BEFORE YOUR ADVENTURE
Before taking your new pocket house into the wilderness, we recommend setting it up outside at home. It will be much easier to learn to set up the Pocket House under such pleasant conditions. You will need to cut the 50’ length of reflective guycord to tie pieces to the various guy points. To avoid fraying, melt cord ends with a lighter as soon as it is cut. Your new tent does not have sealed seams. It is a good idea to use the silicone specific seam sealer before you first use your tent. Please follow the directions on the seam sealer package for optimum performance. Set up your Pocket House in good weather. APPLY SEALER ONLY IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA. Apply seam sealer to the inside of the tent, primarily on tarp and floor seams. Allow to dry completely before storing. Stakes are not provided with your Pocket House. You will probably wish to bring at least a few stakes on your adventure. Rocks, trees, logs, and stuff sacks filled with anything heavy can also be used as “stakes”.

SETTING UP
Choose a protected and level site that will drain well. Keep in mind that the Pocket House is structurally a tarp that needs to be carefully set up and guyed. Note convenient trees and rocks that you can use as guy anchors. If there is a moderate wind, orient the Pocket House so that the wind blows along its length, and not into its side. First stake or otherwise anchor the floor corners. Make sure that the door is zipped closed, then pull up and out the front and rear ridge lines. You may tie them up to trees, or clove hitch dead sticks or trekking poles and run down to a stake or other ground anchor. Lastly guy out the sides of the tarp. Note that anchor points that are high and/or far from the tent will tend to tighten the side walls. You will probably need to make adjustments to the various lines. When packing up, shake off dirt, and gently stuff your Pocket House into a stuff sack. DO NOT FOLD the synthetic fabric. Folding will repeatedly stress the fabric at the same places, and can cause premature failure.

CARE AND MAINTENANCE
The Pocket House is extremely light because it is made with silicone impregnated ripstop nylon. This material is very strong, but less durable than heavier fabrics. Using a separate ground cloth cut slightly smaller than the footprint of the floor will help to protect the tent floor from abrasion. Also avoid wearing boots or shoes inside the tent. Taking extra care when setting up and using your Pocket House will ensure its long life. Zippers are usually the first part to wear out on any piece of outdoor gear. If a zipper fails to close, it is usually because the slider has worn. This can be temporarily fixed by squeezing the slider with pliers, but the best repair is to replace the slider. Take care to keep the zipper clean, and avoid stepping on it. Inspect and air dry your Pocket House after every use. Storing a tent damp will cause mildew growth. Mildew stinks and can damage the waterproof coatings. Dirt and debris should be shaken out. A damp sponge should be used to wipe off anything else. NEVER machine wash or dry, use detergents, bleach, hot water, solvents, or other chemicals, they will all damage the thin synthetic fabric.

HAZARDS
The material used to make your Pocket House is NOT FLAME-RETARDANT. Never fill or light a stove, or cook in the tent. Take care to locate your Pocket House a reasonable distance from stoves, campfires, and other sources of heat and open flame. Ultraviolet light degrades nylon over the course of time, making it brittle. Setting up your Pocket House in shaded areas when possible will extend its useful life. Especially in bear territory, do not store food in your tent. Hungry animals can do tremendous damage nibbling through a tent, don’t encourage them.