How to Make a Wooden Tent Platform

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Tent platforms are ideal for elevating a tent when camping -- portable platforms are particularly useful if you are traveling to different campsites. These structures keep tents off the ground, thereby keeping campers dry, especially if it rains. They also provide a solid surface on which to walk and make pitching a tent more like a home away from home. These platforms can be built to custom fit your tent's dimensions.

Items you will need

  • Plywood sheets

  • 2-by-4-inch lumber beams

  • Hinges

  • Stainless steel screws

  • Screw gun

  • Circular saw

Step 1

Lay two sheets of plywood directly on the ground, abutting one another. Fasten three hinges along the seam using stainless steel screws and a screw gun. Space the hinges evenly, placing one on each end and one in the middle.

Step 2

Turn the adjoined plywood sheets over, with the hinges touching the ground.

Step 3

Fasten 2-by-4-inch lumber beams to the borders of both plywood sheets using stainless steel screws, creating two skirts. A skirt is the box under the plywood that helps to frame the reinforcement studs.

Step 4

Cut several 2-by-4-inch lumber beams to fit snugly inside the skirts, using a circular saw.

Step 5

Fasten the 2-by-4-inch lumber to the plywood, between the skirts, using stainless steel screws. Space each 2-by-4 about 6 to 8 inches apart to form the reinforcement studs.

Step 6

Turn the entire platform over, and fold it in half to transport it.

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