expotent folding tent diagonal pole

How to secure a foldingtent against strong winds

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Advice 1

Search for a “branded product” and not a no-name tent!

Securing the gazebo against the wind begins with the purchase of the folding tent. A branded product is not called a branded product for nothing, as there is usually a well thought-out “brand” behind it and forms the basis for long-term, high-quality production. The manufacturer and the importers or dealers of the brand make a conscious decision in favor of a brand because they want to develop and service a market over the long term. A poor quality product would only damage the reputation of the brand and thus also the reputation of the tent manufacturer or seller. So when you buy a branded product, you can largely rely on the fact that great care has been taken in the choice of materials, which is especially important in terms of the stability of the scissor tent. Branded products are sometimes more expensive than NN products, but this is mostly due to the fact that more know-how and, above all, higher quality materials are used in these products, which ultimately drive the product price up. In the case of NN products, the focus is usually only on keeping the price as low as possible, since you are not “committed” to any brand. It is therefore advisable to invest a little more money, which then pays off and pays off or amortizes in the long term and this usually has an impact on the stability of the tent.

Advice 2

Pay attention to the composition of the tent

Read the information from the tent manufacturer or tent dealer carefully and pay particular attention to the composition of the tent. It is not always just the profile wall thickness that is decisive for the stability of a folding tent. The “total package” is what ultimately defines the so-called Ruckzuck tent. A large profile wall thickness is of no use if the connecting elements are too weak. In many folding tents, for example, the scissor profile is only screwed to the connecting part on one side, which is not necessarily beneficial for the stability of the tent. So make sure that the scissor profile is guided “into” the connecting element and is screwed tight there. Thus, the aluminum profile is held or supported on both sides and this increases the stability of the foldable tent enormously. Whether the connecting parts should be made of plastic or aluminum or steel is a question of the overall package. Each of these elements has advantages and disadvantages – this will then be covered in another Expotrade blog!

Advice 3

Suitable accessories for stabilizing the folding tent

With branded products in particular, you will also find numerous accessories that can be used to stabilize the gazebo. Regardless of whether your tent is a trade fair tent, party tent, garage tent, event tent or market tent, stabilization of the pavilion may be necessary for all of these areas and even more.

Lashing straps and pegs/nails:

With branded products such as the expotent folding tent from Expotrade Group, tension belts and pegs (also called nails) are included in the folding tent frame as standard. In the robust carrying bag of the frame there are suitable storage compartments on the inside so that all parts can be stowed away nicely and thus not get lost. So if you stand with your folding tent on soft ground, then we recommend tensioning the tent down with the supplied tensioning straps. These are primarily attached to the corners and, depending on the size of the tent, also in the middle and then braced at an angle to the ground and attached to the ground with pegs. The tension of the tension belts can then be adjusted and tightened or tensioned as required. With the expotent folding tent, there is also a “red” loop attached to the tensioning belt, which indicates the pulling of this loop and, when the belt is tensioned, also warns of a possible trip hazard.

Footplates / weights:

If you are standing with your tent on hard ground and cannot use the included tensioning straps / pegs, we recommend buying so-called footplates or weights. At expotent gazebos there are such foot plates with 15kg and 25kg weight. Depending on the size of the tent, it is advisable to use the heavier weights, as the wind can have a force that should not be underestimated. With expotent folding tents, the weight is simply placed on the inside of the tent on the triangular base of the folding tent. Due to the triangular shape of the weight plate, the plate closes positively with the shape of the tent and there are no outwardly protruding parts that could lead to tripping hazards. In addition, this also ensures that any side walls that may be attached to the tent also form-fit with the tent. The expotent weights also have a Velcro strip integrated into the plate, which is simply looped around the tent stand when the plate is placed on the stand and then attached to the plate again. This Velcro fastening prevents the plate from slipping off in strong winds and movements of the tent. The footplates can also be stacked on top of one another in order to use even more weight depending on the needs and size of the tent.

Connecting bar DIAGONAL:

the patented solution from Expotrade for wind problems. A patented solution that is only available from expotent! A pole attached “diagonally” between the legs of the folding tent stabilizes the folding tent with a double effect! Due to the rigid design of this diagonal pole, pulling and pushing forces occurring on the folding pavilion are optimally absorbed and the tent is thus kept in perfect shape. This diagonal connection looks like the scissor profile in the roof structure of the folding tent, but is fixed between the legs at eye level. A telescopically extendable aluminum profile facilitates fixation and the plastic screw connections around the support leg can be adapted to almost all common folding tent profiles using the supplied inserts. This means that the expotent diagonal connecting rod can also be attached to other folding tents from competitors. If you frequently pitch your tent in windy areas and want adequate protection from the wind, Expotrade’s diagonal connecting rod is the perfect solution to your problem. In addition, this stabilization bar also protects against “bulging of the side walls” in strong winds. In strong winds, the side walls attached to the tent are like a sail in the wind and naturally form a large area of ​​the tent exposed to wind. When the diagonal bar is mounted, the side wall is caught by the cross rod and therefore the Velcro fasteners or side wall fastening can hardly be torn. Ask about the expotent special solutions office(at)expotradegroup.com or by phone +43 5576 73600.

Horizontal connecting bar:

There is also the option of using a horizontally mounted bar between the legs. This horizontal connecting bar is primarily fixed to the legs at a height of approx. 1 m using a screw lock. Branded products usually also come with a vertical leg to provide support in the middle. This supports the horizontal telescopic bar and prevents bending over large spans such as 4.5 m in length. Half-height side walls, for example, can then be fixed to this horizontal bar. In this case, the stabilization bar is simply pushed into the hemstitch / tunnel of the half-height side wall and the 1/2-side wall then hangs on this bar, so to speak. Thanks to the full-surface printing, even more advertising space can of course be used. With expotent folding tents, these poles are also packed in a handy carrying bag so that nothing can be lost.

Roof with ventilation flap:

In addition to the measures mentioned above, tent roofs with ventilation flaps, for example, can also be used. With expotent folding tents, there is a perfect solution here. A so-called ventilation flap or ventilation opening is attached to the top of the roof, which is normally sewn closed. A mosquito net is sewn into the open part at the top of the roof so that the stability of the fabric or the roof is still given despite the opening. A so-called roof dome is then placed on this mesh roof top and fixed to the roof. A small reinforcement is sewn into the lower side edge of this dome, so that the dome is also held upwards and thus the air can circulate. Such roofs are especially used in windy areas and thus also help to stabilize the tent, as part of the wind pressure is dissipated through this air circulation with the roof dome. Such tents with smoke ventilation are often used as smoking tents in front of restaurants etc. Another product from Expotrade has this roof dome integrated into every roof as standard – ask about the Expodome dome tents!

Advice 4

Wind tests on folding tents

Some tent manufacturers have also tested their tents against wind, but these tests should always be taken with caution. If a manufacturer, for example, states wind speeds of up to 100 km/h in its description, this must certainly be questioned, because these were possibly optimal conditions used in the test, but which are rarely found at outdoor events. So look at the “complete package” of the manufacturer or the product as described above.