The Tent Essentials

Wait, is that a typo? Don’t we mean The Ten Essentials? Not this time, my friends!

Picture this: You finally find the picture-perfect campsite, pull your car into the drive, and dump all your gear into the dirt in an effort to secure the tent you so-carefully placed in the trunk. As your kids run pell-mell around the campsite, you throw the tent bag contents onto the ground to start pitching your home for the weekend. Honestly, you’re feeling like a superhero because this camping thing is HAPPENING. But, there’s a problem:

Where the heck are the freaking stakes?!

Yeah, we’ve all been there. You finally tackle your first camping trip of the summer only to realize you forgot a key element to your tent, the single structure designed to be you and your kids’ home for a few nights. It could happen to anyone, really— but hopefully it doesn’t. (Or maybe you forgot the entire tent in which case…we’ve got nothing. Bummer!)

This is why we always recommend checking your gear—and especially your tent—before leaving the house! What should you be looking for with your tent? Glad you asked.

While packing for your trip, here are the tent contents to check, check, and double check before loading into the car:

Tent Body

This is crucial. The tent body is the “meat” of your tent since that’s the portion you’ll actually be sleeping inside. This is the part of the tent that has one or two zippered doors, and probably some mesh windows for you to see through.

Rainfly

If you’re camping in a single wall tent, you won’t have a rainfly—but we also don’t suspect that too many single wall-tent campers are reading this post! The rainfly is the waterproof layer that goes on top of the tent body, preventing moisture and window from penetrating the interior. You can definitely camp without this component—but only if you get the perfect weather!

Poles

If you’re using a non-freestanding tent of the trekking pole variety, you won’t have any poles (Bananas, right?) But since that type of ultralight backpacking tent isn’t super common for families in the frontcountry, we’re going to assume you need some tent poles. These act as the skeleton to your tent providing it with structure and tension so that it remains upright and taut.

Stakes

Assuming you have a freestanding tent (one that stands up on its own without any guylines), you don’t technically need stakes to pitch your tent. However, you definitely need stakes if you want to prevent your tent from turning into a kite and blowing throughout the countryside! (It could happen to anyone….) Stakes are crucial to staking your tent body to the ground, as well as staking out the rainfly to create a vestibule over the doorway. Don’t forget them—and definitely bring extra. We’ve all snapped or bent stakes while camping and it’s a bummer!

Repair Kit

Most families don’t camp with a tent repair kit and we think that’s a mistake. Personally, I learned this lesson the hard way a few years back when I wasn’t paying attention while pitching the tent and snapped a pole in half! Thankfully, we had a tent splint with us to temporarily mend the pole for the weekend, but if we hadn’t, the trip would have been over before we even began.

So, what should you have in your repair kit? You don’t need much. For tents specifically, we recommend a splint for sure. This is a small, metal cylinder (maybe 2-3 inches long) that slides over your tent pole. If a pole snaps, you place the splint around the broken part to bolster the weight and support the tension on the pole until you can repair it. Splints are reusable so you only need to buy one and that will last you for years.

The other component to include in your kit is a couple of repair patches. You’re camping with kids: something will get broken. We think that’s practically a guarantee! If it’s just a small tear in the rainfly or floor of your tent, you can grab one of these patches and repair the snag in the field without missing a beat—and without letting the rain inside.

Optional: Ground Cloth

This is up for debate, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t include it. If you’re a family that wants to be extra cautious with your tent, we recommend also bringing a ground cloth. These can be purchased in addition to your tent, or you can just bring a tarp to do the same thing. This sits on the ground, sandwiched between the dirt and the bottom of your tent in an effort to minimize damage to your tent floor. Honestly, it’s a great way to ensure your tent lasts longer.

Is it a requirement? No. In 25 years of camping, I’ve never used one but I’m also a rebel like that! But if you’re frequently camping in areas with lots of jagged rocks or sharp cactus, it may be worth considering.