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What To Do When Camping In The Rain

7 min read

Line the inside of your backpack, cover your backpack with a trash bag at night time, place your more valuable items in a plastic bag too. This is probably the single most important piece of clothing for camping in the rain. Something only water resistant just won’t cut it if the rain is really coming down. So make sure your jacket has a DWR coating and has a Gore-tex lining. It should have a full zip to easily slip on and off, and if possible, vented armpits to keep you from overheating. Thankfully, almost all outdoor gear is designed to get wet.

If it’s just on and off showers then wearing a pair of quick drying hiking pants may be enough to prevent you from getting soaked through. However, if the rain is there to stay you’ll need a pair of waterproof pants to put over the top of your hiking pants. Like your jacket, they should have a DWR coating and ideally have a Gore-tex lining. They will be most useful if they have zippers at the bottom to allow you to easily take them on and off over your shoes or boots. If you do have to pitch your tent on a designated tent pad area, try to choose a campsite that won’t stand in water.

So, when camping in the rain, if your clothes or shoes get wet, hang them in an area protected from the rain and allow them to dry. Hooded ponchos or rain coats are wet weather camping essentials. Regardless of what inspires you to head out on a camping trip, being prepared for all sorts of conditions will help you make the most of your time outdoors.

Secure Your Tent In The Rain

If you opt to dry clothes inside a tent make sure you have enough ventilation so you won’t have condensation problems due to the moisture evaporating. You need to have rain ponchos for you and the rest of your cohorts in case you need to get out of the rain. Wear them when you’re setting camp too, to keep you dry, keep your waterproof gear intact and prevent getting drenched. Keep several old worn out towels with you, that you can use to wipe the mud off your shoes every time someone has to use the restroom. Towels can also dry your hair and other camping gear also. Always carry a trash bag to cover your hiking pack at night, and one to store dry firewood.

You do not want to be fumbling around, wondering what goes where, when the roof of the world is leaking. For others, painting or writing goes well with pattering rain as a backdrop. And since the RV lifestyle tends to keep us moving instead of doing, taking advantage of a rain day to spend time on favorite activities is often a blessing in disguise. Cooking is a form of chemistry that is available to everyone. Try keeping a recipe book or two on hand and try out new dishes on a rainy day. This is a fun game to play anytime, rain or shine, for groups of two or more.

MSR PocketRocket) a couple feet from my tent and monitoring it from underneath the rain fly. The pot typically shelters the flame enough to keep it going. Fire starter that will work when wet in case your natural surroundings are too damp to forage for fire fodder. Outdoor Research Aspire Jacket are good choices to keep you dry.

Hammock Compatible Sleeping Bag

Well that’s why you should bring some sort of entertainment along with you in the event that a rainstorm does pass through. So it’s only necessary to be prepared for them in the first place. These are all valuable clothing items that you should not leave behind.

This is true of tent camping, as well as RV camping in the rain. DO set up camp on high ground … avoid low-lying areas. If you are tent camping, you’ll want to wipe accumulated moisture from inside your tent too. The shower area is our personal favorite … the wet clothes are out of the way and hanging over the drain so there is no mess to clean up afterwards.

What To Do Camping In The Rain?

Yes, this sounds obvious but you’d be surprised how many people go camping with a cheap $20 tent which provides no protection from the elements. Even if you want to keep your kids inside the tent while camping , you’ve still got to consider that it will be muddy after the rain. So, regardless of whether the kids are going out in the rain, they need complete rain gear. One reason is to you can make a clothesline to hang any items that need to be dried. Ideally, you run the clothesline under the tarp shelter you set up.

If you will be camping in the rain with kids or friends then consider the next tip. Wet weather isn’t a bad thing when being outdoors, you just need to cooperate with nature. When it comes to camping in the rain it makes you tougher and improves your ability to set up shelters quickly.

While you can never absolutely guarantee to stay dry, you can prepare for the rain and use common sense. You can examine your campsite and make thoughtful decisions. When your trip of camping in the rain is over, and you get back home, be sure to clean and fully dry your gear before packing it away. Most people don’t put hiking on the top of their list of camping in the rain activities. If you are RV camping in the rain, you can usually find a spot inside your vehicle to hang wet clothing to dry. Use waterproof bags or plastic containers to protect your gear from getting wet.

Bring A Lot Of Plastic Bags

No matter how bad our voice is, singing together will really make camp atmosphere become fun. Bring a guitar or an ukulele as an accompaniment to your song. Other times, we get out her notebook and markers and draw, practice writing/reading, or tear up pieces of paper to play Memory. Another time, I found a piece of wire someone had left at the campground and we shaped it into a bunny. One time, we just watched the silhouettes of giant slugs crawling over the outside of the tent. If you can’t find any dry tinder, use your knife to shave the wet bark off of sticks.

If you want dry clothes or electronics to stay dry, put them in something waterproof. A large, well-made dry bag is an instrumental piece of gear and can help you immensely when camping in the rain. You will be much happier for having brought one. However, there is, of course, a chance that the rain will be of biblical proportions, but this doesn’t mean your camping trip must necessarily be abysmal.

What Are Fun Things To Do While Camping With Friends?

These are the pricier and more sophisticated alternative to the regular plastic bags. As waterproof sacs, you can use them to store anything from laptops to wallets in order to keep them safely from moisture. The key advantage with dry bags is that you can reuse them endlessly, and they are a bit kinder on the environment compared to the normal plastic bags. They also generally feature straps, clips, and draw cords to secure your items perfectly. Just like a tarp can give you a little coverage to move around outside, so can an EZ-Up Pop-Up Canopy Tent. We have two of these and they have kept us dry on many rainy outings!

Because now you are going to be doing different activities. Most of the time when you go camping you think of sunny days. And all the activities to do when it is nice and sunny out.

Camping Breakfast Sandwiches

Bring some food that doesn’t have to be cooked. If the weather is really nasty, it may be difficult to cook. Some people recommend putting a tarp on the floor inside of your tent too, but we have never done this. You can tell or read short stories, scary stories, or poetry.

Of course that can be easier said than done but there are a few things you can do to prepare for rain. You can’t control the weather and as much as you’d like to, Mother Nature doesn’t care what kind of camping experience we want or plan for. When you figure out how to set it up lift the tarp andstart the tent setup process.

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