View Full Version : Pitching a tent in a storm
In the inevitability that you would have to pitch your tent in a downpour, is there a technique involved to keep the inside as dry as possible, or do you just put it up as fast as possible and hope for the best?
warraghiyagey
12-27-2007, 13:29
Storms excite me too.
Footslogger
12-27-2007, 13:32
is there a technique involved to keep the inside as dry as possible, or do you just put it up as fast as possible and hope for the best?
=================================
Probably the latter ...but one thing I try to do when setting up in rain/stormy weather is to lay the tent out flat on the ground (or your ground cloth) with the top facing upward, stake out the 4/5 or however many tieout points you have and then hoist the tent body.
'Slogger
Quagmire
12-27-2007, 13:32
i have heard..and this is only hearsay..that you should put up your rain fly and then assemble the tent inside of that to decrease the amount of wetness of your home and gear. Its all just a theory until i leave in a month.
I do fly-first... then put the tent body under the fly and clip on from there. Please practice this at home before trying under real circumstances. (learn from my mistake)
The technique really depends on the tent/tarp/shelter/whatever. Something you should think about before you buy it really. I like something that I can setup and takedown really really wicked fast, even when tired, sleepy, cold, whatever. Bivy bag for me.
Just a Hiker
12-27-2007, 13:44
There are too many shelters and lean-to's and road crossings (with towns) for this to be a real worry. In other words, you have choices on the AT. You can sit out a storm in a lean-to or even stay there. Or, if you are determined to stay in your tent, you can camp near a lean-to and use the lean-to keep your gear dry while you erect your tent. Have a good hike.
Just Jim
Yeah, I should have said bivy bag and poncho/tarp for me.
A small poncho/tarp, or any simple tarp, is really handy for quick shelter.
Storms excite me too.
Ha. Should have seen that coming.
The technique really depends on the tent/tarp/shelter/whatever. Something you should think about before you buy it really. I like something that I can setup and takedown really really wicked fast, even when tired, sleepy, cold, whatever. Bivy bag for me.
Eureka Apex 2. Pretty simple to erect (hehehe), the only thing that worries me is that there is a whole bunch of mesh on the top, and the floor wraps up around the side which looks like it would hold a bunch of water.
take-a-knee
12-27-2007, 14:22
If you have an older tent with pole sleeves, like my NF Tadpole, you can roll the tent up with the fly on the top of the tent so when you roll it out, the fly is up. Insert the poles from the side, stake and secure the fly. You'll get a bit of water in, but hopefully not too much.
Or, you can do what I've done, buy a really nice, big Macat tarp and string it between two trees, THEN hang your hammock underneath you nice, big tarp.
walkinfool
12-27-2007, 15:22
From the Great trail tricks / Words of Wisdom article on WB:
If you're freestanding tent has a mesh roof practice setting it up upside down so that when you have to set up in a rain storm you will keep the inside dry.
Stix
I haven't tried this personally, but I was thinking about it. I have a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 and the entire upper part of the tent is mesh...figure this will be worth a try, but I'm not sure it will be doable with my tent.
If you can learn to pitch your fly first on the BA, you can then put the tent under the fly and put on the clips from underneath, keeping the tent body relatively dry.
I had to practice this several times before "getting it" with my SD Lightning.
mweinstone
12-27-2007, 15:43
good question. starting with you standing in raingear over your pack covered pack. keep body bent over bag while getting out what you need to pitch. lay pack down cover up and pitch tent. put gear in tent and get in. dry off and get in bag and use as dryer. in an hour or three you can dry most of your gear in the bag. and if the bag is in need of drytime , go to bed as early as 2 or 3 pm if you have to so that by nightfall you are all dry and snuggely.
Last year, I used a Gatewood Cape (http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=45)on the CDT. Besides being light, part of the allure for me was its quick setup.
I switched to a Wild Oasis (http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=48). It is a wonderful, light and easy/quick to setup shelter.
A quick to setup shelter means I am out of the rain quickly.
As others said PRACTICE setting up your shelter before you need to do it quickly!
