Camping conundrum: How do you get a tent back in its bag?

Campers rejoice — the season is upon us.

The road trip. The setup. The sleepless bliss that comes from a week away at a campground over summer.

But too often our thoughts are occupied by the setup. Are those the right poles? Are other campers judging me? Am I yelling at my wife? Should we buy a caravan?

But for all the glory of a well-erected tent, there is a dark shadow that lurks waiting to put a toxic twist on the end of your trip — how do you get the tent back in its bag?

Richard Knauf is the man behind the Kiwi camping company Zempire.

He's worked at some of the major tent providers over the years and is prepared to blow the whistle on why they make those bags so frustratingly small.

"Most of it comes down to trying to get the pack size as small as possible, to make it as portable as possible," he explained.

"Some brands also try to reduce the amount of fabric they're using to reduce costs and keep shipping costs down."

But there are things that every aspiring camper should know.

Before we begin, know that it is possible — tents can go back in the bag.

Matt McIvor is Zempire’s expert tent roller.

He said your first step should be to zip up most of your doors and windows.

"Leave the bottom open so the air can come out," McIvor said.

Then remove the poles and pegs and create a large flat square.

Then it's time to fold while using your tent bag in the early stages.

"This is our measurer. You need to make sure it's smaller, like two-thirds of the carry bag."

As you roll, the tent will get slightly bigger so two-thirds leaves you some wiggle room.

But before you begin make sure your bag and compression straps are at the end of your tent. There’s nothing worse than losing a tight roll to a quick trip back to the car.

When rolling you need to start strong. The first roll should be tight and tidy. Use your body weight to hold down and push out air as you go.

Here’s a tip: when you get to the end — unroll it and do it all again. A second roll will mean less air in the tent and it'll give you a better result.

Place your pegs, poles or air pump into the core of the tent.

"It means you don't lose anything. It also protects the pegs and poles," McIvor said.

Then wrap your pre-prepared compression straps around it and pull the bag over.

Voila!

Knauf admits it's unlikely that you'll get a fresh-from-the-packet result every time.

"A little trade secret. We lay it down flat for 24 hours — that gets all the air out of it, then they roll it up. That's why they're so tightly packed."

But his company has made a move that it hopes will alleviate the pressure campers face at the end of a weekend away.

"We made a decision to go big. Our philosophy is it doesn't matter how bad you are at packing your tent — you'll get it back in the bag."

Because there is a moment of bliss that comes from sliding that bag over the tent with room to spare. A feeling of achievement that other campers can't help but admire.

"They know their stuff" is what they whisper behind their lukewarm beers.

And you do.

Now thoughtlessly shove everything in your car and get excited for the next trip.