{"id":2704,"date":"2010-03-12T22:23:39","date_gmt":"2010-03-13T03:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moshannonfalls.com\/?p=2704"},"modified":"2011-05-26T15:55:43","modified_gmt":"2011-05-26T20:55:43","slug":"wet-weather-camping-tips-keeping-your-tent-dry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moshannonfalls.com\/wet-weather-camping-tips-keeping-your-tent-dry\/","title":{"rendered":"Wet Weather Camping Tips – Keeping Your Tent Dry"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"St

September 2009 Constant Rain on St Regis Pond<\/p><\/div>\n

Wet weather camping. I’m no stranger to wet and cold weather canoe camping, and although I’ve gotten better at it over the years I’ve never gotten used to it. You may not\u00a0intend to do it but\u00a0if you’re any kind of\u00a0tent camper you are going to eventually experience wet weather,\u00a0but there are a few things you should know to\u00a0keep your experience a dry and enjoyable.<\/p>\n

Tip – Get a good tent sealer from Amazon.com<\/a> or REI<\/a> and make it part of your routine camping gear maintenance.<\/p>\n

I took the photo from inside my tent while camping at St. Regis Pond. It rained steady from evening to morning and although it took some preparation my old tent kept me warm and dry.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You may have read\u00a0the\u00a0post on the REI Half Dome 2 HC Tent <\/a>I wrote a while back, and in that post I complained about my old tent design and how I wanted a new REI Half Dome.\u00a0Well as it worked out I\u00a0did purchase my new tent (not the Half Dome) but unfortunately I lent it out and then on a recent 2009 four day wilderness canoeing trip<\/a> I was stuck with the old tent that I dreaded so much. But it all worked out for the best as the old tent held up so well that I will not\u00a0part with and I’m sure it can be of service again.<\/p>\n

\"stI’ve been\u00a0exposed to\u00a0days of solid rain and snow\u00a0in my earlier days of canoeing but now I’m a little more selective of the weather conditions; however, I\u00a0will not let one or two\u00a0days of rain dissuade\u00a0me from a\u00a0good trip. Now an enjoyable trip all begins with selecting the right tent because the right tent will keep you drier with the right maintenance – yes there is such a thing as tent maintenance.<\/p>\n

The photo is of two days of heavy continuous rain at St. Regis Pond were I was very dry.<\/p>\n

Here are some suggestions to make your next wet weather camping\u00a0trip more enjoyable.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Before going on your trip make sure your tent is waterproof.\u00a0Erect the tent\u00a0in advance of your trip and inspect it for\u00a0rips, small tears, separated seams, damaged zippers and window vents. Also make sure you have\u00a0the intact rainfly if it’s required.\u00a0To check\u00a0for moisture inside spray it with\u00a0a garden hose\u00a0for\u00a0closer inspection and cleaning.<\/li>\n
  2. Once you’ve determined the tent is worthy apply a sealer.\u00a0 A spray sealer should be applied to the floor, the sides and the rainfly. Apply two coats. You can use McNett Tent Sure floor sealant\u00a0for worn floors.\u00a0Also be sure to focus on the seams because once they dry out they act to\u00a0wick\u00a0moisture inside the tent rather than keep moisture out. You can do this with a seam sealer applicator or a spray. This seems like a lot of work but you\u00a0only have to go to this extent once every two\u00a0or three years and it will keep your tent in good waterproof condition for years.<\/li>\n
  3. Avoid gullies, ditches and valleys\u00a0and erect your tent\u00a0on a higher ground\u00a0location to avoid\u00a0natural\u00a0flow from ground water and use a ground cloth or tarp underneath your tent to act as\u00a0a water barrier. Tuck the sides of the ground cloth to prevent water from flowing between the cloth and the tent.<\/li>\n
  4. Rainflys are good but a rain\u00a0cover\u00a0will provide enough coverage to actually divert water from the sides of the tent. A tarp is even a better idea during severe\u00a0wet weather because it provides even greater coverage.<\/li>\n
  5. Keep dry clothes\u00a0stored away from the\u00a0doorway and the sides of the tent so if\u00a0moisture or rain does seep\u00a0into the tent your clothes will\u00a0remain dry. Another idea\u00a0is to store dry clothes in waterproof bags and containers and store wet clothes separately in garbage bags. And don’t track mud into the tent. Create a\u00a0spot near the tent doorway\u00a0to remove and store wet and muddy shoes.<\/li>\n
  6. A wet sleeping bag will ruin a camping trip and no matter how hard you try even a small amount of moisture will collect inside your tent – even during dry weather. If possible keep the sleeping bag from touching\u00a0the sides of the tent and a\u00a0camping pad or mattress\u00a0will prevent moisture from seeping into your sleeping bag.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Following these simple tips will\u00a0help you stay dry even during an extremely wet camping trip.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Wet weather camping. I’m no stranger to wet and cold weather canoe camping, and although I’ve gotten better at it over the years I’ve never gotten used to it. You may not\u00a0intend to do it but\u00a0if you’re any kind of\u00a0tent … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moshannonfalls.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2704"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moshannonfalls.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moshannonfalls.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moshannonfalls.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moshannonfalls.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2704"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/moshannonfalls.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4198,"href":"https:\/\/moshannonfalls.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2704\/revisions\/4198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moshannonfalls.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moshannonfalls.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moshannonfalls.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}