What to do when camping in the rain? There's nothing more soul sapping than being wet inside your tent while camping in rain, especially heavy rain!
Take it from someone who's experienced wet camping one too many times.
Most recently after struggling to fall asleep in a wet sleeping bag, I decided no more!
I've taken all my years of outdoor experience and that of my camping buddies, to compile 15 foolproof tips (that never fail) on how to stay dry while camping in the rain.
Let's get started.
(Please note: This article was written by a Bluetti employee and are not the opinions or advice of Bluetti Power Inc.)
#Tip1 Understanding The Weather
Before setting out on your outdoor adventure, it's important that you know what the weather will be doing for the duration of your camping trip.
This is pretty simple and I'm sure we have all done this before, it's called: watching the weather.
However, there is another weather prediction app I like to use that not only predicts the rain, but also accurately predicts the wind.
The app is called Windfinder.
Rain is one thing, but rain accompanied with strong wind is something entirely different.
Using Windfinder you'll want to avoid camping in any conditions that look like this.
Why?
Well, those are tropical cyclone conditions. Ok, maybe I've used a fairly extreme example, but a general rule of thumb is to try and avoid camping in wind speeds greater than 25 knots.
In these conditions, rain will be able to penetrate your tent from all angles and a basic rain tarp will offer you no use.
- Tip 1 - Avoid camping in rain with wind speeds that reach over 25 knots.
#Tip2 Waterproof Your Tent
No matter how "waterproof" your tent manufacturers claim it to be, leakages will always be possible in heavy rain.
To add some extra waterproofing abilities to your tent, I'd recommend using the seam sealer from Gear Aid - thousands of reviews cannot lie.
Take this review from Amazon for example: "Worked well for waterproofing some DIY additions I made to my camping tarp. Had a hard time finding something designed to work with polyurethane coating instead of silicone coating, saw this recommended on a camping website somewhere and it does indeed work well with the material."
- Tip 2 - Waterproof the seams of your tent with Gear Aids seam sealer.
#Tip3 Camp in a Protected Location
Trees are not only great for sleeping in hammocks, they also offer natural protection from the rain and wind.
Try pick a camping site that has some trees overhead or is at least surrounded by some bush.
Once in Spain, some of the team camped through hurricane conditions with wind speeds reaching over 80 miles an hour. Without the surrounding trees for protection, camping in rain with such strong winds would have devastated the tent!
(Please note: camping around trees in such strong wind can be dangerous, make sure you check for any dead trees surrounding your camp is a good camping in rain tip.)
- Tip 3 - Camp in a protected area
#Tip4 Choose The Right Tent
There's no doubt that a four seasons tent like the Geertop Backpacking Tent, is going to offer you protection from the rain.
If you know you'll be camping in the rain at some point, then it makes no sense investing in a basic summer tent. If you are caught out in some super rainy conditions with this type of tent, you'll be sorry, plain and simple.
Invest in a decent double layered four seasons tent and follow each one of these tips and you are good to go!
- Tip 4 - Invest in a double layered waterproof four seasons tent.
#Tip5 Protect Your Tent With a Rain Tarp
Rain tarps are an excellent way to further protect your tent while camping in rain.
Make sure you follow tip one and two before setting up your rain tarp though.
A high quality rain tarp like the one from Free Soldier is going to offer you excellent protection from all angles. Rain will have to penetrate the tarp (unlikely) before reaching your double layered waterproof tent.
I think it's safe to say you are going to be stone dry all night every night with this type of set up.
- Tip 5 - Protect your tent from the elements with a high quality rain tarp.
#Tip6 Pack Waterproof Clothing
Waterproof clothing is a must, especially the essential items such as shoes and jackets.
Your main aim should be to keep your base layers dry. That way before you enter your tent you can take off the wet "shell" clothing and be left warm and comfy in dry clothes.
By now you are well protected from the rain outside, but the last thing you want is to bring the rain with you.
A decent waterproof jacket will go a long way in rainy weather. With these I would not recommend skipping on quality. Some "waterproof" clothing do the exact opposite of they are supposed to do. If the jacket you want is made out of Gore-Tex, you are good to go!
- Tip 6 - Bring along some waterproof clothing (shoes and jackets).
#Tip7 Create a Rainproof Area for your Clothes and Food
Again this is where a rain tarp comes in handy so I recommend you bring along two on your camping trip.
It's important to have a dry area for your clothes. Anything that gets wet should not be crumpled up and thrown into the dark corner of your tent (unless you like the smell of mildew of course).
You rather want to hang your wet clothing on a clothes line under your tarp so they can dry.
As for your cooking area, I do not think I need to explain why it's probably best to have a rain shelter. Hint: rain and fire do not go well together.
- Tip 7 - Use a rain tarp to protect your cooking/clothes drying area.
#Tip8 Add an Extra Layer of Insulation
When the ground is wet and cold you are going to want to add an extra layer of protection.
I recommend simply using a closed cell foam pad to put underneath your sleeping pad. This extra layer of protection is going to insulate your from the cold ground.
If you've got the space you can also look into an elevated sleeping cot, this way you can avoid the cold ground all together.
Sleeping on cold ground is the quickest way to, well, not sleep. It may not feel that cold during the day, but trust me in the middle of the night your sense are amplified and sleeping on cold ground is not fun at all!
- Tip 8 - Use an extra layer of insulation under your sleeping pad.
