Thanks to their durability, wall tents appear to be one of the most popular shelters for experienced campers.
However, some beginners may find it hard to build a tent. They have to ask for help. What can you do if you plan a camping trip? Can one person put up a wall tent?
The answer is YES. Once you follow the guides correctly, you can construct your shelter. However, since the wall tent is quite bulky, it will take you a lot of time to accomplish the task.
If you choose to do everything alone, make sure that you have enough time and are willing to challenge yourself.
This article will go into more detail. Let’s start exploring!
What Is A Wall Tent?
A wall tent is a type of canvas tent. It includes four vertical surfaces for a greater room than other types of tents.
Wall tents, also called safari tents, canvas hunting, or outfitter tents, have been around for the past few years and are popular among campers. To put it another way, they are a tried and true design. They can withstand the bad weather well.
Most traditional canvas tents contain heavy-duty canvas as their primary material. These reliable tents are prominent among hunters since they provide more space and allow for a wood fire.
Moreover, wall tents are ideal shelters to use throughout the cooler months of the year, such as winter or fall, since they keep you warm.
Some of the most popular options are Davis wall tent, Montana canvas tent, and Denver tent.
Can One Guy Put Up A Wall Tent?
Take a wall tent of 12 x 14 inches as a standard size for the wall tent. If you decide to construct the internal frame by yourself, you need about 30 minutes.
The amount of time is less when you do it with another one. On average, two people can build a wall tent within 15 minutes.
A camper often asks for help when setting up a wall tent. Two people at a time can save a lot of effort. However, it doesn’t mean that putting up the tent on your own is impossible.
What Do You Need To Set Up A Canvas Wall Tent?
The wall tent gear includes everything you need to put up your tent. Here are some essential parts to check before doing your work:
- Roof poles
- Foot poles
- Middle and side ridge poles
- Angle kits
- Steel wire
- Pins
- Rope
- Tent cover
- Pegs
How Can One Person Put Up Wall Tents?
One camper can put up a wall tent on his own with these six simple steps. Let’s see how that can happen.
Step 1: Prepare
To begin, make sure that you have a clean, debris-free spot to put your tent on. Next, properly arrange all of your components so that you can check what you have.
Before you begin construction, this step will help you manage your wall tent pieces.
You may also examine the contents of your wall tent pack to those described in the handbook to guarantee that you have all of the needed parts.
Step 2: Assemble the tent frame
The building process starts by assembling the central ridge poles. The 4-way and 3-way golden angle kits are important to create one continuous piece.
Then, place the roof poles in the angle frame to construct the tent frame.
It would help to make sure that the middle ridge, the side ridge, and the roof poles are all in line.
Remember to position the angle sections according to their color codes, which are silver and golden.
You have to connect the steel wire on the front part of the internal frame on the silver and the golden angle sets.
Step 3: Install foot poles
Now, connect the foot poles through one side to the top poles for the foot pillars. Insert the foot pillars in the angle sets of side poles by lifting the frame’s border.
The pins on your angle sets and tent poles come in color. For the correct tent setup, the color of the pole hook must match that of the angle set.
You should check that only one side of the wall poles should be upright to make the following step smoother.
Step 4: Pull the tent over the tent frame
Once you’ve done with the roof and the frame is low enough to the surface at one side, it’s time to pull your tent over the built roof.
Make sure the front entrance sits accurately. The tent also needs to be put properly so that it surrounds the framework from all sides. Lift the tent’s bottom section up and then over the frame with your hands.
As you bring down the sides to the ground level over your tent frame, the angles of the wall have to match those of the frame.
When you lay the fabric over the chassis, make adjustments to balance out or level the tent.
Step 5: Set up the tent walls
Attach the last foot poles on the other side of your tent after the canvas has laid over the framework of the wall tent.
Then, install the remaining side and connect the other legs on the opposite side of your tent.
Step 6: Stake the canvas tent to the ground
After the canvas cloth is fully over the tent’s structure, start staking it down by inserting pegs through the guylines and anchoring down the tent’s edges.
Mount a stake on the ground about five feet away from your tent. The stake needs to be in line with every bungee rope on the tent’s roof.
To modify the pressure, carefully attach and fasten the guylines on the metal runners.
Puncture the stakes. Now, the tops of the stakes are in contact with the ground.
Secure the tent by inserting the pins into the bottom eyelet at the entry and rear wall. This step also helps secure the mud cover at each segment.
Use the pegs to stake both the foot pole and the guylines. Remember to lock the clip at the foot end.
After following all the steps above, you will succeed in setting your wall tent.
How To Put Up A Wall Tent Without A Frame?
Without tent frames, you need to prepare other things to set up your canvas tents, such as rope, tree branches, or branches.
Here are the detailed instructions:
Step 1: Establish the tent’s orientation
The base camp is important. Make sure there are no sticks, rocks, or other debris under the tent. If you want to sleep on the land, a smooth surface will protect your back and tent base.
Set up a tarp, carpet, or cloth on the ground before putting up the tent. This covering will maintain the tent’s base clean while also giving further protection from water leakage.
Lay the tent on the ground once you’ve decided which way it will face. As you start to construct your tent, unzip the wall tent zippers from the doors and windows to relieve tension on them.
