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Camping in the Rain

Sun, 01/24/2010 - 22:24 — Beata Antoszek

Beata's pictures 

Back in our tent camping days we visited a wonderful park of Awenda, right on the shores of Georgian Bay. The sun was shining and the forecast predicted a weekend of beach weather. Just what I like.

But while we were on the beach enjoying the swimming, stormy clouds appeared out of nowhere and it started to rain. All the sunbathers started to run to their cars with blankets, towels, sun umbrellas and inflatable toys, still in their swimsuits. You get the picture.

We managed to get to our car and our campsite before it started to pour. And pour it did-we could not even see where our tent was standing. So we waited the storm out in the car.

When the rain stopped this picture appeared: our campsite became a large pool of water with our tent standing right in the middle. Very funny-or NOT!.
 

I was just about ready to pack up that wet tent and go home. But as we waded through the water and unzipped the tent... there was not even a drop of water inside. So we decided to stay after all.  And though it rained on and off for 2 days, the third day was our true reward, as we could finally dry up our equipment and head to the beach.

This was our first encounter with rain in our brand-new tent, but not the only one. As we survived and enjoyed many more rainy days we also watched many of our miserable, flooded campground neighbours packing up in a panic and leaving.

So my opinion is that you can still enjoy some rainy weather as long as you are prepared:

Family tent 

  • You MUST have a good waterproof family camping tent with a large rain fly that protects all ventilation openings and most seams.

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  • Bring extra clothing and shoes-there is nothing worse than shivering in your wet clothes and boots. Drink tea or eat something warm, like soup, to warm you up on the inside.

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  • Always set-up your tent on a higher ground and not in a ditch, if possible. Scan your campsite to find the highest point before pitching the tent.

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  • Use a tarp to put between your tent and the ground, but remember that the edges of the tarp (or the tent’s footprint) should fit under the tent’s floor.

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  • Use tarp as an extra roof, hang it ,on an angle, over your tent and picnic table for extra protection.

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  • The best thing to have is a good screen house , where you can still sit, eat, drink and be merry with your friends and family while it is raining. Believe me- screen house becomes the hub of activity on the rainy days. It can become the best investment you have ever made. It will keep the bugs out (and bugs love rainy weather!) and rain out, too, unless it is really pouring on an angle! Our screen-house helped us survive many rainy days and still have fun!

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  • Keep your tent ventilated, no matter how wet or cold it is outside, or the moisture inside will start to build up.

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  • Keep things inside the tent away from the walls or the moisture will slowly permiate through the walls.

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  • Never cook inside the tent, no matter what the weather. It is too dangerous! But you can have a battery operated lantern to read and play board games in the tent. I highly recommend Coleman LED Quad Lantern, which can be split into 4 separate lanterns: one for each member of the family!

  • Avoid cotton or down-it does not dry easily and will keep you wet and cold for a long time.

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  • Keep wet boots outside, in a vestibule.

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  • Try to still enjoy your stay. If it is not pouring, you can still try to have a campfire. You can go hiking, too.

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  • Above all be reasonable: check the weather forecast before you go camping and avoid getting in the open in a lightning storm.

    It is important to dry your gear before packing up and heading back home. If it is not possible, then just put your tent loosely in the car and dry it in your backyard (or a public park, if you live in an apartment) before putting it back into its original sack.



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