Downloadable User Guide and Quick Start
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So You Just Got Your First Overland(ish) Shelter
Now it's time to unbox and set it up!
Let's Get Started
Upon receiving your Overland(ISH) Basecamp Shelter, please start by removing everything from its packaging and taking note that you have all the items.
Now it's time to set up your shelter for the first time.
It's best not to open your shelter on cement or asphalt. A grassy open space or in your home on a slick surface or carpeting works great. For a first time setup and inspection, the footprint is not necessary.
- If you purchased the Weather Pack, pull out the footprint and lay that out now. Next, grab your Basecamp and bring it to the center of your footprint (if being used) with the hubs touching the center of the footprint.
- Lay your shelter on its side with the hub in the center of your footprint and remove the strap. Unfold your shelter gently and make sure you take note of the inside versus the outside material. The poles are on the inside of the shelter, and all of the logos are on the outside. Take care to not open the shelter inside out.
We are not responsible for any damages caused by incorrectly opening the shelter.
- Your floor will be half zipped in but attached, so be careful about pulling any loose material, as you might accidentally damage a zipper.
- Complete the unfolding of the Basecamp so that the roof is parallel to the ground. Now walk around the shelter, and one by one, grab the center pull strap attached to the eyelets for each wall, pulling out each wall until they pop into place. Once they are all set up, step inside and push the hub on the roof up until it pops into place - and that's it! Now it's time to start making your shelter a home!
- Now since this is the first time you're opening your new Basecamp Shelter, let's just make sure everything is A-OK.
- Inspect it all now before you take it out into the wild. Remember when pulling your shelter out of the box that the floor is half zipped so don't go tugging on some random piece of material - this could damage a zipper. Once your shelter is deployed, walk around the outside, making sure that all the eyelets are nice and snug. If there are any loose eyelets, now is a good time to tighten them up.
The zippers on your new shelter might start out a little difficult to pull, due to tension in the fabric. This is normal, and as the material breaks in like your favorite pair of jeans, the zippers will become easier to pull. These are high quality YKK zippers, they can handle it!
How To Deploy Your Rainfly
- Find your Weather Pack and remove your Rainfly. Making sure the logos are facing the sky, throw it over the roof of your Basecamp Shelter. If you need to, you can always drop the roof from the inside of the shelter as it may make it easier for you. (Note that under each wing of your rainfly there is a loop for ease of setup for one person in adverse weather conditions).
- Once you have the Rainfly lined up so that the roof vents are in line with each other, walk around your shelter attaching the straps under the wings of the Rainfly to each of the eyelets on the exterior walls. Once you have all sides connected, use your included screw stakes and guy lines to secure the fly to the ground. Start by removing your first Rainfly wing from the eyelet and with the stake/guyline set, pull the wing of the shelter as far from that shelter as possible. This is important, as the farther you pull it out the more ventilation you get. It can be set up as close or far as you like, there is no “correct” distance.
Finish by walking around your shelter securing each wing (try to keep the distances from the shelter as uniform as possible - because we all like a good looking campsite, of course!)
Basecamp Shelter For Different Weather Conditions
Your Basecamp Shelter has a few alternate ways to be set up based on different weather conditions.
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- Add a portable AC unit for optimal cooling on hot days and don't let mother nature dictate your comfort. Here you would just seal up your shelter and push that AC, find what the lowest setting on your unit is that still cools your space so you can conserve that power…if power isn't an issue then blast that thing!
- What if it's super hot and you want to take advantage of all of the ventilation the Basecamp has to offer without the whole campsite seeing into your shelter? Easy, just use your Rainfly and remember to pull it as far from the Basecamp as you can. This allows you to have open windows and ventilation so you can take advantage of any little breeze mother nature throws at you, safe from outside view.
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- Depending on how you choose to heat your shelter there are a few ways to set yourself up.
- We recommend a diesel heater as this produces a dry heat perfect to control condensation, especially when paired with the ventilation and condensation control ports on the roof.
- If you want to use a propane heater, you just need to make sure to vent properly or it could be dangerous, as propane heaters produce CO2. If you choose this route, make sure to use proper safety meter devices with alarms.
- If you're going out with no heater and relying simply on body heat just remember, it's a big space so make sure to bring ALL your friends! But in all seriousness, a single person will raise the internal temp of a Basecamp 7-10 degrees, so the more bodies you add the warmer it gets. answer to the question here.
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- Setting up correctly for the rain is important and easy. First, decide if you need to use a footprint - if the ground is already wet, then the answer is YES. If the ground is dry but you know it's going to rain later you don't necessarily need the footprint, but this is left up to your own judgment.
- Once your Footprint is set up, deploy your Basecamp. Next roll your footprint at each side of your shelter and tuck it under the skirt, placing the rolled material under the shelter but in the little void on the inner side of the wall. When you get to the landing pad part of the footprint, fold it in half and in half again and then roll and be sure to stuff that material nicely. Lastly, go around the shelter and tuck the attached skirt under the shelter as well, leaving no place for water to accumulate.
- Once you've rolled and tucked that footprint, set up the Rainfly included in the Weather Pack - remember to stake down those wings as far from the shelter as space allows, as the more water you sheet away from the shelter, the better. A little tip is that you can use one stake for both the wall and the fly, just make sure wind conditions aren't high, as this will put double the strain on that stake.
- At this point you're ready for the wet stuff, you can now use your windows even during full rain to take full advantage of all of your Basecamp’s ventilation.
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- The Basecamp is a fortress of a shelter, with the extra tension engineered into the walls of the Basecamp we have field tested it in all wind conditions.
- If you don't feel like staking it down, which in most cases is fine, our Basecamp has been tested to around 25 mph gusts.
- Planning on getting hit by high winds? Make sure to stake your shelter down properly, Use your included screw stakes and paracord to tie down to the steel eyelet at the center of each wall. Tie off and come down at a 45 degree angle making sure your stake is secured and strong, and you are now ready to withstand wind speeds of over 80 mph.
- Remember, for high winds use separate stakes for your shelter and your rainfly.
Now that you're done with your preferred setup, decorate and enjoy!
Happy Camping!
Check Out Our Step By Step Guide Below
Just scroll through, and we'll walk you through everything!