ChinMusic
12-27-2007, 15:46
Wouldn't the pages get wet?
sorry - it had to be said.....
mweinstone
12-27-2007, 16:00
im waterproof. i have never gotten wet under my skin. except when i drink.
Or, you can do what I've done, buy a really nice, big Macat tarp and string it between two trees, THEN hang your hammock underneath you nice, big tarp.
I just got a Speer Winter Tarp - about the same size as a big MacCat at 10'x11'
This is definitely the way to go, set up between trees while all your stuff is protected in your pack, then you're in a room the size of a small bedroom! Dry and roomy, set up your hammock or put out a groundsheet, and enjoy the weather. No more contortions in a tent for me!
turtle fast
12-27-2007, 18:20
Here is where a freestanding tent pays off. Yes I have done the crawl underneeth and affix the poles upside down...then attach the fly...then flip over again...etc, etc, etc. i found it too slow and troublesome. Now, I make sure my rainfly is on top first quickly and then slide my poles under and attach my main centerpoint then raise the tent....the center holds the tent in place if its not blowing too hard. The main thing being is to know your tent, practice with it and develop a method.
Two Speed
12-27-2007, 18:58
I carry my SMD Lunar externally on my pack for this very reason; this way when I can pitch and strike my shelter without exposing any of my other gear to the rain, sleet or snow. The shelter's the first thing to get set up when making camp and the last thing to go on the pack as I'm striking camp. My pack cover stays on the pack while I attend to setting up or as I get ready to leave camp in inclement weather.
I'm pretty sure the Henry Shire's Tarptents would work out pretty well, and I know a there's quite a few hammockers that have got their rig worked out so they can come into and leave camp without exposing their gear to the elements. Tarps should work out well, too, but I'm just beginning to fool around with that option, so I don't really know for sure.
One of the better aspects of the Lunar is the large vestibule. I've figured out how to enter my shelter, stripping rain gear and foot wear as I go and never bring anything wet into the shelter itself. All the wet gear, pack cover, rain gear and footwear stays in the vestibule.
Just in case you can't tell I'm a fan of large vestibules.
Double wall tents can be worked in the same way, but will require a few more steps and just didn't work out as well for me; always seemed to wind up with quite a bit of water in the tent when I got in.
As Mags and Cuffs mentioned this is something you really want to get figured out before you go hiking. Trying to sort this out when you're wet, tired, hungry and cold ain't a formula for success.
superman
12-27-2007, 19:32
I carried a Northface Slickrock free standing tent on the AT. I left the fly clipped to the tent. I leaned over my pack thus proctecting the contents of my pack as I raised the garbage bag pack cover. Then I pull out the tent with the fly already attached to it, inserted the poles into each corner. I used three stakes to hold the fly out from the tent. It was rick, ticky, quicky. Winter got in first, then my pack and then me. I positioned my thermarest. Winter layed down on the edge of it. I layed the down, rectangular sleeping bag opened over the two of us. Warm, comfy steam doggy heat. If it was raining in the morning everything was done in the reverse order. In 2000 there were many days and nights of rain. I kept the wet tent in a garbage bag so it didn't get my other stuff wet.
I'm going home now to set up and take down my tent a few dozen times. I kinda hope it rains.
i have heard..and this is only hearsay..that you should put up your rain fly and then assemble the tent inside of that to decrease the amount of wetness of your home and gear. Its all just a theory until i leave in a month.
I've had to do that on a few occasions. I hit on the idea when hiking with my family a few years ago to set up a large dining fly (10X12), set up the tent under it, and then move the tent out into the rain. It's not practical unless you're in a party of three or more imo.
Now that I hammock, I set up the fly between trees first, then hang the hammock underneath, finally unpacking my sleeping gear and putting it into my hammock for the night. Pack usually gets strapped to a tree upside down to keep water out in the rain, clothing bags get tied to hammock support rope, and food bag gets hung from a tree. (No charge for extra info. ;) ):rolleyes:
scout005
12-27-2007, 22:47
I have a silnylon poncho. just open all the snaps like a tarp. I keep it and a few bungees available in the outer part of my pack. Getting into camp in the rain I rig the poncho/tarp from some trees and set the free standing tent up under the tarp. Then I pick the tent up and move it wherever looks good. The poncho/tarp also works well when I stop for breaks during the day. I bungee it low to some trees and sit under it. keeps some of the wind and rain off. Not perfect, but it lets me get to my stuff without getting everything soaked..
