Pitching your Autentic glamping tent should be a breeze with the following tips.

Tip 1: Choose the perfect camping spot

Before setting up your tent (whether it’s in free nature, on a camping site, or in your own garden), you should find the perfect spot where your tent will shine and you can fully relax and enjoy your free time. On a flat surface, you’ll always be sitting – and lying – comfortably. Also from a technical point of view, pitching the tent on a flat underground is much easier. We advise you to always place your tent on higher grounds, unless you like midnight baths and floating mattresses.

Autentic’s glamping tents come in different shapes and dimensions. Regardless of the size of your tent, always make sure that your spot place is large enough to set up the tent correctly and to tension the tent guy lines tightly. If your space is more limited, or if you plan to set up your glamping tent on a wooden platform, try our short guy poles, which will reduce the required space of your tent with a couple of meters.

Tip 2: Inspect your camping spot

Before setting up your glamping tent, it’s crucial to thoroughly inspect your chosen camping spot. Take a close look at the ground and make sure there are no sharp objects, tree roots, twigs, or stones that could disturb your sleep or damage your tent’s groundsheet.

Don’t forget to have a look above you as well. While setting up your glamping tent under a tree might seem like a good idea, a heavy wind could cause branches to fall and ruin your night.

Tip 3: Choose a good position

After carefully inspecting your camping spot, you may be wondering which direction to pitch your glamping tent. The choice is entirely yours! If you plan to sleep in the glamping tent, we recommend positioning it so that you can wake up to stunning views of the morning sun or a beautiful ocean view.

However, it’s important to consider wind direction when setting up your glamping tent. Avoid positioning the tent with the openings (windows and doors) facing the wind, as strong gusts could turn your tent into a flying object. Instead, position the tent so that the wind blows on the back of it. This way, you can take shelter at the front entrance of your tent when the wind gets too strong.

Tip 4: Protect your groundsheet

One way to extend the lifespan of your glamping tent’s groundsheet is by laying a plastic tarpaulin underneath it. This not only protects the tent’s groundsheet from holes, tears, and humidity, but it also helps to keep it clean.

Tip 5: Protection caps on the poles

The center poles of Autentic’s Bell and Patrol Tents are equipped with rubber end caps and aluminium plates at the bottom. Make sure these are properly attached to the poles to prevent damage to your tent’s groundsheet and fabric.

Tip 6: Pitch your tent perfectly

After ensuring that the ground is stable and your tent is pitched properly, it is essential to secure the glamping tent.

You’ll find the setup instructions on every product page. There are several factors to consider:

• Make sure that everything that zips is zipped up before tensioning your glamping tent.
• Always follow the curves of your tent when stretching it to ensure a perfect form and function. Water will drain off fluently when the tent is set up tight.
• The guylines should always be perfectly aligned with the seams of the tent’s roof.
• Pitch your tent’s pegs firmly in the ground at a 90° angle.
• Start to attach the corners of the inner tent and the groundsheet. Continue with the other guylines in a straight line. If your glamping tent also has an outer tent, do this afterward.
• To avoid stumbling at night, align the tent ground pegs in even lines or circles around the tent. Fortunately, the guylines are reflective, which also reduces the risk of stumbling.
• Once you have tightened the guylines, you can use the guyline tensioners to tighten your glamping tent properly. Tension the guylines firmly but don’t exaggerate.

All Bell tents are supplied with a complete peg set. If you are camping in a flat and grassy area, you can certainly set up the tent directly on the ground. Overall, we recommend installing your bell tent on a wooden platform as it can provide a level and stable surface for the tent, which is important for ensuring that the tent remains upright and in good condition. It can also help to protect the tent from moisture, which can be particularly important if you plan to use your bell tent in wet or humid conditions. In addition, a wooden platform can provide a more comfortable and luxurious camping experience.

The minimum surface area required for your bell tent depends on its size. The following illustrations show the minimum surface area required when setting up your bell tent with Short Guy Poles.

Jay Bell 4.4
Minimum required platform surface: 5,5 m x 6,6 m (taking into account that the guylines are attached to the platform)

Jack Bell 5.2
Minimum required platform surface: 6,2 m x 7,4 m (taking into account that the guylines are attached to the platform)

Billy-Joe Bell 7.2
Minimum required platform surface: 10,5 m x 8,3 m (taking into account that the guylines are attached to the platform)

A few more tips…

• If you plan to set up your bell tent on a wooden platform or terrace, make sure the platform is level, sturdy, and can support the weight of the bell tent and its occupants. For wooden planked terraces, make sure that the planks are in good condition, free from cracks, splinters, and rot, and securely fastened to the underlying supports.
• If you want to add an extra touch of luxury to your setup, consider creating a larger outside terrace in front of the tent where you can place furniture and other accessories. This can help to create a more inviting and comfortable atmosphere for you and your guests to enjoy.

We provide simple folding instructions for all of our Autentic glamping tents to ensure they fit back into their tent bags and can be stored properly. The folding instructions can be downloaded from the product pages on our website.

