Mec Frontenac User manual



This booklet tells you how to prepare, assemble, and maintain your
new tent; please keep it for future reference. Set up your tent at
home before your rst trip; this will allow you to inspect it for any
manufacturing defects, check that all parts are present, and learn the
assembly procedure with minimal stress on the tent and on you.


Tent body
Tent y
One pole system on a centre hub
Three separate shorter poles
Aluminum pegs and nylon guylines
Aluminum pole repair sleeve
FRONTENAC Height inside 1.40m
1.45m
2.0m
4.5m
2.0m
0.65m0.65m
0.9m
2.65m



The seams of your tent have been waterproof taped on all exposed
seams. All features, such as Velcro® pole anchors and door tiebacks, have
been welded onto the inside of the y to avoid any small leak points.
However, for extremely wet and windy conditions, you may want to re-
seal selected parts of your tent. These include parts of the inner tent
where condensation or windblown rain could potentially wick through,
such as lantern loops or pole clip suspension points. You may also wish to
seal the “in” side of any untaped oor seams exposed to ground moisture
or rainfall. For seam sealing and tent repairs, we recommend a quality
after-market polyurethane sealer such as McNett Seam Grip®.
Work in a well-ventilated area to avoid inhaling sealant vapours. For
complete sealing, evenly apply only the minimum required amount of
sealant into needle holes, thread, and fabric joints. Allow to dry and cure
overnight. McNett sealants (Seam Grip and similar) cure more quickly in a
moist or humid environment. Before packing the tent for the rst time, dust
newly sealed areas with talcum powder or spray them with 303TM Protectant;
freshly cured sealer can bond to itself even when dry. If the tent is used hard
and often you may need to reapply seam sealer in high-wear areas.
If the main panel of the front vestibule is rigged as a roof (see Step 5
of Attaching The Fly) water can potentially pool where the panel meets
the main y, along the pole that runs over the door top. For this area at
least, we strongly recommend “touch up” sealing on the outside of the y
where the hook-and-loop wrap-ties and toggle clips are sewn in.

Remove sharp objects that might puncture the tent oor.
A ground sheet beneath the tent is not necessary for waterproofness,
but it will reduce long-term wear on the tent oor. A ground sheet should
be cut or folded smaller than the tent oor to prevent water pooling
between the oor and the ground sheet. Another light and convenient
option is MEC’s custom-made, coated nylon Footprint.
In winter conditions, we recommend digging out a platform with
surrounding walls. To avoid melting depressions in the snow under the
tent, pack the snow down solidly by ski or foot.




Shockcord (bungee cord) is meant to keep pole sections in the proper
order—not as an automatic assembly mechanism for poles. Do not hold
one section while whipping the rest of the pole back and forth, or toss
the poles into the air; either procedure excessively stresses the pole joints
and shockcord. Instead, t poles together section by section, making sure
that each piece slides completely into the next. Forcing an improperly
assembled pole into place can damage the pole and/or the tent body
and y.

 Assemble all poles carefully as described in the previous paragraph.
You will have one six-poled system tted into a centre hub, plus two
equal-length poles and one shorter pole.
 Lay the tent body out at.
In windy conditions, you may wish to peg one or more corners.
 Lay the hubbed tent poles down on the tent body with the hub
roughly in the middle, and the crooked gold poles pointing toward the
gold webbing tabs on the tent body.

 Plug the pole ends into the grommets in the webbing tabs at each
corner of the tent.
It’s easiest to plug in the poles in pairs. Attach one pole, followed by the
pole directly opposite it. The poles arch up more easily this way, and have
less of a tendency to pull out of the grommets. You may nd it easiest to
do the two black poles along the tent’s longest axis rst (that is, from the
outermost corner to the other outermost corner). Then do one gold pole
followed by one of the remaining black poles.
 Clip the pole clips to the poles that you inserted into the grommets.
The clips have colour-coded ribbons that match their proper poles. The
third highest gold-ribboned pole clips on each side of the front door should
be clipped into the inside of the plastic elbow on the corresponding gold
pole. Each wing of the tent has one gold ribbon that has two clips; leave
these unattached for now.


Position the shortest pole across the top of the front door, and insert
the ends into the holes on the plastic elbows of the gold poles.
 Lay one of the equal-length poles over one of the black side poles,
following the seam line and remaining gold-ribboned pole clips that run
across the top of a corner wing. Plug the pole ends into the tabs on the
nearest side of each door. Clip on the gold-ribboned clips. Note that the
centre ribbon has two clips. Fasten them to the gold pole on either side of
the black pole: this will lock the two poles together so they can reinforce
one another.
Repeat Step 7 on the other side with the other pole.