Blissful
12-27-2007, 22:53
We had to do this on our hike - at Libery Springs tentsite in the Whites with high winds and pouring rain. And I was standng there in shorts and t-shirt.
We got that tent up as quick as possible is all I can say. Honestly, nothing works like actually having to do it! I don't think I even remember how we did. We just did.
Two Speed
12-27-2007, 23:05
We had to do this on our hike - at Libery Springs tentsite in the Whites with high winds and pouring rain. And I was standng there in shorts and t-shirt.
We got that tent up as quick as possible is all I can say. Honestly, nothing works like actually having to do it! I don't think I even remember how we did. We just did.Neccesity is the mother of invention and all that, but I'm still gonna argue it's best to meet that particular mother in the backyard.
Tipi Walter
12-27-2007, 23:07
We had to do this on our hike - at Libery Springs tentsite in the Whites with high winds and pouring rain. And I was standng there in shorts and t-shirt.
We got that tent up as quick as possible is all I can say. Honestly, nothing works like actually having to do it! I don't think I even remember how we did. We just did.
This about comes as close to my experience as any. I think of it like a rodeo, throw the thing on the ground and get it tied up properly, then stand and get your time, hopefully your fastest time. The main thing is speed.
On the other hand, if it's a real deluge, a gully washer, and I'm out in it walking, I might stop and pull out the tent fly and huddle under it for awhile, or I'll set up at the first flat place I find, all depending on conditions. If it's really bad and I don't have hypothermia, I'll depack and wait out the worst of it in my raingear. At the first small sign of less rain I'll whip out the poles and stakes(I'm in raingear and the pack is still covered)and lay out the full length poles. Last thing out is the tent and the fun begins. I always keep my poles separate from the tent, etc.
ofthearth
12-28-2007, 12:16
In the inevitability that you would have to pitch your tent in a downpour, is there a technique involved to keep the inside as dry as possible, or do you just put it up as fast as possible and hope for the best?
I was wondering the same thing and have managed to get my fly up and then hook up the tent under that. MSR one man free standing Bubba I think it is. The pack goes up under the vestibule while I'm clipping the tent up under the fly. Has worked well on the deck so far in no rain ;) Have not tried it in the field yet as I was sure I would get some weird looks and a lot of advise. Will let you know if it works in real life ie rain cold wind!
john gault
12-28-2007, 12:26
If a storm is severe enough with strong winds I don't think anyone will be able to set up a tent. Just keep walking or you could crawl into the tent, without setting up, and wrap the fly around you.
Tipi Walter
12-28-2007, 12:42
If a storm is severe enough with strong winds I don't think anyone will be able to set up a tent. Just keep walking or you could crawl into the tent, without setting up, and wrap the fly around you.
Not exactly true. With a few stakes holding the tent down and using several large rocks to keep things organized, a tent can be set up and taken down in a severe wind.
Kerosene
12-28-2007, 14:01
I carry my SMD Lunar externally on my pack for this very reasonDitto for me. Here's a link to the Lunar Solo (http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/Shopexd.asp?id=36).
Bootstrap
12-28-2007, 18:50
Slow down. Take enough time to find an adequate site with drainage and wind protection.
With a tent, if you have it packed with the tent on top of the footprint and the rain fly on top of the tent, you make sure the back of the tent is facing into the wind, put in the corner stakes, and set the rest up with everything protected under the rain fly. If you have a vestibule, bring your stuff into the vestibule and not immediately into the tent, where it would get things wet. I've done this successfully on several backpacking trips without any problem using my REI Half Dome II, which is way too heavy, but otherwise a nice tent.
