Tent Pitching

Tent Pitching

Introduction

Tents come in various sizes, namely the 4/6/8/10/12-men tents. Tents can come in different shape and can be made of different materials, with nylon and canvas being the more common ones. The NPCC 4-men competition tent will be discussed as it is most commonly used in the units and the campsite in Pulau Ubin. Beside, tent pitching is also a component in the biannual Campcraft competition organized by NPCC HQ.

Aims and Objective

· To strengthen the knowledge of trainee, in terms of tent-pitching which they have learnt as cadets.
· To provide a recommendation of the standard tent-pitching methods used in the context of NPCC.

Contents

1. Choosing a campsite
2. Material need in pitching the NPCC 4-men tent
3. Recommended pitching procedure
4. General tent-pitching knowledge
5. Camp hygiene
6. Care of tents
7. Recommended internal layout of tents

1. Choosing a campsite

· The ideal site is one on elevated land or gentle slope so to prevent flooding.
· Search for a campsite, which has a rich source of dry wood, firewood wand water.
· Clear the place of rocks and woof before pitching the tent.
· Keep away from high trees as dead branches may fall and hurt someone or damage the equipment.
· Check the direction of the prevailing wind and pitch the tent along side it to maximize ventilation and minimize air resistance action on the tent.
· Avoid dead logs and undergrowth which may be habitats of harmful insects like army ants, bees, hornets, wasps and snakes.

2. Materials needed in pitching the NPCC 4-men tent

· 1 inner sheet
· 1 outer sheet
· 1 ground sheet
· 1 horizontal pole(cross bar)
· 2 vertical pole(upright)
· 2 of 2.5m of twine(main guylines)
· 12 of 1.5m of twine(corner/side guylines)
· 14 Iron pegs
· 1 Mallet

3. Recommended pitching procedure

· Fix the horizontal pole to the vertical poles and place the inner sheet across the horizontal pole.
· Secure one end of the guylines to each of the corner sleeve rings with a bowline
· Aim and check that the corner of the tent and the center of the horizontal pole and the spot where are being to hammer the peg, are in a straight line
· All the 4 guylines after should be tied using the tent-guy loop, at the same time if possible
· Tie the two side guylines after the corners are secured and ensure that the three pegs on each side of the tent are in a straight line · Secure the main guylines to the pins using clove hitches
· Place the outer sheet over the inner sheet and repeat the sae procedures for the outer sheet
· The distance of the pegs from, the main guylines should be about the length if the upright from the base of the vertical pole
· Window flaps should be rolled nearly and tied. All loose ends should be tidied · Unfold the ground sheet inside the tent and lay it out
· A well-pitched tent should have a ventilation gap of about 16-20 cm between the inner sheet and the outer sheet
· All guylines tent should meet the pegs at 90°.

The pegs should be in the following formation:

General tent-pitching knowledge

1. Trenches can be dug around the pitched tent for drainage purposes. During rainy weather, they serve to drain off and divert rainwater, keeping the tent floor relatively dry. There are two type of trenches.
2.

Type A trenches should be dug directly under the edges of the outer sheet to collect and divert the flow of rain as it slider off the outer sheet.

Type B trenched are dug to divert the water from the surrounding area and prevent water to be collected around the location of the tent.

3. Sulphur can be scattered around
4. Round the tent to repel snakes.