I've recently bought a 9 by 7 foot Dome Tent for a recent Campout. As originally planned, -I only first opened up the box, read Instructions, etc, -at the Campsite. Such Tent Setup was overall an easy enuff affair, -but complicated in that as the Instructions say, -this is Really a 2 Person Job,- (if you follow their Instructions to the Letter!), -was being done by just One Person. Namely myself of course.

A bit after reading that 2 Person Advisory in the Instructions, I began the Setup per the Given Instructions. Somehow telling myself that I'd just somehow "Mandle" it Thru, -of course. Then I ran into the Real Setup Snags! It really was a 2 Person Job!, -after all!

Thats again if you Follow their Given Instructions to the Specific Letter!

Well in my Circumstance, and there in my Lonesome, -I of course couldn't be Having that!

Thinking and Improvisation now Comes Thru to the Fore.

So herein now are the Specific, Adjusted Tips. (Not neccessarily in any given Order between the Following Three).

A)- Prop up what will be the Tent Center Floor and Dome, -with reasonably Tall Objects, as you may Find.

B)-Contrary to the Given Instructions, (which has the Following Tent Spreadout / Pegging being done Later and Last), -Spread Out and Peg Down your Tent. This is the Most Important Variance, from the originally Given Instructions.

and

C)-Once you *Only Now* begin sliding your Pre-Assembled (by you) Flexible Poles thru the Exterior Tent Sleeves, -Put some sort of Weight down, -on the first Pole End that you've set into a Peg Latch On Area, -if you find such a step to be needed. The Idea here is to Hold it in Place!, -to Keep it from Constantly wanting to Prematurely Pop Out on you!

Using such a Variation, -I within Minutes, -*Did* whats Otherwise and Normally absolutely a 2 Person Job!, -by my "One Person Lonesome"!

Perhaps you may not Find what I give as Step A to be Neccessary yourself. In Retrospect, -I perhaps could have done without it.

But Steps B and C, -and especially Step B, -are Absolute Musts! If you as only One Person, -want to in Reasonable Time Succeed! In an Otherwise and as Normal, Absolutely 2 Person, -Tent Setup Job!

This all Holds True with at least with my particular Dome Tent. Some Differences could doubtless exist, with Different types of Tents.

"...with reasonably Tall Objects, as you may Find...", and "...Put some sort of Weight down.."

So, you have to provide at least two objects of your own, just to be able to set this POS tent up? I would either return it for a refund, or pitch the thing into the nearest trash dumpster...

Setting up a dome tent by yourself is "messy" but certainly do-able. With tents with sleeves for the spring poles, insert both poles with the tent lying flat. Take one corner of the "bottom" pole and insert it in the corner pin. Walk around to the opposite corner and push / bend the pole enough to fit on the corner pin. At this point the tent is oblong. Take one end of the "top" pole & insert on the corner pin. Walk around to the opposite corner, then pull the tent corner and push the pole until the pole goes on the corner pin. Straighten the tent and center on ground cloth, then stake.

This is easier with a tent that uses clips instead of sleeves. Take the spring pole and insert in corner pin. fasten two clips closest to that corner to pole. Push / bend pole to insert in opposite corner pin. Fasten two clips closest to corner. Repeat for second pole. Straighten tent. Open door to tent and stand in opening to reach the clips at the top of the tent and fasten. Center tent on ground cloth and stake.

No need for weights, pre-staking, or using tall objects to hold the tent up. Just practice.

I've snapped two poles on two different tents attempting to set them up by myself when I should have waited/asked for help.

The first was on a day that was waaaay too windy for putting up a very large Eureka "The Lodge" cabin tent by myself. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. The tent was no longer in production so I had to buy a 3rd party replacement pole - not quite the same shape/dimensions as the original. Kinda bummed.

The second was last year at Scout summer camp. I brought a larger tent (Eureka Kahuna - purchased as a last minute replacement for the broken Lodge tent) since I was going to be there for two weeks straight. I should have asked for some help. It is possible that one of the ferrules (sp?)wasn't inserted quite all the way as the female end of one of the joints split wide open. Most directions these days clearly warn of making sure poles are inserted all the way into the joints.

Now when I buy a tent I tend to buy a replacement set of poles too - just to make sure I have them while the tent is in production.

My main Scouting tent now is a 6-person Alps Mountaineering Meramac tent, which is pretty easy to put up by myself, though some shorter people might have problems attaching the top center clip.

Ken K.

That is the way I do it with our current little dome tent, it only has two poles. But we used to have a geodome that had about six poles, all the same length, and all of the sleeves (as well as the entire tent) were the same dark blue color. Just figuring out what sleeve to push what pole thru was a nightmare. I finally got smart and color coded the sleeves by stitching both ends of each one with bright orange thread. One big stich, first pole, two big stitches...well, you get the idea. Then came the actual part of flexing the poles to stand the thing up. I could do it by myself, but it was a lot of work. Then I got smarter and got rid of that sucker...

We have a small off-brand dome tent our son gave us when he moved on to something better. When you've got good light and lots of time to set it up, it's fine. In more marginal lighting conditions, or if you didn't get to the camp site until AFTER the rain started, it's not so user friendly.

I've been thinking about trying one of the smaller tipi-type tents that have been on the market for a few years. Anyone had any experience with them?

I have spent more than a few nights in a friends Black Diamond Megamid . It is OK, not the best, not the worst. If you use a center pole, as you must some times, you have, well, a pole in the center of the thing. If you can hang it from a tree limb, mucho better. Being a pyramid, you of course have very little headroom on the sides. When they really shine is in the snow (altho I hate the dreaded white stuff). Assuming that you have the time, and plan on staying in one place for a while, you can dig a square trench below the tent, put sleeping platforms on the sides, a table area in the center, to support the pole if you are using one, and giving you a place to eat, store stuff, etc. They work pretty well, as long as you understand the drawbacks...

Actually, -your description for the sleeved tent, -is very much how I actually did it. Thanks for your Input and Information.

Well I did pitch the box it came in, in the Campsite's dumpster!

Well, Fortunately I set it up on a Nice, Brite, Sunny Summer Morning! in a Half Hour or so. Maybe 45 minutes. I'll Remember what you said though, -for anytime in the Future though, -when I Well May have something of the Opposite!