I'm now playing with lighter options. With a tarp, I've only done this in moderate rain in my back yard, but a flying-a or a trapezoid lets you throw a line over a tree branch, attach the lee corner or center of an edge to that line, and back *into the wind* to set the windward corner or edge with a stake, then stretch out the rest. If there's much of a blow, stake down every loop along the outside. You can fine tune it later, and you can even move the stakes around from the *inside* of the tarp if you don't want to go out again just yet. My tarp seems to stretch a bit in the rain and needs a little adjustment.
In a downpour, I like having lots of room, and the tarp is especially nice for this. And it does keep me nicely dry.
Jonathan
Programbo
12-28-2007, 19:09
The best tents to set up quickly are the free-standing ones that just have 2 poles going corner to corner and maybe sleeves for the poles..Both poles are the same and there is no front/back/top/bottom..Just shove either pole in either sleeve going either direction and you are correct...Aluminum poles are better as they don`t have connectors to catch on the sleeves like fiberglass ones (Not to mention the weight)...No stakes to drive or lines to run...Plus with a free standing tent you can put it together under the most sheltering trees and then once it`s erected with the fly in place you can carry it to where you want it to actually sit
Tipi Walter
12-28-2007, 23:51
The best tents to set up quickly are the free-standing ones that just have 2 poles going corner to corner and maybe sleeves for the poles..Both poles are the same and there is no front/back/top/bottom..Just shove either pole in either sleeve going either direction and you are correct...Aluminum poles are better as they don`t have connectors to catch on the sleeves like fiberglass ones (Not to mention the weight)...No stakes to drive or lines to run...Plus with a free standing tent you can put it together under the most sheltering trees and then once it`s erected with the fly in place you can carry it to where you want it to actually sit
These kind of tents are called wedges or two pole dome wedges. They are the most popular style of tent nowadays and are found on the Biblers, Mt Hardwear, North Face and dozens of others. As you said, they are easy to set up with either sleeves or clips, but many of them are strictly 3 season with a lot of screen mesh. Many of these wedges do require at least 2 stakes to guy out the fly vestibule, the only ones I've seen that don't are some Coleman/Eureka models with the high fly attached to the four corners leaving the doors exposed, etc.
In a high wind these wedges can be flattened since they lack beefy guyline points and lack the third pole of a true dome. Even the Bibler wedges have been known to break poles and rip tent fabric as the two pole wedge is subject to sway without substantial guylines.
There are very few tents that are free-standing, most require some pegs to pull out a small vestibule. The Biblers/Integral Designs are exceptions, but of course they do not have vestibules.
I have tried the upsidedown set in the yard a couple of times, and have found it to be clumsy. I also worried about dinging the fly.
Waiting for a break in the rain and going like heck seem to work the best for me.
superman
12-29-2007, 08:57
The worst conditions we've encountered was on the long, back and forth down hill before the Pink Motel on the PCT. We didn't realize how long it was going to take to get down off the mountain. We got part way down and decided to pitch our Slick Rock tent on a shelf of sand. There was no wind as we set up. As it was getting dark we could see some clouds coming towards us...nothing scary about that. We went to sleep for a short time when the wind hit the tent like a freight train. The tent pegs had only been stuck into sand. The tent kept trying to lift up with us in it. Pat and Winter stayed in the tent to hold it down as I got out to pile rocks on the tent pegs. During the night I had to keep piling more rocks on the pegs to hold the tent down. Even though the tent was faced in the right direction it was like being sand blasted all night. The micro mesh wasn't keeping much out. None of us slept that night. It felt like it wouldn't have taken much more to push us off that shelf. The next day when we got down off the mountain we found that we were at the beginning of windmill country. Lots of windmills and lots of wind that seldom stops. Had the wind started before we got the tent up there is no way we could have put the tent up in that wind.
I carry a small (5x8) silnylon tarp that my dog used to stay under in camp (she's upgraded to a doghouse-size "tent").
Sometimes you can just wait out the rain--especially a summer thunderstorm. If it's really pouring, with little hope of letting up within an hour or so, I try to set that tarp up, then assemble the tent under it (it almost fits). If solo, that means finding a place to tie off to some trees at about six feet high. If one or more other pairs of hands are available, then other options present themselves.
The tent is freestanding, so once it's set up with the fly semi-attached it's not a big deal to move it to a better site and stake it.
