• Work in a fully ventilated area. • Set the tent up or lay the tent out flat. Taut seams allow for even application and penetration of the sealer. • Decide which seams need to be sealed. For example, seams that will be exposed to rain, runoff, or ground level water are a must for sealing, while seams on uncoated nylon or mesh panels don’t need treatment. There is no need to seal the seams in the roof or the factory taped seams. We recommend sealing both floor and fly seams and reinforcements. • Apply sealant to the inside and outside of all exposed seams. Several thin layers will work better than one thick layer. Read and follow manufacture's instructions. STAKING: All tents need to be staked down to keep them from blowing away. Securing the tent by placing heavy objects inside is just not adequate. • Once the tent body is erected, stake it out before the fly is put on. This enables you to square the tent up to ensure that the fly goes on properly and that the seams align with the frame. Pull the base of the tent taut between each web stake out loop or ring & pin. Make sure that all corners are square. It is important that you don’t stake the tent out too tightly. You will know it’s too tight, if the door zippers can not be easily operated. Drive stakes through the web loops, or with ring & pin, drive the stake just outside the ring so that the “J” hook catches it. Tie a piece of cord or web into a loop through the ring to be used as a large stake loop if needed. • With the tent properly staked, drape the fly over the frame, attach its tent connection points and stake down any pull outs. • Do not attempt to remove the stakes by pulling on the tent becket loop, as this could cause the fabric to tear. The best way is to pry on the stake itself. Staking in special conditions: • Sand. Use long, broad stakes with plenty of surface area in loose soil. • Hard, Rocky, or Frozen Soil. Steel stakes work best. Store steel stakes separately. Their sharp edges can cut fabric and leave rust stains, which might damage your tent. • Snow. Use “dead man” anchors. Tie tent to buried objects (branches, tent bags, or stuff sacks filled with snow; or tie tents to snow shoes, skis, or ski poles, which are stuck in the snow. GUY LINES: Do not depend upon staking alone to keep your tent secure during high winds. Most tent models have built-in loops or rings at optimal guy out locations. It’s important to put in the extra time guying out your tent. Correctly done, it can save your tent during exceptional weather. • Make sure that the top fly is securely attached to the tent frame. Ties, hook and loop, or dog-bones and elastic loops are sewn to the underside of the fly for this purpose. • Attach parachute cord to the loops/rings and stake them in the ground three or four feet from the edge of the tent. If staked too close to the tent, wind can cause an upward pull that could dislodge the stakes. • If your tent does not have loops or rings for guy outs, attach guy lines 1/3 to 1/2 of the way up the framework on the main sidewalls. This enables the guy line to support the lower section of the pole, while the upper pole can flex and deflect wind gusts. It is best to run two cords at an angle from the side of the guy out. This prevents all movement, except toward the anchor. The guy lines will work together through opposition. See illustrations below: CONDENSATION & VENTING: Through perspiration and breathing, an adult gives off about a pint of water overnight. If it cannot escape, the water vapor condenses to liquid. Most often, water found in the tent is a result of this condensation rather than from the tent leaking. Condensation often forms where the sleeping bag touches the side of the tent, under the sleeping pad, or on coated surfaces such as the door flaps. A tent’s double wall construction allows the vapor to escape through the roof to the outside, keeping the inside of the tent dry. Leave the windows partially open at night to provide cross ventilation and further reduce condensation. Cross ventilation becomes more important in very humid or extremely cold conditions when the permeable roof is less effective. The features that enhance ventilation are windows, short-sheeted flys (bottom venting), roof vents, and High/Low venting doors. These are specific to each tent model. Given the importance of proper ventilation, We use High/Low venting in most of our tents. This allows cooler air in through the low vents and warmer, moist air up and out through the high vents. High/Low venting is accomplished within the inner tent via roof vents, doors and windows. It is important to vent the vestibule. Unvented, it can inhibit airflow into the tent. Our tent vestibules profit from the ability to “short sheet” by means of zippers & toggles and staked vestibule pull outs create a bellowing effect. Most of our tents are equipped with a High/Low venting door. This design allows increased airflow into the tent from the bottom. Open the low ven...