How to Secure a Tent in High Winds So It Survives the Gale
· Updated
A tent survives high winds when it is pitched low, sheltered, taut and pegged properly, with the strongest end facing into the wind and every guyline in use. Get those four things right and a decent tent will ride out a proper blow. Get them wrong and no amount of expensive fabric will save it.
The single biggest factor is the spot you choose, not the tent you own. A low tunnel or geodesic tent tucked behind a hedge will shrug off a gale that flattens a tall pop-up on an open field. This guide covers how to read the ground, orient the tent, peg it down hard, and, crucially, how to know when to give up and strike camp before the poles snap.
Before we start, one rule sits above the rest: a tent is replaceable and you are not. If a storm turns dangerous, get to solid shelter or the car. It is worth having essential first aid tips for campers fresh in your mind for any trip where the weather might turn. This is a pitching and weather guide from Camping Sites in Britain, where you can find and compare campsites across the UK.
Choose a sheltered pitch first
Where you pitch matters more than anything else you do. Wind speed at ground level drops sharply behind any solid barrier, so the whole job gets easier the moment you put something between your tent and the weather.
Look for a natural windbreak: the leeward side of a thick hedge, a dry stone wall, a bank, or a shallow hollow that sits below the line of the wind. Pitch close enough to benefit from the shelter but not so close that debris lands on you. On rising ground, drop down off the top rather than camping on the exposed ridge or clifftop where the wind accelerates over the crest.
Avoid two traps in particular. Do not pitch under trees with dead or heavy branches, because a falling limb in a gale is far more dangerous than the wind itself. And do not choose the lowest, wettest corner of a field for shelter, because in a storm that is where the water collects. If you are still choosing where to go, our guide to preparing for unexpected weather while camping covers reading a forecast before you commit.
Point the strongest end into the wind
Orient the tent so its lowest, strongest end faces into the prevailing wind. On most tunnel and dome tents that is the back, the end with the shallowest, most aerodynamic profile and the fewest openings.
The reason is simple. A door or a tall flat wall facing the wind acts like a sail or a scoop, catching gusts and dragging the whole structure. The narrow, curved back end lets wind flow over and around it. Set the door on the sheltered, downwind side so you are not fighting the wind every time you open it, and so a gust cannot balloon the inner and lift the tent from underneath.
Check the actual wind direction on the ground before you commit, not just the forecast, because hedges, walls and slopes bend the wind locally. Wet a finger, watch the grass, or note which way the trees are leaning.
Pitch it drum tight
A taut tent survives wind far better than a slack one. Loose fabric flaps, and flapping fabric fatigues seams, works pegs loose and tears at the poles until something fails.
Pitch on a properly tensioned footprint, get the poles fully seated, and pull every panel tight so there is no loose material anywhere. A well pitched tent should feel firm when you tap the flysheet, like a drum, with no rippling sheets of fabric catching the wind. Re-tension the flysheet after the inner is up, because a sagging fly is the first thing to start slapping when the wind picks up.
Pegs and guylines: the part most people skimp on
This is where tents are won and lost. The flimsy thin pegs supplied in the bag are fine for a calm night and useless in a blow, so upgrade them before you need to.
- Use stronger pegs than the ones supplied. Carry a set of proper V-section or Y-section alloy pegs, and rock pegs (hardened steel skewers) for stony or baked ground where soft pegs bend or bounce out.
- Angle every peg at about 45 degrees, leaning away from the tent. Driven this way the peg resists the pull of the guyline instead of levering straight out of the ground.
- Use every guyline, not just some. Manufacturers fit guy points because the tent needs them in wind. Peg out all of them, evenly tensioned, before the weather arrives rather than in the dark once it has.
- Add extra storm guylines. Many tents have reinforced storm guy points for exactly this. Run additional lines to solid pegs or, better, to a heavy rock or a buried anchor for a wide, low angle that holds the tent down as well as sideways.
- Match the anchor to the ground. On sand or very soft ground, ordinary pegs pull straight out. Use sand pegs, or a deadman anchor: bury a filled stuff sack, a log or a rock with the guyline tied around it, and it will hold far better than anything hammered in.
A quick guide to which peg goes where:
| Ground type | Best anchor | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Normal grass and soil | V or Y-section alloy pegs at 45 degrees | Thin round wire pegs |
| Hard, stony or baked ground | Steel rock pegs, hammered in | Soft alloy pegs, they bend |
| Sand or soft dune | Wide sand pegs or a buried deadman anchor | Standard pegs, they slide out |
| Loose gravel | Long rock pegs plus rock-weighted guylines | Short pegs of any kind |
Weigh it down and shelter the porch
Ballast inside the tent lowers its centre of gravity and helps hold it on the ground. Set your heaviest kit, water containers, cool box and full rucksacks around the inside edges and in the corners, so even a gust that lifts a peg cannot walk the tent across the field.
