Be sure to arrive at your campsite well before dark. Setting up a tent in the dark, or by flashlight or lantern, can surely be done, but it may take three times as long. It can also be hazardous or, at the very least, uncomfortable if you end up sleeping on a stick you missed while clearing the area of debris.
Clear the area where you plan to set up the tent. Pick up and move all rocks and sticks. They may later prove painful if you sleep on top of one, and can also cause you to trip while putting the tent in place.
Most tents come with specific directions, but begin by laying the tent flat on the ground and setting out the various ropes, stakes and poles. Once you're organized, get the poles and insert them into the marked spots -- usually rings or hemmed pockets in the canvas. This takes two people, working on opposite sides of the tent.
Lift the tent, and place the poles in the holders at the base of the tent. Rotate the tent until you have the door facing the direction you prefer.
Spread out the floor so there are no wrinkles and, working from opposite sides of the tent, you and your partner place the stakes and hammer them into the ground. If the ground is hard this may take some time, but you don't need to have the stakes flush with the ground, just secure them.
