Whether there’s a community event at your local beach or your company is putting together an employee get-together, there are certain problems you’ll need to prepare for when setting things up in the sand. This type of surface isn’t exactly known for its stability, so you’ll need to take extra steps to ensure everything stays in place, especially with your custom canopy tent.
If you’re not sure how to set up your canopy tent at the beach, we have some helpful tips for you to try out. As long as you follow these suggestions, you shouldn’t have to worry about your tent tipping over or blowing away.
Find a Good Spot for the Tent
Even though finding a good spot to set up shop is always important when planning an event, it’s even more crucial when you’re on a beach. You don’t want to be too close to the shoreline, especially during a low tide. Not only is the wet sand difficult to deal with, but when the tide comes back in, everything you painstakingly set up will submerge underwater.
Finding a dry spot away from the coat is ideal. You will likely need some wet sand for some of the following tips, but you can bring that to your location as required. Also, try to make sure the area you choose is relatively flat. Obviously, that might not always be possible on a beach, but it’ll make certain things easier later on.
Lock Parts Into Place
Once you picked your spot, it’s time to start opening the tent. You’ve likely done this countless times. But now more than ever, you must make sure you lock all the joints and latches into place. Since your tent will deal with uneven surfaces and gusty winds, it could collapse in on itself if these pieces aren’t locked together. This might not be as necessary on flat ground. On a hilly beach, though, it’s a must.
Dig Holes for the Poles
Whether or not you find a flat section of sand, the best way to secure your tent is to put it into the ground. That means you’ll want to dig a hole for each leg. A few inches deep for each leg should be adequate, but some might need to be deeper if the surface is a bit lopsided.
Once you’ve dug out the holes and placed the legs into them, grab some wet sand from the shoreline to fill the holes. This will help keep the tent more secure. It’s not a bad idea to put some of this wet sand underneath the legs as well so that the tent doesn’t sink while you’re using it.
Weigh Down the Tent
No matter how well our previous tips for setting up your canopy tent at the beach work, the wind sometimes just doesn’t want to cooperate and blows your tent over anyway. That’s when you’ll want to make an extra effort to weigh it down. Normally you would tether it down with some spikes, but since those won’t hold in the sand, you’ll want to attach these ropes to some weighted bags or buckets. You can fill these with anything heavy, but wet sand also works great for this purpose.
