Explore It!

    During an unofficial poll, answers seemed split down the middle on whether to roll a tent or stuff it when packing it either for the off-season or between camps.

    Many of the most adamant answers were from people who were die-hard stuffers. Others, like me, heard both sides of the argument, saw substance in both and still didn’t know what to do.

    So instead of staying in the dark, I went straight to the people who ought to know – tent designers at some of the most well-known tent manufacturers in the world.

Explore It!: Do you recommend stuffing or rolling your tents and why?

Big Agnes: I say do what suits you. Be cautious of poking the tent with pegs, poles, twigs or what have you. – Chris Pottinger, tent designer

Eastern Mountain Sports: I prefer to roll when stored, so as I roll I clean off any debris on the tent that can damage the materials. Plus it is better for the coatings to have the materials be as flat as possible. I will stuff in the field to be quick. – Tony Roina, equipment sourcing and product engineering director

Kelty/Sierra Designs: It is best to roll/stuff/fold your tent a different way each time. This way you will not create permanent creases in the same place of the tent. A good way to store your tent is to fold the body of the tent in thirds length-wise. Drape the rainfly over the folded body so that no part of the rainfly is wider than the folded body. Lay the collapsed poles and the stakes across one end of the folded tent. Loosely roll up the tent from one end to the other, rolling it around the poles and stakes. – Phil Mesdag, product manager

Mountain Hardwear: Rolling, it’s better for the tent in appearance and for the long-term wear and tear on a tent. – Sean McDevitt, designer

MSR: Some will argue that rolling a tent repeatedly will form permanent creases and will lead to the weakening of the fabric. I have never met anyone who can fold and roll their tent the exact same way every time. When you need to save space in or on your pack, roll the tent. If you are caught in a storm and you need to quickly pack your tent up or if space is not a concern, then just stuff it. – Dale Karacostas, tent and shelter product director

Nemo Equipment: I recommend stuffing tents. Tent fabrics have a lot of technical coatings to keep them waterproof, breathable (in some cases), UV resistant, and have other specific properties. Repeatedly creasing your tents along the exact same fold lines will stress and wear out those technical properties faster than other parts of the tent. Stuffing your tent ensures randomness so that you aren’t ever stressing out the same areas, and it also gives moisture a better chance of escaping. – Suzanne Turell, product design director

The North Face: Not as much care goes in to stuffing and can often result in catching and tearing mesh, poles getting stuck into mesh or tent body, etc. If you look at a brand new tent in the stuff sack, they are usually folded and rolled up tight. The poles and stakes are almost always in the middle of the fabric. This is also good practice for backpackers if you are going to store your poles with your tent. – Scott McGuire, equipment product director

Explore It!: Does it depend on the type of tent or the material?

Big Agnes: No. Not really.

EMS: Nope, but sometimes keeping polyester flies and nylon floors away from each other are better when wet. This is why I stuff separate in the field. Nylon color can migrate onto polyester when wet.

Kelty/SD: This goes for any fabric type.

Mountain Hardwear: No.

MSR: My experience is limited to lightweight backpacking tents, but I believe that this would hold true for most backpacking tents.

Nemo: There is no tent, to my knowledge, that doesn’t even try to be water resistant/proof. As long as you have coated fabrics, creasing and stressing of fabrics is always going to be an issue.  With a folded tent, you might have a slightly smoother looking tent when you first pull it out of the bag to set it up, but when you are talking about shelter function comes first.

The North Face: For a super light tent, I recommend folding and rolling. It keeps the mesh “inside” and away from the dirt that may remain on the floor. It also makes one more cautious and aware of the dirt, debris and care needed on the tent as it is stored. If it is an expedition tent, it is bomber.

Explore It!: Are your tents sold stuffed or rolled? If opposite of what you recommend, why?

Big Agnes: They are loosely folded then rolled. It’s a clean presentation to the customer.

EMS: We roll them at the factory.

Kelty/SD: Our tents are sold rolled.

Mountain Hardwear: They come rolled. I don’t think anyone sells tents stuffed.

MSR: Our tents are sold rolled. This is so that they take up the least amount of space in transit as well as look nice and crisp when they are set up for the first time.

Nemo: Our tents are sold rolled because this offers the neatest presentation for customers when they are making a purchase decision.

The North Face: The North Face tents are rolled, which is easy care in the factory.

Explore It!: Do you stuff or roll your personal tent(s)?

Big Agnes: When I’m backpacking I’ll stuff the tent. I usually pack the poles and stakes separately from the tent. When I’m car camping I loosely fold then roll.

EMS: Roll for storage, stuff in the field.

Kelty/SD: I roll my personal tent - it packs better in my pack (less bulk) and looks a little better when set up (I am a tent guy, so I want my tent to look good!).

Mountain Hardwear: Roll, religiously.

MSR: I usually roll my tents, but if they are wet or if I am in a hurry, I just stuff them.

Nemo: I always stuff my tents. It’s faster, easier, and most importantly – better for the tent.

The North Face: I stuff while out and stuff depending on weather. I roll once I clean and put the tent away.

In the world of outdoor adventure, weight can make the difference between a good time and an “I wish I was sitting at home watching college football” time.
And Sierra Designs, a Boulder, Colo.-based company that specializes in tents, sleeping bags and clothes, knows that.
So in the off-season (which, in the outdoors world, doesn’t exist) the company revamped its tents.
Most notable, for now, is the Meteor Light 2. It’s a 3-season, 2-person tent made to ensure comfort while on the trail.
“This one is mainly designed for experienced backpackers that are looking for more protection,” said Kris Versteegen, the company’s spokesman.
With a new pole construction, Sierra Designs shaved a full pound off the rectangular tent’s trail weight.
Yes, that’s a full pound – almost.
It will go from 6 pounds 14 ounces to 5 pounds 15 ounces.
The new pole system, dubbed the Eye Pole Configuration, is shaped like an eye with a pole extending from both intersections.
A short pole extends from the ground toward the opposite corner but splits with a “Y” joint and starts the eye shape. When the eye comes together on the other side of the tent, another “Y” joint connects it and another short pole extends to the ground.
Meanwhile, a single straight pole connects the other two corners.
The tent is smaller though.
Instead of a roughly 59-inch by 96.5-inch floor in the 2008 tent, the 2009 has a 55-inch by 93-inch floor. That makes for an area 4 square feet smaller than the old design, according to the company.
A smaller tent typically means a smaller packed size, but it’s not the case here.
Versteegen said the new packed size - 6″ by 6″ by 24″ - is the same as the old.
The new pole construction will also be used in the Meteor Light 3, which is the equivalent 3-person tent.
With the newly designed tent hitting shelves in March 2009, expect to find a $269 price tag.