How to Bind a Camping Shelter

Pitching a tent in inclement weather, particularly in high winds, is frustrating and difficult. The large nylon or canvas fabric acts like a sail and causes the tent to bend, twist or collapse. Prevent these mishaps by tying and binding the tent fly and walls to secure anchors. Not only is this a practical method of keeping the tent from flying away during set-up, it keeps the tent secure and solid when up and in use. Set up and binding is dictated by the weather, available anchors and tent gear brought on the trip.

Things You'll Need

  • Spool of paracord
  • Cutting tool
  • Tent stakes
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Instructions

  1. Tent Prep Before the Trip

    • 1

      Cut off six to eight 12 to 15 foot lengths of paracord off the main spool. Hold each cut end under a lighter flame for a few seconds to melt the fibers and prevent fraying.

    • 2

      Set the tent up in a basement or yard on a day without wind.

    • 3

      Tie one end of the cut paracord lengths to each guy-line loop on the tent. These are small loops of nylon webbing found at the pole corners, on the vestibule and along the sides of the rain fly.

    • 4

      Wrap each individual cord up into a double-figure eight by criss-cross wrapping them around your forefinger and pinky. Fold the two Os of the figure eight onto each other and wrap two to three wraps around the waist. Tuck each tightly packed coil into the webbing guy-line loops.

    • 5

      Pack up the tent.

    Binding the Tent

    • 6

      Set-up the tent according to the tent set-up instructions. Set it up with the door facing away from the prevailing wind, if possible.

    • 7

      Unwrap, one at a time, the prepped guy-lines. The key is working symmetrically to the sides of the tent. Unwrap one on the left side, run it out, and tie it as tight as possible to an anchor such as a tree, rock or pole. If you have extra tent stakes, push one into the ground and use it as the anchor. Go to the opposite side of the tent and unwrap that sides corresponding prepped guy-line and anchor it. Work from the center and middle of the tent first, typically off the rain fly.

    • 8

      Bind each tent wall-rain fly guy-line. Move to the tent corners and use an extra tent stake to pull out on the tent corner and tighten off the grommet or tent stake loop.

    • 9

      Work kitty-corner when binding the tent pole grommets and corners. For example, if you stake the front right, go to the rear left next and pull out on the tent floor, stake out the corner.

    • 10

      Check each corner to ensure the tent stakes have the base bound.