Before you build the internal frame and erect your tent, you should attach a rainfly for maximum safety from any snow or rain that may fall. Adding a waterproof casing after the tent is at the proper size might be difficult.
Step 2: Build the support structure
Without the internal frame, erecting and maintaining the tent at its maximum height necessitates replacing the poles. You can try these methods before considering which is the most convenient.
Tree branches with rope
Search the area for branches or long branches that can be trimmed to fit through the pole sleeves.
You may require branches of ten to twelve feet long. Their diameter should be around one inch, depending on how big you want your tent to be.
You need one sapling for the ridge pole, four to six for the wall poles, two for the eave poles, and four for the rafters.
After collecting enough branches, start to build the internal frame:
- Use three branches as a ridge pole and form an A-frame structure to support the tent.
- Run a sapling across the ridge sleeve. Try to secure it to a tree nearby with the rope.
- Shape an A-frame with two other branches and place it at the end of your tent door. The ridge will stay in V-shape after you tie the top of the two branches together.
- Now, find some sticks to act as wall poles.
With rope
You may always use the rope instead of the branches if you don’t have any accessible ones. You will employ the rope as the pole in this case.
The roof and the sidewalls will droop a little, but you’ll still have a usable tent. To do so, follow these steps:
- Tie the rope to a tree by threading it through eave sleeves on both sides.
- Tie a rope through the top sleeve and attach both ends to the trees.
Step 3: Stake the tent
After your tent has reached its full height, anchor it to secure it from strong winds.
Most canvas tents include grommets along with the outer eaves. You can use them to connect the guy lines.
Place tent pegs at a 45° angle in the ground, far from your tent. Place one for each corner and also the midpoints for each side.
Fasten guy ropes at roughly the same angle as that of the roof. Then, place these stakes in the ground.
How Long Does It Take to Set Up a Wall Tent?
When it comes to erecting a wall tent, size matters. The larger the tent, the longer it will take to put in place.
A tent without a frame is more time-consuming than the one with a frame.
Moreover, whether you use a frame or not, it will take considerably less time to establish if two people participate. As aforementioned, erecting a wall tent by yourself is challenging, but it is possible.
It needs around 15 to 20 minutes to prepare a tent with a prefabricated structure.
It can take several hours to put up a wall tent without external help, especially if you really have to source and trim the support poles beforehand.
You will need to seek a large area to find the length and width of branches you require.
Maintaining the tent is also important. You rest and sleep there. As a result, you need to clean the tent and keep it clear of dust before storing and while using it.
You need to clean the interior and outer parts of your tent with a towel. The interior of the tent will become dirty if you wrap it with a dirty sod cloth.
When folding the tent to store, have the interior touch other interiors. The exterior has accumulated dust, dirt, and maybe tree pitch.
If you let the inside and outside of your tent meet, the dirt will contact and stay on the inside, which should be clean.
You risk damaging the canvas tent if you use the canvas wall to take out the wall pegs. It’s best to utilize a claw hammer in this stage.
One more thing to bear in mind: always dismantle the tent in the opposite order of building. Even a new wall tent may suffer from improper construction.
Tips For Your Wall Tent Setup
The following are some last points to make when constructing your wall tent:
- It’s better to avoid pulling the canvas of your wall tent during the setup process to prevent harming it.
- You should hammer the stake into the ground at a 45° angle outward your tent when anchoring it for the best pitch.
- The guy lines should follow the seam lines in the tent roof. During the whole setup procedure, it’s critical to keep your tent symmetrical.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions related to setting up the wall tent. Read carefully to avoid any problems that may arise in the future.
1. Do I need to put a tarp under my tent?
It is critical to use a tarp or ground cover under the tent to guarantee its durability. The tarp can help keep your tent dry and warm.
Yet, it would be best if you were careful while placing the tarp. Dew may flow down your tent side walls and gather beneath the tent if you extend the tarp too far.
When you camp on the beach, place the tarp inside your tent instead of beneath it.
How To Keep The Inside Of The Tent Clean?
2. When should you use a wall tent?
Because they can contain a wood fire, wall tents are ideal as four-season shelters. They are durable, waterproof, and weather resistant.
If you need glamping, the wall tent is a perfect choice.
By watching the video in detail, you can know the pros and cons of a wall tent.
3. What size of a wall tent do I need for camping?
Sleeping space is usually between 20 and 30 square feet per individual. A family tent should be bigger.
The amount of sleeping space necessary varies based on whether you’ll sleep on the floor or the cot.
4. Can I use a cot in canvas tents?
A cot offers you several advantages, such as airflow, comfort, and extra room from the ground.
However, there may be damage to the tent floor when you install the cot. In this case, you can put something between the floor and the cot feet to avoid the possibility of damage.
The Bottom Line: Can You Set Up A Wall Tent Alone?
Nothing is impossible. Although putting up the tent without any help takes more time, the result must be rewarding.
Camping is all about fun and experience. If you never try to do something on your camping trip yourself, the next trip is a good chance.
Hopefully, you will find this article helpful. If you need any further information, please feel free to ask. Good luck with your trip!
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