After spending a night on the trail, make sure to take your tent down and pack it properly.
- Remove any dirt or mud clinging to tent stakes.
- When removing the tent poles, start to collapse them from the center. Starting at the end puts a lot of tension on the shock cord on that end and can cause them to fail early.
- Stuff your tent into the sack. Folding the tent can cause seems to form that are prone to leaking.
- If you pack a wet tent, make sure to dry it as soon as possible. Mildew can grow on packed wet tents which leads to odors and can damage the water proofing on the tent material.