If you love going on adventures and camping but don’t own a blackout tent, it can take some of the fun from your trip away. A blackout tent will ensure you get a good night’s sleep and don’t wake up as soon as the sun comes out, making sure you get that boost of energy you will need on your trip. Moreover, as spring approaches with its hot sunny days, a blackout tent saves the inside of your tent from burning with heat. That’s because the tent’s flysheet and its black coating will completely block the daylight.
Not having a blackout tent, especially when you’re taking a trip with your family or children, can be cause for concern. After a long day of hiking or walking, everyone needs to get a good night’s sleep. Moreover, a blacked-out tent also gives you some privacy on your trip. But not everyone owns a blackout tent and neither is it a necessity! You can take along any tent that you have and find numerous ways to black it out so you get that extra boost of energy and sleep as long as you like in privacy.
Blacking out a tent is not a difficult task. There are various methods you can try considering your location and of course, the required tools you may or may not have at hand!
We’re sure if you follow our guide with focus and proper steps, you should be able to blackout your tent. However, you need to know what type of tent you have and a general idea about the parts of a tent. Knowing about the tent and where certain parts of it are located will help you understand the steps we’ve described below better and make the process of blacking out your tent simpler.
Parts of a Tent
Before you go ahead and start working on blacking out your tent, give the following details about the tent parts a good read. You will need it later.
Flysheet
A flysheet, only found on double skin tents, has a waterproof exterior. It protects your tent from water in case of rain. If there’s a chance you might have to deal with bad weather on your trip, you need to make sure your tent has a flysheet attached to it.
Inner Tent
The inner tent part consists of the area in the tent where you usually make space to sleep. If you have a single skin tent, the inner tent is made up of waterproof material to protect you in bad weather.
Porch
A porch can be found mostly in family or backpacking tents. This is an area usually used to store your belongings, cook, and eat.
Pole Hub
The poles of a tent provide support to a tent. They may be attached to your tent or can be completely separated from it.
Pegs
Made up of metal, pegs of a tent make sure your tent is firmly attached to the ground.
Mesh Door
A mesh door will protect your tents from insects and bugs. They’re a necessity if you’ll be camping in areas where bugs or insects are common.
Pole Attachments Points
The pole attachment points are points where the end of the tent’s pole is attached to the outer or inner part of the tent.
Pole Clip
Pole clips are mostly hooks that attach the pole of a tent to the inner or outer part of a tent.
Types of Tents
As we mentioned above, knowing the type of tent you have will make sure you follow only the steps that are required and save your time. The most common types of tents are the following:
Basic Ridge Tents
Ridge tents are the most common types of tents. At each end of the tent, there is an attached pole and a ridge that holds up the roof.
Dome Tents
Dome tents have a shape that divides a pole into a half-circle with both of the tent’s ends fixed to usually a tape.
Quick-Pitch Tents
Quick-pitch or instant tents appear to be circular tents with a frame permanently attached to the fabric of the tent. Depending on the fabric and color, you may not need to blackout these tents.
How To Blackout Your Tent?
Method 1: Cover Sleeping Area With a Dark Fabric
For this method, we would suggest using a dark blackout fabric. It will block sufficient daylight, although any other fabric like a blanket or even a towel should do the job. Make sure you only cover the sleeping area so there is room for the air to move in and out from your tent. Whichever fabric you use, just clip that to the poles around the walls.
Method 2: Use a Blackout Sleep Mask
If the sole purpose of you wanting to blackout your tent is because you want to sleep better, a sleep mask could block out the sun for you. It may not do so completely, but it’s better than nothing!
Method 3: Change Location
This method may not be the perfect fix. However, being careful about the location you camp in can change your experience for the better! If there is nothing else you can try, try changing your tent’s location. Make sure you aren’t camping in an area where the sun shines directly on your tent. That will not only wake you up at the crack of down but also heat up your tent for the worse.
Method 4: Use Reflective Blankets
Reflective blankets are something you may need on your tip for several reasons. They don’t only keep the sunlight away from your eyes but also reflect your eyes. Moreover, they offer protection from rain, wind, and snow.
Conclusion
You can follow any of these steps to blackout your tent. However, if you’re still not completely satisfied, you can always go ahead and get yourself a blackout tent or even a dark-colored fabric tent. That will not only ensure a good rest but also some privacy on your trip!