 To position the y correctly over the tent, drape the y over the tent
and ensure the webbing tab colours on the y corners correspond to the
matching tab colours on the tent body: gold with gold at the front of the
tent, and black with black at the side corners and back.
 On the underside of the y are several hook-and-loop wrap-ties. Attach
these wrap-ties to make the tent its strongest.
Standing under the y, attach the wrap-ties starting at the top of a
pole and working down. Wrap the inner hook-and-loop tab as tightly
as possible around the pole, then fold the outer hook-and-loop tab
over it. Where the poles cross at the sides of the tent, the wrap-ties
are extra-long. Wrap these ties tightly around both poles for further
reinforcement. Don’t forget to fasten the wrap-ties on the horizontal
pole over the front door.
 Fit all of the grommetted webbing tabs on the six y corners over the
appropriate pole ends, folding the grommet tabs under the tent body as
shown in gures A and B.
There is more than one grommet on each webbing tab. Use the outermost
(loosest) grommet on each tab when rst erecting the tent. You can increase
the tautness of the y by moving the pole ends to the inner grommets.
Changes in humidity can cause the fabric to slacken and tighten.
gure A gure B


If you have not already done so, peg out the six corners of the tent.
 Peg out the two vestibules. Tie back the vestibules in whatever
combination provides the desired balance of ventilation and weather
protection. Note that each door has peg loops on either side of the door
zippers where they reach the ground. By pegging out one loop or the
other, you can make each door side-opening or centre-opening to adapt
it to the prevailing wind or local landscape features.
The centre panel of the front vestibule can also be rigged as a porch roof,
using corner poles improvised from trees, deadwood, paddles, or hiking
staffs. The most important thing to bear in mind if rigging this panel as a
rain roof is not to leave at or baggy surfaces where water can pool. You
can rig the panel so that it slopes away from the tent, like a cap brim, or
so that it slopes towards the tent, allowing water to drain to the sides.
You can rig the panel with one front corner higher than the other so that
water drains down the slope to the lower side. If an overhead branch
is handy, you can run a line to it from the guyline tab at the centre of
the front panel to create a water-shedding peak. Mix and match these
different ideas to adapt the panel to the local landscape and weather.
 If desired, peg out the guyline loop at the bottom middle hem of each
side wall. These can be pegged so that the wall angles out from the tent
toward the peg. This makes the tent more wind resistant and also allows
maximum ventilating airow.

 Each wing of the tent has a triangular window ap. Weather permitting,
you ventilate the tent by rigging a guyline from the loop at the bottom of
the window ap and pegging it out so that the window is open.
 To lower each window ap, fasten the hook-and-loop patches to hold it
into place, clip the guyline loop into the plastic snap tting on the tent y,
and re-adjust the guyline tension. Note that the plastic snap tting should
be run through, not over, the guyline loop. This will prevent the window
ap from being jammed into the plastic snap tting as the guyline comes
under tension from wind.

We recommend facing the back door of the tent into any prevailing
winds. This will present the most streamlined shape to the wind, and also
positions the front door where it is downwind and sheltered for entering
and exiting the tent.


The Frontenac has a number of guyline attachments so you can rig
it increasingly securely in response to actual or anticipated winds.
To secure the tent:
 Guy out the four main corners of the tent using the attachment points
that are about halfway up each corner of the y. These lines should run
out at about a 45-degree angle from the tent, that is, in about the same
direction as each pole is “pointing.”
Guy out the tab from the front door window.
 Guy out the bottom hem of the front door main panel.
 Guy out the two tabs at the very top of the tent roof. These guylines
should run out at ninety degrees to the tent sides.
 Guy out the tab from the roof vent; this will be most secure if the vent
is shut with the hook-and-loop patches.
Only extreme conditions require the use of all guyline points. To save
weight and cost for the average user, the tent is not supplied with pegs
and lines for all points.

The #7001-T6 aluminum stakes included with the tent are suitable for
general use on relatively soft ground. However, in very hard-packed
ground you will need stronger (and heavier!) stakes that can withstand
the force needed to drive them in. On snow, sand, or other loose-packed
surfaces, wider T-Stakes or aluminum snow stakes will hold better; these
stakes hold best buried horizontally. You can also improvise with other
“stakes” (hiking staffs, ice axes, branches, rocks, trees), using the tent’s
stake loops or cord as required.
When packing for your trip, consider the conditions you’ll likely encounter
and what sort of anchors you’ll require. You can often leave several of
the supplied pegs at home and replace them with improvised anchors,
thereby saving weight and space in your pack.