Taking the tent down in the AM under a downpour presents a bigger hassle than setting it up IMHO. Stuff your pack inside the tent, take everything out of it once that's done and your pack cover is on. Disassemble the tent as fast as you can, and try to keep the tent body as dry as you can by keeping something (the fly, or a tarp like described above) over it as much as you can.
We pack our fly and groundcloth in one small waterproof stuffsack, and the main tent body in another. Strapping your tent to the outside of your pack, instead of inside it, also eliminates a lot of hassle when setting it up in the rain. The tent poles go in a narrow sleeve in the pack's side pocket. This all keeps the main living quarters a lot drier for that evening's usage; you don't have to expose your pack's contents to rain if the tent is on the outside.
Tipi Walter
12-29-2007, 10:08
The worst conditions we've encountered was on the long, back and forth down hill before the Pink Motel on the PCT. We didn't realize how long it was going to take to get down off the mountain. We got part way down and decided to pitch our Slick Rock tent on a shelf of sand. There was no wind as we set up. As it was getting dark we could see some clouds coming towards us...nothing scary about that. We went to sleep for a short time when the wind hit the tent like a freight train. The tent pegs had only been stuck into sand. The tent kept trying to lift up with us in it. Pat and Winter stayed in the tent to hold it down as I got out to pile rocks on the tent pegs. During the night I had to keep piling more rocks on the pegs to hold the tent down. Even though the tent was faced in the right direction it was like being sand blasted all night. The micro mesh wasn't keeping much out. None of us slept that night. It felt like it wouldn't have taken much more to push us off that shelf. The next day when we got down off the mountain we found that we were at the beginning of windmill country. Lots of windmills and lots of wind that seldom stops. Had the wind started before we got the tent up there is no way we could have put the tent up in that wind.
This is a good story of tenting it in the wind. I've had several wind epics myself, sitting out frightful nights in a series of tents guyed out with every last stake I brought, 14, 16 and up. I had a mini-blowout at 5300 feet in a Hilleberg Nammatj where I had to put rocks over 6 pegs just to keep them in the ground but the wind still bent a pole and made me slap-happy. The next morning(the night's always the worst), found the tent still standing and the wind still blowing but I was ready to move(see fotog).
Had another epic on Bob Bald in a Mt Hardwear Muir Trail tent when a godawful sound came in and grabbed the tent with me in it and pulled us left, right, up, down, in and out all at once. Still think it was a mini-tornado microburst.
Was in a North Face dome at Marys Rock in Shenandoah in March when a terrible wind blew down a tree onto the tent and broke a pole and ripped the fly. Sometimes I hate the wind . . .
At the tipi I experienced hundreds of windy days in sphincter-pinching winds, mostly in winter and mostly at night. Of course, my lodge was built stout with 40 poles and 20 of those locust, so it didn't move but some of those wind gusts topped out at 75 mph and up. Final fotog shows the lodge after one of those windstorms.
superman
12-29-2007, 10:41
This is a good story of tenting it in the wind. I've had several wind epics myself, sitting out frightful nights in a series of tents guyed out with every last stake I brought, 14, 16 and up. I had a mini-blowout at 5300 feet in a Hilleberg Nammatj where I had to put rocks over 6 pegs just to keep them in the ground but the wind still bent a pole and made me slap-happy. The next morning(the night's always the worst), found the tent still standing and the wind still blowing but I was ready to move(see fotog).
Had another epic on Bob Bald in a Mt Hardwear Muir Trail tent when a godawful sound came in and grabbed the tent with me in it and pulled us left, right, up, down, in and out all at once. Still think it was a mini-tornado microburst.
Was in a North Face dome at Marys Rock in Shenandoah in March when a terrible wind blew down a tree onto the tent and broke a pole and ripped the fly. Sometimes I hate the wind . . .
At the tipi I experienced hundreds of windy days in sphincter-pinching winds, mostly in winter and mostly at night. Of course, my lodge was built stout with 40 poles and 20 of those locust, so it didn't move but some of those wind gusts topped out at 75 mph and up. Final fotog shows the lodge after one of those windstorms.
