Pitching a tent in the rain is difficult, particularly if you don’t have prior experience. Aside from the inconvenience during the process, setting up your tent in this kind of weather condition could compromise ventilation.
But, it doesn’t mean that you can’t pitch your tent in the rain. There are some tricks that can make your life easier.
For many campers, rain is an inconvenience. It will not just ruin their camping experience, but also it will be much harder for them to pitch their tent. Fortunately, you can follow some simple steps to set up your tent.
The steps to set up a tent in the rain aren’t different from doing so in dry weather conditions. You must follow these tips to get it right properly and keep things more comfortable.
Steps to Pitch a Tent in the Rain
1. Shelter Your Work Area Using a Tarp
If you brought a tarp, you can set it up above your tent. It’s easy to do this if your campsite is near some kind of rock formation or among the trees.
Things are much harder if you don’t have distinct support sources for your tarp. This is why you must choose the right location for your camping site. The main purpose of setting up a tarp is to make a roof that will provide a temporary reprieve while working under the rain.
2. Be Smart When Organizing Your Pack
If your camping area does not favor tarps, you may still pitch your tent in the rain effectively. But, it will require added skills and the task is impossible. The goal is ensuring that your tent’s inside should stay dry.
Once you have prepared for the poor weather conditions in advance, your tent must be packed at the top where you may retrieve it first without exposing your other gear to the rain.
Things become more manageable if your tent is separated from your bag. You just have to follow the instructions of the manufacturer. Even with the rain, the process of pitching your tent remains unchanged.
That is true for flysheet-first tents, double-skin tents, and single-skin tents. The interiors of these tents will stay dry as you set them up.
3. Deal with Your Wet Clothes Properly
If your waterproof gear gets wet, you may leave it at your tent’s entrance. You must also undress at the entrance, taking every wet garment off before you rush inside.
Doing this in your tent’s porch is uncomfortable. However, you should work swiftly and quickly. If you have remembered to set up your groundsheet, it’s where you’ll sit while you take off your shoes.
While doing this, you must keep your feet out. Others would sit on the groundsheet with their wet clothes as they undress, but it’s highly discouraging.
4. Once Your Tent is Set, Avoid Condensation
You would not be faulted for getting comfortable and warm at this point. But, never forget to count the condensation. The condensation on the cold surfaces presents your next challenge once you’re done taking care of the rain.
However, the best solution for this is ventilation. Look for flysheet doors and vents that you may open without exposing your tent’s interior to the water.
Other than that, keep your dry things as well as your sleeping bag away from your tent walls. Ventilation does not always help and you do not like to wake up the next day finding that piece of clothing you have brought is already damped.
Ways to Choose the Location to Pitch Your Tent in the Rain
When setting up your tent in poor weather, it’s very important to find the right location.
When searching for the perfect camping spot, you must remember these factors below:
- Ensure that your campsite seats on well-drained soil. You do not want to spend your next few days or hours of your camping trip stomping through mad.
- Avoid the sites near the water bodies like lakes and rivers. These might overflow and can result to a bad situation. Others lack the experience to determine the locations that are susceptible to flooding. For this reason, if you could stray far from the water bodies and found an elevated land, you’ll be fine.
- The location must be elevated. The best waterproof tent will not help you if your spot floods. The majority of people understand the significance of avoiding the valleys, bottom of the hills, and any places where the water tends to collect after raining.
Types of Camping Tents to Use in the Rain
A great way to sleep through a downpour outdoors is by investing in waterproof tents. Those who don’t have camping experience might assume that all tents are made to give them protection against the rain. But, that’s not a fact.
Buying the wrong tent will just soak through as quickly as any type of fabric. Some would even flood if they don’t have a proper waterproof rating.
It’s true that most tents that you’ll find in the market boast a tub style that makes a watertight structure once they’re erected. However, even such could crumble under the weight of a powerful storm.
If the objective is to stay dry no matter what the downpour’s strength, you have to invest in double-wall tents. Such products have an extra protection layer that would stand up to prolonged showers and can combat condensation.
Other camping experts encourage new campers to choose the tents with vestibules. The reason behind it is that they’re less likely to track water and mud inside. The interior remains dry and clean. Moreover, you’re provided with a safe location that’s protected from the rain to store your wet belongings.
The Bottom Line
Setting up your tent in the rain can be hard, even if there are some tricks to make everything simple. Once your tent is pitched, the only thing you should do is to lay down and relax.
Rain might be an inconvenience for some, but the relaxing sound of rainfall will surely give you the relaxation and peace of mind you need while camping.
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