Camping skills: how to pitch an inflatable tent

1. Take the contents out of the bag and check you have everything you need: in this case, we have the combined outer tent, inner tent and groundsheet, pump, pegs and the steel poles for the front awning.

2. Unfold the tent, find the door, and place it where you want it. Lay it out flat with the door facing in the opposite direction of the prevailing wind.

3. Hammer down the four corner pegs to stop the tent blowing out of position if the wind suddenly picks up.

4. Find the valves and attach the pump. Different brands will have them in different places on the tent. Some have a single valve, others have one for each beam. Depending on your model, the pump fitting will either screw in, click in or push into the valve. Check that the fitting on your pump matches the valve on the tent.

5. Start inflating. Make sure you don’t pump too much air into the beam – ideally use a pump with a pressure gauge..

6. Push the beams into shape. As the air fills the beams they will need a little help to form into the correct shape. If it’s a bit breezy you’ll need a helping hand here – especially if you’ve got a large or heavy tent.

7. Peg out the groundsheet and the side walls, checking for creases as you go along, then unravel the guylines and peg them loosely around the tent before tightening them up.

8. Insert any poles for canopies then lift into position and peg out the storm straps. Get the tent as taut as possible.

9. Check the guylines and storm straps again to make sure the tent is level and the doors can all open freely. Don’t over-tension the guys and peg straps as the tent needs some leeway to move with the breeze.

10. Voila! Fully erected and ready for moving in, around 15 minutes after starting. It's time to start enjoying your camping experience.