Separate the parts of the tent. Once your tent is taken down, separate the parts into groups: support poles, stakes, tent body and the rain fly. For optimum packing results, the tent should be dry and clean.
Place the poles in the pole bag and stakes in the stake bag. The ends of both the poles and the stakes can damage your tent if they are packed too closely, resulting in minor tears or holes during the course of a hike. These separate bags keep them away from your tent body and fly.
Place the tent body and fly in the stuff sack. There are two schools of thought on this. The organized approach says that you lay the tent as flat as possible, fold it in half and roll it into as tightly wound a cylinder as possible. However, while that approach gives you a nicer looking outcome, it may actually damage the tent. Consistently rolling or folding your tent will ultimately weaken the fabric in those compression spots. Some backpackers simply stuff the tent body and fly into the stuff sack in any manner it will fit. This causes little structural damage to the tent. However, you will be left with a wrinkled tent to pull out of the stuff sack at the end of the day.
Place the stuff sack in the back of your pack, near a side. REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) suggests the safest way to pack is with the heaviest and biggest objects being the closest to your back. In most backpacks, the tent stuff sack will be among the biggest items, so place it at the bottom, to one of the far sides.
Place the stake bag in the opposite side of your pack from the tent on the bottom.
Place the pole bag on the outside of your pack, clipped to the bag. You have the option of fitting the poles in the stuff sack. However, to play it safe with your tent, it is easier to clip the poles to the outside of your pack in their sack. Remember, however, that if they extend above the top of the pack you must watch for low tree branches to avoid getting snagged during the hike. You are now ready to proceed to your next camping location.
