How To Set Up A Hoochie Tent

Whether camping out or on a day hiking trip, one of the most useful pieces of equipment you can carry in your pack is a hoochies tent. Being extremely light and folding into a small space a hoochies tent is often a better alternative to a traditional tent or it can be used as an additional shelter in conjunction with a traditional tent to provide extra shelter a windbreak or a place where you wet gear can be dried, as a cooking area or to store extra gear.

Consisting of a 2.8m by 1.8m fully waterproof fly or tarp about 10m of 6mm rope and 10 x 1m lengths of 3mm rope plus 8 small pegs, a hoochies tent can quickly be erected almost anywhere to provide shelter from the rain, sun, wind or all three at once.

Erecting your hoochies tent

• Pick the right location

Pitching your hoochie tent in the right location is important because:

• You need a flat area or somewhere that is suitable to rest
• Slightly raised on all sides so water will not run under and well drained
• It should be out of any waterway and well away from any streams, rivers or billabong’s in crock country
• Away from any animal tracks, or you’re likely to have visitors passing through unexpectedly
• Away from areas with overhanging branches or rocks unless you know they are stable
• Away from any biting ants nests or other irritating insects
• With two trees or outcrops to tie your ridge line or where you can erect several sturdy sticks that are guyed in place will also do Canoe paddles or walking sticks etc.)
• The art of pitching your hoochie tent is not science, it’s more common sense, It should be placed in a position that provides you with the maximum amount of protection from the elements and give you the most comfort possible

Tie your ridge line

The first step is tying your ridge line, this should be placed:

• The height of your should be just high enough so you can comfortably move around inside
• The stronger the prevailing wind is, the lower your ridge line should be to reduce the wind pressure on it
• In a storm, often the rain will be blown horizontally, so you need the open ends away from and at right angles to the prevailing wind

Place the hoochie tent over the ridge line so

• That it’s even on both sides
• Has enough room to secure the fly to the ridge line on both sides to keep it in place and tie it off with the 3mm ropes

Reefing down the sides of your hocchie tent

The bottom edges should be tied or reefed down so:

• They are a few centimetres above the ground to stop the possibility of any water pooling there. This is unless you want to collect the rain water
• Drive the four corner pegs into the ground at 45 degree angles to the ridge line and far enough out (about half a meter) so you have the edges raised to the required height (about 150mm) when tied off and proceed to tie the corner ties
• Drive the two pegs on each side into the ground so they line up with the corner pegs and the tie lines on the sides of you hoochie tent and secure the lines