We have an Outwell Arizona L with a SIG. Great little tent - so easy to put up and big enough for two of us. However, we would appreciate some tips on packing it up! We follow all the instructions i.e. leaving the bedroom pod unzipped as well as the side door but .... it is really hard to get all the air out! No matter how careful we are we still land up with a large "bubble" of trapped air! Any great tips on how to avoid this??
Leave front the door/side door part open. When you roll up the tent roll it from the back to front. Any air trapped will be expelled out of the front/side door.
I was going to say open up the doors when rolling, the trapped air should escape.
Don't forget to zip them up, when pegging out the doorways.
heath63
------------- New Year: Hesketh Bank
Feb/March: Red Squirrel
March: lakes
June: Morecambe
Aug: Lake District(not camping camping)
October: Red Squirrel
I open all doors and remove the bedroom pod. Always roll up from the rear of the tent. I've never been able to get mine back in the original bag. That now holds the ground sheet, pod, pegs and poles etc. I tie up the tent with some belts and it is fine.
------------- Camping = doing things I don't do at home.
Cycling, cycling and er cycling
I find it surprising how many fellow campers on here cannot get their tents back into the original bag after they have used them.I hold my hands up to say yes,we have struggled,but have always got our tents back into their bags by folding them as I describe below.
After dropping the tent and removing the poles and having the tent flat on the floor with the zips open slightly,we fold the tent in half lengthways,then fold it back on it's self leaving it folded into a quarter. We then repeat the process with the other half taking the tent right over the quater left on the floor ,so that when it is folded back on it's-self again it leaves the tent on the floor,a quarter of it's original width.we then take each end of the tent and fold it to the centre,but we leave a gap of around 6" (inches) between each end,so that when the tent is rolled,the gap will stop the ends overlapping and leave somewhere to put the tent poles,whether they are in their bag or not.The tent MUST BE ROLLED AS TIGHT AS POSSIBLE,this will expel all the air trapped in the tent as well,and ususaly allows the tent to be made small enough to go back into it's original bags.
I forgot to say,that after we have folded it into quarters lengthways,we roll half to the centre,and then check it against it's carry bag,to ensure that it is not far too long to go in.an inch or two over,it can easily be stuffed in so the bag will zip up. Ensure that the tent does not get trapped and nipped by the zip.Sleeping pods are either taken down and left inside the tent,or placed loose on top of the fly sheet before the folding process starts.If you are lucky,you may be able to get away with folding your tent into thirds rather than quarters.
I am not saying this method will work for all tents by any means,but has always worked for the types of tent we have.Here's hoping that this may have helped .
------------- If the moon reflects the suns light,why does it not reflect the suns heat?
When I have folded the tent lengthways so it's width fits with the bag, and before rolling it up tight from the end to the (open) front door, I use the method showed in the photo below:
Works every time. But I do not recommend the method if you want to take your teenager camping. While my youngest daughter had great fun helping me, the oldest (who took the picture) now refuses to go camping with Mum if she ever will behave as embarrassing again...
------------- Proud owner of a 1987 Sprite Alpine 370 EK, a cheap popup tent and a beloved retro Trio frame tent from the early seventies, called Giraffen.
Thank you all for your comments. Yes, we do leave all the doors open, yes I also roll around on the tent - much to our granddaughter's delight - wonderful to see Nana rolling around on the ground And we have no problem getting either of our tents back in their respective bags - it is just the Arizona that we really battle to get all the air expelled without rolling around on it. Will try taking the bedroom pod out next time and see if that helps. Thanks again.
Quote: Originally posted by pingvin on 03/3/2013
When I have folded the tent lengthways so it's width fits with the bag, and before rolling it up tight from the end to the (open) front door, I use the method showed in the photo below:
Works every time. But I do not recommend the method if you want to take your teenager camping. While my youngest daughter had great fun helping me, the oldest (who took the picture) now refuses to go camping with Mum if she ever will behave as embarrassing again...
Oh dear, sorry but I had to laugh at your photo. We too don't dare take the teenager with us. She is for house and cat sitting while we go off and enjoy ourselves.
------------- Camping = doing things I don't do at home.
Cycling, cycling and er cycling
I find its rolling up the footprint, carpet, tent, awning that takes us 4 hours to pack up last time. The tent normally takes a few attempts but have always got in it the bag after. The nightmare is the awning, again although we have got it into the bag, the bag is twice its original size.
Our Coleman Ceder had an extra sized back so was never an issue.
Folding into quarters lengthways always works for us, then in half, but our doors on our Royal atlanta 6 are in the middle as it is vis-a-vis so even if we keep the doors unzipped, we still have an air bubble at one end but we check the size of the last fold against the bag size, we then lay on it and are patient until it is fully flat before we attempt the rolling up. Its then easy as pie
------------- A problem shared is a problem halved
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Topic: How to avoid trapped air in tent with SIG
.I hold my hands up to say yes,we have struggled,but have always got our tents back into their bags by folding them as I describe below.
.Here's hoping that this may have helped .
And we have no problem getting either of our tents back in their respective bags - it is just the Arizona that we really battle to get all the air expelled without rolling around on it. Will try taking the bedroom pod out next time and see if that helps. Thanks again.
