Best tips for camping in the rain

Let’s face it – the UK weather means that if you like camping, you’re likely to find yourself camping in the rain at some point! Here’s our tips and tricks for surviving camping in the rain or camping in a windy storm. The best thing you can do when you’re faced with a camping trip in bad weather is to stay positive! Little kids don’t care about the rain and will have fun playing regardless! So make some memories and see below for our ideas for camping in the rain: don some wellies and waterproofs and splash in puddles with your kids! Memories can be made in any weather! That said, camping in the rain can be tricky so here’s our best ideas to make your life easier when camping in the rain so you still enjoy your trip and make the most of every weather.

How to stay dry when you’re camping in heavy rain 

How to prepare your tent for camping in the rain.

How to prepare for a bad weather camping trip, here’s our hacks for camping in the in the rain………… 

Firstly check a detailed weather report like BBC Met so you can see the best time to arrive to put up your tent. Ideally you want a dry spell, however short, to put your tent up. If this isn’t possible, bring a spare tarpaulin sheet or two as these are useful for covering or putting your equipment under when you’re setting up your tent in the rain. 

• Remember to check the temperature and bring extra blankets or foil picnic blankets for under your sleeping bag for extra warmth. 

• If you’re going to have any distance to travel with your things, ensure your bags are covered. We use this camping trolley and cover it in a tarp if we have to transport out gear to the campsite. Also ensure all your clothes are either packed in plastic bags or plastic boxes.

• Check your tent is ready to survive rainy weather. Prepare your tent with Fabsil and check all your seals are intact. You can reseal them with this stormsealer.

• Reseal your waterproofs if needed. We like spraying them in this waterproof sealant spray to give them an extra waterproof coating. 

• Pack all your clothes and equipment in zip lock and take spare plastic bags. 

• Pack food in plastic Tupperware. Don’t take food in cardboard packaging (cereals etc..) in case it gets wet. 

How to survive camping in the rain – rainy camping hacks

Here’s a few tips and tricks to help make camping in the rain easier! They’ve helped us on some muddy festival trips and camping holidays!

• Put Towels inside the tent door to step onto and strip wet things off onto, so when you’re inside you stay dry. 

• Use IKEA or Sainsburys one life bags to store wet clothes in. 

• Keep big, heavy things away from the sides of the tent and don’t touch the tent sides – this prevents the water coming through.

• If you do get water in your tent – use microfibre towels to mop it up – they dry quickly. 

• Use dry bags – dry bags are brilliant for storing your items that must stay dry such as phone, wallet, any electrical items etc…. 

• Tights and leggings are easier to wear, they dry quickly and you can just peel them off and add another pair if they get muddy!

How to pitch your tent in the rain

Here’s how to set up your tent in the rain:

• If it’s windy – park your car on the side of the wind to act as a wind barrier. 

• If you have trees nearby, you could tie a tarpaulin to them, at an angle and make an extra roof over your tent. However, do not camp under trees in windy or stormy weather. 

• Pitch your tent on a slightly raised slope if you can, to avoid the ground around you becoming waterlogged. 

• If it’s really heavy rain – keep clothes and anything that needs to stay dry in the car until the sun comes out! 

• Ensure you have something to dry your clothes on both in and outside the tent. We love this fold up clothes dryer for inside the tent and this handy clothesline for drying clothes outside the tent.

• Make sure you peg your groundsheet quickly. Again, cover it with a tarpaulin to keep it dry before you place your tent on it. A groundsheet is a must in wet weather to keep your tent from getting muddy and preventing moisture rising. The groundsheet underneath your tent should match the size of the tent floor – be careful not to use a larger ground sheet as this will retain rainwater.  Foldaway the ends of the groundsheet underneath the tent floor to secure them. Make sure you cannot see any of the groundsheet poking out from the tent – otherwise water will collect there. 

What to do if you’re camping in windy weather 

If you find yourself camping in windy weather – here’s our top tips for surviving your stormy camping trip!

• Clear your car seats out of your car just in case you do need to take shelter in there if it gets bad. If you have to open your tent, do not open it into the wind. If you have the option you should open an exit the opposite site of where the wind is blowing.  Use your car as a wind break, park it alongside to act as a buffer to the wind. 

• If you are camping in a storm – tie your tent to the car with your guy ropes to stop it blowing away. 

• Double peg everything – we highly recommend these storm tent pegs

• Don’t park near trees if you’re camping in the wind. 

• Use a footprint to keep the underside of your tent from getting muddy and prevents small stones etc… tearing the bottom of the tent. 

• Storm rope guys are good to use in addition to your tent guys.

• Also, set up your guys like this to be storm proof! 

How to minimise condensation in your tent

Once you’ve pitched your tent, you’ll have to minimise any condensation. To minimise droplets forming on the inside walls of your tent, make use of the vents if there are any. 

If you are camping in the rain, it’s likely there will be condensation so try these tips to minimise it.

• Try to ventilate the tent every now and then by unzipping the entrance but even with good ventilation features, condensation can still present a problem when it’s very damp. Use an absorbent microfibre towel to wipe the tent’s interior surface if this happens.

• If the problem is serious, try a dehumidifier. 

• As soon as you get a break in the rain, get wet gear outside to dry. Drying wet clothes etc…. will cause condensation. Check out these top tips for packing up a tent after camping.

Rainy Day Camping Checklist

Things to take camping when it’s raining:

What to do while camping in the rain

Don’t despair, camping in the rain can be fun! Here’s some of our favourite things to do while camping in the rain……..

Here are our favourite toys and games to take camping which will give you plenty of ideas for games that can be played in and outside the tent, even if it’s raining. 

Games to play in the tent when it’s raining

Games to play in the tent when it’s raining – you can still have fun in your tent in the rain! Try these rain activities for inside the tent!

• Play ‘Last Letter’. You have to say a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word said. For example, if the first player says ‘Glasses’ the next player will have to say a word starting with ‘S’. Once a player cannot find a word then the person will have to leave the game. The winner is the last person who remains in the game. Remember words cannot be repeated and players cannot take too long to answer.

• Play Balloon Keepy Uppy!

• Camping Alphabet Hunt Working together as a family, try to name one object in the campsite that starts with each letter of the alphabet, starting with a. For example, a for acorn, b for butterfly, c for campfire, etc.

For all of our hacks and best tips and tricks for Family Camping with Kids – you’ll need our ultimate list here.

How to pack a tent up in the rain

How to dry a tent 

Obviously, if you’re camping in the rain it’s tricky to pack up your tent when it’s wet. If you can, try to pack up your tent in a dry patch but if not – ensure you air your tent to dry when you get home as soon as you can. Here’s our top tips for packing up a tent in the rain.

Shake the tent before you roll it to get rid of excess water and wipe it down with a towel before you start packing it down. Better still, use a credit card (or plastic of similar size) to comb/shave the water drops off the tent.

Pack parts of the tent, separately if you can in bin bags so that the wet fabric doesn’t sit next to each other.

It is recommended that you store a rolled-up, wet tent for no more than 12-20 hours. After that, you will be looking at mold and mildew problems that are difficult to get rid of.

Pop silica sachets in the box or bag where to store your tent to keep it moisture free. 

Hopefully, you’ll be heading to a camping trip and your rain predictions will turn to sunshine soon enough! Remember often, weather forecasts can be wrong and our family has had lots of fun times and memories made camping in the rain! Hope these tips help you survive camping in bad weather!

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NB: Some of these products were gifted for review but all opinions are my own (or my kids!).