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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

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Learn to pitch a mess tent

Put up a mess tent, then think about how you can use the shared space.
Plan a session with this activity

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You’ll need

  • Mess tent
  • Mallet

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment.
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely. 
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.

Setting up this activity

  • You’ll need one or two mess tents, depending on the size of your group. A good guide is to have two people to each upright pole.
  • You could ask to borrow tents if you don’t have them – other volunteers, friends and family, or other local groups may be able to help. Always let people know what you’ll be using the tents for.
  • Check the tents before you begin, so you know there aren’t any missing or broken parts.
  • Mess tents take up lots of space – you may need to save this activity for a night away.
  • If you want this activity to count towards the Scouts Outdoor Challenge Award, you’ll need to do it during a night away.

Pitch the tent

  1. Gather everyone together and explain that you’re going to pitch a mess tent.
  2. Everyone should find a suitable piece of flat ground or floor to pitch the tent.
  3. If you’re in groups, people should make sure there’s plenty of space between them and any other groups putting up tents of any kind – including enough space to move the poles around safely.
  4. Ask if anyone knows any tips for where to pitch a mess tent. Where possible, people should avoid pitching under trees, or on the banks of rivers or lakes. They should also make sure the door’s not facing into the wind.
  5. Everyone should clear the area of any obstacles, such as rocks, where the tent or their group’s tent will be pitched in. 
  6. Each group can now pitch their tent, following the manufacturer’s instructions for their tent to pitch it.
  7. There’s lots of roles people can take on while pitching the tent, so some people may want to direct or check the instructions.

How to pitch a mess tent

We’ve included some general guidance, based on common features and steps, below. You may want to share this, depending on the instructions that come with the tent.

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the model of tent you’re using.

  1. Empty out the canvas and poles. Lay all of the parts out on the floor.
  2. Follow the manufacturer’s diagram to lay the roof poles out on the ground.
  3. Put the corner joints between each pole.
  4. Put the poles into the fittings.
  5. Prepare the leg poles and line them up with the frame.
  6. One side at a time, raise the frame so the legs are half-height. Each leg should have one pole in – they should be lower than shoulder height.
  7. Lay the canvas over the half-raised frame.
  8. One side at a time, raise and fit the second half of the legs.
  9. Insert any inner legs in place.
  10. Lace the canvas to the frame with the straps and loops. Line them up carefully so the doors and corners fall properly.
  11. Peg out the guy lines. The pegs should be at a 45-degree angle and the walls should be straight.

 

Share the space

  1. Explain that mess tents are designed to be a shared (communal) space. They’re usually used for eating, so everyone can sit together. However, they’re also perfect for other group activities – especially if there’s wet weather! 
  2. Remind everyone that you can never cook or use a barbecue in a mess tent, due to the risk of carbon monoxide. If you need a sheltered cooking area, consider a gazebo or a tent porch with sufficient air circulation and ventilation.
  3. Ask everyone to get into small groups.
  4. In their group, people should think about a way to use the space outside of mealtimes.
  5. After a few minutes, everyone should come back together and share their suggestions.

We’ve included some suggestions below. It’s up to you whether you want to give people prompts or not.

  • Playing games: What games could be safely played in a mess tent?
  • Socialising: How could you use the mess tent to welcome a neighbouring group? For example, you could plan a themed feast where everyone dines together.
  • Making it comfortable: How will you make sure that the space is welcoming and nice to spend time in?
  • Creating a calm space: How could you make the space work for people who may need a quiet, relaxing and calming space away from busy activities?
  • Make it accessible: How can you make sure that everyone in the group can use the tent?

 

Strike the tent

  1. Everyone, or each group, should remove all of their equipment from the tent.
  2. Now, people can work together to take down their tent. This is usually the reverse to pitching it, but always check the manufacturer’s instructions.
  3. If you can, it’s best to wait until the tent’s dry before you take it down.
  4. Next, people should make sure the parts of their tent are clean and dry before they’re packed away. People can scrape or wipe excess dirt and grass from the sides of the canvas and the pegs. People should double-check that they’ve collected and securely stored all the frame components.

Reflection

This activity was all about learning to put up a mess tent. Is putting up a mess tent a useful skill? People may think about how parts of putting up a mess tent, such as communication and patience, can be useful for other tasks.

A mess tent is used by lots of people on camp. Why is it useful to have a shared space on a camp? What can it be used for and how can you adapt the space? For example, how would they get it ready for a rainy day? What about if it was going to be used for a rest space during busy activities?

This activity also needed people to have good teamwork and communication. How did you communicate with others? Did you make sure everyone could contribute and take part? What went well and what could have gone better? 

Which part of this activity needed the most teamwork? Did people find it easier to work together on some tasks than others? 

Did people take on different roles in the team? For example, the people most familiar with pitching tents might have found it tricky to think of imaginative ways to use the space.

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Heavy and awkward objects

Never lift or move heavy or awkward items alone. Ask for help or, if possible, break them down into smaller parts.

Outdoor activities

You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.

Poles and long objects

Be careful when moving poles or long items. Take care if the ends are sharp. Have appropriate supervision for this activity.

To make the activity easier, you could mark the different components with coloured tape or stickers to make it easier to identify the parts.

  • If anyone may struggle to lift the tent parts or pitch the tent, they could help tell everyone what to do and lead the building.
  • If needed, let people be in bigger groups to make sure everyone’s supported in taking part in the activity. A young leader could join a group to help people to take part, too.
  • People could take part in building the tent while sat down. 

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Scouts Outdoor Challenge Award
Cubs Our Outdoors Challenge Award
Scouts Camper Activity Badge

Once everyone’s comfortable with pitching all sorts of tents, turn your attention to some other aspects of camping. This is a great chance to take on a challenge such as an ambitious pioneering project.

Give everyone a chance to practise being resourceful by exploring natural shelters. What kinds are there? What would work best at a camp?

Let young people steer this activity – they should work together to practise these important outdoor skills. It’s up to them to make the most of the shared space of the mess tent.