Tents 101: Mountaineer coach’s step-by-step guide from shopping to pitching

MANILA, Philippines — As summer approaches, camping remains as among the most preferred activities to do. In fact, according to Google, camping is the eighth most searched summer activity to date.

Mountaineer Coach Emmanuel Batungbacal demonstrated the proper way to assemble a tent at the recent Summer Happy Camp in Viewscape Nature Park in Tanay, Rizal, organized by bag label Doughnut.

Don’t know how to pitch a tent? Here’s the proper way to do it, according to Batungbacal:

1. When shopping for an outdoor tent, use one that comes in earth tones.

According Batungbacal, the world’s biggest outdoor sporting brands convened and had a consensus to only sell tents in natural colors.

“Before, we used to have bright pink, bright orange. Those are okay if you’re in an Alpine location, for safety reasons. But if you are in a tropical setting especially in a virgin forest, if you introduce bright colors that are not natural in the environment… this affects animals’ and insects’ mating cycle,” he expounded.

There are different types of tents to choose from, he said. First, there is the freestanding dome that could stand on its own without pegs.

“Ideally, when you are going to go camping, your tent should be freestanding,” he said.

A tent, typically, only has three parts: the poles, the body and the fly. 

2. Find a perfect ground to pitch a tent.

Something stable is ideal. Stay away near slopes or cliffs as you and your tent might roll downhill. Avoid areas with or near tall grass as your tent might become easy target for snakes, rats, predators and other insects and animals.

“Don’t pitch a tent in a very flat surface,” Batungbacal warned, “because when it rains, the water would run through the tent. So slightly sloping, that’s the most ideal. As much as possible, somewhere where there is some grass for natural cushioning.”

He underscored the importance of finding a good view and make sure your tent’s opening faces the view, so that when you wake up in the morning, it is the first thing that you would see. Also, a location near a water source is good.

“Don’t pitch your tent under a tree or anthill. If you peg it over an anthill, your tent would have a hole and I assure