Wet camping

[JaketheFake]

So I am starting to get my head wrapped around a April 2016 start... And while deer hunting in the pouring rain yesterday I wondered... Where would I camp IF I was camping out tonight. My place in Texas has water standing everywhere. Does water pool up on AT like it does in my parts or does it drain? What could be done to keep dry when setting up in very very saturated areas? I did not even see a deer yesterday, but left pondering what I see as a real issue. Thanks.

[jdc5294]

First off, invest in a tent that's made to be set up in pouring rain. Many backpacking tents are created with this in mind, and can be set up almost around you very quickly without exposing the inside to the elements. There's plenty of YouTube videos featuring all these tents that show you this.

As for picking a site, I never ran into a situation where every open space I saw had standing water. I think usually if you hunt around you'll be able to find what you're looking for, which by the way is a slight hump that slants down in at least almost every direction. No matter what you should always try to set your tent up on one of these in case it starts raining in the middle of the night.

In the unlikely event that you're camping in what's essentially a swamp, again most tents have a bathtub-shaped rubber foot that will give you some protection against a couple inches of standing water. But if I was in that situation I'd just keep walking :D

[JaketheFake]

First off, invest in a tent that's made to be set up in pouring rain. Many backpacking tents are created with this in mind, and can be set up almost around you very quickly without exposing the inside to the elements. There's plenty of YouTube videos featuring all these tents that show you this.

As for picking a site, I never ran into a situation where every open space I saw had standing water. I think usually if you hunt around you'll be able to find what you're looking for, which by the way is a slight hump that slants down in at least almost every direction. No matter what you should always try to set your tent up on one of these in case it starts raining in the middle of the night.

In the unlikely event that you're camping in what's essentially a swamp, again most tents have a bathtub-shaped rubber foot that will give you some protection against a couple inches of standing water. But if I was in that situation I'd just keep walking :D

Thank you. I have not pulled the trigger on a tent yet, but after yesterday and reading your post, I will definately look for a tent that is designed to keep a hiker/camper dry. Funny thing is, I think if it was as wet on the trail as it is in East Tx now, the answer would be to keep walking. But then again I was in open fields... I am sure there was a well drained area in the woods somewhere.

[Traveler]

Thank you. I have not pulled the trigger on a tent yet, but after yesterday and reading your post, I will definately look for a tent that is designed to keep a hiker/camper dry. Funny thing is, I think if it was as wet on the trail as it is in East Tx now, the answer would be to keep walking. But then again I was in open fields... I am sure there was a well drained area in the woods somewhere.

Good advice on the tent. Some of this will be experiential and subject to making a mistake here and there. Its hard to describe in words, but developing an eye for various terrain and being able to vision how water ponds, moves around, or through it. Some areas of the AT drain very well and quickly, then there are areas of the trail that can get very wet and bog-like for several days after a weather event. However, water is messy, it leaves evidence where it runs off, where it ponds, and how it moves over or into the ground. Once you pick up on the visual cues you should be fine. As a last resort in figuring out where to pitch the tent, use the old adage, "if there is a doubt, there is no doubt" and find a different spot.

[bigcranky]

Good question. You'll find standing water most often in heavily used campsites, especially near shelters. They are bare dirt and packed down hard. However, if you get out into the woods on forest duff, especially if you can find a small flat site that's a little elevated, it won't be saturated. Keep an eye out for places where water runs through the site -- lots of campsites are on the side of slopes, so you have to be careful you don't wake up in a rainstorm with a river running through your tent :)

[SteelCut]

Or investigate hammock camping. Lots of resources here at WhiteBlaze or at hammockforums.net.

[quasarr]

Good question. You'll find standing water most often in heavily used campsites, especially near shelters. They are bare dirt and packed down hard. However, if you get out into the woods on forest duff, especially if you can find a small flat site that's a little elevated, it won't be saturated. Keep an eye out for places where water runs through the site -- lots of campsites are on the side of slopes, so you have to be careful you don't wake up in a rainstorm with a river running through your tent :)

This is great advice. "Stealth" camp sights - which means, just finding a flat spot in the woods not already developed for camping - are much better in the rain. As long as you pick a place with a nice layer of duff, and it's not the lowest place around, then puddles are very unlikely. I have camped in Maine in some really torrential downpours, but since I was careful about choosing a spot we did not have any puddles.

[garlic08]

Another vote for duff. It was really easy to find in the hardwood forests of the southern Appalachians. Many nights, I felt my sleeping pad just got in the way, it was so deep and soft.

A wise old hiker once told me if you sleep in a site where it looks like no one has ever camped, you'll stay dry. Please practice minimum impact camping if you do this--no fire pits, latrines, trenching, etc. It's fun to cook, eat, do dishes, stock up on water, and take care of other business at one of the many shelters on the AT, then hike on to sleep in a virgin site, leaving it undisturbed.

