How do you enter a dry tent when your clothing is rain soaked?

[Hikes with a stick]

I've been camping and hiking for a few years, but only recently had to deal with this issue... I did some car camping with a group, we did a 10 mile dayhike and got soaked during the last 3 hours. It was still raining heavily when we arrived back at the campsite. The only dry place I had to change clothes was in my tent, and I did not want to get my sleeping bag wet, or the other stuff inside of my tent.

Fortunately for me, I was in a 2 person tent and slid my mat and bag over to the far side, so when I came in and sat down it was on the bare tent floor, and not my sleeping bag. As I took my wet clothing off I put it outside under the vestibule. After putting my dry stuff on, I wiped up the water on the floor with a packtowel.

If I had been camping with my wife, we would have had both pads and sleeping bags laid out, and I would have ended up sitting on my sleeping bag and getting it wet.

Any tricks for avoiding this, besides not camping in the rain?

[Tractor]

Punch everything over to the side & tag team.

[DAJA]

Either push everything over to the side before entering or strip down outside and enjoy a free shower before entering the tent... Quickly towel off as you slide through the vestibule and into the tent...

Personally, I carry a small tarp that I fly over the doorway to provide a dry place to dress and cook... Sure its extra weight, but it's backpacking, it's not supposed to be easy...

[dreamsoftrails]

i would just deal with the inevitable dampness. so long as you can get under shelter, change clothes, and not get sleeping bag or pad soaked, you should be fine.

when i use my hammock, i set up my tarp first, and it is high enough for me to stand under. then i can get changed while standing under it and hop in my hammock.

[OutdoorsMan]

i would just deal with the inevitable dampness. so long as you can get under shelter, change clothes, and not get sleeping bag or pad soaked, you should be fine.

when i use my hammock, i set up my tarp first, and it is high enough for me to stand under. then i can get changed while standing under it and hop in my hammock.

Sounds like another reason for me to buy a hammock? Yes I want one, I will get one as soon as I can figure out out to hide the purchase from.....

[Tipi Walter]

Take turns or get separate tents. I recommend separate tents.

[Wise Old Owl]

Another reason to backpack with a Sham-wow.

[The Mechanical Man]

I've been camping and hiking for a few years, but only recently had to deal with this issue... I did some car camping with a group, we did a 10 mile dayhike and got soaked during the last 3 hours. It was still raining heavily when we arrived back at the campsite. The only dry place I had to change clothes was in my tent, and I did not want to get my sleeping bag wet, or the other stuff inside of my tent.

Fortunately for me, I was in a 2 person tent and slid my mat and bag over to the far side, so when I came in and sat down it was on the bare tent floor, and not my sleeping bag. As I took my wet clothing off I put it outside under the vestibule. After putting my dry stuff on, I wiped up the water on the floor with a packtowel.

If I had been camping with my wife, we would have had both pads and sleeping bags laid out, and I would have ended up sitting on my sleeping bag and getting it wet.

Any tricks for avoiding this, besides not camping in the rain?

Get a tent with a large vestbule.

[mudhead]

I did some car camping with a group,

Other option might be to change in the vehicle. If you are car camping, you should have room for a tarp, the ridgeline of which makes a fine clothes line. Drip. Drip. Drip.

[bigcranky]

We carry a small pack towel in the tent stuff sack. We got them in a 3-pack at wallyworld -- kinda like a sham-wow, I think. It's great for wiping off any condensation before packing up in the morning, or for cleaning up water that gets inside the tent from wet people coming in the door.

[Summit]

How do you enter a dry tent when your clothing is rain soaked?

Butt first! Since I always place my ground pad/sleeping bag along the back wall of my 2-man tent, I have ample space to remove the wet and don the dry clothing, and dry up the little bit of water with my shammy towel.

Just did this Saturday near the summit of Cold Mountain in Shinning Rock Wilderness. I set up my tent in the rain and when all done changing into dry clothes, me and my tent were nice and dry.

[JAK]

First step is a robust clothing system that works well for you even when it does get soaked.
Second step is getting it dry, or dryer, when it gets wet.
Trying to keeping it dry is only the third priority, but still a very important one, especially in winter.

The simple answer to the question is naked, or perhaps down to the wool. I would normally hang my wet polyester layers outside, and bring my wool layers inside, even if wet. I would then go about drying my wool layers, usually by keeping them on after wringing them out as much as possible. If it was cold enough that I had to crawl into my sleeping bag, and my wool layers were still wet, that gets tricky. I would then remove the wool, and bag it and use it as a pillow and then finish drying it out in the morning, usually by hiking in it but with fire if neccessary. If its really cold the wool might freeze so you always need to wring it out as much as possible, then pound the ice crystals out in the morning. If you have to sleep in the damp wool inside your rain gear inside sleeping bag, that is an option, but you are in for a miserable night, and then you will have a damp bag to deal with also. But you have to be prepared for that possibility also. You usually have to assume that everything might get soaked, even in winter, and have some way of dealing with that, even your sleeping bag heaven forbid. **** happens.

Fires are useful for drying stuff out after **** happens, but can't really be depended on while **** is happening. It might be raining to hard, or if you've fallen though the ice or whatever you might not be able to get a fire going soon enough. The right clothing system and body heat and hot food and drink are you most reliable options. Fire is a good option to keep open though, and should at least help you get your stuff dry after one miserable night to prepare you for the next one.

It is a good thing to practice, getting your stuff wet, then dealing with it.

[chomp]

I've done this several times and I always just get naked and leave the wet clothing outside the tent. I hate bringing wet stuff inside of a try tent, and I really don't like feeling wet inside a sleeping bag. Getting naked is the best way to go.

[JAK]

The nice thing about wet clothing is you can leave it outside as it can't get any wetter.

[Berserker]

Everyone pretty much covered everything already. The only thing I wanted to add is that whether or not it is supposed to rain try to set your stuff up in your tent when you first make camp so that if you do have to get in soaking wet the critical items like your sleeping bag will already be out of the way.

[Muskrat0907]

I tend to leave my sleeping bag inside the stuff sack (which is always lined with a garbage bag...) until just before I am ready to get in the tent for the evening. Shake it out right before bed that way I can minimize any "accidental" incidents that may cause discomfort while sleeping. This would work whether you have 1 or 2 people in the tent.

[Chenango]

How do you enter a dry tent when your clothing is rain soaked?

Butt first! Since I always place my ground pad/sleeping bag along the back wall of my 2-man tent, I have ample space to remove the wet and don the dry clothing, and dry up the little bit of water with my shammy towel.

Just did this Saturday near the summit of Cold Mountain in Shinning Rock Wilderness. I set up my tent in the rain and when all done changing into dry clothes, me and my tent were nice and dry.

Do you have any pointers for setting a tent up in rain?

[The Solemates]

Do you have any pointers for setting a tent up in rain?

yes....seek out the best site with natural cover before even attempting. unless i am above treeline, I usually dont have a problem finding a large tree with low branches to set up underneath. its not foolproof, but reducing the amount of water falling on you by even just 50% makes a huge difference in how soaked your gear gets. this may mean you have to hike around a bit longer to find the right spot.

[take-a-knee]

Another reason to backpack with a Sham-wow.

And use a hammock.

[Blissful]

Change in the tent vestibule. (But if you were car camping, you could have changed in the car.)

If Im on the AT and its raining, I try to be near a shelter area (or privy) to change into rain gear, then take the rain gear off and slip into the tent. I don't put my stuff out either in the tent until I am in dry clothes (like sleeping bag and pad).