Dry Discipline

When looking to invest in a tent I highly recommend those where the outer flysheet pitches before the inner. This is a particularly useful feature in wet climates as no matter how quickly you can set up the tent, if it is inner first then moisture will start to build on rainy days. Both when pitching and decamping it is important to remove the inner tent and store it in a dry bag, this is your dry bubble of comfort to keep you warm, cherish it.

A lot of these points will be familiar from my recent winter camping article and they hold the same weight of importance for the same reasons. Once inside the tent make a rule that no wet gear passes the inner door, this includes walking boots, socks and cups of tea. If drinking or eating inside the tent make a rule of never putting cups or dishes down, if it is not in your hand it is assumed to be spilt. If taking wet gear inside it must be in a dry bag properly sealed before hand. Taking a small towel to remove any accidentally introduced moisture is a great idea also.

Protect your sleeping bag: In recent years I have taken to using a large silver lined thermal sheet to line my tent underneath my sleeping pad. Whilst weighing next to nothing this gives a small amount of extra insulation but more importantly a further barrier from any damp seeping through the tent floor and making contact with your sleeping bag.

Camping in the Rain: Story Two

Day thirty three, our final day of a month kayaking the western fjords of Patagonia. Until now my companion Seumas and I had stayed dry despite continual presence of moisture. Our last morning meant an extra coffee ration was deserved and, breaking my rule, I pulled it into the tent to enjoy in my sleeping bag. Sure enough I put the coffee down for a moment inside and in a few seconds it was toppled, soaking my sleeping bag and mat all the way through. Thankfully it was our final day because as it so happened the wet spot had frozen solid before we left camp that morning.

Lessons: Never leave mugs on the inner tent floor, always leave them outside if not in your hand. Carry a towel at hand just in case.

Ventilation and Tarpology

Even on the coldest of days it is valuable to always keep any ventilation patches in your tent fully open, only closing to adjust for high winds rather than temperature. This allows adequate ventilation to remove any moisture condensing from your breath or from moist ground beneath the tent.

Without a doubt, the single piece of gear that has changed my methods of camping most in the last few years has been a tarp. Although I managed my circumnavigation of Scotland and full winter round of the munros without it, now that I have used one I will never go back.

In places where it is appropriate to pitch a tarp over the tent it is a superb addition to any camp, adding extra shelter from the elements and a piece of outside shelter to stand, cook and spend time under. If in a sheltered spot hanging wet clothes under a tarp is a sure fire way to encourage them to dry over night.