tent storage, fold and roll or stuff?

[JimInBC]

Fold and role. I have a Eureka Timberline that I have had for, oh man, going on 30 years. It is now my loaner and sees only a little use. I usually pack poles and pegs separately more out of habit, to keep the sharp bits away from the fabric.

 

[vegasjeepguy]

ahhhh...the beauty of a Gazelle T3... it goes 1 way.. :) EVERYTIME.

Hahaha

I picked up their gazebo and it’s awesome.

 

[SubeeBen]

From my outdoors/backpacking experience + research. Stuff. If you fold & roll your gear will take a set & create weak spots over the years of use. If you stuff your gear it will never be packed the same way thus not creating weak spots or breaking points in the material. Just my 2 cents. & I have a few pieces of gear that should have been replaced years ago but is still hanging in there..

 

[bush2beach]

Throw away the original bag and buy a slightly larger one.

Save you a lot of grief and swearing

 

[4wheelspulling]

Well, after many years of climbing, backpacking, camping and setting up for the kids to sleep in the back yard, the tent poles and pegs go in their own bag, then the tent gets folded and rolled, never the same way twice, then everything in the same stuff or tent bag. Before the tent gets taken down, I pick it up with a door open and shake it out throughly. If wet, when I get home, I take the tent out and cover my kitchen table with it to dry it out! Then folded and rolled, and back in the tent bag. I do always use a tarp under the tent to help keep the floor of the tent in better shape. This is how I take care of my tent! Benz.

 

[MOAK]

We have a huge Jettent 25x. there is no other way than to fold the corners out nice and flat then roll it up, then slip the bag over it, roll it over and zip it shut. Our back pack and overnighter 3 man tents? I'm a stuffer, my wife likes to see them folded and rolled... :)

 

[TOMB]

Never fails, like the old saying: 10 lbs of crap in a 5 lb bag. All the tents I have had in last 20 years are a bear to get back in the bag after first use. Except my tent cot, which doesn't count.

 

[m_lars]

I stuff the sleeping bags and fold and roll the tents. The parts tent are usually rolled individually so it can be separated in backpacks without pulling it apart. It barely fits the stuff sack this way. If I do the pole roll method it gets way smaller than the stuff sack.

 

[MOAK]

Never fails, like the old saying: 10 lbs of crap in a 5 lb bag. All the tents I have had in last 20 years are a bear to get back in the bag after first use. Except my tent cot, which doesn't count.

I'm curious to know what brand of tents you are using. Since we started using really good tents I have discovered a quality tent and pack-abilty go hand in hand. The old Colemans and Coleman knock offs that we used to have just plain sucked at pack-ability.

 

[TOMB]

I'm curious to know what brand of tents you are using. Since we started using really good tents I have discovered a quality tent and pack-abilty go hand in hand. The old Colemans and Coleman knock offs that we used to have just plain sucked at pack-ability.

Mostly Coleman, my 2 boys seemed to find a way to damage my tents (even went to use one and pulled a tent I had never seen before from the bag). So I didn’t go with more expensive ones. They are both grown now so they can buy their own. Now I use the tent cot, my wife only camps when we use the travel trailer.

 

[tenebs]

Stuff to avoid wear in repeat folds

 

[Kardolf]

Mostly Coleman, my 2 boys seemed to find a way to damage my tents (even went to use one and pulled a tent I had never seen before from the bag). So I didn’t go with more expensive ones. They are both grown now so they can buy their own. Now I use the tent cot, my wife only camps when we use the travel trailer.

Interesting question, and the answer I found is not what I expected. Eureka recommends stuffing for transport, but a loose roll not in the bag for storage. That keeps the folds from becoming creases, and allows the fabric to breath better when in storage. They do recommend covering the loose roll with a light cloth to prevent dust and damage while in storage.

I have an old but rock solid Sierra Designs 3 man, 4 season tent that I don't use much any because I don't do that kind of camping much. I also have an 8 person Eureka tent that I can put a queen size mattress into, in case my wife decides to go camping with me.

When I'm solo, which is most of the time, I sleep in the back of my 4Runner because it's dry, warm, and basically no setup.