Tent Care Guide

Whether you’re backpacking the trails through rugged landscapes, wild camping beneath the stars, or pitching up in a bustling campsite with family and friends, your tent quickly becomes your home away from home. It’s your sanctuary against unpredictable weather, a place to rest after long days of adventure, and a hub for making memories in the great outdoors. Because your tent plays such a vital role in every trip, it’s well worth investing a little time and care to keep it in prime condition.

A well-cared-for tent doesn’t just provide reliable shelter—it maintains its waterproofing, resists wear and tear, and stands strong against the elements season after season. Proper tent care can be the difference between a comfortable night’s sleep and a soggy, stressful experience, ensuring that every adventure is one to remember for all the right reasons.

In this expert guide, we’ll share essential tent care tips and techniques drawn from years of outdoor experience and technical know-how. From simple daily habits to in-depth maintenance advice, you’ll learn how to protect your tent, extend its lifespan, and keep it performing at its best—so you and your tent can enjoy countless adventures together for many years to come.

Caring for your tent begins right from the very first time you pitch it, and one of the simplest yet most effective ways to protect your investment is by using a footprint or groundsheet underneath your tent. A tent footprint is a custom-shaped piece of durable fabric, often sold specifically for your tent model, designed to sit between your tent’s built-in groundsheet and the ground itself. Alternatively, a universal groundsheet can be used for similar protection.

The primary role of a footprint or groundsheet is to shield your tent’s base from the rough and often unpredictable terrain you’ll encounter outdoors. Whether you’re camping on rocky soil, damp grass, or muddy fields, the extra layer acts as a barrier against sharp stones, sticks, and other abrasive objects that can cause premature wear, punctures, or tears to your tent’s integrated groundsheet. Over time, this protection can significantly extend the life of your tent, saving you from costly repairs or replacements.

Footprints are also highly effective at keeping water and dirt away from the bottom of your tent. By providing an additional waterproof layer, they help prevent ground moisture from seeping through, especially in wet weather or on dew-laden mornings. This means you’re less likely to wake up to a damp tent floor, and your sleeping area stays cleaner and more comfortable. When it’s time to pack up, you’ll find that your tent is much easier to shake out and fold away, as the majority of the mud and debris will be on the footprint, not the tent itself.

Another benefit is that footprints make pitching and packing up more convenient. They can help you mark out the exact area your tent will cover, making setup quicker and more accurate. After your trip, simply shake off or rinse the footprint, which is much easier to clean and dry than an entire tent. This routine helps prevent mould and mildew from developing on your tent’s groundsheet during storage.

In summary, using a footprint or groundsheet is a small step that delivers big benefits for tent care. It’s a smart, lightweight addition to your camping kit that protects your tent, keeps it cleaner, and ensures it’s ready for many more adventures to come.

Most damage to tent poles actually happens during the process of pitching the tent, rather than while the tent is in use. It’s surprisingly easy to accidentally overstress or mishandle the poles, especially when you’re setting up in a hurry or dealing with challenging weather conditions. Taking a few extra moments to handle your poles with care can make a significant difference to their longevity and performance.

One of the most important things to remember is to avoid forcing or over-bending the poles as you assemble your tent. Tent poles—whether aluminium, fibreglass, or carbon fibre—are engineered to be both strong and flexible, but they do have their limits. Applying excessive pressure or trying to bend a pole before it’s properly assembled can cause it to permanently deform, splinter, or even snap. This kind of damage not only weakens the pole but can also compromise the structural integrity of your entire tent.

To prevent this, always make sure each pole section is fully and securely inserted into the next before you start flexing or threading them through the tent sleeves or eyelets. The internal shock cord helps align the sections, but it’s important to check that each joint is snug, with no gaps or misalignments. If sections aren’t properly connected, the pole can easily buckle or split under tension.

Zips are one of the most frequently used and vital components of your tent, providing secure closure against the elements and easy access in and out. To keep them performing at their best, it’s important to keep zips clean and free from dirt, grit, and debris. Even small particles can work their way into the teeth or coil of a zip, causing it to snag, wear prematurely, or even fail altogether.

After each trip, take a moment to brush off any mud, sand, or grit from your tent’s zips using a soft brush or an old toothbrush. If you notice the zip isn’t running as smoothly as usual, you can use a gentle rinse with clean water—just make sure to dry the area thoroughly afterwards to prevent corrosion, especially on metal zips.

When opening or closing your tent, always use two hands and move slowly, particularly when guiding the zip around a curve or corner. Rushing or pulling at an angle can put unnecessary strain on the slider and the zip teeth, increasing the risk of misalignment or breakage. Taking your time helps the zip glide smoothly and reduces wear, significantly extending its lifespan.

