SKILLS: CAMPING GURU

Readers’ problems solved

Q Is it safe to store my tent in the garage over winter or should I keep it somewhere in the house?

A The garage or shed is probably the first choice for most campers, the only issue is our little furry friends who like to nibble away at our precious tents. If you have a spare room then that would be the ideal place to store your tent, but if you have to use the garage or shed then try and find a large plastic storage container, even one of those big blue plastic barrels, to put it in.

Q How realistic is it to camp off-grid for any length of time and still use things like fridges, televisions and electric lighting?

A Off-grid isn’t too much of an issue with the right kit. A gas-powered fridge (often described as a three-way fridge) will sort that issue. A gas cooker and grill will keep you well fed, and there are plenty of solar lighting kits out there. As for TVs, in this day and age there are so many different ways to watch content that I’d need a whole section just to cover this. I would say the simple solution is to use a laptop or tablet, take battery packs, and charge them from a solar charger or your car when you go out for day trips.

Q My tent has an integrated, open-front porch – why is it I can never seem to get it to sit straight?

A This is all about the foundations. What I mean is, it’s similar to building a house… get the base right and the rest should go well from there. It’s all about getting the tent pegged out nice and square. I tend to peg one rear corner, then I’ll peg a front corner of the sewn-in groundsheet (but on the diagonal), then another rear corner, then the remaining front corner of the sewn-in groundsheet. Then you should be able to peg the open front canopy nice and square to the rest of the tent. This method should give you the foundation you need.

Q

There seems to be a leak in my self-inflating mat around the valve. Is it possible to repair it?

A Yes if the leak is in the fabric, you can use a dab of Storm Sure solution where the hole is and Bob’s your uncle. Storm Sure is a flexible solution, so when the selfinflating mat is fully inflated the solution will stretch when it is needed.

Q

Can I safely plug a multi-socket extension bar into the camping electric hook-up unit in my tent? A I’ve used a short extension since camping with electric hook-up units became the norm. I always make sure it’s on a table and not the floor. It’s normally used for charging phones, etc, and the main thing is to make sure you don’t overload the system. You’ll only have a certain amount of amps, no matter how many sockets you use. As long as you use a hookup system designed for camping, you’ll be protected. The site’s mains upstand will have a trip switch, too, so you should be double protected.