Pitching a tent in sand

[Toe Cozy]

I have a few questions that I hope someone can help with:

1. Anyone know what the soil is like at the Havasu Falls Campground in Arizona? I am camping in there for two nights in Sept. and guess it might be very sandy.

2. I have three tent choices:
a. Henry Shires Tarp Tent - I've only ever pitched this tent in easy soil. What's the best way to pitch a non free standing tent in very soft, loose soil/sand?
b. I have a really sturdy/reliable free standing TNF 2 person tent that weighs about 6lbs or maybe a little more. My husband and I can split the weight...but it's still heavier than I'd like. This one is easy to pitch in the sand...I've done it before.
c. Use this as an excuse to buy a lighter weight free standing tent

Thanks for any advice you've got!

Jen

 

[sapblatt]

sand/snow anchors

Jen -
I have never used these but have seen them in catalogs. They should do the trick.

 

[poison ivy]

2. I have three tent choices:
a. Henry Shires Tarp Tent - I've only ever pitched this tent in easy soil. What's the best way to pitch a non free standing tent in very soft, loose soil/sand?

I've had some success with pitching my tarptent in loose soil using rocks. I put bigger rocks inside the tent int the two front corners and didn't bother staking those two corners out. For the front and the back, I pushed the stakes all the way in and weighted them down with large rocks as well. (I also put a book underneath the trekking pole in front to keep it from sinking in the sand... a piece of bark would also work but I happened to have a book handy.) This worked well enough for a couple of days...

though if you're really looking to buy a new tent I can pretend it didn't work at all.

- Ivy

 

[arghman]

I always read that good old aluminum pie plates are helpful for staking tents in sand, but I'm having trouble picturing how this could be done. (pie plates have lots of surface area but how do you attach them to lines?)

 

[sapblatt]

I always read that good old aluminum pie plates are helpful for staking tents in sand, but I'm having trouble picturing how this could be done. (pie plates have lots of surface area but how do you attach them to lines?)

That would work too - drill a 2-3 holes in them and run the line thru them to your guyline loops - fill with sand, dirt, rock etc.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Bring some cord. When I'm in the deserts of New Mexico, I usually tie down my tent with rocks. Most tents have places to which cord can be tied for windy conditions. Simply tie it from there to a soccer ball size rock. It has always held my tent down, even in the windiest conditions. While the soil there may be sandy, it may also be a layer of sand over rock.

If you depend on something you can bury, you'll be out of luck if it is rocky. Also, if you are thinking of a free standing tent, remember that desert winds can be strong.

 

[Rick]

Also, if you are thinking of a free standing tent, remember that desert winds can be strong.

I remember about 12 years ago, my wife and I were camping in Death Valley - We had gotten in the night before and set up in the park campground (I had my old extremely strong 4-pole 3-person 4-Season tent with me). We left very early the next morning for some dayhikes and got back to the campgrounds in mid-afternoon to find that it seemed almost everyone had taken the poles out of their tents as they were all lying flat on the ground I had wrongly assumed this was done probably to keep them from blowing away - Our bright green tent stood out as one of the few that were upright.

So.... I told my wife matter-of-factly that in the future we should be like the others and remove the poles from our tents to keep them from flapping....though I had never heard of the practice - It seemed pretty common there, so it must be common sense to do it.

What I found out a couple of hours later is that a bitter windstorm had developed during the early afternoon and blew most of the lighter tents over - collapsing most of the tents and their poles. Boy did I feel like an idiot.

 

[DougPaul]

1. Anyone know what the soil is like at the Havasu Falls Campground in Arizona? I am camping in there for two nights in Sept. and guess it might be very sandy.

Haven't been to the campground in question, but there are a wide range of soils--from rock to sand--in the general region.

Doug

 

[Toe Cozy]

Thanks!

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the advice! Always helpful!

 

[sli74]

Hey Toe Cozy,

Email roadtripper . . . he was in Havasu recently and should be able to tell you what kind of ground conditions you will encounter. And have fun in Havasu, it is top on my list of places to see. As far as pitching the tent, using rocks both as "stakes" and as tent weights would be my suggestion as well.

sli74

 

[roadtripper]

hey Toe Cozy,

Don't worry about sand--the campground @ Havasu is set in a forest like desert setting with pretty hard soil. There are also plenty of trees surrounding each of the campsites (I think every single campsite was well shaded). You also don't really have to worry too much about winds either because the campground is set in a canyon with high walls.

On a side note, I have tons of tips for a visit to Havasu if you are interested. PM me if you'd like me to brainstorm some up. I'll be posting a report of my trip there in May in the next few days on here as well.

Seema - it was awesome to finally meet you 2 weekends ago. Let me know about future adventures you & Brian are taking if you are looking for additional company.

- Greg

 

[John H Swanson]

I almost never bring test stakes. I think they are too heavy. I carry about 6-10 pieces of p-cord and/or 5mm climbing cord of variaous lengths and use local materials including rocks, trees, etc. I've always have been able to get by. Of course this works in the places I go and one can easily think of places where it won't work, like in a blacktop parking lot for example.

 

[John S]

Toe Cozy,

If sand is an issue it would be nice to have plan for dealing with windy conditions. The Tarptent is open at both ends to allow for ventilation. While the overhangs work great for rain, even blowing rain, I’m not sure how well or poorly the bug mesh would stop blowing sand. It might be wise to bring something to cover at least one end.