7 mistakes ALL new tent campers make -Avoid at all costs

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[JonathanThrift]

Just when I think I've seen everything about backpacking on YouTube... The water bottle level is pretty awesome! This is the first I've ever heard of that. I love it just because it's a simple concept but very smart on how to apply it to backpacking.

[kevincrooks]

Well SMDH. That water bottle level is a great tip. Decades of camping and never thought of it.

[wellseasonedhiker]

Good tips Jeremiah. The water bottle level is a new one for me. Just goes to show, even after backpacking for 50+ years there's always new ideas to learn from. Tx!!!

[kentuckyhiker]

All very good basic pointers for beginners!! Great stuff!! Keep those vids coming Jeremiah!

[andymytys]

If weather permits, forget about the water bottle. Put down your ground sheet and then lay down on that to test if you like the “flatness” of the ground.

[jeanettepugh]

Watched vid twice to make sure I didn’t miss anything…….great job!

[richiedej]

Great tips. I remember when i woke up in a pool of rain because my groundsheet was not fully tucked under the tent -- it was a big lesson. Another tip that was a game changer for me when setting up a tent was that i stake down all 4 corners of my tent prior to inserting the tent poles. I know this is a free-standing tent and staking it down is not necessarily required, but i've learned that staking down the 4 corners makes it way easier to then insert the structural tent poles. This may not apply to a small percentage of free-standing tents in the market, but i think it will definitely apply to the majority of typical free-standing backpacking tents.

[ManivanAdventures]

Water bottle ground level is a great idea!

[WorldsOkayestSorcerer]

Excellent stuff here. Never thought to check ground level with my water bottle!
One thing I used to love seeing when I was deep fall camping for hunting was a floor covered by dry leaves where I was going to camp.
I’d use a stick and rake up three piles. Pick out the sticks and twigs from them, then set my tent up on top of the smaller pile. The other two I’d use to fill up two large heavy duty lawn bags. I put the two bags in my tent, covered them with a wool blanket, and that was my mattress. Combined with the duff under the tent I stayed warm and comfortable.
ABC - always be careful, though…if it has been a warm day, you may accidentally rake up a copperhead.

Also… I saw you wearing a BBN shirt in a video and your accident sounds Kentuckian. Are you one of us Appalachians, man?

[BackpackingwithBuckley]

Great backdrop for this video dude! Love the water bottle hack. Well done Jeremiah!

[evanhammond]

Mistakes video nice Dan does great with these

[bob_the_bomb]

If you’re worried about inclement weather you might be better off with a ‘flysheet first’ tent, which is the most common tent design for European hikers.

With all due respect the water bottle level is a waste of time. Unless you’re on a green on a golf course you can put that bottle down and get countless different results due to the small irregularities in the ground. Better off simply putting the footprint down first and then lying on it.

Personally I think you can get a good enough result just by eye, but perhaps it’s just that I can sleep on a bed of nails after a long walk!

[MaryTravels]

Smart with the water bottle tip. Never thought about that!

[mtminded]

going on hiker Jeremy! Good content as always. Keep it coming, you're always fun to watch.

[GIRLplusDOGAdventures]

First time I’ve seen the tip with the water bottle! Also, I check for dead rodents or snakes under leaves in the fall….. 🙄definitely not fun to find one of those!

[DMSAdventures]

Sometimes checking to visually identify the seems are sealed is not enough. Leave it up in your yard during a rain event and check it for real. I've had to tents that had seam tape on them... and for whatever reason still didn't keep water out! Good stuff Mr. Stringer!

[outdooromen]

good tip with the water bottle. i can reuse that with younger scouts

[mariehollinger]

LOVE the water bottle tip! I somehow seem to always be a little downhill.

[dan]

I've been interested in the telos tr 2 since they came out, but real world condition reviews are short in supply. Will you be doing a review of this tent?

[bradivy]

Very good info, but I would have added this bit. For winter time especially note what slide of the tent is facing the cold north wind, and put the tent side with no windows toward the cold north wind. So that it does not rob you of what warmth that you are trying to keep.