View Full Version : Setting up tent in rain
radevil5
02-11-2016, 20:56
Any tips to setting up your tent in the rain? I have the eureka solitaire 1 person tent. Wondering if there is anything that will help from getting it soaked while setting up?
I have a Gossamer -- same tent, but with aluminum poles. If you make sure that the fly is rolled out over the mesh during setup, you should be fine. In a driving rain, you need a tight pitch, or you might have some misting through the fly. Getting in and out can be a challenge in the rain.
radevil5
02-11-2016, 21:14
I've heard that visit I only set it up one time and just havnt sone it that way yet. I still feel it'll get wet lol
Any tips to setting up your tent in the rain? I have the eureka solitaire 1 person tent. Wondering if there is anything that will help from getting it soaked while setting up?
Buy any model tent from TarpTent or Hilleberg.
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.
With some practice you ought to be able to set up that tent in two minutes or less. If it's anything like my old Eureka Solitaire.
Roll out the tent, right-side up, so the fly is covering the rest of it. Insert the hoops, front and back. Stake out the corners, guy out the sides. Done.
33624
Slo-go'en
02-11-2016, 22:07
Wait until it stops raining. Seriously. More often then not, there's a lull in the rain right about dinner time. Take advantage of it while you can.
nsherry61
02-12-2016, 00:20
+1 on learn to set up your tent quickly. Most of them can be one in well under two minutes, and it takes a pretty heavy rain to be a real problem with that.
And then, if it's dumping
+1 on the wait until the rain slacks off a bit it.
justice22
02-12-2016, 10:48
I have the same tent and it has worked very well for me in severe thunderstorms. I have not thru hiked the AT but I have used it on numerous backcountry trips. Like the others have said, it can be set up in the rain without getting the inside wet with the rain fly covering the mesh. However, I will be upgrading to a different tent for a thru hike. Cons for the Solitaire are no vestibule, it's not free standing and not enough head room you to sit up inside. A vestibule is usefulness for cooking under during the rain and storing your wet shoes and pack. And if your going to be stuck in a tent for a while during a thunderstorm it's nice to be able to sit up. Good Luck. Have a great trip!
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Zach ADK
02-12-2016, 14:26
I have been using a Eureka Spitfire 1 tent for the last several years and I have also found that speed is the key. I clear away any sticks or debris at leisure and then when I am ready to set up the tent it only takes a minute or two. Sometimes I will only put in the two end stakes at first and then once it is up and the rain fly is on I will go back around and put in the other stakes.
Zach
If you have a freestanding tent, learn to set it up upside down...then when the poles are in, quickly flip it over and throw the rainfly over it and then secure it.
daddytwosticks
02-12-2016, 16:48
If you have a freestanding tent, learn to set it up upside down...then when the poles are in, quickly flip it over and throw the rainfly over it and then secure it.
Or, if you have the factory footprint with your freestanding tent, set the fly up first, then the inner. Dry as pie. :)
I have one of those tents and used it quite a bit and can remember setting it up in the rain twice. Both times it stayed pretty dry, nothing that a quick wipe with a bandana couldn't handle. Always pack the tent with the fly attached and closed. Practice setting it up in different spots so you are able to do it pretty fast. That tent was pretty forgiving.
Just get a single-wall tent or, even better, a tarp+inner net combo. We have a Six Moon Designs Haven tarp with an inner net. Here's how setup goes for us in even a downpour.
1) Pull tarp out of pack and stuff sack.
2) Drop our packs roughly in the middle of where the tarp will go.
3) Calmly set up tarp, taking our time safe in the knowledge that from this point on, the only things that will get wet are the outside of our waterproof tarp and us (and we're probably already soaked anyway).
4) Set up groundcloth and inner net from outside of tent.
Voila. When we do it this way, the inner net and the inside of the tarp are basically completely dry by the time we climb in.
squeezebox
02-13-2016, 13:41
I tied a loop of cord to each corner of my tyvek ground sheet. Thinking I was matching the grommets on the store bought ground sheet. It helps. Practiced setting up the tent upside down. The tent is a copper spur.
Christoph
02-13-2016, 18:22
I waited for it to calm down a bit. I was usually pretty wet anyway so it didn't bother me to set up in the rain much. I got to where I could set up in a few minutes consistently, then try to change into dry clothes while entering the tent. Started out with a small shammy cloth to dry the inside but then just pushed out any puddles with my bandanna. Next time it was sunny, I'd either hang it up to dry or set it up while I ate. Then the next night (pretty much most nights) start all over again.
The best advice I can give is practice setting up your tent and once you are efficient at it then practice putting it up under a sprinkler in your yard. You will learn quickly what adjustments you need to make to your routine in order to minimize the any water you may get in the tent.
.
"Chance favors a prepared mind."
Setting up in the rain WILL result in a wet interior. Something you'll get used to. Carry a few of those durable, reusable shop towels (often blue, sold in a roll like regular paper towels). You can sop up the water, wring out the towel through the door, and go back for more. Great for condensation too.
nsherry61
02-14-2016, 10:18
Remember. It's not staying dry that is important. You won't. It's staying dry enough that really matters. A little moisture here and there is nothing to fret.
MuddyWaters
02-14-2016, 10:32
Set it up under shelter, and then move it if its free standing.
nsherry61
02-14-2016, 13:53
Okay. A question for everyone that has ever set up a double-walled tent in the rain . . .
Assuming that you are practiced in setting up your tent so that you are not struggling for an extended period of time to get it up . . .
Have any of you, ever, actually had an issue with your tent being wet enough to be a problem because of setting it up in the rain?