There were only a few times in the north where I had to look more than twice for a site. One of those times was during a flash flood descending Mt Moriah in NH and the creek crossings became impassible. I had to camp in the middle of the AT right below a good water bar. It turned out to be a fine site. The thick coniferous woods in New England were a problem a couple other times.

I found my single-wall tent to be exceptionally easy to set up in the rain. The downside was controlling condensation once I got it set up, but there's always a payback.

[Cadenza]

It doesn't matter how much water is standing on the ground when you aren't ON the ground.

I have never been wet again after switching to a hammock about 15 years ago.
And, you don't even need a level tent site.

If it's raining,.....string up a tarp. Work from underneath it.
String up the hammock and get everything off the ground.
Sit under tarp, cook, watch fire, enjoy!
When it's time to go to bed,....you aren't sleeping on roots and rocks.
It's all about the quality of sleep.

Nothing ever touches the ground except the pack and the soles of your shoes.

[JaketheFake]

All good replies... I was going to look at a hammock for summer. For my start I was set on a tent... I am sure I will explore all options...

It just that the thought of setting up a tent in what I was standing in yesterday was not my idea of fun and being in full thru hiker prep mode I asked myself... what would I do if I was standing in Georgia and it was wet like this!

[peakbagger]

In northern New England in the higher elevation spruce/fir woods, if an area is naturally flat, avoid it as odds are its a drainage during rain. Nature abhors a vacuum. If you can tolerate a hammock its the way to go but many folks just can tolerate them. I have bivy with waterproof bottom, I can sleep in puddle and it doesn't leak, unfortunately, getting into it bring water into it and once its in there unless you sponge it out, its doesn't escape. It great in survival situation and good for a backup to shelters in non bubble times of the year but a tent with floor would be my choice during bubble periods.

[Connie]

Having selected a good drainage site, I use a cut to convenient size ShamWow to pick up moisture from condensation or from my clothing, but I try to get the hiking shoes and rainwear off in the floorless vestibule.

This is true, whether tarp with bivy and/or partially covered with a ground cloth or tent.

[Dogwood]

So I am starting to get my head wrapped around a April 2016 start... And while deer hunting in the pouring rain yesterday I wondered... Where would I camp IF I was camping out tonight. My place in Texas has water standing everywhere. Does water pool up on AT like it does in my parts or does it drain? What could be done to keep dry when setting up in very very saturated areas? I did not even see a deer yesterday, but left pondering what I see as a real issue. Thanks.

Just move on. The AT basically has unlimited places to find to camp. You can always find places on the AT to camp that aren't wet or flooded after a couple of miles. There are sections of the AT that are perpetually muddy and wet which is why folks don't normally camp there on the ground. On very wet occasions neophyte AT hikers tend to flock to the raised AT lean-tos for this reason. There are several miles in various places(ME, NY, NJ, etc) where the AT is routed over raised boardwalks or puncheons, sometimes floating ones. Google puncheons trail and you'll see photos of these things on the AT.

[QiWiz]

Generally you can find a spot that is raised enough from surrounding low points so that you do not wake up in a puddle if a big rain hits during the night, or is already in progress when you are setting up. A hammock or sleeping in a shelter is another option.

[yerbyray]

Just remember to look up before you set up. Applies for tents as well as hammocks. Look for dead hanging branches that might fall and ruin your day when a storm rolls in or the winds pick up. Seems to happen more the wetter the weather gets.

[MuddyWaters]

Flat spots are not always the best spots, such as when it rains. A little slope can be a good thing, even if harder to sleep on. Ive met a lot of folks on trail who pitched in low lying areas a got flooded. Its hard to tell sometimes. Look at ground and leaves. If there are no leaves, bad sign. The leaves usually show where water puddles and flows if you look closely.

Setting up before it rains is good too, particularly if it will be heavy rain.

[shoe2275]

I highly recommend a Gortex Bivey sack and a good tent. Some think this is overkill but I have spent to many nights cold and wet and over 1 pound.... Not ever again. Water can do what it wants others will be complaining and you will be warm and dry.

[Toon]

Make a "canoe" a ground tarp tied up on both ends to wrap around your bag. You won't get wet.

[q-tip]

In all of my outdoor experience my priorities have been the same. Safe, Dry, and Warm. All of my decisions from gear to hiking/climbing decisions take those priorities into the decision-making process. I built my backpacking kit on that basis, and for me a base weight of 13-15 lbs. enables me to be comfortable that in any conditions I can acheive those priorities.

[jimyjam]

When hiking without my other half I sleep in my hammock with a warbonnet superfly tarp! I always stay dry!


Life is full of ups and downs! Hike on!

[Leanthree]

site selection is #1 but seriously put your ground sheet inside the tent. In theory the bottom of your tent will wear out faster but you will stay dryer inside and there isn't the chance a stream forms between ground sheet and tent floor.

[Connie]

Inside? The first instruction I had for the ground cloth or the footprint was keep the edges under the tent. If not, water will be guided under the tent.

[CalebJ]

Outside. It should absolutely be placed outside with no edges sticking past the vestibule to funnel water in.