Camping on the beach can be a lot of fun for your entire family. You can choose to relax and read a book. The kids can make sand castles and play until they are exhausted. While we all like to get a bit of sun, it might get unbearable at times wanting you to take rest in cool shade.
A beach tent is the perfect solution that provides protection from sun, wind and rain. However, you must know how to secure a tent on the beach because a loosely anchored tent will flip away in no time.
The beach tent will take a lot of beating from the harsh sun UV rays, strong gusts of wind and rain, so it needs to be secured firmly to the ground. The cool and light beach breeze might suddenly turn ferocious without any warning and threaten to blow away everything that comes in its way.
So, unless you have rock solid anchors holding your tent down at every anchor point, your shade will be flying along with the wind like a dry leaf.
Useful tips on how to secure a tent on the beach with sand stakes
Save yourself the harassment and embarrassment. Here are a few tips that tell you how to secure a tent on the beach.
Look for a freestanding tent that comes with guy line attachments because the steel adds a bit of weight and stability to the shade. While most of the beach tents come with their own sand bags and stakes, sometimes the anchors that come free with the package may not be of the best quality. Carry enough stakes for every anchor point, especially for non-freestanding tents.
As a result, we suggest that you purchase high-quality sand anchors from an outside retailer. Many people choose to settle with plastic bags which might not be strong enough for the rough winds. Trying to save a few dollars can spoil your beach fun. Invest in anchors that are made from sturdy fabric with cords that you can tie with the guy line. Use guy lines to secure the tent solidly into the sand to prevent flapping.
Now, you need to fill the sand bags with sand of course! So, take a shovel and dig out a hole about two feet deep in the exact location where you intend to place the anchors. Now take the dug sand and fill the anchor bag. To add more stability, add some water to the sand bag because wet sand is heavier. Anchoring a tent in loose sand can be challenging; consider techniques like rock stacking and dead-manning.
Place the sand bags into the holes created and fill them up completely. You may add pebbles or large rocks on the top to add more stability to the anchors. Using a sand stake can ensure the attachment point is buried deeply in the sand.
Now tie the guy line attachment to the cords that pop up from the hole and pull tight to ensure that it is firm. Secure the tent fly tightly to minimize flapping. So, there you have a good beach tent ready for your family to relax.
The reason why many people prefer a beach tent over umbrellas or other types of shades is that it serves multiple purposes. You can zip up the doors and windows and use it as a changing room. If you are traveling with kids, there will be lots of carry bags and it helps to keep your possessions safely at one place. Regular tent pegs won’t work in the sand; use sand anchors or items found around the beach, such as driftwood or rocks, to anchor the tent instead.
It protects newborns from the direct sun and gives you the privacy to breastfeed if needed. Toddlers can also play in the shade when they are tired of playing outside in the sun. They can have their meal in the cool shade and take a nap too. Choosing suitable tent stakes for different ground conditions and techniques for securing tents on sand is crucial.
Conclusion
So, if you are planning to head for a beach vacation anytime soon, do yourself a favor and get a tent that is easy to set up and stays firm on the beach even when its gets too windy. Taking down the tent is also as important as setting it up.
A good beach tent should not only pop up and be ready to use within minutes but should also be easy to fold back and store inside the carrying case. We would suggest that you practice a couple of times at home or in the backyard to get a hang of it.
If you try setting up a tent on the beach (with all that wind) for the first time, it can take the fun out of your beach day. For extra help, watch some videos online that demonstrate how to secure a tent on the beach.
Our website author Tom is a devoted outdoor enthusiast and active blogger who has a profound love for the great outdoors, especially camping and kayaking.
This passion for the outdoors combined with studying an MSc. in Product Design, and working as a Product Engineer gives him the perfect combination of experience and expertise to help guide you on the best camping and kayaking gear.
Tom aims to inspire other travellers to appreciate nature’s beauty by sharing their experiences, wisdom, and intriguing stories in engrossing blog articles. He believes in working to promote respect for and preservation of our priceless landscapes out of a dedication to environmental stewardship.
Join Tom on their quest to find undiscovered treasures, exchange helpful advice, and arouse awe for the vast outdoors.
