Imagine that you’ve just arrived at your campsite, and you’re about to relax when the clouds start to darken overhead. You feel a few drops of rain land on your head, and you get a pit in the bottom of your stomach.
Rain doesn’t have to ruin a camping trip, but it can certainly make it a lot harder. This is especially true when you just get to where you’re going, and you don’t have the tent set up yet.
Setting up a tent isn’t too hard, but when it’s raining it can be a little tricky. Don’t be unprepared. Learn how to pitch a tent in the rain before you find yourself in that situation.
Read on for a complete step by step guide.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Tent – Of course, you’ll need a tent. This seems obvious, but here it is. I do like this one by Coleman. It fits up to 3 people and comes with a rainfly awning.
Tent Stakes – You need some good tent stakes. If you don’t have any from when you got the tent you can make your own wooden stakes or buy these. This is key to getting your rainfly up quickly to keep the rain off your stuff.
Rubber Mallet – Having a mallet isn’t necessary for driving in stakes, but using this tool can speed up the process and keep your tent stakes in good shape.
Rainfly – If your tent doesn’t already come with a rainfly, you definitely need to get one. The rainfly protects the tent from water, wind, and other small debris that may fly around.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Pitching a tent in the rain is similar to how you normally pitch a tent with one huge (and obvious) difference: you need to keep as much dry as you can.
Your tent is designed to repel water to a certain degree, but if the water just goes right in, you won’t be happy. Follow these steps to learn how to pitch a tent in the rain.
Pro-tip: Always check the weather before you go camping. Don’t be turned off by rain in the forecast, but it always pays to be prepared.
1) SPREAD OUT THE TENT
Get everything ready to pitch the tent quickly. Keep all of your gear nearby, so you don’t have to run back and forth gathering your tools.
Take the main part of the tent and spread it out quickly with the top of the tent facing upwards as much as you can. This is the part of the tent designed for water. Letting the tent sag or fold up increases the chances of water getting in.
Pro-tip: If you don’t have any shelter from the rain, place your gear under the tent at this point to protect it from the rain.
2) INSERT THE POLES INTO GROMMETS
Unlike when setting up a tent normally, your goal in the rain is to get your rainfly up as soon as possible. Put the poles right into the grommets—or tabs—on your tent. This makes them pop up and create nice arches for the next step.
Pro-tip: Poles are meant to hold up a tent, so they’re pretty stiff. Don’t be afraid to use some muscle in getting them in the grommets.
3) COVER WITH RAINFLY OR TARP
With the poles up, next comes the rainfly cover. Spread the rainfly over the poles attaching it where possible. As soon as this gets up, things become protected from the rain and you can relax for a minute if you need to.
4) STAKE DOWN RAINFLY (OPTIONAL)
If your rainfly allows, use your rubber mallet and tent stakes to secure the material and keep it from blowing away. Follow these tips to make sure the tent stakes are used properly.
- Use a tapping motion to drive in the stakes.
- Stakes should be driven in vertically and NOT on an angle.
- Have the hook of the tent stake face away from the tent.
Related Reading: How to use tent stakes the right way
5) PITCH TENT FROM UNDER THE RAINFLY
This next step is hard to do, but at least you’re be dry. You need to crawl under the rainfly and pitch the tent from underneath. This is cramped work, but it is possible.
I recommend using the ties on the side of the tent to attach to the poles. This helps hold it up while you try to get the rest of the tent set up.
You may find it hard or impossible to insert the poles through the loops on the top of your tent. That’s OK. Your goal is to get set up as quickly and dryly. If it isn’t the most secure at this point, you should still be fine.
Double check that you’ve also staked down the main part of the tent as well and add more stakes if needed.
6) FINISH UP
Finish anything your tent needs here and you are all set up (and in the rain, no less). You may have to wait until the rain lets up before you take things down and redo them more securely.
Warning! Don’t enter your tent with anything wet. Once moisture gets in the tent, it stays in the tent. Leave your wet stuff as much as you can outside.
Pro-tip: If you need a good place to keep your damp gear, try to put it between the rainfly and the tent. Your damp gear doesn’t need to get wetter, and you don’t want to drag it inside the tent. In between these two materials is a good spot in a pinch.
You did it! Way to go, outdoor hero!
The following video shows this guy’s method for pitching a tent in the rain. Used in combination with our steps, you may find this helpful.
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What should I do if my tent isn’t waterproof and it starts raining? – Check out your terrain and consider moving to somewhere with some coverage. Still, if it’s thunder and lightning out, you shouldn’t ever do that for fear of getting struck.
Buy or borrow a tarp if you can to put over your tent and stake it down. As a long-term fix, there are spray-on waterproofing chemicals that help with your tent. I would spring for a good rainfly or better tent before I did that myself, but to each their own.
Why does the bottom of my tent get wet and what can I do about it? – If the ground is wet or gathers water, the bottom of your tent will probably get wet. There are two things you can do to prevent this:
- Pick an area with higher elevation that isn’t wet and won’t gather water in the rain.
- Use ground cloths to cover the ground before pitching your tent.
What should I do if my tent gets soaked? – Well, if the rain doesn’t stop for a long time, you just have to make the best of it you can. Do your best to keep the inside of your tent as dry.
If the sun does come out the next, you can take your tent down and hang it on some branches or spread the material out in the sun. Use dry towels to absorb moisture in the tent how you can. Just make sure to keep an eye on the sky in case the rain starts rolling in again.
CONCLUSION
Rain doesn’t have to mean the end of your camping trip as long as you know how to pitch a tent in the rain. Remember, the goal is to keep everything as dry, so move quickly and do things in our order.
Now go outside and enjoy the fresh air!
If you liked reading this article, you may also be interested in knowing about how different tent materials perform in the rain.
