Do You Need a Platform for Your Glamping Tent?

The Question Before the Build

Search for glamping setups and nearly every polished photo shows a tent on a wooden deck. That leaves a lot of new owners assuming a platform is required. It isn't. Plenty of tents live happily on flat ground for years, and a platform you didn't need is a few thousand dollars and a few weekends you could have spent elsewhere.

But in the right situations, a platform is the single best infrastructure investment you can make. This post is about telling the difference, and sizing the platform correctly if you build one. For the actual construction steps, see our platform building guide.

When Ground Setup Is Fine

Every tent we make has a flame-retardant PVC groundsheet that zips to the tent body. It's waterproof, it seals out ground moisture and bugs, and it handles foot traffic and furniture. That means ground setup works well when:

• The ground is flat and drains well. No low spots where water collects, no slope toward the tent.
• The tent moves around. Festivals, hunting camps, weekend trips, events. A platform defeats the purpose of a portable tent.
• It's seasonal. A tent that goes up in spring and comes down in fall usually doesn't justify a permanent deck.
• You're testing the idea. Starting a rental operation? Run a season on the ground first and build platforms once you know which sites book.

For ground setups, add a rug or two inside for comfort and insulation, and put a pad under the bed in cold weather. That covers most of what a platform would do for comfort.

When a Platform Is Worth It

The ground is uneven, rocky, or sloped. A platform turns an unusable spot into a level one. Often the best view on a property sits on ground you can't pitch a tent on directly.

Drainage is poor. If water pools or runs across the site in heavy rain, lifting the tent a foot or more off the ground solves it permanently.

The tent stays up long term. For year-round rentals, backyard guest houses, and semi-permanent setups, a platform keeps the groundsheet off damp soil, which reduces wear and mold risk and extends the life of the tent.

You're charging premium rates. A deck with steps and a small porch reads as a finished accommodation rather than a campsite. It photographs better, and guests notice. For a rental unit, that difference shows up in the nightly rate.

You want outdoor living space attached. Extending the platform a few feet past the door creates a porch for chairs, boots, and morning coffee. It's one of the most-used parts of any glamping unit.

You're installing a Geodesic Dome. The Geodesic Dome is designed to be anchored to a prepared platform or slab. It isn't a ground-pitch structure the way our canvas tents are.

Platform Sizing by Tent

The platform needs to be at least as large as the tent's footprint. Most people also want a porch in front of the door. Here's a starting point for each model:

Tent	Tent Size	Minimum Platform	With Front Porch
Astral 13ft	13 ft diameter	14 x 14 ft	14 x 18 ft
Astral 16ft / Eclipse 16ft	16 ft diameter	17 x 17 ft	17 x 21 ft
Jellyfish	16 ft diameter	17 x 17 ft	17 x 21 ft
Astral 20ft / Eclipse 20ft	20 ft diameter	22 x 22 ft	22 x 26 ft
Geodesic Dome 16ft	16 ft diameter	17 x 17 ft	17 x 21 ft

For the Pyramid, size the platform to the square base shown on the product page plus a foot on each side. Because it has doors on all four sides, many owners extend the deck on more than one side.

Two notes on these numbers. First, they're starting points. Confirm exact footprint dimensions against your tent's product page and setup instructions before you buy lumber. Second, an octagonal or round platform uses less material than a square one for circular tents and looks more intentional, but it's harder to build. Square is the easier DIY option.

The Guy Line Question

This is the detail most platform builders miss. Pole tents like the Astral and Eclipse get their stability from guy lines tensioned outward from the tent, and those lines extend beyond the tent's footprint.

On a platform, you have two options. You can build the deck large enough that guy lines anchor to the deck itself using heavy-duty deck rings or eye bolts fastened into the framing, not just the decking boards. Or you can size the deck to the tent and run guy lines past the edge to stakes in the ground. Either works, but decide before you build, because it changes the platform size and where the framing needs to be strongest.

Guy line anchoring is what keeps a tent standing in high wind, so this isn't the place to improvise. If you're unsure how to anchor your specific tent to a deck, contact us before you build and we'll talk through it.

Height Off the Ground

On flat, well-drained ground, a low platform 6 to 12 inches up is plenty. It gets the tent off damp soil and allows airflow underneath. On sloped ground, the downhill side will sit higher, and anything over about 24 inches means you need steps, and possibly railings depending on local code. Leave room for air to move under the deck either way. Trapped moisture under a platform rots framing.

What a Platform Costs

A DIY platform typically runs roughly $500 to $3,000 in materials, depending on size, height, lumber prices in your area, and whether you use pressure-treated lumber or composite decking. A 13-foot tent on flat ground sits at the low end. A 20-foot tent with a porch on a slope sits at the high end. Hiring a contractor typically adds significantly to that.

For perspective, if a platform lets you use a site that otherwise wouldn't work, or supports a higher nightly rate on a rental, it usually pays for itself within a season.

Check the Rules First

Canvas tents are typically treated as temporary structures and usually don't need building permits. A permanent deck is a different question. Many jurisdictions have rules on decks above a certain height or square footage, and HOAs often have their own. Check with your county or city before building, especially for platforms that are elevated or large.

The Short Answer

Build a platform if the ground is bad, the tent is staying up long term, you're renting it at premium rates, or you're installing a dome. Skip it if the ground is flat and dry, the tent moves around, or you're still figuring out whether a site works. When in doubt, start on the ground. You can always build later.

Get Started

Browse the full tent collection for exact footprint dimensions on each model, and see our platform building guide for construction steps. Questions about sizing or anchoring for your site? Contact our team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do glamping tents need a platform?

No. Our tents have a waterproof, flame-retardant PVC groundsheet that zips to the tent body, so they work well directly on flat, well-drained ground. A platform is worth building when the ground is uneven or drains poorly, when the tent stays up long term, when you're renting at premium rates, or when you're installing a Geodesic Dome.

What size platform do I need for a 16-foot tent?

At least 17 x 17 feet for a 16-foot Astral, Eclipse, or Jellyfish. Add about 4 feet in front of the door if you want a porch, for roughly 17 x 21 feet. Build larger if you plan to anchor guy lines to the deck itself. Always confirm against the exact footprint on the product page.

What size platform do I need for a 20-foot tent?

At least 22 x 22 feet, or about 22 x 26 feet with a front porch. The extra margin accounts for the tent footprint and gives you room to anchor. Confirm exact dimensions against your tent's product page before buying materials.

How do you anchor a tent's guy lines on a wooden platform?

Either build the deck large enough to anchor guy lines to it with heavy-duty deck rings or eye bolts fastened into the framing, or size the deck to the tent and run the guy lines past the edge to stakes in the ground. Decide before building, since it affects platform size and framing. Guy lines are what keep the tent stable in wind, so contact us if you're unsure how to anchor your specific tent.

How much does a tent platform cost?

A DIY platform typically costs roughly $500 to $3,000 in materials, depending on size, height, local lumber prices, and whether you use pressure-treated wood or composite. Hiring a contractor adds significantly to that. For a rental or a site that otherwise couldn't be used, a platform usually pays for itself within a season.

Do I need a permit to build a tent platform?

It depends on where you live. Canvas tents are usually treated as temporary structures that don't need building permits, but a permanent deck can fall under local rules, especially above a certain height or size. HOAs may have their own requirements. Check with your county or city planning department before you build.