Dry Camping! HELP!?

Question

My husband and I are going camping for 10 days in Oct. We will be in Central Alabama. The last time we did this, it rained everyday! By the last day we were flooded. It was a mess. A cold, muddy mess.
How can we help from getting rained out in our tent. ( Since this is a stormy time of the year.) Is it possible to get a Canapy big enough to put over the whole tent that has sides that fold down, and if so will that help?

Answer 1

Do not dig a trench around your tent. It destroys the ground and causes unneeded impact. That practice is out-of-date and ineffective. Furthermore, private campground owners will not appreciate you digging up their property and it could land you a fine in most state parks and most likely will get you fined on federal property.



Purchasing a quality tent is the first step in staying dry. You can spend $59.98 at Wal-Mart for a 10x8 tent that you can stand up in, but chances are you will get wet. Most department store tents are worthless.



Select a good quality, self-supporting tent from a camping store. Someplace like REI, Cabelas. EMS, Dick's (to a point) or an independent or small chain. People there usually know more about tents than some part-time sporting goods employee at Wal-Mart who also mixes paint and re-organizes the motor oil. (Trust me I worked for Wal-Mart for 10 years...all the Sporting Goods guys knew was how to fill out hunting licenses and stock the shelves.) You don't need to spend a fortune on a tent, but you can pick up a good, basic tent for 2-3 people for about $100-$140. The last tent I actually had to pay for cost me $89. A 2-person Eureka Apex. It has never leaked and it's taken driving rains and weekend long downpours many times. Find a tent that has a full rainfly and has taped or sealed seams. I also prefer tents with a vestibule so I can keep my muddy boots out of the rain, but not in the tent.



Proper campsite selection is also key. High ground with good drainage is best. Find ground that is slightly angled so you will have runoff. If the campground has tent platforms...use them.



Use a groundcloth. Some people put it under the tent...I put mine IN the tent and create a bathtub. This prevents water from coming into the tent through the floor.



Have Fun...Stay Dry.

Answer 2

Just as important as keeping the rain out is letting the condensation from your breath and body out. Your tent should have a double wall, roof vents or be waterproof/breathable so condensation can escape rather than cling to the walls and drip down to the floor soaking your sleeping bags and gear.



If you have a seam sealed bathtub floor in your tent, as most good quality modern tents have, you should be able to set your tent in a puddle and have it remain dry inside.



Besides that, try to set your tent on the highest, hardest ground in the camp site, place a ground sheet cut just a couple inches smaller than your tent underneath your tent to protect the floor from holes and rips, and rig a tarp above your tent so that the rain drips off the side, not onto your tent.



Bring towels to wipe up water inside that does get inside. Consider bringing an umbrella for jaunts outside. Hopefully you have synthetic fill sleeping bags? Plastic garbage bags are also good for keeping wet clothes and gear, and be sure to keep a spare set of clothes in a waterproof bag, just in case everything else gets wet.



Good luck.

Answer 3

Get a tent with a rain 'roof' or whatever they're called. Or you could put a 10x10 'easy up canopy over the tent.

Personally, I wouldn't be going the same time of year if you had such a bad experience and it's the stormy time of year.

Answer 4

Want we did with our tent is to spead out a trap then put the tent in middle and then pull the extra around the tent. And added an other trap over the top. This help alots. Hope this help....

Answer 5

the best in sports gear

http://www.rei.com

I would also suggest the BSA

they also have a store.

I just heard a TV commercial for bass pro

they have a good selection also

http://www.basspro.com

Good luck ☺

Answer 6

we were showen in the army to make a trench around the tent, then put up a tarp over it,