A windbreak set up on the windward side of the porch does two jobs: it shelters your cooking and it takes some load off the tent itself. Never cook inside the tent or a closed porch in any weather, and be doubly careful with stoves and flames when it is gusty. Keep the awning or porch zipped down in strong wind so it cannot fill and act as a sail.
Keep checking as the wind shifts
Wind is not constant, so your pitch needs watching. Guylines stretch, pegs work loose in soft ground, and the wind often backs or veers as a front comes through, which can leave you side on to gusts you were sheltered from an hour earlier.
Re-tension guylines whenever they slacken, tap pegs back in if they lift, and check the whole tent before you turn in for the night. If the wind has swung round so it is now hitting a door or a broad side, it is worth re-pegging or, in a bad blow, taking the tent down and re-pitching it to face the new direction. Our guide to camping in wet weather is worth a read too, because high winds and heavy rain usually arrive together in Britain.
The tent matters, but less than you think
A low, aerodynamic tent handles wind dramatically better than a tall one. A geodesic tent, where the poles cross to brace each other, and a low tunnel tent pitched end into the wind are the two shapes built to take a gale. A tall, single-hooped pop-up or a family tent with big flat walls will struggle in the same conditions no matter how well you peg it, because there is simply more sail for the wind to push against.
If you already own a tall tent, the answer is not to buy a new one for one windy weekend. It is to pitch smart: find real shelter, keep it low where you can, use every guyline and storm line, and be quicker to strike it if things get serious.
Know when to give up
The most important skill in high winds is knowing when to stop fighting. A destroyed tent is a bad night. A collapsed tent on top of you in the dark, or a dash to the car in a genuine storm, is worse.
Strike the tent, or move to solid shelter or the car, when you see any of these:
- The poles are visibly bending or flexing hard under the gusts, which means they are close to snapping
- The Met Office issues an amber or red wind warning for your area. A red warning means damaging winds and a danger to life, and no pitch is worth staying out in that
- Pegs are pulling out faster than you can re-set them, or the whole tent is lifting
- You are on an exposed site with nowhere to shelter and the wind is still building
As a rough guide, most tents cope with a strong breeze and are tested through a near gale, but sustained gale force winds, force 8 on the Beaufort scale (39 to 46mph), are where trouble starts even for good tents in poor pitches. Above that, in a severe gale or storm, take it down before it is destroyed. The Met Office weather warning system uses yellow, amber and red: treat amber as a strong prompt to reconsider and red as a reason to be somewhere solid. Striking a tent early, while you still can, beats wrestling a shredded one at 2am.
Frequently asked questions
Which way should a tent face in high winds?
Point the lowest, strongest end, usually the back, straight into the prevailing wind, and set the door on the sheltered downwind side. The narrow curved end lets wind flow over it, while a door or flat wall facing the wind acts like a sail and drags the tent.
What angle should tent pegs go in?
Drive pegs at about 45 degrees, leaning away from the tent. At that angle the peg resists the pull of the guyline instead of levering out of the ground. Use stronger V or Y-section pegs than the thin ones supplied, and rock pegs in hard ground.
How do you secure a tent on sand?
Standard pegs pull straight out of sand. Use wide sand pegs, or make a deadman anchor by burying a filled stuff sack, log or rock with the guyline tied around it. Weigh the inside down with your heavy kit as well.
What wind speed is too much for a tent?
Most tents cope up to a strong breeze and near gale. Trouble usually starts at gale force, force 8 on the Beaufort scale, around 39 to 46mph. Above that, or under a Met Office amber or red warning, strike the tent and get to solid shelter.
Are geodesic tents better in wind?
Yes. A geodesic tent, where crossing poles brace each other, and a low tunnel tent pitched end into the wind are the two shapes built to take a gale. A tall pop-up or a big flat-walled family tent has far more sail area and struggles in the same conditions.
Should I take my tent down in a storm?
Yes, if the poles are bending badly, pegs are pulling out, or an amber or red wind warning is in force. Strike it early while you still can and move to the car or solid shelter. A tent is replaceable, and a red warning means a danger to life.
The short version
Find real shelter, pitch low and taut with the strongest end into the wind, and peg out every guyline with proper pegs at 45 degrees. Weigh the inside down, keep re-tensioning as the wind shifts, and never let pride keep you out in a storm.
A low geodesic or tunnel tent in a sheltered spot will ride out weather that flattens a tall tent on open ground. When in doubt, strike camp early. For more on staying comfortable when the weather turns, and to find a well sheltered site, see our unexpected weather guide and browse campsites across Britain. If keeping the tent safe from people rather than weather is your worry, we also cover keeping your tent secure.