All good things come to an end. Time to pack away your Autentic glamping tent? These seven tips will guide you in correctly storing your tent and assure you to fully enjoy your stay during your next glamping adventures.

Tip 1: Empty your glamping tent

This tip may sound pretty obvious, but there is nothing more annoying than forgetting your phone in your tent’s storage pockets and only noticing it when everything is nicely packed away in the tent bag. It is even more annoying when your phone is on silent… We have been through this ourselves and thus speak from experience. Forewarned is forearmed!

Tip 2: Clean your glamping tent

Thanks to the removable groundsheets in the Bell Tents and Patrol Tents, you can easily wipe the dust off. Are you wondering what to use to clean your tent? Dust on the fabric of the tent can be easily wiped off with a soft brush. Found a stain? No worries. With a damp cloth, you can gently rub the tent fabric to remove the stain.

Because dirt traps moisture, storing your glamping tent while it’s still dirty increases the risk of mould. To avoid unpleasant surprises, it’s important to clean your tent, groundsheet, and all other loose parts of your tent, including guy ropes, poles, hooks, pegs … before storing them.

Tip 3: Store your glamping tent dry

Now that your glamping tent and all other components have been cleaned, it’s time to let everything dry before storing it in the tent bag. Humidity is the favourite habitat of microorganisms, so storing your tent when it’s wet – or even a little damp – will undoubtedly cause mould, and the accompanying unpleasant smells.

Did it start raining during your last night in the tent and do you have to put it away? An exception can be made for once, but give the tent all the time it needs to dry afterwards. The lounger the tent remains packed wet or even damp, the bigger the risk of mould. Not only rain, but also fog and dew can make your tent feel wet or clammy. In this case too, it is crucial to let your tent dry out completely before storing it.

Keep in mind that the guylines of your glamping tent have a longer drying time than the tent fabric.

Tip 4: Zip up everything that can be zipped up

Before packing up your glamping tent, zip up all doors, windows, groundsheet, and anything else that can be zipped up. When everything is closed, folding the tent will be much easier, and setting it up next time will be even easier.

Tip 5: Count your tent pegs

Always make sure to have all your pegs when taking down the tent. Not only for yourself (so you don’t miss any the next time), but also for animals or people enjoying the area where you have camped.

Tip 6: Store the tent components in the appropriate bags

Not only your glamping tent, but also the loose tents parts have to be handled with care and stored in bags. This prevents the tent fabric from becoming dirty by residual dirt on these parts. Another advantage is that you shorten the search for the right part for the next time you pitch your tent.

Separate storage of your tent’s guylines is highly recommended as ropes tend to dry at a slower rate than the tent fabric. If the ropes are still wet when you pack the tent, they can leave slightly coloured stains on the tent fabric. In addition, ropes can become tangled and make storage more challenging.

Tip 7: Pack your glamping tent away in the tent bag

Autentic’s tent bag is made from cotton canvas. Since cotton is breathable, the provided tent bag is the best solution for packing away your glamping tent. Make sure that the bag is always properly zipped up so you’re not getting surprised by small critters during your upcoming adventures.

Can’t find the Autentic bag? Store your tent and its components in another cotton bag. In a plastic bag or one made of another synthetic material, condensation – and consequently mould – are much more likely to pop up.

Tip 8: Store your glamping tent in a high, dry and well-ventilated place

To avoid unpleasant visits from pests and the development of mould, we strongly recommend you to always store your tent bag high up in a dry and well-ventilated area.

It’s important to regularly clean your glamping tent to prolong its lifespan. Don’t wait too long to clean it once you notice dirt because dirt can stick to existing dirt and retain moisture, which can lead to mould growth. Since moulds love moisture, cleaning and letting your tent dry properly are two crucial steps in maintaining your glamping tent. If you clean your tent in time, it will also take less effort to get it clean later.

Although we currently don’t offer cleaning products, we can certainly advise you on what cleaning methods to use. Feel free to contact us to get more information. We recommend using high-quality treatments to maintain your tent’s quality. We strongly advise against using a high-pressure cleaner, soap, or aggressive detergents as they can damage the tent’s materials and shorten its lifespan.

Here are some general tips for cleaning your glamping tent:

• Clean your tent when it is still set up. If the tent is already lying down, you might unwittingly create new stains on the tent fabric. If you have already taken the glamping tent down and notice any dirt, we recommend putting everything on a clean plastic sheet.
• If you notice a stain on the tent fabric, PVC groundsheet, or any other tent component, use a soft sponge and some lukewarm water to gently rub it and remove the stains.
• Thanks to the groundsheet, infiltration of splashing water or dirt inside the tent is avoided. A plus point in Autentic’s Dream and Supreme Collections: the groundsheet is removable! It can be unzipped at the entrance allowing you to wipe the dirt out.

Last but not least: Did you clean your glamping tent with the intention of storing it? Don’t forget to let the tent – and all other loose parts of the tent – dry completely after the cleaning session.

