How To Fold A Pop-Up Tent

Over the last couple of years, these types of tents have grown extremely popular among campers of all generations, from families on fishing trips to friends setting off for a festival. 

The reason these tents are so popular is that they literally take a couple of minutes, if not seconds, to set up, and they are far less expensive than a full, professional tent.

In this article, we will teach you how to fold a pop-up tent back up once you have finished using it.

What Is A Pop-Up Tent?

A pop-up tent is a form of tent that can be easily set up with little to no effort on the part of the people using it.

Rather than requiring poles to create the frame of the tent, you just toss it into the air, and it will immediately take form on its own, flipping into shape.

While the tent is on the ground, you can easily attach it with pegs to ensure that it stays in place.

These pegs are so easy to insert and remove, but are secure enough to keep your tent held down.

Pop-up tents come in a variety of styles, each designed to meet the demands of different types of campers.

Single or double covering, and varied berth sizes, are just a few of the options.

Pop-up tents aren’t ideal for all forms of camping, and they’re usually only used as a temporary, one-time accommodation.

If you’re looking for something a little more durable, you might want to seek for something more tailored to your needs.

Before You Fold The Tent

Clean And Empty The Entire Tent

Prior to actually storing any pop up tent, ensure sure it is fully empty, clean, and, most importantly, dry. 

If you don’t do this, dirt, dampness, and debris may cause significant damage to the fabric, which could be problematic if you wish to use the tent again in the future.

Dirt may also attract insects if it has not been completely removed.

Additionally, if you have used the tent on a beach, you will want to remove all traces of sand before packing it up.

There is nothing worse than sand getting everywhere, especially if you have to drive home in your own car.

Remove All Ground Pegs From The Tent

Before attempting to fold the tent, you must remove all pegs connecting the canvas to the ground. You won’t be able to relocate the tent if you don’t do so.

This may be an obvious point to make, but it can be easy to forget if you are in a hurry to get home!

Additionally, before putting the pegs away, make care you clean them well. At this stage, they will most likely be covered in muck and dirt.

Remove The Tarp From The Tent

A tarp is designed to provide additional shelter from the environment, such as strong sunlight, or any form of precipitation. 

Not all pop-up tents will include a tarp, but several of them do, and folding your pop-up tent with the tarp attached will be tough. Make a point of removing it and placing it in the storage bag ahead of time.

How To Fold A Pop-Up Tent

Fold The Poles Together

To begin, stand directly beside the tent, with the poles/ridges on top of the tent positioned to your left and right. 

Then, begin to pull both sides together by stretching your arms outwards and grasping both sides. The top poles should be touching each other in your hands.

Next, reach for the bottom poles of the tent with one hand while holding the top poles with the other (or having someone else hold them for you while you use both hands to reach for the bottom poles). 

Repeat the previous step, this time pushing the two sides of the bottom poles together.

Then, hold up and over one of the bottom poles to the top poles. Repeat with the other bottom pole until all four of the poles are being held together.

Stand The Tent Sideways

Once you have all the poles held together in your hands, flip the tent so that it is standing on its side, rather than standing right side up.

At this point, the tent should resemble the form of a taco shell.

Do not let go of the poles, or else you will have to redo the entire first section! Use a tight grip so that they do not accidentally slip out of your hands.

Fold The Tent Again

Stretch out over the top of the tent, and grip the back side of the taco shell form while you continue to keep holding the four poles together. 

Pull it towards your other hand, then force the tent to the ground to compress it entirely. 

At this point, the tent should be flat on the ground. If you let go at any point, however, it will simply bounce back into its previous form, so be careful!

Fold The Tent In Half

The tent should now appear as two side-by-side disks of fabric, providing that you folded it correctly, following our methods above. 

At this point, you will want to fold  one circle of cloth over the other, completely folding it in half to make a layered circular shape on the ground.

Don’t let go of it yet! Keep holding the tent down so that it does not bounce back upwards.

Seal The Tent Into Its Packaging

The last part is to fit the tent into its original packaging. Hopefully you kept the packaging in a safe place, and didn’t throw it away (a lot of people do this without thinking about it).

If you did throw the packaging away, you will need to use a bag large enough to fit the tent.

Carefully push the folded up tent inside the packaging, and quickly seal it up before it gets the opportunity to push its way back out. 

Congratulations! You have successfully folded up a pop-up tent.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it: that is how you can re-package a pop-up tent. 

While it is so easy to set these tents up, it can be quite frustrating to fold them back up once you have finished using them. However, as this article proves, it is not impossible to do. It just takes a little patience, and a tight grip!

We hope you found this article helpful.