I spent 45 years of my life camping and backpacking in the Pacific Northwest where it rains a lot. I have set up many tents, many times, in the rain. I have never had them get wet enough, while being set up in the rain, to be a problem (I have had moisture problems due to poor site selection and/or poor tent design). I see and understand the concern of people that don't have the experience in the rain, but, I am baffled by how many people, apparently with experience, seem to think that having a tent that can be set up underneath its rain fly is an important feature in a responsible tent design.
Can anyone help me get more perspective on this seemingly unimportant but ubiquitous concern in our backpacking subculture?
Have any of you, ever, actually had an issue with your tent being wet enough to be a problem because of setting it up in the rain?
No, not really. Single wall or double wall.
Some have suggested waiting for a lull in the rain. I suggest being proactive... if you're walking along and you're pretty certain it's going to rain... maybe that's the time to pitch the tent, rather than waiting for the deluge.
step 1: give one, or several primal screams - once that is out of your system
step 2: set up as normal, getting yourself and all your gear wet
Feral Bill
02-14-2016, 23:18
Have any of you, ever, actually had an issue with your tent being wet enough to be a problem because of setting it up in the rain?
No, not really. Damp, sure, but not wet setting up. I have taken on water at hardened sites from runoff, but that's a different issue.
Make sure that the fly is rolled out over the mesh during setup, you should be fine.
+1 - some tents allow you to take down and set up without removing the fly; this is a nice feature. Have a pack towel or something similar to mop out the tent floor after set up before laying out pad and sleeping insulation and other gear that you don't want to get wet.
Brewerbob
02-17-2016, 11:15
Always pack the tent with the fly attached and closed.
So most tents I've seen have the poles between the tent and the fly. How do you attach the fly directly to the tent?
https://www.bigagnes.com/resources/products/Fly%20Creek%20UL%202%20Tent-zm.jpg
Brewerbob
02-17-2016, 11:27
Okay. A question for everyone that has ever set up a double-walled tent in the rain . . .
Assuming that you are practiced in setting up your tent so that you are not struggling for an extended period of time to get it up . . .
Have any of you, ever, actually had an issue with your tent being wet enough to be a problem because of setting it up in the rain?
I spent 45 years of my life camping and backpacking in the Pacific Northwest where it rains a lot. I have set up many tents, many times, in the rain. I have never had them get wet enough, while being set up in the rain, to be a problem (I have had moisture problems due to poor site selection and/or poor tent design). I see and understand the concern of people that don't have the experience in the rain, but, I am baffled by how many people, apparently with experience, seem to think that having a tent that can be set up underneath its rain fly is an important feature in a responsible tent design.
Can anyone help me get more perspective on this seemingly unimportant but ubiquitous concern in our backpacking subculture?
Concerned; yes. Panic stricken; no. The less sopping the better. Who wants the extra work of drying out their tent if they don't have to?
I've done cabin tents in the rain but it has a "roof" and not mesh. I much prefer a one piece tent with windows over a rain fly. Old school I guess.
DuneElliot
02-17-2016, 12:13
Setting up and packing away a tent in the rain, plus constant rain or snow, were the main reasons I recently ordered a CF tent. Being that it is waterproof and won't hold water, and if you fold and unfold it carefully so that only the roof ever sees water, then the whole interior is protected from water.
Single-wall tents with only mesh underneath are inherently easier to set up and keep dry in the rain due to their nature and design. Of course, this doesn't account for moisture held by the tent walls and floors.
Brewerbob
02-17-2016, 12:25
were the main reasons I recently ordered a CF tent.
Which one did you order?
Some of these sites are ridiculous. 3 man tent that is 11 lbs and in the backpacking category. Sure, if it was still 1957.
LittleRock
02-17-2016, 16:27
I can tell you what not to do:
1) Buy a new tent and set it up once when it arrives.
2) Wait 3 months for your next hiking trip.
3) Arrive at your campsite the first night in pouring rain.
4) Swear non-stop for 20 minutes while your tent gets completely soaked as you frantically struggle to set it up.
DuneElliot
02-17-2016, 16:36
Which one did you order?
Some of these sites are ridiculous. 3 man tent that is 11 lbs and in the backpacking category. Sure, if it was still 1957.
ZPacks Duplex. It took a lot of hovering over the "Buy" button to actually bite the bullet on spending that much money. I'm still cringing over the cost...but also excited to get my new tent in a few weeks. I'm not regretting it...it just takes a lot for me to spend that kind of money.
Brewerbob
02-17-2016, 17:06
I can tell you what not to do:
1) Buy a new tent and set it up once when it arrives.
2) Wait 3 months for your next hiking trip.
3) Arrive at your campsite the first night in pouring rain.
4) Swear non-stop for 20 minutes while your tent gets completely soaked as you frantically struggle to set it up.Sounds like a great story for the (grand)kids. Where's the lightening strikes and rabid bear?*
*Don't worry, we won't tell anyone it was a static shock getting out of the car and pesky chipmunk.
ZPacks Duplex. It took a lot of hovering over the "Buy" button to actually bite the bullet on spending that much money. I'm still cringing over the cost...but also excited to get my new tent in a few weeks. I'm not regretting it...it just takes a lot for me to spend that kind of money.
Thx, I'll check it out but I'm betting I'm not going to like the price much either.
Brewerbob
02-17-2016, 17:10
ZPacks Duplex. It took a lot of hovering over the "Buy" button to actually bite the bullet on spending that much money. I'm still cringing over the cost...but also excited to get my new tent in a few weeks. I'm not regretting it...it just takes a lot for me to spend that kind of money.
$600?!!?!
I just found my new tent. http://ll-us-i5.wal.co/dfw/dce07b8c-3b46/k2-_01fe263c-63bc-4a59-be56-ac42c63c8dc1.v1.jpg