Pitching a pyramid

Stake out the corners taught but with adjustment for going looser/tighter. Put in the center pole. Go around and readjust the corners, then stake the other tie outs while fine tuning tension. I go around my shangri la 3 twice in a big circle, and by that time its usually perfect.

It's a little more finicky then other shelters but you're trading weight for experience and some extra setup time.

Does it have a floor?

If there's no floor, then you have to be careful to make the base square. If you angle it a little, then two ridges will be loose and two tight.

Another thing is that if the four corners are not on a plane, it won't pitch right. That is, if one of the 4 corners is up in the air relative to the other three.

You could experiment a little – pitch it intentually non-square or with one corner up in the air and see how it looks.

I just use 4 stakes plus a fifth to hold the door open. I noticed once when it was windy that the side stakes pulled out but the tent stayed up – voila, don't need side stakes

How about using very short (say 10 inch or so) guy lines on the 4 corners with a slip knot around the stake to adjust tension? Would something like this work?

Also saw a nice write-up around here on using shock cord to make tension "auto-adjustable", just can't find the post anymore.

You could easily use a girth hitch on one side and a taut line hitch on the other.

Try searching "self tensioning guy lines."

my way :
pitching a pyramid
sorry try this :

http://www.youtube.com/user/francodarioli?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/xShpfttHtzc
Franco

Franco, the link doesn't work…

I have found it quite easy to get my pyramid pitched, but it does take some practice.

I can now do it in my sleep, or when I've had a few too many:-)

I can't say the same for some other shelters I use, but that doesn't mean they are any worse, it just means that I have to think when I pitch them:-)

Ron (MLD) stresses the importance of getting everything parallel w/ 90 degree corners- quoting Ron "Almost all set up problems occur when the shelter floor is not square with all corner angles as close to 90 degrees as possible or slack it left in the corner guylines."

from the Duomid setup page

http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=47&products_id=105

it is worth practicing a bit in your backyard :)

It took me 90 seconds to set up the DuoMid the first time because of the link that Mike has provided. As Ron indicates, angles at 90 degrees, pitch the corners to the ground (at least at first) and put up the center pole.

I thought my Scarp 1 was the quickest and easiest tent to pitch that I have owned until I pitched a Solomid, the solomid leaves the Scarp for dust.

The best way is to hang it from a tree limb or between two trees then pull tight. Absent trees, we stake out the four corners of our Oware 9×9 and then push the connected poles in and up. From there it is the usual bane of all tarps, playing the material like a jazz instrument and tugging here and adjusting there until either you are OK or your wife tells you it is time to stop. I sneak back later to get it perfect!

Winter, from a branch

Summer, alpine with poles.