Do you Know How to Fold a Pop-up Tent?

The simplicity of setting up pop-up tents has recently made them very popular. When assembling a pop-up tent, you don’t have to set up the tent poles like with a traditional tent.

It’s just a matter of unzipping the tent bag, removing the tent, and throwing the tent into the air; it’ll rise up into an upright tent-like structure. Pop-up tents may lead to headaches at the end of your camping trip if you aren’t skilled at putting them back in their tiny bags.

Fortunately, we provide you with instructions on how to fold a pop-up tent back so that it appears to be the easiest tent to erect.

Folding Your Pop Up Tent: Step By Step Guide

This guide is based on pop up tent, as it shares many of the same features as other standard pop-up tents.

Remove All Stakes and Guylines

Remove All Stakes and Guylines

There are six stake loops and two guy-out points included with the Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent. Specifically, the Coleman Pop Up Tent has three stake loops and one guyline, which look as follows:

In addition to 3 stake loops on each side, the Coleman 4-Person Pop Up Tent comes with a guyline for guying out the tent. The first thing you should do is remove all of the tent stakes and guylines if you have staked down the pop up tent. Skip this step if you haven’t done so.

Unzip the door

Unzip the door tent

Open the front door of your tent by unzipping it. This will make it easier to fold and compress the tent since trapped air will escape. During this stage, you might want to consider wiping down the tent so that it doesn’t get dirty the next time you use it.

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Fold from back to front

Fold from back to front tent

The rear base pole should be positioned near the roof pole, so you can fold it upwards by holding the middle. Grasp both of them at once with one hand. As you hold the two poles in place, grab the front base pole and move it upright into line with the other two poles as you hold them in one hand.

Lift the tent and rotate

Take one of your hands to hold the tent as you turn it upside down so it stands vertically.

Pull down

Grab the tent’s top portion and pull it towards your feet using your spare hand.

Slide rings

As you fold the tent toward the base of your feet, the tent’s frame should appear to overlap slightly. By sliding one ring under the other, you can let any remaining air escape from the tent. Once folded, the tent should be shaped like a circle.

Bag it up

Bag it up tent

Grab any loose elastic straps and pull them across the folded tent, allowing the tent to be packed away into its bag.

This is what you need to know! Hopefully, you are now ready to take your tent with you. Here’s a video guide to help you show you how to fold a pop-up tent if you’re still not sure how.

How To Fold Large Popup Tents

Intimidating as it may seem, folding down a large pop-up tent can be quite challenging. That’s what I know, I’ve been there before. This is only if you do not know what to do. The steps will be outlined in detail so you know exactly what to do the next time you have to pack up a pop-up tent.

Step 1

To ensure all the air is out of the tent, open the doors before folding. It may be impossible for you to fold the tent down properly if this is the case. In some cases, stretching may be required here: grab both top points and bring them together.

The wrong spots may be being pressed if it appears asymmetrical or resists your pushing. Then, using these top-most points, press it down along a different axis.

Step 2

By pulling together the top two points, the bottom edge of the pop-up tent will stick out in two places. Taking one of the bottom points in one hand, bring it to the middle of the top points while holding the top points in the other.

Follow the same procedure for the other bottom point as well. Towards the end, you should be able to fold and hold all four points together.

Step 3

Above the door, you will notice the top of the arch. Take hold of the top of the arch and fold it inwards toward the middle. When you’re done, you should have something that looks like a taco tent folded up.

Step 4

In order to move the tent, you must make sure that the open side is standing up straight against the ground. Grab the tent-taco part with one hand and fold it towards the other while holding the four points.

Fortunately, pop-up tent poles are fairly flexible, so you should not have much difficulty doing this.

Step 5

With the four points still in your hand, your pop-up tent should start closing on itself after the final step. Using the arches as guides, turn the tent so that two circles are created. The symbol should resemble an infinity symbol, like a figure-eight.

As soon as you achieve that, bring two circles over each other until you get a circle. Here’s the end of the folding process! Be careful not to release the tent just yet, because releasing it will result in the tent unfolding, and you’ll need to start over.