Proper ventilation is the key to minimizing condensation in any tent. Keep
fabric doors open as widely as the prevailing weather permits. If bugs
or drafts aren’t a problem, leave mesh doors open too. Crack each door
open from the top down; warm, moist air rises and will escape through
high openings. If the design of your tent allows for it, have openings at
both ends or both sides of the tent to allow air to ow through for best
ventilation. On very hot nights, when you are condent there will be no
rain or dewfall, you can leave the ysheet off and use the inner tent alone
as a “bug tent.”
The Frontenac features a roof peak vent that allows rising, warm, moist
air to escape, while encouraging cooler, drier air to ow in through other
door and window openings. To open the vent, fasten the two hinged
battens together at the centre using their hook-and-loop surfaces: this
will form a prop rod that holds the vent open. You can adjust the length
of this prop rod, and thereby the vent opening size, by fastening the two
battens together at different places along their lengths. To close the vent,
pull the battens apart, fold them at, and seal them down with the hook-
and-loop strip.

The most important consideration in taking down a tent is not to stress
the poles and fabrics. First, disconnect guylines and release the tension
from the tent. Next, release all the poles. If your tent has pole sleeves,
push the poles out of the sleeves instead of pulling them out. To minimize
the stress on the bungee cord in the poles and to speed disassembly,
fold each pole in half rst, and then fold down towards the outsides, two
sections at a time.

If possible, fold and roll the tent rather than stufng it into its sack—rolling
makes a smaller package, and causes fewer creases in the polyurethane
coating. The tent and poles may be carried separately for easier packing
or load sharing. There are two drawcords on the tent sack. Use the
lower one when carrying the tent separately from the poles; this makes
a shorter package that ts sideways into a pack. If carrying the pole
sack on the outside of a pack, securely attach the drawcord to the pack
to avoid loss.




Ultraviolet damage is the single largest hazard your tent faces in its
lifetime. Fabrics should not be exposed to sunlight for extended periods
of time; this will eventually result in colour fading and fabric failure. The
uncoated fabrics of the tent canopy are most susceptible to damage from
UV and should be covered by the more durable y. If extended exposure
is unavoidable, cover the tent with a tarp or a sheet of nylon.

Using a candle lantern in a tent carries denite risks. Never leave a candle
lantern burning unattended; always watch for re hazard from overheating
fabrics or spilling wax. Spilling wax can be dangerous, particularly to eyes
and other sensitive areas. It is your responsibility to use candle lanterns
wisely and with extreme caution: we do not endorse the use of any ame or
heat source in a tent. Cooking in a tent is strongly discouraged because of
re hazards and carbon monoxide inhalation risks. Unlike campre smoke
and other fumes, which cause you to gasp for air, 


Mop up spills promptly with water. Many foods, particularly acidic ones
like fruit or juices, can weaken synthetic fabrics over time. In any case it is
best to eat and store food away from a tent to avoid attracting animals.

Clean the tent by hand while it is set up, using a sponge, a mild non-
detergent soap, and warm water. Rinse thoroughly. Do not dry clean,
machine wash, or machine dry. Stubborn stains like tar can be left in place
and dusted with talcum powder to prevent transfer to other areas of the
tent in storage. After cleaning, a spray-on water repellent designed for
synthetic fabrics may be applied to the ysheet if surface water repellency
is weakening. (This is apparent when water droplets no longer bead up
on the fabric.)
If the poles are exposed to salt or salt water, rinse them in fresh water and
allow them to dry before storing. (While aluminum does not rust, it can
become brittle through unseen corrosion over time.)



Occasionally apply a light coating of a silicone-based lubricant like 303TM
protectant to the tent pole connections. If the poles are used extensively
in marine environments, treat them more frequently.

Dry the tent and poles completely before storage to avoid mildew or
hidden pole corrosion. Store in a cool, dry place out of direct light.
Mildewed tents can be cleaned as described above, but there is no way
to remove the dark stains without damaging the fabric. Mildew will
probably take some time to affect the waterproof coatings, so the tent
should still be usable.


Watertight repairs to rips can be made with seam sealant such as McNett
FreesoleTM, AquasealTM, or Seam Grip®. For tears shorter than about 1.5cm
(1/2in.), apply duct tape to one side and sealant to the other. On longer
tears, apply duct tape to one side of the tear and, on the other side,
a patch of no-see-um netting that extends about 6-12mm (1/4-1/2in.)
beyond each edge of the tear. Use oval or circular patches (rounded
edges are less likely to peel away than sharp corners). Cover the patch
thoroughly in sealant. Once the sealant is completely dry, the duct tape
can be removed from small and large repairs alike.
For longer trips, we recommend taking an expedition sewing kit and extra
nylon, webbing, a spare pole section, and narrow-diameter (2.5mm) tent
pole shockcord. Coghlan’s Seam Saturant or the like will prevent wicking
through a tent y via seams or webbing.

Slip the pole repair sleeve over one pole end. Slide the sleeve along
until it is centred over the break in the pole, then wrap it into place with
duct tape. Be careful not to damage the tent fabrics when removing the
damaged pole.