#Tip9 Keep Your Firewood Dry
The easiest way to do this while camping in the rain, is to move your firewood underneath your car.
If you do not have a car with you, I'd recommend using one of your raincoats or tarps to cover your firewood.
This way once the rain has stopped, you'll have some bone-dry wood to make a crackling hot fire.
Starting a fire with wet wood is not impossible, but trust me, it is extremely annoyingand a complete morale sapper. When you are cold and wet, you don't want to fiddle around in smoke and burn your eyes, you want to get warm and dry.
Make sure you plan ahead and keep your wood dry!
- Tip 9 - Keep firewood dry underneath your car or under a rain jacket.
#Tip10 Start a Campfire in the Rain
Now that you have some dry wood from our previous tip, getting a fire started in light rain is actually not too hard.
Especially if you use a product called Instafire. This is an eco-friendly version of firelighters made from recycled wood, volcanic rock, and a new, patented blend of food-grade paraffin wax.
Once lit, Instafire burns for 25 minutes and will sustain winds up to 30 mph, burning up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add some of your dry wood on top of this and you'll have solid campfire, even in light rainy conditions.
- Tip 10 - Use Instafire to make campfires in the rain.
#Tip11 Use a Rug at your Tent Entry
This tip should not be overlooked. Something as simple as keeping a rug at your tents entrance will greatly increase your comfort level whilst camping in rain.
Remember when things get wet, things get muddy.
The last thing you want to camping while raining is to bring that mud inside of your tent. I have done this all to often, usually it is also on day one of the camping trip which means I am now stuck with a dirty tent all throughout the weekend. Not pleasant.
An entrance rug will allow you to wipe of your shoes before stepping inside of your tent.
- Tip 11 - Put a rug at the entrance of your tent.
#Tip12 Create a Covered Entrance to Your Tent
Another cool tip for when you camp in the rain, is to have a separate covered entrance infronmt of your tent.
This area is perfect to keep your wet shoes and any other smaller items you dont actually want inside your sleeping area.
Some tents come with this entrance built into their design.
If you don't have one of these tents you can use the Free Soldier rain tarp to recreate this.
- Tip 12 - Create a covered entrance to your tent.
#Tip13 Use Some Hand Warmers
Hand warmers are great to put inside your shoes or to simply just hold in your hands.
Keeping your hands warm is essential to complete many of the tasks required while camping. For example cooking or tying knots are close to impossible with freezing hands.
In fact, as an experiment, get a large bowl at home, fill it with ice and water. Insert your hands inside and keep them there for about 5 minutes. See how useful your hands are once you have removed them. Now I know this sounds extreme, but trust me, wind plus rain equals cold. Before you know it, your hands will be colder than if you submerged them in a bucket of ice.
Pop some hand warmers in your jacket pockets and whenever you feel the cold rainy weather getting to your hands, you know what to do!
- Tip 13 - Put some hand warmers in your pockets
#Tip14 Light up your Campsite
Something I love doing is lighting up my campsite, especially in the rain, I absolutely love the reflection effect!
One idea is to attach reflectors to the trees surrounding your tent, this way if you return to camp in the dark you'll know where you're at.
Once you are settled, I recommend lighting tea candles and putting them inside mason jars, you can thank me later!
Having a lit campsite also let's other people know where you are should they arrive during the night.
- Tip 14 - Light up your campsite.
#Tip15 Use Ziplock Bags for Electronics
For extra protection against the rain, I recommend zip locking all your important electronics.
The last thing you want while camping in rain is for your new DSLR camera to get wet and bust.
Besides protecting your electronics from rain, zip locking your electronics will also protect them from sand and other types of grit so common when it is raining.
Have you ever experienced keeping your phone in your bag only to remove it and find out that its covered with sand and grit?
Stay safe, zip lock them!
- Tip 15 - Ziplock important electronics.
Conclusion
If you follow these tips for camping in the rain, it can be extremely rejuvenating. In my opinion it's one of the best ways to reconnect with nature and forget about all the modern day stresses back at home.
You have one life, get outside your comfort zone and experience all that nature has to offer!
For those of you who have experience camping in heavy rain and wind, I'd love for you to share your memory with the rest of us in the comments section below :)
FAQ
1. Is it worth camping in the rain?
If you're not prepared for it, rain can absolutely ruin an otherwise amazing camping trip. Wet gear, water in your tent, fires that won't light and more will leave you with a cold desire to go home and never come back.
2. Is it OK to camp in a thunderstorm?
Yes, you can; a tent does not protect from lightning during a thunderstorm. Even if lightning strikes the ground nearby or another object or natural formation near your tent, such as a tree, you can still be injured or even killed by the electrical current as it moves across or through nearby surfaces.
3. Is it safe to camp while raining?
Camping in rain can be unpleasant, but it doesn't have to be dangerous or miserable if you have the right gear and the right know-how. In fact, if you go into your camping trip prepared for rain, you can even enjoy watching a thunderstorm roll through or listening to the sound of rain beating against your rain fly.
4. How do you cook while camping in rain?
Here are 7 Tips For Cooking in the Rain:
1. Portion your meals. Pack food in waterproof bags portioned out for each meal. ...
2. Use the right stove. ...
3. Bring a lighter. ...
4. Organize your cook set. ...
5. Pop an umbrella. ...
6. Set up a tarp. ...
7. Avoid cooking in your vestibule.