Step 6

To make sure no air has been left inside the tent, press down with your hands and knees after it has been folded into a circle. An airtight bag will not fit back inside the carrying case.

It’s a good time to use straps on your tent to keep it folded. Even if your tent doesn’t have such a feature, that’s no problem. The rope you use to fold your tent can always be any type you want.

Step 7

Putting your tent inside the carrying bag is the next step after folding it and securing it. When you can easily put it back in the bag, you’ve done a good job. However, if you have difficulty fitting it back in, then you may need to replace it.

Nevertheless, if you struggle to reassemble it, you might not have eliminated all the air. The last step must be repeated before trying to pack it again.

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Tips Pre-Folding Pop-Up Tent

Here are a few tips for folding up a pop-up tent for camping or for a beach vacation. Please note that the instructions below may not be applicable to your tent specifically. While pop-up tents fold generally in a similar way, you can get a general idea of how to fold from our instructions even if your tent is different.

Clean the tent

Clean the tent

Folding up a dirty tent can damage the material and attract bugs when it is stored. Therefore, keep the garbage in a clean place and sweep up any dirt and debris.

Clean the tent thoroughly with a damp sponge or moist cloth and mild soap if it has stains or mud splashes. The stains or mud can be more easily washed when they’re fresh, so do it before they completely dry out. Here are steps you can follow to clean a tent if it needs a thorough wash.

Dry and air out the tent

The tent should be given time to dry before it is packed up. Keeping a tent folded when it is wet can result in damage and mold growth. Before packing up something that is not dirty or wet, let it air out for an hour.

Untether the tent

Untether the tent

It is first necessary to remove the tent’s tether before folding it. Take out all metal stakes that keep your tent anchored to the ground before you pack up the tent. Stakes should be cleaned and dried afterwards, and stored in a tent bag after removal.

Remove the tarp

In addition to the tent, if there is a tarp or secondary layer for sun and rain protection, take it off, fold it up, and place it inside the bag.

Practice All The Steps At Home

Practice All The Steps At Home Tent

In order to be successful when camping, you must practice your pop-up tent folding at home at least five times.

Because without any prior experience folding, you may experience a lot of hassle when you get to the camping field. You should keep these aspects in mind when folding your pop-up tent before attempting it.

Important: Cleaning and drying your tent are essential, even if you don’t plan to use it for a while. In the absence of these steps, your tent will most likely become moldy. Oh my goodness!

The pop-up tent can now be folded once you have taken all the pre-folding precautions. In order to take preparation to the next level, let’s watch a quick video on taking down, followed by a step-by-step walk through of the process.

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FAQs: How to Fold a Pop-up Tent

Are pop-up tents equipped with pockets?

There are some, but not all. In larger models of beach pop-up tents, pockets are more common, but they are not always present.

In what ways are pop up tents and regular tents different?

There is one big difference between a regular tent and a pop-up tent: the amount of time you prefer to use it. Temporary pop-up tents are designed for short-term use, while semi-permanent frame tents are intended for longer-term use.

One other major difference between pop-up tents and standard tents is that pop-up tents require only a few seconds to set up, whereas standard tents must be assembled individually.

Which is better, pop-up tents or normal tents?

Depending on what you need for camping, you will have to decide. Tents with pop-up roofs will be much easier to setup and more convenient to use for short-term periods than regular tents.

Spring and summer are also great times to get a pop-up tent.

It is possible that a large pop-up tent will be substantially heavier than a regular tent of the same size because larger pop-up tents include more metal.

Why is a pop-up tent disadvantageous?

Like any tent, a pop-up tent also has some disadvantages. For their portability, pop-up tents may be extremely expensive, as we will see from their pricing.

Also, if you get a small design, you won’t get much headroom, and you might not want to use it in the wilderness due to adverse weather conditions.

Hello, my name is James Tinnin and I am an outdoor enthusiast, writer, and avid camper. I have always had a deep appreciation for the great outdoors, and my passion for nature has only grown stronger over the years.