When camping, there is a fair chance you will encounter rain at some point, and rather than letting this ruin your experience, there are camping in the rain hacks you can do to stay dry and make tent camping in the rain an enjoyable experience no matter how bad the weather.
Choosing the Right Camp Site
If there is any sign of rain on your camping trip, be sure to select a campsite that is away from a lake or a river and has a little elevation that runs down from your tent area.
Also, be sure not to pitch your tent directly under a tree. It might seem a good idea, but long after the rain has finished, there will be a continual stream of rain on the tent from the leaves and branches.
If there is a heavy storm, these could also fall right on your tent and do not even the best tent brands could prevent being damaged.
Light Up the Night
If you have erected a rain tarp or tree canopy, you need to make sure the area is well lit. A strip of LED’s is ideal for draping around branches and lighting up more significant areas.
For more straightforward solutions, you can place candles in mason jars. It should be noted to include flashlights and lanterns along with spare batteries on your camping essential list.
If you are out and it goes dark, fastening reflectors to the trees around your tents can make it easier to find where your area is located.
Build an Outdoor Living Room
After completing the daily fun and frolics, there is no reason for everyone to retire into their tents.
You can look at making a rain shelter with a tarp (here), laying a tarpaulin on the ground, and then constructing a rain shelter above one or two tarpaulins.
Once this is done, you can add a few of the best camping chairs, sort out the lighting as mentioned above, and then crack open a few drinks and snacks and get playing some fun games.
Wearing Layers
Wearing the right clothes and a good system of layers helps to regulate body temperature and eliminating moisture when you are active. This is important when you cool down and your body temp is likely to drop.
Polyester or wool-based mid-layers are ideal under waterproof jackets or ponchos. Cotton should be avoided because once it’s wet, it stays moist. (Read our Rain Pants for Hiking Guide)
Wearing Orange
Wearing bright colors is a good option depending on the area where you are camping. If you are in a hunting area,
this will pay dividends because you won’t be mistaken for some game that is being hunted.
Warming Your Clothes
To avoid wearing cold clothes, you can preheat them ready for the morning. Please put the following day’s clothes in a small, breathable bag and place it in the bottom of your sleeping bag. These will stay nice and warm close to your body overnight.
Using Hand Warmers
Poor circulation can make anyone feel uncomfortable when it’s wet outside. Pack some extra hand warmers, and then stuff some in your boots to make your feet nice and warm while you’re eating breakfast.
Eat Warm
If you’ve been out on a hike and everyone feels cold and miserable, it is time to break out some comfort food. Hot cocoa is ideal because it satisfies on many levels.
Stocking up on calories is also crucial in these times because we need these to maintain body temperature. Bust out the carbs and tuck into a campfire pizza or a Dutch oven pasta dish.
Insulation
Wet and cold ground is no fun to sleep on. To stop this, you should have an extra layer of insulation that can prevent moisture from rising, and it also helps to retain heat. When sleeping, you should be sure to keep your face out of your sleeping bag and exposed.
Breathing inside your sleeping bag will cause condensation, and everything inside will become damp. You can also purchase synthetic sleeping bags, which can keep you warm even if they become wet.
Hanging out The Washing
If your clothes are soaked, it’s tempting to throw them in the corner and then curl up in your sleeping bag.
Wet clothes should be hung to dry so they don’t smell like mildew in the morning. Be sure to pack a clothesline and hang it under your rain tarp for camping. (Read Popup Canopy Reviews)
Take a Changing Tent
If you are away for a few days, it can be feasible to take an extra tent, albeit smaller, and use it as a changing tent where all wet items are removed. This can save the family tent from becoming soggy from people changing.
This can also double as kids play tent during dry weather instead of toys being left on the floor by where everyone will sleep. You can even construct a dry area using rain tarps for camping, so all the sleeping tents remain dry.