This post is also available in: Deutsch (German)

In Southern Africa you will mostly find two types of tents: roof tents on the top of a car or dome tents that are pitched on the ground. A typical dome tent looks like this:

Sometimes it is difficult to fold up a dome tent in such a way that it fits into its bag. In the following I will describe my method to fold up such a tent as compactly as possible.

The pictures show the process from a bird’s eye view.

When I talk about “left” and “right”, I mean directions from the side of the tent where the door is. Just a quick translation of the few german words in the illustrations:

• Links = left
• Rechts = right
• Vorne = front (the side with the tent door)
• Hinten = back

Start

The floor of the tent (black) lies on the ground. On it the walls of the tent lie all crumpled up.

The tent pegs and poles were removed.

The wall corners, where the hooks for attaching the tent to the poles are, are drawn in green.

The door is red. The parts of the door you cannot see, as it is under the tent walls are stipple. The door should be closed.

Important for the following steps are the ties on the summit of the tent. They are drawn in blue.

Step 2

Pull the ties on the summit of the tent to the middle of the left side (blue arrow).

Then pull out the edges of that part of the tent that lies on top (green arrows) until that tent wall lies all flattened out and without any creases on top of everything.

Step 3

Next pull the summit of the tent to the middle of the front side (blue arrow).

As in the previous step, pull the edges of the tent wall that lies on top to the side to smooth it out (green arrows).

Step 4

Next pull the tent summit to the middle ot the right side (blue arrow).

Again smooth out the tent wall that lies on top (green arrows).

Step 5

Now you pull the tent summit to the middle of the back side (blue arrow).

As done before smooth out the tent wall that lies on top by pulling the edges outward. The door now lies on top as a rectangle.

Now the tent walls should lie nicely folded in front of you. If it’s not the case, repeat steps 2 to 5.

Step 6

Now fold the tent once from the front (door) side to the back. Take the corners of the tent floor where the topmost tent wall is attached to the floor of the tent and pull it over the side, where the summit of the tent now lies.

It is important that you do it this way and not from the back to front or from one side to another. If you do it any other way, all the nicely folded tent walls could crumple again and you have to repeat step 2 to 5.

If the crease is crumpled, smooth it out.

If there is dirt on top, brush it off.

Step 7

The tent is again folded from front to back (or from back to front).

Check that the crease is as smooth as possible.

Brush away any dirt on top.

Step 8

Fold the tent once from right to left (or left to right).

Smooth out the crease.

Brush off dirt on top.

Step 9

Before starting with step 9, put the ribbon or string to tie the tent together, within reach.

Roll up the tent from the side opposite the crease. Do it as tight as possible. You could roll it from the side of the crease, but then it is often more untidy. If there is any air in the tent, push it slowly with the roll. It will get out.

While rolling the tent, brush off dirt.

When the tent is all rolled up, tie it up with the string or ribbon. Tie it up like you tie up your shoe laces. Dont make a knot.

Put the rolled up tent in its bag.

The next time I fold up such a tent, I will make a video to show my steps and publish it here.

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