water filters, shelters, etc.
Believe I'll go get me some popcorn and watch the fun. :)
Footslogger
09-05-2008, 14:25
Wonder if it matters what the tent fabric is ??? Nylon tafetta versus silnylon for example.
'Slogger
Two Speed
09-05-2008, 14:26
Only if you wrap it around a firearm while your dog uses the cell phone in the tent.
Only if you wrap it around a firearm while your dog uses the cell phone in the tent.
...while signalling for help by your Personal Locator Beacon.
I will admit that I was an inveterate and unrepentant tent-stuffer until I read the tips from the pros.
But maybe they are lying to us. It is in their interests to sell more tents, after all.
Two Speed
09-05-2008, 14:30
...while signalling for help by your Personal Locator Beacon. . . . because you hurt yourself tripping over your Leki's.
RedneckRye
09-05-2008, 14:31
You know this is the exact opposite that we did in the boy scouts. We folded and rolled them every time. Of course we hiked in jeans and cotton socks as well. I am surprised that I am still backpacking after all of that.
It amazes me that anyone who survived backpacking as a Boy Scout (myself included) would ever want to carry a pack into the woods again.
That being said, if I am using a stuff sack I usually roll as that seems to make a smaller bundle. Most of the time, I don't even bother with a stuff sack for the tent and just shove it down into the pack on its own.
. . . because you hurt yourself tripping over your Leki's.
...because I'm hiking alone...
Two Speed
09-05-2008, 14:33
...because I'm hiking alone... . . .with six rolls of TP in your pack . . .
Personally, I put my dog in a hammock in the shelter with my food bag, then I go down to the spring to filter water, talking on my cell phone about Jesus and my newest handgun, then come back to my carefully rolled up tent.
Two Speed
09-05-2008, 14:36
Personally, I put my dog in a hammock in the shelter with my food bag, then I go down to the spring to filter water, talking on my cell phone about Jesus and my newest handgun, then come back to my carefully rolled up tent.Geez, any bonehead knows you let the dog drink out of the spring first.
:eek::eek: You would let your dog drink untreated water?!?!?! :eek::eek:
Two Speed
09-05-2008, 14:40
No, I make him put two Potable Aqua tabs in his cheeks before letting him drink.
. . .with six rolls of TP in your pack . . .
...that I enjoy in the privacy of the tent I've set up in the shelter...
And with that, I have to sign off and head for the Smokies...
:eek::eek: You would let your dog drink untreated water?!?!?! :eek::eek:
Seriously, my father-in-law in Maine told my husband this week that his dog had a terrible case of giardia, which manifested itself very unpleasantly in the house before the diagnosis.:eek::eek::eek:
Seems like if you fold it, roll it or stuff it, you can expect 15 years max. Whatever you do, the main thing is not to fret it. :)
p.s. for you old scouters, back in the day it was a different story - the old boy scout tents were CANVAS :eek:
Appalachian Tater
09-05-2008, 15:09
Fold & roll at the same time here.
SmokeHouse
09-05-2008, 15:16
mine is 1.1oz silnylon and I stuff, cram, shove, pack it anyway I can.
Footslogger
09-05-2008, 15:18
I'm gonna keep stuffin mine. Why mess with success ??
'Slogger
Two Speed
09-05-2008, 15:21
I'm gonna keep stuffin mine. Why mess with success ??
'SloggerCorrect, that's why I'm gonna continue folding mine.
Tell ya what, I'll pretend not to notice when you stow your tent incorrectly if you'll pretend not to notice when I do the same.
Footslogger
09-05-2008, 15:27
Correct, that's why I'm gonna continue folding mine.
Tell ya what, I'll pretend not to notice when you stow your tent incorrectly if you'll pretend not to notice when I do the same.
===========================
Deal !! ...no ask - no tell !! I do feel sorry for your tent though ....
'Slogger
Kerosene
09-05-2008, 15:27
I'm a folder/roller, possibly due to Boy Scout training, but I think I'll see how stuffing a Lunar Solo works!
Does anyone take the time to fold up their tent rather than just cramming it into its storage bag?
I fold it up--though not very neatly. I've heard to make sure not to fold it along the same crease all the time, so as to not wear down the material so much.
Much adieu about nothing. Friday's can't be this boring fellas, or can it? Time for an adult beverage. Cheers all! Have a great weekend.
superman
09-05-2008, 16:59
I cram and jam both my tent and my sleeping bag in their own garbage bags. I also cram and jam my clothes bag...and my food bag. A tight packs a happy pack.:)
So the end result is...
It really doesn't matter? :D
(Curiously, I am eating sushi rolls right now... Nothing to do with this thread, but they taste good...)
I don't fold. I roll the tent around the poles.
Jack Tarlin
09-05-2008, 17:27
Tin Man and Marta got it right. Most tent manufacturers advise that tents NOT be folded, or at the very last, don't always fold them up the same way. Over time, it will indeed damage the tent.
Pedaling Fool
09-05-2008, 17:29
It don't matter if you fold it, roll it, stuff it, cram it, sit on it, or whatever it. The "Don't fold your tent because..." advice is just another one of those word-of-mouth misconceptions out there. Kind of like the other misconception that you need a ground cloth to protect your floor.
