Tips 6: Occupying your Tent

You should now be left with one pitched tent, your hiking gear and three bags supplied with the tent. Wrap the elastic band for the pole around the bag, stow that safely - I'll use the band to hold the peg bag, and stow that inside the tent fabric bag. These get stored at the 'head' of the tent's inner.

I quickly found that items got stored in regular places, and a routine was formed. Walking poles get dropped into the foot end of the porch. Rucksack was put into porch and door dropped if it was raining. Unpack rucksack:

• Porch: hydration sack and cooking gear.
• Doorway: sandals, toilet pack, handwash, trekking shoes (when undressed).
• Foot of inner: empty rucksack, map case, softshell jacket (for under sleeping bag), food bag.
• Body of inner: sleeping mat (short Therm-a-rest), sleeping bag.
• Head of inner: gps, solar radio, book, mp3 player, head torch, first aid kit, water bottle, ointments bag, valuables bag, clothing bag, waterproofs.

Head torch sometimes hangs from ceiling tab, or stored in stowage pocket by tent door. Most of my gear is in waterproof bags and I'll use clothing bags inside a fleece as a pillow. Inside some bags are ziplock bags so I can keep gear together (eg solar-powered radio, earphones and spare batteries). I'll put them into my upturned wide-brimmed hat, so I can keep everything together.

Having been over-nighted in the tent by midges, I now keep a waterbottle inside the inner in case it happens again.

Get a brew on and relax.