Tent in the bag

How to get your tent back in its bag

How To Roll Up A Tent And Get it Back In The Bag

Posted by Gav Grayston.
First Published Jun 2012; updated May 2023.

Once you've unpacked a tent, it's very difficult to get it all back in its bag. This simple tip shows you how to roll up a tent so it does go back into its bag.


Getting a tent back into its bag, with tent poles, inner tents, etc., can be challenging.

Here's a quick tip for rolling up your tent and achieving that almost impossible task.

steps to packing away your tent

So, to recap...

  1. Fold the tent so it is narrower than its bag.   Note that your tent should be dry before packing away.  If not, you will need to get it out to dry when home.
  2. Get the tent poles. These usually come in their own bag.  Place the tent poles at one end of the tent.
  3. Roll the tent up around the poles.  This should be kept nice and tight.  The weight of the poles helps force the air out.  Leaving vents and doors open will help expel the air.  Start rolling the end furthest from the door, depending on your tent design.
  4. You should end up with your tent nicely rolled into a size that will fit back into its bag.   If you have some ribbon or rope, tie it around the tent so it doesn't unroll.

The last picture above shows the tent in its plastic bag, with the tent poles and the inner tents all in the main tent bag.

However, we usually keep the rolled tent in a separate bag from the inner tents as that enables us to get the tent out if it is raining without getting the inner tents wet.

This is a really simple tip that works well.  Give it a try.