It’s something every manufacturer should do, I mean come on, it’s 2012 up in here. Get with it guys. Tent designs are getting more complex, and many tents require specific poles to go into specific slots. But fret not, we have some advice for you.
Having a color coded a tent setup is exceptionally helpful. It can not only speed up the time in which you pitch your tent, (a great tent pitcher can have his tent up in less than 4 minutes), but it also takes the guess work out of what goes where. It sounds like a small, insignificant detail, but wait until you’re pitching a tent in a raging storm, with freezing rain, and fog so thick you can’t see the other end of the tent. You’ll be wishing you had read this article. Save yourself the frustration, and hold back that nasty word bank for a better occasion. We have you covered.
It’s a simple concept, and easy to do. It’s the little things that count.
Pitch your tent, properly, and take a little color to it. Good options are fingernail polish, reflective tape, or my favorite, roll on white out. It’s removable given the need, and it’s actually pretty bright in the dark. You can apply clear coat for added durability, or even go with glow in the dark paint.
All you need to do, is paint one end of the tent with a small line, or even a dot. Make sure you match the pole, tent sleeve or grommet, footprint if applicable, and rain fly with the same color. Most tents only require a single color to be applied to one side. Some, more complicated tents may require 4 colors or more, one for each corner. You will have to analyze your tent to determine your needs. Just paint in on, and forget it. I go for the minimal approach, as you can see here. I recommend you only paint on the metal components, just in case the chemical you choose decides to react with the nylon.
Now your tent tent is complete! Thanks to Treeline Squirrel for the help on this post.
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