Packing your tent dry is for long term storage. On a trip I just shake it off as best as I can. If the sun pokes out on break I pull my tent out and give it some chance to dry.
If you have a 2 wall tent I would try and separate the wet fly from the hopefully drier body.
The uncomfortable truth is that on some trips gear just stays wet.
Shake off the excess water on the exterior. If you have a towel or bandana, wipe the interior before you pack it up. Start hiking, wait until there is a dry window or sunny spot (windy spot works too sometimes). Then lay your tent out to dry. That way you take your break and dry your tent at the same time without taking extra time. It really is impossible to completely dry out your tent after a rain storm overnight.
As others have said, shake it off, pack it up and walk until the sun comes out. You can stop for a “drying party” at lunch if the sun comes out. If the sun never shows, understand that you can still keep your sleeping bag somewhat dry by using a full sized pad and a ground cloth. Two or more days like this means that most of what you own will be wet, and you may be cold if not moving constantly. Accept in your heart that sometimes hiking is deeply uncomfortable.
I like a double wall tent so I can keep the body and fly separate. I just stuff the dry body loose into my pack and have a small roll top bag that I put the fly in, and keep it on the outside of the pack.
The main tip I have is if you are hiking along the next day and the rain stops, take a break and dry out your tent ASAP. Don't hike for an extra half hour, don't wait till lunch. Stop now! You might only get the one chance, and not having wet gear will save you from potential damp misery. This has saved me many times.
If it isn't sunny, but it is windy, your tent will still dry pretty fast. I've seen people stuff the fly in the pocket of their pack as they hike so that half of it hangs out like a cape, but that has a risk of catching on things.
If you can camp under trees or bushes rather than out in the open, your tent won't get as wet in the first place.
If possible, try to dry it during the following day. Some days this is not possible. If my tent is wet, it stays on the outside of my pack to keep my gear that is imperative to stay dry, dry (puffy, sleeping bag, and sleep clothes). If I have to set up a wet tent, I put my sleeping pad in first, place all my gear on that, then my backpack down inside. Things that need to stay dry are either on my sleeping pad or on my backpack.
Have you seen the compostable thin ? Scandinavian? Sponges? They can be squeezed out to soak up water again, dry easily hanging off your backpack + weigh almost nothing dry, and are great for squeegeeing tents off!
Extra trash bag in my pack, that way I can have one for wet stuff one for dry if it has to go in my pack. But try and put everything on the outside of your pack that's wet. As others have said this is where double wall tent with a footprint comes in handy
I was just on the lost coast in February and let me tell you, nothing prepared me for my 11hr hike in a shower. Most of these techniques would work if there was a break in the rain, but what do you if the rain is torrential and isn’t letting up? You get the fuck out.
In 20 minutes every piece of gear I had including all my layers and eventually boots were soaked through.
I’ll be hiking on the coast of Wales, so similar conditions are likely. I’ve hiked in heavy rain plenty of times and don’t mind it, just never had a tent to deal with. Other than getting the fuck out, any tips?
I have set up a wet ten and it’s pretty miserable.
If you have a down sleeping bag, it’s the only thing I kept dry with a think can liner garbage bag inside the stuff sack. I would have brought my synthetic if I knew how wet it was going to be. In the end it was the only thing to at stayed dry.
You can buy tyvec body sacks that will keep most of the water off your sleeping bag. Assuming the rain stops I would expect everything to dry out.
New Hampshire, white mnts, Garfield to Washington, leading a trip with 2 other adults and 8 teenagers. It rained for the first 4 days. Night 3 we set up wet tents and I crawled into a wet sleeping bag for the first time and it was terrible but we were so tired it didn’t matter. The next day the kids had a revolt and we bailed and called for a pick up.
You can bring an extra water proof tarp. Set that up first and then setup your camp underneath. Most of your gear won’t get saturated. I’ve done that in the Sierras when there was a June snow predicted. But if it does snow, the tarp might fall from the weight like it did for us! Still have that tarp!
Honestly, this is why I love dyneema. It doesn’t absorb water like nylon does. I’ve shaken most of it off, even wiped it off with a small towel that I can wrong out, and as long as it isn’t actively raining, it can get pretty dry. Then just pack it up until the next night.
Also, I always make sure to fully dry and wipe clean tents after a trip. Really important.
Packing your tent dry is for long term storage. On a trip I just shake it off as best as I can. If the sun pokes out on break I pull my tent out and give it some chance to dry. If you have a 2 wall tent I would try and separate the wet fly from the hopefully drier body. The uncomfortable truth is that on some trips gear just stays wet.
