How to Make a Tent

Co-authored by Britt Edelen

Last Updated: June 9, 2022

When you're on a camping trip, it's helpful to know how to build a shelter just in case you forgot to pack a tent. While many people check the weather ahead of time before heading into the wilderness, weather has a tendency of being unpredictable. When it begins sprinkling, it's a good idea to build a shelter to keep you and your belongings dry. You can learn how to make a tent or shelter by using some of the tools provided by nature and tools you have brought with you on your camping trip.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Tying the Frame

1
Make sure you have the materials you'll need. Building a quick and easy makeshift tent doesn't require a lot, but you'll need a few things. Make sure you have a long piece of heavy-duty rope, two tarps, and either four stakes, or large rocks in your surroundings.
2
Locate a good place for your tent. Find a location near two trees that are close enough to tie your rope between but far enough to fit your tarps. You want to make sure you build your tent at a lower elevation. An elevation that is too high becomes extremely cold during the evening.
- If the weather calls for rain, avoid building your tent in a steep valley that will collect water.
- Avoid building your tent directly beneath dead or weak branches that look like they could fall in a storm.
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3
Make sure the ground is slightly damp. This will prevent dust from blowing around when you are trying to make a tent and build a shelter. It will also help the tarp adhere to the ground more efficiently, since materials tend to adhere better to damp surfaces.
4
Use the heavy-duty rope you brought with you and tie it between the trees. Make sure to wrap it around a few times before tying the knot. Take the other end of the rope and tie it to the other tree. Make sure you tie the rope high enough so that your tent won't be too cramped.
- If your rope is tied to high, then your tarp walls won't be able to reach the ground. Err on the cautious side and tie your rope a good amount lower than half of the length of your tarps.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Securing the Floor

1
Check the ground where you plan to build your tent. Make sure you remove any large rocks, pebbles and twigs from the ground before placing the bottom tarp on the ground. You want your floor tarp to go on relatively smooth ground that is free of anything that might poke holes in it.
2
Place one of your large tarps on the ground. Smooth it out and remove all of the wrinkles. It should be directly beneath the rope you've hung between the trees. Try to place it so that it's centered beneath the rope above it.
3
Secure the tarp. If your tarp has holes for stakes in its corners, you can use stakes to secure it to the ground. Place a stake through one of the holes and use either a heavy rock or a hammer to hammer it into the ground. Then do the same with an adjacent corner, making sure to stretch the tarp tight before staking it. Finish the other corners.
- Don't hammer the stakes in too deeply yet, as you will redo them when you construct the walls of your tent.
- If you don't have stakes, or your tarp doesn't have holes for stakes, use heavy rocks instead to secure it to the ground.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Constructing the Walls

1
Hang the second tarp. Throw your other tarp over the rope you tied in between the trees. Straighten it out so that the tarp hangs evenly down. If the tarp barely reaches the ground or doesn't even touch it, you've tied your rope too high.
2
Secure the walls to the ground. If you've secured the first tarp with stakes, remove one stake, then line up the holes in the two tarps, and hammer the stake back into the ground. Repeat with the other corners one by one. If you've secured the first tarp with rocks, just lift each rock and place the corners of the wall tarp under them so that the rocks hold both tarps in place.
3
Build embankments to keep out water, if necessary. If you're worried about potential rain flooding your tent, you can keep out water with rocks and dirt. Just use whatever you can find around you, sticks, rocks, and dirt, to build a small wall around your tent's floor tarp.
- Alternatively, if your tent is on a slope, you can dig trenches around both sides of your tent using a small shovel or a sharp rock, which will help rain flow around your tent instead of into it.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Troubleshooting Common Problems

1
Make a tent with one large tarp. If you don't have two tarps, but the one you have is large enough, you can make a tent with floor and roof with the single tarp. Lay the tarp on the ground beneath the rope. Place two rocks on two corners, and two rocks in the center of the tarp at the edges. Throw the edge of the tarp not held down over the rope, and then secure that edge right on top of the opposite edge of the tarp with the same rocks.
2
Carve stakes out of broken branches. If you want to secure your tent with stakes but you don't have any with you, you can use broken tree branches. Take a knife and whittle one end of four branches down to a point.
- You'll need to find branches that are thin enough to fit through the stake holes in the tarps but thick enough to not break. If you can snap it easily with your hands it's probably not strong enough.
3
Make a tent with only one tree. If you can't find two trees that are a good distance apart, you can make a tent of a different shape with one tree. You'll need stakes and a tarp with holes for stakes for this method. Using your rope, tie one corner of the tarp to the tree. Then just stretch out the tarp and stake the other corners into the ground.^{[1]
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- If you have another tarp you can stake it to the ground beneath the roof tarp. Use the same stakes and drive them through both tarps, with the corners lined up. Then take one more stake to secure the corner of the floor tarp that is closest to the tree.

Expert Q&A
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Question

What's the best material if I want to build my own tent?

Britt Edelen
Outdoor Educator
Britt Edelen was an active member of his local Boy Scouts troop near Athens, Georgia from ages 8 to 16. As a Scout, he went on dozens of camping trips, learned and practiced many wilderness survival skills, and spent countless hours appreciating the great outdoors. In addition, Britt worked as a counselor for several summers at an adventure camp in his hometown, which allowed him to share his passion for and knowledge of the outdoors with others.

Britt Edelen

Outdoor Educator

Expert Answer

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You want something waterproof, windproof or wind-resistant, and then also fire retardant. Those are sort of the key things you're looking for. Most of the time, this means you need a synthetic material. Nylon is a really good choice.
Question

How big should I make my tent?

Britt Edelen
Outdoor Educator
Britt Edelen was an active member of his local Boy Scouts troop near Athens, Georgia from ages 8 to 16. As a Scout, he went on dozens of camping trips, learned and practiced many wilderness survival skills, and spent countless hours appreciating the great outdoors. In addition, Britt worked as a counselor for several summers at an adventure camp in his hometown, which allowed him to share his passion for and knowledge of the outdoors with others.

Britt Edelen

Outdoor Educator

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A lot of people just assume that they only need room for their body, especially if they're camping alone. But you definitely want some extra space to store your belongings. It's just always nice to have some extra room, so I'd make it a little bigger than you think you'd need.
Question

Should you keep your food in a tent?

Britt Edelen
Outdoor Educator
Britt Edelen was an active member of his local Boy Scouts troop near Athens, Georgia from ages 8 to 16. As a Scout, he went on dozens of camping trips, learned and practiced many wilderness survival skills, and spent countless hours appreciating the great outdoors. In addition, Britt worked as a counselor for several summers at an adventure camp in his hometown, which allowed him to share his passion for and knowledge of the outdoors with others.

Britt Edelen

Outdoor Educator

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No, in most cases you shouldn't. If an animal gets the scent of your food, you may wake up with critters trying to break into your tent. If you are going to keep food inside of your tent, keep it away from you and on the end where you're resting your feet. I generally wouldn't recommend keeping food in the tent to begin with, though.