You are clearly a man of tenacity and resourcefulness. I see a familiar patch on you pocket in your gallery.
AT-HITMAN2005
12-29-2007, 11:08
couple things i did:
1. set it up as fast as you can then use a pack towel to soak up any moisture inside.
2. hike with a hammocker and set your tent up under their hammock then move it.
3. now that i sit here thinking about it, you could try rigging up your tent fly as a tarp between some trees set up your tent then drop the fly down on it.
Waiting for a break in the rain and going like heck seem to work the best for me.
You've gotten lots of good advice, but this is one of the best. Oftentimes in the outdoors it's best not to "force it." If I'm near the end of the day and it looks like rain is coming, I'll camp early. If it's really raining hard in the morning, I tend to sleep late. If the rain is really hammering down hard, I'll usually wait for a lull.
If you've got good raingear it's usually not too unpleasant to keep hiking for a while, or sit under a nice overhang or a thick tree or even in a shelter for a bit.
One time I was caught by a hard rain in Alaska. I used the "speed method" of setting up, keeping the fly on top. That worked OK, but I had to kick myself when 15 minutes later the rain had stopped!
Frolicking Dinosaurs
12-29-2007, 11:57
Dinos carry a large tarp and a small bivy tent.... put up tarp and assemble tent underneath... have lots of dry space for cooking, drying gear and lounging around camp.
As Mags and Cuffs mentioned this is something you really want to get figured out before you go hiking. Trying to sort this out when you're wet, tired, hungry and cold ain't a formula for success.That's for sure, but this is the kind of thing that no one can visualize until you are standing in a downpour fumbling around.
If I could re-do my first set-up in the rain, I would have practiced setting up my tent a couple times with speed as the goal, then done it in the rain (again in my backyard) until I was satisfied.
But really, who does this? We all go blithely along, thinking we know what we are doing, until faced with the prospect of setting up in a downpour.
At that, I hate breaking camp in the rain even more. At least when you are through setting up, you have a place out of the rain. There is something insane about getting out of a dry tent in the rain, standing in the rain, taking down your tent while getting you and the tent soaking wet, stuffing you wet tent into your bag or doing a half-arsed job of tying it to the bag of your pack (who spends time in the rain fiddling with a stuff sack?), and then, already soaked and cold, walking through the wet woods.
Then the sun comes out and all is forgotten, and life is good on the trail.
Two Speed
12-29-2007, 12:06
Dinos carry a large tarp and a small bivy tent . . . Whereas Two Speeds carry a shelter that's sort of a tarp with a sewn in floor and bug netting. This is not to say that the average Two Speed would be above hanging around for a while under a large tarp infested by Dino's should he arrive in camp about the same time the Dino's were nesting for the evening.
As a previous poster (Colter?) said, lots of good advice, and a smart hiker will have all of these options in the back of his/her mind and adjust their tactics to suit the weather, their gear and what they feel is best for them. I really don't think there's one single answer that's perfect for all circumstances.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
12-29-2007, 12:14
Whereas Two Speeds carry a shelter that's sort of a tarp with a sewn in floor and bug netting. This is not to say that the average Two Speed would be above hanging around for a while under a large tarp infested by Dino's should he arrive in camp about the same time the Dino's were nesting for the evening.And Two-Speed would be welcomed.
Many people have set up free-standing tents under our tarp and then moved them to where they belonged, many have unpacked their tents and left gear there as they set-up non-free-standing tents and some have waited out storms.... a few have elected to sleep under our tarp rather than even attempt to set-up in really nasty weather.
Before I moved intown, I had a backyard where I would practice setting up my tent in the rain. For the tent I have, it was most effective to just set up the tent as quickly as possible, and to immediately toss everything I had with me in the tent once it was set up. My tent front has a small overhang, which allows me to store my boots outside without getting them too wet.
Kirby
Thanks for all the great advice. I guess I'll try a little of everything until I find something that works for me. Then when I get on the trail and actually get caught in a downpour, I'm sure I'll have to adjust accordingly. Of all the things I've learned here on WB, it seems that flexibility is of utmost importance. Thanks again.