Autentic’s tent fabrics have undergone executive treatment – with REACH compliant finishing products – and testing to ensure they are resistant to mildew. However, it is still important to handle them with care to prevent mould growth.

It should be noted that the location of your glamping spot and the fabric composition also affect the tent’s resistance to mould. Cotton, being a natural material, is more susceptible to mould while the Wottex Pro fabric has exceptional mould resistance. Have a look at our fabrics page to get to discover all the features of Autentic’s tent fabrics.

Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure for removing mould stains from your glamping tent. You often read about how easy it is to remove mould from a tent fabric with chlorine, vinegar, or even sodium bicarbonate. In reality, nothing is further from the truth. Just like aggressive fungicides, these products can damage the treatment of the tent fabric, and even worse, shorten the lifespan of your glamping tent.

Since prevention is better than cure, we would like to give you some advice to prevent mould from surviving – or even appearing – on your glamping tent.

Tip 1: Store your glamping tent properly

Storing your tent dry, clean, and in a ventilated area is crucial if you want to avoid mould. Moulds love damp environments and will develop much faster in such favorable circumstances. You’ll find more tips about how to store your glamping tent correctly in our FAQ.

Tip 2: Stretch your glamping tent tightly

Always make sure your tent is stretched tensely so water can drain away from the tent fabric easily without accumulating in tiny hidden places. By using the guylines and guy line tensioners, tightening the fabric becomes child’s play.

Tip 3: Ventilate the tent as much as possible

The Autentic tents are generously equipped with ventilation holes, large windows, and mosquito mesh doors. Ventilating your glamping tent frequently will reduce the humidity inside your tent. A less humid environment means less risk of mould.

Tip 4: Take action immediately when you notice dirt

Have you noticed dirt on your tent? Clean it as quickly as possible with a soft brush or a damp cloth to prevent it from getting worse. Dirt will store moisture and make it very easy for mould to survive. It is important to take timely action if mould appears on your tent. The longer moulds are able to live their own life in peace, the more difficult it becomes to fight them afterwards.

Preferably, yes!

When breaking down and storing your glamping tent, we strongly advise you to remove the guylines, let them dry when wet, and store them in a separate bag in a place where they don’t touch the tent fabric.

Why? The tent guylines tend to dry at a slower rate than the tent fabric. If the ropes are still wet when you pack the tent, they can leave slightly coloured stains on the tent fabric. Those stains don’t affect the quality of your tent, but it would be a shame to have coloured stains on such a beautiful glamping tent. In addition, ropes can become tangled and make storage more challenging.

But no worries! Our guylines are attached with easy-to-use carabiners. So it’s only a couple of seconds to take them off and hang them back when you set up your tent!

If you do have some coloured stains, you can try to wash it off with water and a soft sponge. Don’t use a hard brush or chemicals that are not made for tent or fabric cleaning as it will wash off the treatment of the fabrics.

Our glamping tents come in a variety of vibrant colours that have been carefully developed to meet our requirements. At Autentic, we monitor the entire production and the dyeing process of our tents to ensure that they align with our quality and durability standards. All finishing products used for those treatments comply with the strict European REACH standards – a guarantee that all substances used are safe for both human health and the environment.

While our tent fabrics undergo rigorous treatment and testing, it is important to note that factors such as climate, frequency of use, and the composition of the tent fabric affect its ability to maintain colour fastness against UV rays. For instance, cotton, being a natural material, may be more prone to slight colour fading compared to our two Wottex polycotton fabrics and our Wottex Pro fabric, which has an outstanding colour fastness performance.

Since the tent colours are natural, a little loss of colour intensity certainly does not make the tent less beautiful or affect its performance with regards to watertightness and mildew resistance.

All Autentic tents come with a handy pocket-sized Tent-ID booklet in which you will find tips and tricks on how to prepare your camping spot and how to best set up and store your cotton canvas tent. If you need more tips while on the road, you can simply scan the QR code at the end of the Tent-ID card, taking you directly to the Autentic website. You will find all our tips and tricks in the FAQ section.

Besides these useful tips, the Tent-ID booklet contains the unique code of your Autentic tent. This code is needed if you ever need to claim your warranty or repair. Therefore, we advise you to take good care of this Tent-ID card. Always store it in the space provided in the Autentic tent bag. That way you can be sure you won’t lose it. Compare it to your passport. It is indispensable when travelling.

Last but not least: in the Tent-ID booklet, we’ve added a few blank pages in which you can write down all your Autentic stories and adventures. We’re always very excited to discover the Autentic camping and glamping experiences of our users. Feel free to share them with us!

Yes! All Autentic cotton canvas tents come with a repair tape kit and a strong hammer with which you can easily anchor your tent.

The repair tape is not shiny, so you’ll hardly notice the place where the tent has been repaired. It suited for smaller tears in canvas and in PVC groundsheet.

It is important to note that the repair tape is suited for smaller tears. In case your tent is more heavily damages, the repair tape is a good temporary solution, but we recommend you get your tent properly repaired to enjoy it for many more years. Need advice for where to get your tent repaired? Get in touch!