You’re right, it does seem like common sense…
However, I’ve been camping my whole life and just learned this from a coworker last week.
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Here’s the short conversation that made me feel like an idiot:
Me: Why are you rolling it up like that?
Mike: Because tent bags are made to fit the tent poles. You didn’t know that?
Me: Um…yeah…of course I did…
All you do is fold your tent to the width of your tent poles, put the poles on the tent, and roll it up. Bam – works like a charm. Now go on and teach someone else how to pack your tent perfectly.