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Flat Paper Tent

A triangular campsite picture with two folded entrance flaps. Follow the moving paper, read every illustrated step or print the one-page guide.

Preparation + 7 numbered steps

Materials

6-inch square · 6 × 6 inches

One 6-inch square (15.24 cm) of paper. Optional ruler, pencil or crayons. No scissors or glue during folding.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Flat Paper Tent: a triangular campsite picture with two folded entrance flaps
A triangular campsite picture with two folded entrance flaps

Follow along

Preparation

The interactive guide needs JavaScript. Read every illustrated step below.

Camera only; does not change the fold.
Help · controls & diagram

Play or drag the progress slider to watch a fold from 0% to 100%. Use the view buttons or drag the diagram to look from another angle.

Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves, not the literal colors of your paper. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange identifies the moving layers and hinge.

With the diagram focused: Space plays or pauses, ←/→ change steps, and Home resets.

Every step, at a glance

Compare your paper with each diagram after completing the action. Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves, not the literal colors of your paper. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange identifies the moving layers and hinge.

  1. 0. Prepare the square
  2. 1. Fold a wide rectangle
  3. 2. Find the middle
  4. 3. Reopen the rectangle
  5. 4. Fold the right roof slope
  6. 5. Fold the left roof slope
  7. 6. Open the right entrance flap
  8. 7. Open the left entrance flap
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldPrepare the square

    PREPARATION · Linked complete construction reference

    Prepare the square

    Set the square with level edges. Put the face you want outside the tent underneath.

    Layers: One uncut square.

    Check: The top and bottom edges are horizontal.

    Explore this step ↑
  2. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold a wide rectangle

    STEP 1 · Linked complete construction reference

    Fold a wide rectangle

    Bring the top edge down to the bottom edge and crease.

    Layers: Move the whole upper half.

    Check: The top edge is closed and the lower edge has two layers.

    Explore this step ↑
  3. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFind the middle

    STEP 2 · Linked complete construction reference

    Find the middle

    Bring the right side across to the left side and press the fold.

    Layers: Carry both layers together.

    Check: The rectangle is folded in half from side to side.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldReopen the rectangle

    STEP 3 · Linked complete construction reference

    Reopen the rectangle

    Open the last fold completely, leaving the first fold closed.

    Layers: Return the same doubled half.

    Check: A vertical crease marks the center of the wide rectangle.

    Explore this step ↑
  5. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the right roof slope

    STEP 4 · Linked complete construction reference

    Fold the right roof slope

    Bring the upper right corner down to the midpoint of the bottom edge. The hinge runs from the top center to the bottom right corner.

    Layers: Move both layers of the right corner together.

    Check: The folded top edge rests on the vertical center crease.

    Explore this step ↑
  6. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the left roof slope

    STEP 5 · Linked complete construction reference

    Fold the left roof slope

    Bring the upper left corner down to the same bottom midpoint. Match the right-hand fold.

    Layers: Move both layers of the left corner.

    Check: Two triangular door panels meet down the middle of the tent.

    Explore this step ↑
  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen the right entrance flap

    STEP 6 · Linked complete construction reference

    Open the right entrance flap

    On the right door panel, mark halfway down its vertical edge and halfway along its bottom edge. Fold the lower center corner outward across the line joining those marks.

    Layers: Move the complete doubled right door corner, not the backing triangle.

    Check: The corner points up and right, exposing part of the center.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen the left entrance flap

    STEP 7 · Linked complete construction reference

    Open the left entrance flap

    Repeat the halfway marks on the left door and fold its lower center corner outward. Press the tent flat. You may draw a camper or sleeping bag in the center.

    Layers: Move the complete doubled left door corner; leave the right door and backing still.

    Check: A complete flat tent picture has a pointed roof, straight base and open entrance. It is not a hollow or freestanding tent.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Scouting Magazine, Scouting Magazine: Flat Paper Tent (web tutorial).

Construction reference ↗

The linked publisher documents this construction; it does not identify its original designer. This guide does not claim traditional authorship or a license to reuse the reference photographs or prose. The instructions, diagrams and animation here are independently authored. No reference media is reproduced.

Adaptation: Follows the article’s first, one-person tent picture, not its separate waterbomb-base tent. The optional glued photograph is omitted: draw a camper in the exposed center if desired. Both entrance corners use authored halfway landmarks. The model is displayed flat; no freestanding tent or usable shelter is promised.

Original instructions and diagrams, made with AI assistance. About & reuse

Accuracy notes

Real-paper follow-along and paper weight have not been tested. Diagrams illustrate the sequence, not paper thickness, contact, collisions or exact layer visibility. Continuous rigid hinges preserve the original material coordinates, including hidden layers. Display openings and measured shaping landmarks are specified in the instructions. Zero-thickness teaching diagrams do not simulate paper thickness or certify physical foldability. Physical folding and stability have not been tested.