Jack Tarlin
09-05-2008, 17:39
Gee, thanx for the tip there, John.
But just for the sheer hell of it, I Googled "Tent Care" and perused some of the thousands of hits there. This included comments from all sorts of folks, including tent manufacturers and outfitters, who strongly advised NOT folding tents.
But what do these folks know......I mean all these people have done for years and years is to manufacture, sell, and repair these items. Needless to say, John's the authority here. :rolleyes:
HikerRanky
09-05-2008, 17:46
Let's play nice everyone .... don't make me stop this thread....:-?
My personal experience is to roll it up.... I know that if I fold other items up in the same spot over and over again, eventually the material in the creases is weaker than the rest of the material....
Except for steel, but that would be a VERY heavy tent!:)
Randy
Pedaling Fool
09-05-2008, 17:52
Gee, thanx for the tip there, John...
Don't mention it Jack, that's what I'm here for:sun
I just stuff it, but then again I do that with almost all my gear, but especially the shelter and bag. Anyone who has hiked long enough discovers that the gear fits into the pack, and fills the gaps easier, if it's not tightly rolled or folded first.
mtnkngxt
09-05-2008, 21:34
I fold once then roll. Been doing it with the same tent for over 140 nights out, and It doesn't look any different to me, however the holes in my netting were caused by a certain female companion wearing rings and trying to find the door zipper. Word to the wise if its sharp and can snag it will snag.
envirodiver
09-05-2008, 22:12
Only if you wrap it around a firearm while your dog uses the cell phone in the tent.
Better yet while in a shelter.
It's called a stuff sack, not a fold sack.:sun
Two Speed
09-05-2008, 23:20
Then don't fold the sack.
There. Problem solved.
It's called a stuff sack, not a fold sack.:sun
then what goes in a bear bag? :-?
Footslogger
09-06-2008, 11:00
...or a stocking cap :eek:
'Slogger
Two Speed
09-06-2008, 14:40
Thinking about those last two posts has got me all discombobulated.
Soooo, how does one get combobulated? Can you be recombobulated, kinda like retreading a tire? :-?
boarstone
09-06-2008, 15:02
Folding increases the creasing and can result in cracking along the creases over time, or so they say. Stuff it!
Stuff, don't fold your tent, folding causes wear issues and breakdown early...
superman
09-06-2008, 16:02
then what goes in a bear bag? :-?
then what goes in a fhart sack............oh never mind.:o
Gee, thanx for the tip there, John.
But just for the sheer hell of it, I Googled "Tent Care" and perused some of the thousands of hits there. This included comments from all sorts of folks, including tent manufacturers and outfitters, who strongly advised NOT folding tents.
But what do these folks know......I mean all these people have done for years and years is to manufacture, sell, and repair these items. Needless to say, John's the authority here. :rolleyes:
You must have missed my first post. I know Backpacker is reviled as a magazine here, but there were direct quotes from tent manufacturers advising that you should roll/ fold your tent, not stuff them.
Not that I think it's that big of a deal, but that is what at least MSR and Mountain Hardwear recommend
Pedaling Fool
09-06-2008, 21:56
You must have missed my first post. I know Backpacker is reviled as a magazine here, but there were direct quotes from tent manufacturers advising that you should roll/ fold your tent, not stuff them.
Not that I think it's that big of a deal, but that is what at least MSR and Mountain Hardwear recommend
Something I've noticed is that the opinions of the general public is all over the place. So one would think that the opinions of the experts would be somewhat more uniformed, but they're not. Kind of funny, when I watch experts argue over certain details it kind of reminds me of regular boneheads, like us.:sun
This is true for any subject.
So one would think that the opinions of the experts would be somewhat more uniformed, but they're not. Kind of funny, when I watch experts argue over certain details it kind of reminds me of regular boneheads, like us.:sun
This is true for any subject.
This is the reason I speculated in my first post that this was a recommendation based more on theory than on actual practical experience. It seems the expert's theories differ. :)
Wait...people actually stuff (or fold) their tents in a...storage sack?
stranger
09-06-2008, 22:58
OK I admit it - I'm a folder!
But I do mix it up a bit so the tent doesn't break down along permanent creases, stuffing is probably better and certainly easier, I'm just a neat freak!
I fold my tent in half down the length of the tent, then I fold in in half again down the length, then I roll this up. Then it goes right into the stuff sack. That's what I did with my old tent and it lasted 20 years. Somehow the folds are not in exactly the same place each time to the point where I have the crease problems listed above. I expect my new tent to last another 20 years as well. I don't care about what the experts say to do. I do it my way.
Panzers
Bare Bear
09-07-2008, 00:31
Other than "wet side out" just stuff it as it will change the lines and create less wear over time on one spot.
I think most of the wear on the tent is going to occur to the inside floor when you lie down on it and move around for hours. The wear involved in stuffing and carrying the tent has to be minimal. I never heard of someone wearing out a tent by carrying it around too much.
Panzer