View Full Version : Pitching A Tent In A Hard Rain
In all my years I can't recall having to pitch my tent in a hard rain . . . sprinkle yes, a few times. Guess I've been lucky. There have been many times I hiked to a shelter and due to no let up in a hard rain, stayed in the shelter. But in a few weeks I'm going to hike the Foothills trail for a week, and there are no shelters, which has gotten me to thinking about what if . . .
Have you had to set up a tent in a hard rain? Are there tricks to minimize water getting in the main tent, especially considering most are nearly 100% mesh now-a-days?
scout005
03-18-2008, 17:34
Try to get off the wind line. Probably be some wind with the rain. I try to get to the lee of the ridge to set my tent up if it's possible. Carry a light poncho or space blanket with grommets on the corners. Rig the poncho from some trees, open your pack under the poncho, get your tent out and set the tent up under the shelter of the poncho. Leave the fly on the tent if you can and slide or clip the poles in. It won't keep all the rain off but it prevents the inside of the tent from getting soaked...usually. Climb into your nice, comfy, mostly dry tent and aaahhhh, relax. The hard work is over for the day. Tomorrow's another great day on the trail.
Best is if you can rig a tarp first, but that is not always possible, owing either to the design of the tent, or the absence of suitable hangers (trees, etc.).
It also assumes that you have a tarp or poncho or fly that can serve as a temporary tarp. I guess if you figure you may have to do this, better make sure your shelter equipment is capable of it. Then practice beforehand. I know, who ever did that? Nevertheless...
Another way is to rig your freestanding tent upside down, assemble the fly, and then invert and peg it down. That would be a tent with an integral ground sheet/floor.
Carry a 10 oz tarp and hang it first. This will help keep your tent from being soaked while you set it and the fly up.
This is totally a non issue for a hammock.
Egads
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=31073
Try this thread, there's some pretty good info in there.
Skidsteer
03-18-2008, 17:54
Have you had to set up a tent in a hard rain? Are there tricks to minimize water getting in the main tent, especially considering most are nearly 100% mesh now-a-days?
You're starting to get an idea why tarps and tarptents are so popular. Setting up in rain is no biggie.
Carry the 10 oz tarp and leave the junk (tent) at home
Carry the 10 oz tarp and leave the junk (tent) at home
I have known there to be both rain and bugs at the same time. I carry a tent, when I want to, mainly because of bugs, but also because of better protection in cold weather. So I don't always get enough protection from a tarp or rain fly. However, that may not apply for most conditions on a thru on the AT. The freedom of living light is wonderful, but it isn't always the best compromise.
oldfivetango
03-18-2008, 18:36
Carry the 10 oz tarp and leave the junk (tent) at home
My hammock has a tarp-and I don't have to be concerned
with groundslope either.(I'm sorry,just had to say it:D)
Oldfivetango
hammocks suck. tarps rule.
that being said, when pitching a conventional tent in the rain, lay the rain fly out first (if the wind is blowing, secure one side of it, or at least a corner, with something). put tent under tarp. some tents, you can go ahead and attach the rain fly to the tent before you put the poles in, some you can't. pitch tent with rain fly covering tent. nice and dry. my opinion is dated however, i havn't hiked with a tent for about 8 years.
even better idea, pitch it upside down, floor up, then flip it over and put the rain fly on it really fast. may sound like a joke, but i think it would work, although it has not been tested by me.
Darwin again
03-18-2008, 20:49
Do it fast. That is, if you can't do it before the rain comes. Usually, when the leaves are on the trees, it takes a minute or two for the leaves to stop acting as a protective canopy against the rain. As soon as you hear the rain start hard, you've been warned. That is, if you're in a place you can pitch instantly. I did this in Pa and wound up sleeping on a rather large flat rock hidden just under the leaves that I didn't see in my hasty throw-down mode. grrrrr. I was dry, but ... slept on a rock!
After posting the question I went on my evening walk and immediately thought about getting a 10 oz. tarp. Would not only facilitate setting up a tent in the rain but after the tent is up, trees cooperating hopefully, you could move it a bit so that you would have additional dry space in front of your tent, sort of a front porch. I like that idea. Is there a best place to shop for 10 oz. tarps?
I know with the hubba, there is a way to set up the fly first, then attach the tent from inside the fly. I gotta practice this....
If it's a Tarptent, no big deal. If it's a double-walled tent, make sure you have it stashed with the fly extended and in position. That way, when you unroll it in the rain, the inner tent is protected. In either case, it helps if you can do it fast. And for that, what matters most is practice.
Blissful
03-18-2008, 21:32
We had to do it at Liberty Springs tentsite in the WHites in rain AND high wind. Thankfully there were two of us so that helped. We had a hubba hubba though and one of us held up the rain fly while the other put up the tent. I almost got hypothermic - doing it in shorts and t-shirt.
Appalachian Tater
03-18-2008, 21:32
Wow, I never even thought about this. You really don't have this problem with a Tarptent. If you keep it on the outside of your pack, you can set it up, go inside, then open up your pack, cook dinner (carefully!) just outside. Nothing like getting into camp after walking in the cold rain all day and ten minutes later you're sitting in your shelter in dry clothes eating hot Mountain House chili mac with beef.
You can buy light weight tarps from many online sources.
Gossamer Gear, Mountain Laurel Designs, Oware USA, Antigravity Gear, Etowah Outfitters, Outdoor Equipment Supplier, Integral Designs, etc...
