Setting up a 6m Jurte can be a daunting process the first time you have to do it after your training so we’ve compiled this short reminder to help you. Remember, it’s not actually that complicated!
Step 1 – Preparation
Make sure you have everything you need before you head off to site. A complete 6m Jurte consists of:
- A roof – either complete or in two halves.
- Side panels – normally 5 double and 2 single.
- A roof cap
- 12 side poles. These are 3 piece (although one bit should be inside another so check you have all 12 top bits!)
- 12 guy ropes
- 12 pegs
- 1 chain
- 1 pulley (store the pulley in the chain bag )
- 3 centre poles, each of 3 pieces)
- 2 ropes
- A mallet or hammer
- Optional: Extra small pegs if you want to secure the side panels to the ground
Once at site, choose a spot which isn’t exposed to the wind if possible. The Jurte will stand quite happily in high winds but it’s a challenge to get it up and stable if the wind is trying to turn it into a kite. Near a hedge or treeline is perfect.
If you have two half roofs, lace them together and make sure they’re secure before you start.
Ensure the side poles are the correct length – 160cm . If you don’t have a tape measure at hand or haven’t pre-marked them with a permanent marker (which is what we do for ease), use the side panel to get the correct length – lay out a side panel and measure the pole from the bottom of the pole up to where the base of the spike meets the top large eyelet. Make sure the screw clamp is tight otherwise the pole may shrink when put under tension.
Lay out the roof on the ground and place a pole, guy rope and peg at every eyelet point – clearly indicated by the big D-rings on a roof with weather flaps. Make sure you get it the right way up. The buttons around the roof should be on the inside.
Set up Step 1 – Securing the roof
The first thing you need to do is set up the roof. If you have more than 12 people available then you achieved something we never have! these instructions will assume you have no more than four people available.
3 people need to position themselves at every 4th pole. So, select a starting pole, we suggest the one closet to an obstruction as then you’re pulling the tent away from the obstacle i.e. the hedge, and not towards it, and then count three eyelets and select that pole and then 3 again. These starting poles should form a nice equilateral triangle.
Insert the 3 selected side poles and pull the tent out until it is taut but not tight. You should clearly see the triangle shape. Tip:Have the side pole at a slant with the base inside the tent. This allows you to use your weight to help pull the roof outwards. Hammer in a peg about 1.6m from the pole position and attach and tension a guy rope – make sure the guy rope is in line with the roof seam. Repeat this process with the other two poles making sure you keep the roof taut. Once the ropes are attached, straighten the poles and let go. The tent should stay up. If it skews, then one or more of the guy rope isn’t in line with the seams. Don’t worry about it now, you can adjust them later. If you are in a sheltered spot then the guy ropes should go through the D-rings on the weather flap; if it is a windy spot, put the guy rope loops over the side pole spikes instead to help prevent the tent ‘lifting’.
Move to the next but one eyelet and insert the side pole, pulling the tent taut again. Hammer in a peg (making sure you’re in line with the seam) and secure. Once you have six poles in, the remaining 6 can be secured in any order.
Set up Step 2 – Prepare to raise the roof
Use a square lash to bind three of the wooden centre poles together (not the ones with steel sleeves). Do your lash about 30-45cm (12-18″ in old money) down from the top. Don’t forget to tie the pulley on too.
(Square lashing – Start of with a clove hitch around one of your poles and don’t forget to leave about 6″ of rope at the end. Wind the rope in a figure of 8 around your 3 poles about 3 or 4 times before wrapping the rope a couple of times around each join and pulling tight. Put the pulley on and tie the two rope ends together so the pulley hangs down the centre pole of the tripod.)
Attach the roof chain to the centre hole D-rings making sure none of the strands cross each other. Place the tripod over the chain so there is a leg in every other segment. Spread out the tripod so it stands up.
Attach the roof cap by wrapping it around and tying a double bow. If you wrap the drawstring around the poles above the lashing it will help prevent it from slipping down. Make sure this is as tight as you can make it.
Undo the roof cap guys and throw them across the roof. Have someone gather them together and loosely secure them against a pole or guy rope – very loosely so most of the length of the roof cap guys is still on the tent roof! Position a person per pole.
Feed the last rope through the pulley and clip the looped end into the roof chain carabiner. Position this rope so it goes down one of the centre poles without crossing a chain segment. Whoever is on this pole is in charge of the rope!
Place the remaining centre pole sections within easy reach of the tripod legs – a centre piece and base piece per leg.
Set up Step 3 – Raising the roof
Everyone grasp a tripod leg so it won’t fall over when you insert the next piece of the centre pole. One at a time (starting with the weakest person) lift the tripod leg and insert the centre section. DO NOT try and push the tripod up, let the legs splay outwards instead. Once the centre section is in, repeat with the base section. Don’t be worried if the legs now stick out of the tent, that’s perfectly normal.
Push the centre poles inwards by a metre or so, enough that the roof is starting to go upwards. The person with the rope should now pull it as tight as possible, so the chain is raised up to the pulley. Tie the rope off under the lower steel sleeve (wrap the rope around the pole under the sleeve, feed it behind the rope coming down and then go immediately back the other way, wrapping it around the pole going downwards. When you get towards the end of the rope, feed it through the previous turn and pull tight).
Reposition the centre poles by moving them sideways until each one is in the centre of the chain segments. Push the centre poles in, making sure you all come in by the same amount. The roof should raise up nicely and reach a point where it is taut but not stretched tight. The centre poles should also clear the edge of the centre hole but don’t worry if one is touching, you can always move that one in slightly.
Set up step 4 – Securing the roof cap.
The roof cap is designed to be wrapped and unwrapped to allow the smoke out (for those who have fires inside). Find one of the end guy ropes of the roof cap and secure this. Make sure you come straight down – take a line from the top of the cap straight down the cap edge and then to the nearest side pole. Pull the guy rope taut and wrap it around the spike once before taking it down the tent guy and securing it.
Find the next guy rope and work your way around the tent securing the guys. After the first guy rope you’re tying them off so that the base of the roof cap goes taut between guys. Eventually you should get back to where you started and wrap the tent cap over the starting point.
Set up step 5 – Adding the sides
Attach the side panels making sure you position the single side panels where you want the entrances/exits. Double button the sides to the roof and to each other. If the roof tension is too tight to do the buttons up, simply take the side pole and slant it inwards. This releases the tension. When you’ve buttoned up, simply put the pole upright again. You can have several poles slanted inwards without affecting the tent’s integrity.
We recommend to always button up both buttons, as it secures the tent against wind and rain.
Set up step 6 – Making it look perfect
Check all the tent guy ropes and make sure they are in line with the roof seam and the right distance away from the tent side – this is about the same distance as the side height. If any of them are not then slacken the guy rope off, pull up the peg and reposition it. If you happen to be somewhere really windy, you can use some small pegs to peg down the bottom of the side panels (use the eyelets), to prevent the wind from coming in and trying to lift your tent up like a giant kite. If it’s likely to be very windy them you should cross lash the windward side.
Remember, the tent is designed to move in the wind, not to try and resist it, so don’t worry if it does, it’s perfectly secure.
PDF version of the instructions