If you encounter a stuck zip, never try to force it open or closed, as this can cause permanent damage to both the slider and the fabric. Instead, gently hold the zipper track with one hand to stabilise it, and with your other hand, carefully back the slider up. Wiggle it gently from side to side—this often frees any caught fabric or debris without causing harm. If the zip is persistently sticky, a specialist zip lubricant can help restore smooth operation.

Minimising your tent’s exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays is a key element to increasing it lifespan. Over time UV rays break down and degrade nylon, making it dry and brittle, reducing its tensile strength and making it more susceptible to rips and tears. Polyester fly sheets offer a little more UV resistance than nylon fabrics, but if you’ll be away from your tent for a long time, the best practice—regardless of fly material—is to move your tent completely out of the sun. Similarly, tents should not be left up in the garden at home and forgotten about. If you’re not using it, make sure it’s packed away and stored out of direct sunlight. To help protect your tent against UV rays you can also treat it using Nikwax Tent & Gear Solarproof. 

Whilst on the trail or campsite, when it's time to pack up your tent and leave, follow these steps:

1. Give the tent a good shake out and sweep any dirt out of the tent lining.
2. Wipe down any large areas that might have come into contact with mud.
3. Double check you have all the pegs and poles you turned up with neatly packed away.
4. Make sure the inner is as dry as possible before packing away.
5. Wipe down your zips and poles to stop any caked-on mud rusting or eroding them.
6. When disassembling your poles, start from the centre and move outwards to evenly distribute the tension on the shock cord. If you’ve been in dusty or salty conditions, make sure to clean your poles, especially around the intersections.

Cleaning your tent properly when you get home will really help to extend its life and performance. Pitch your tent in the garden or spread it out somewhere like a garage, then follow these steps:

1. Take another sweep around to remove any further dirt or debris you didn’t catch at the campsite.
2. For most short trips, removing any loose dirt from the fabric by wiping it down with lukewarm water or using water pressure from a regular garden hose is sufficient. You can tackle more stubborn mud stains by hand washing affected areas with a sponge, warm water and a mild, non-detergent soap or a specialist tent cleaning product like Nikwax Tech Wash or the cleaner in Grangers Fabsil Tent and Gear Care Kit.  Avoid using washing up liquid, detergent or bleach or using a washing machine or tumble dryer to clean and dry your tent. All of these can damage your tent by removing its waterproof coatings.
3. If necessary, give tent poles and zips another quick clean and leave them to fully dry to avoid rust and erosion.
4. Give it time to dry out thoroughly before packing away, bearing in mind this can take a few hours.

Before packing your tent away, do some final checks to make sure everything is ready for your next adventure. 

1. Tent Pegs – are they all there?
2. Zips – do they run smoothly and haven’t split?
3. Groundsheet – any mould or condensation?
4. Poles – is the elastic in the core free from cracks and breaks?
5. Fabric – are there any tears or rips?
6. Seams – any split or splitting seams? 
7. Guy Ropes – are they knot free and tied away neatly?

Every tent will need reproofing occasionally to maintain its waterproofness and breathability, and how often you need to reproof will depend on how often you use it. Abrasion, exposure to UV, wind and rain will cause a tent’s waterproof coating to deteriorate over time. If you notice water seeping into the outer material instead of beading on the surface, dampening occurring on the inner lining, or condensation building inside your tent, these are the signs that your tent needs reproofing.

To re-proof your tent we recommend using  Grangers Fabsil Tent and Gear Care Kit and following these steps:

1. Put up your tent and ensure your flysheet is clean.
2. Apply Fabsil directly to the fabric using a clean paintbrush until you have an even coverage over the whole tent.
3. Wipe away any excess Fabsil using a dry, clean cloth.
4. Leave to dry fully and naturally.

You should store your tent in a cool, dry place where it won't be damaged, exposed to sunlight or eaten by creatures! A shed or garage is usually a great choice, but a kit wardrobe or spare room can work as well. Instead of storing the tent in its stuff sack, try to keep it in an oversized, breathable cotton bag - or a simple pillowcase can work just as well. This helps keep the fabric ventilated, and avoids any mould forming.

It’s really important that your tent is completely dry before packing it away. Storing your tent whilst it’s wet or even damp can lead to the premature breakdown of its fabric and coatings. When it comes to using it next, take your tent out of storage a day or two beforehand to give it a thorough airing and to make sure it’s still in good condition. It’s better to discover any problems before you leave, rather than out on the trail.