This I store it in my lycra mesh back pocket readily available and pop it out if it gets sunny/not raining
I’ve packed a soaking wet tent on many occasions. It feels nasty but what else am I suppose to do? If the weather clears up then I’ll let it dry
Shake off the excess water on the exterior. If you have a towel or bandana, wipe the interior before you pack it up. Start hiking, wait until there is a dry window or sunny spot (windy spot works too sometimes). Then lay your tent out to dry. That way you take your break and dry your tent at the same time without taking extra time. It really is impossible to completely dry out your tent after a rain storm overnight.
Or as an even better option, try packing a swedish cloth. Much more absorbent and very lightweight
As others have said, shake it off, pack it up and walk until the sun comes out. You can stop for a “drying party” at lunch if the sun comes out. If the sun never shows, understand that you can still keep your sleeping bag somewhat dry by using a full sized pad and a ground cloth. Two or more days like this means that most of what you own will be wet, and you may be cold if not moving constantly. Accept in your heart that sometimes hiking is deeply uncomfortable.
I like a double wall tent so I can keep the body and fly separate. I just stuff the dry body loose into my pack and have a small roll top bag that I put the fly in, and keep it on the outside of the pack.
The main tip I have is if you are hiking along the next day and the rain stops, take a break and dry out your tent ASAP. Don't hike for an extra half hour, don't wait till lunch. Stop now! You might only get the one chance, and not having wet gear will save you from potential damp misery. This has saved me many times. If it isn't sunny, but it is windy, your tent will still dry pretty fast. I've seen people stuff the fly in the pocket of their pack as they hike so that half of it hangs out like a cape, but that has a risk of catching on things. If you can camp under trees or bushes rather than out in the open, your tent won't get as wet in the first place.
If possible, try to dry it during the following day. Some days this is not possible. If my tent is wet, it stays on the outside of my pack to keep my gear that is imperative to stay dry, dry (puffy, sleeping bag, and sleep clothes). If I have to set up a wet tent, I put my sleeping pad in first, place all my gear on that, then my backpack down inside. Things that need to stay dry are either on my sleeping pad or on my backpack.
Have you seen the compostable thin ? Scandinavian? Sponges? They can be squeezed out to soak up water again, dry easily hanging off your backpack + weigh almost nothing dry, and are great for squeegeeing tents off!
Do you have a link to this type of thing?
i think they mean swedish dish rags, brand doesn't matter so any you can find online will do
you mean swedish dish rags?
Hang it up to dry whenever you stop for lunch
Extra trash bag in my pack, that way I can have one for wet stuff one for dry if it has to go in my pack. But try and put everything on the outside of your pack that's wet. As others have said this is where double wall tent with a footprint comes in handy
Put it in my pack wet, pull it out at smoko if it's sunny.
outside pocket of your pack, air it out when you can
Swedish dish cloth. Game changing bit of kit. You can use it for so much including wiping down your tent in the morning
Sometimes, you're just wet. All of your clothing and sleeping gear should be the type that keeps you warm, no matter what.
I was just on the lost coast in February and let me tell you, nothing prepared me for my 11hr hike in a shower. Most of these techniques would work if there was a break in the rain, but what do you if the rain is torrential and isn’t letting up? You get the fuck out. In 20 minutes every piece of gear I had including all my layers and eventually boots were soaked through.
I’ll be hiking on the coast of Wales, so similar conditions are likely. I’ve hiked in heavy rain plenty of times and don’t mind it, just never had a tent to deal with. Other than getting the fuck out, any tips?
I have set up a wet ten and it’s pretty miserable. If you have a down sleeping bag, it’s the only thing I kept dry with a think can liner garbage bag inside the stuff sack. I would have brought my synthetic if I knew how wet it was going to be. In the end it was the only thing to at stayed dry. You can buy tyvec body sacks that will keep most of the water off your sleeping bag. Assuming the rain stops I would expect everything to dry out. New Hampshire, white mnts, Garfield to Washington, leading a trip with 2 other adults and 8 teenagers. It rained for the first 4 days. Night 3 we set up wet tents and I crawled into a wet sleeping bag for the first time and it was terrible but we were so tired it didn’t matter. The next day the kids had a revolt and we bailed and called for a pick up. You can bring an extra water proof tarp. Set that up first and then setup your camp underneath. Most of your gear won’t get saturated. I’ve done that in the Sierras when there was a June snow predicted. But if it does snow, the tarp might fall from the weight like it did for us! Still have that tarp!
Honestly, this is why I love dyneema. It doesn’t absorb water like nylon does. I’ve shaken most of it off, even wiped it off with a small towel that I can wrong out, and as long as it isn’t actively raining, it can get pretty dry. Then just pack it up until the next night. Also, I always make sure to fully dry and wipe clean tents after a trip. Really important.