Camping Equipment for Wet Weather

If you go camping on a regular basis in the UK then having to deal with rain will likely be a common occurrence. If you do not prepare for wet weather then your camping trip can easily be ruined. However there are some simple tips that you can follow to ensure that your camping trip isn’t a complete washout.

Checking Your Tent

Firstly make sure your tent is completely waterproof, an older tent that hasn’t been used for a few years may need re-waterproofing or replacing and before your trip you should double check that there aren’t any holes in your tent and the ground sheet is still intact. A second ground sheet can help with this and offers double protection from wet ground. However If you’re travelling light you may not have the luxury of carrying extra gear. Also whilst in the tent try to remember to not let anything touch against the inside walls of the tent. Water can wick inside of the tent and it is quite common to find yourself with a wet sleeping bag or wet clothes if you’re not careful.

When pitching a tent in the rain, the priority is to plan effectively so that you can get the tent up quickly, so being familiar on how to erect your tent is therefore important. If you’re using a brand new tent, try to practice putting the tent up in your garden before your trip. If you live in a city you may need to resort to a park or field for this. When pitching a tent in the rain it is important to try to keep the inside of the tent as dry as possible, as it can be very difficult to dry the inside of your tent once it becomes wet.

You should also consider your pitch location. Try to pitch your tent on higher ground so that the place you pitched your tent doesn’t turn into a lake or river if it rains a lot. Hunt out the high ground and pick your pitch selectively.

One thing that regular campers soon realize is that in wet weather the entrance to your tent soon becomes a mud-bath with the constant getting in and out of the tent. Also, once this happens it’s very easy to bring mud into the tent which ends up covering all your equipment and clothing. Consider using a ground mat to act as a porch. This protects the ground around the entrance to your tent and also provides you with an area to take off muddy boots and leave wet equipment without bringing it into your tent.

Get the right clothing for the job

There is a Norwegian saying that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. All wet weather camping fanatics can vouch for this. Regardless of the weather forecast if you are out camping or hiking you should bring a full set of waterproofs, consisting of a waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers. You should also consider bringing a spare set of clothes that are kept in a waterproof bag that you can use just inside your tent. After a long day’s hiking you’ll appreciate being able to change into a dry set of clothes, however you may not appreciate changing into your wet clothing the next morning quite so much.

Enjoy your camping expedition

Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your camping trip, as long as you follow some basic tips on how to deal with wet weather and your camping equipment is up to the job then you can still have a lot of fun.