I have just purchased a Kampa Perran 4 for weekends away and am struggling to put it up alone .It only has 3 poles but can't seem to lift it up on my own.I wondered if anyone had any advice.Don't want to break the poles on my first outing with it this weekend.
I often pitch dome tents on my own, and it can be a problem. The way I do it, is to do the first pole flat on the ground, and fit both ring and pins, then lift it and fit the second pole into the pin system. Then fit the front pole after. (all poles being fitted through the sleeves first)
Having said that, I have a Relum geodesic with five poles, and I managed to break two poles last week. Turned out I had mixed the poles, and had a longer pole through a shorter pole sleeve.
------------- Canvas tent, paraffin light, petrol stove. Heaven
I'd rather be kayaking.
Spent up, not pent up, just had my new tent up.
I tried putting all the poles in the sleeves first but the tent was just too heavy and thought the poles would split.Thinking about what you said i will try putting the first pole in that goes across the width and lifting it like a tunnel tent.then try fitting the other ones one at a time.hope fully it won't be raining.Thanks.
I just had a look at a picture of your tent. Was thinking about a two pole dome style with front porch using the third pole.
I wonder if perhaps you could take some sort of inside pole with padding to support the roof from inside while you fit the remaining two poles. Perhaps if you peg the four corners down first to hold the basic shape that would help.
------------- Canvas tent, paraffin light, petrol stove. Heaven
I'd rather be kayaking.
Spent up, not pent up, just had my new tent up.
Or, after pegging the corners as raf48 suggests, and raising the middle pole as you suggest, temporarily pegging out the central rear guyline (assuming there is one) before working on the diagonal poles?
Be careful not to puncture the fabric with the tip of the porch pole. A tennis ball with a hole in the bottom on the tip of the pole should stop this happening. The rubberish exterior of the tennis ball should be strong enough to stop the pole piercing it.
Must admit there is no way we can pitch our Kampa Bude 4 single handed. Its easy with a second person going inside but hopeless without. I tried lifting the poles but the weight of the fabric plus other poles just held the centre of the dome to the floor. Hadn't tried just putting in one of the poles on the pins before lifting though...which may be worth trying, especially as the Perran has a lighter weight flysheet and shorter pole sleeves so you should be able to add the other poles after its up (won't work for our Bude though with its long pole sleeves).
You could also try lifting with one of the cross poles and the centre pole pinned on the ground, as the fly should accommodate this.
Good luck!
------------- Love our set-up and need no more tents or gear, so trying to stop looking!
Tried pitching the Kampa perran 4 for the first time last thursday.Big mistake.We got caught out with 30 mile an hour gust that twisted the poles inward and pushed the front of the tent in.Living room what living room.The wind then changed direction and battered us from the side.It destoyed the poles on the windbreak so rang my OH and he came to the rescue with our filey 6 metal poles and all.Got back yesterday now have 2 tents to dry out .Will probably have another go pitching it next weekend (in a friends garden).I don't think i'll be able to do alone though as the fabric is quite heavy.It took and hour and a half battling with the wind to pitch it .Then another 2 hours from bag to kettle on with the filey.It usually Takes 2 of us an hour with the filey.we slept better though.
------------- Kampa Filey 6,
Kampa Perran 4,
Terra Nova Laser,
Vango Zetes 300.
Lay tent flat.
Insert poles fully, but do not bend into position.
Poles will stick out of the canvas at one end, the other end will be fully enclosed - OR the other end will have a pin that fits into the pole. Fit the pin.
Peg the groundsheet at the end of the pole that is fully inserted. Repeat for second pole.
Grasp canvas at the loose end of the pole and feed pole into canvas. Pole will bend, canvas will tighten. You may push against the pegged end of the pole (that's why you pegged it.)
Quote: Originally posted by vealmike on 17/10/2011
Lay tent flat.
Insert poles fully, but do not bend into position.
Poles will stick out of the canvas at one end, the other end will be fully enclosed - OR the other end will have a pin that fits into the pole. Fit the pin.
Peg the groundsheet at the end of the pole that is fully inserted. Repeat for second pole.
Grasp canvas at the loose end of the pole and feed pole into canvas. Pole will bend, canvas will tighten. You may push against the pegged end of the pole (that's why you pegged it.)
Should be a doddle.
That's the technique we've used easily with our low domes. However, it just does not work with the far longer and heavier weight fibreglass poles and heavier weight flysheets of Kampa's full stand up-height tents. The poles S-bend rather than curve and with the 3 poles on top of each other at the centre you just can't get them to raise off the ground at that point without someone inside to lift. Your only chance is to do 1 or 2 poles initially and put the others in once up.
We initially thought that the good old method you describe would work, but experience has proven otherwise... Its so simple and quick with 2 people though!
------------- Love our set-up and need no more tents or gear, so trying to stop looking!
Try not to let the first pole lift as you bend it into position, let it form a hoop that lies flat on the ground. This way you're not trying to lift the canvas.
The second pole will try to stop you doing this, but with a bit of judicious shuffling of the canvas over the second pole, you should be able to insert the first with the tent roughly flat on the deck.
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Topic: pitch dome tent solo any advice ?