Another bonus of a tarp is the quick set up for rain showers or a wind break.
Egads
As far as setting up in the rain is concerned,
A single walled, free standing tent is best. One that sets up fast and easy like the BlackDiamond Firstlight for example.
http://www.bdel.com/gear/firstlight.php
Panzer
this may be obvious, but worth saying. when packing my tent i put in in reverse order of items needed in a hurry. footprint/tyvek 1st, then tent, then fly. so if i gotta do it in a hurry i don't have to fumble through other pieces and drop em on the ground to get to the fly.
|
|
|
|
|
oops my space bar is broken due to an incident at my apartment involving a keyboard and some fists. i meant to draw this:
| fly |
| |
| tent
| footprint
_________
oh i hate you keyboard! you get the picture
I have known there to be both rain and bugs at the same time. I carry a tent, when I want to, mainly because of bugs, but also because of better protection in cold weather. So I don't always get enough protection from a tarp or rain fly. However, that may not apply for most conditions on a thru on the AT. The freedom of living light is wonderful, but it isn't always the best compromise.A tarptent will not get wet inside when you set it up because the top is not mesh like a two-walled tent, that is what the person you responded to was saying.
As far as bugs go, I don't see how a tent is any better or worse than a floored tarptent? Or even a tarp with a bug net, for that matter.
I have a tarptent without a floor and have not been bothered by bugs. THere is a mesh door under the rain beak and around the sides. Ventilation, no bugs, no wet insides when setting up in a downpour.
Tents are a bit warmer, but not that much. Water bottles still freeze inside tents in winter. In cold weather you need a good bag, and not rely on a tent to keep you warm.
Agree with everyone who recommended carrying an extra 10-oz. tarp. In some circumstances, it can be set up sort of like a carport, under which you put up your tent in the rain. If you are with one or two other people, and there are not enough trees in the right places, they can hold the tent up while you (quickly!) set up your tent under it.
An additional benefit to carrying that ultralight tarp is if it is handy near the top of your pack, you can pull it out in a jiffy while hiking and use it to hunker down under during one of those brief but severe summer downpours.
You can buy light weight tarps from many online sources.
Gossamer Gear, Mountain Laurel Designs, Oware USA, Antigravity Gear, Etowah Outfitters, Outdoor Equipment Supplier, Integral Designs, etc...
Another bonus of a tarp is the quick set up for rain showers or a wind break.
EgadsWow! $80-$175 for a tarp! :eek: I'm thinking more like a piece of plastic with grommets at the corners. :D You know . . . $10 - $20.
Maybe an 8' x 10' piece of Tyvek for $30?
or if you know a builder, for $0
cannonball
03-19-2008, 10:18
I know with the hubba, there is a way to set up the fly first, then attach the tent from inside the fly. I gotta practice this....
I can do this with my sierra designs lightning. Just set it up for fast packing then slip the tent under the tarp and attatch. The clips make this easier . pole sleeves would make this impossible.
Helps if you practice alot inorder to " do it quickly when it counts".
vipahman
03-19-2008, 11:10
I have had to setup camp in darkness in a thunderstorm a few times. I did it by setting up the fly first and then working under it to set up the tent. Another time it was a SMD Lunar Solo and it was a no brainer. The hardest part was not the setup but just making sure that I didn't wet the insides while transitioning in and out (wet backpack, wet jacket, wet boots, wet blah...)
Wow! $80-$175 for a tarp! :eek: I'm thinking more like a piece of plastic with grommets at the corners. :D You know . . . $10 - $20.
Why not buy a big square of 3-mil polyethylene? That costs about $3 and is available at walmart or any hardware store. Usually found in the paint department, people use it to cover furniture while painting.
Instead of grommets, put a round pebble or something in the corner and wrap a guy line around with a clove hitch. (grommets tear out, this type of corner is much stronger) The pebble & line stay there until you throw away the tarp, you don't have to take the pebble out every time. And bring a long rope to use as a ridge line, you're set! shoot you could even try sleeping under it on a nice night and see how you like tarping :-?
Thanks quasarr! I will definitely look into that. "See how you like tarping" . . . I don't think so . . . I'm into late middle-age creature comforts. I just like a cozy tent. :)
glad I was some help!! :banana
hope you enjoy your trip :)
I have the original version of this:
http://www.rei.com/product/724388
When I'm summer camping with my wife or son, I can rig a 10x12 tarp between trees and set this up underneath it. If the wind picks up, I can lower the tarp so that it sits right on the tent and peg the corners to the ground, propping the tarp up in front of the door with a telescopic hiking pole or two for a huge porch.
NorthCountryWoods
03-21-2008, 18:06
As far as setting up in the rain is concerned,
A single walled, free standing tent is best. One that sets up fast and easy like the BlackDiamond Firstlight for example.
http://www.bdel.com/gear/firstlight.php
Panzer
I've heard bad reviews of this tent in the rain. Mainly the fabric which is disappointing. Have you had a better experience?
Did have a single wall Bibler I-tent and it was awesome. Looking into the tempest now unless someone can change my mind on the Black Diamond line.
Old Wolf
03-21-2008, 22:46
They have tents that go up super fast. You have a tent that has one tent pole that opens like a Y and you clip the tent to the poles and its ready to go. Also, very lightweight. Check out the tents at REI.