Wet weather camping - tips & tricks?

[ViviPru]

I know, #1 Don't Go. But we can't get out of it this time.

Has anyone got any pearls of wisdom for those rainy day camping times? Stuff like how to avoid bedding getting damp, dealing with sodden clothes etc...

Surely there must be some oooh I'd never have thought of that! gems out there?

[MrsHoarder]

Wellies and waterproofs. Removed in porch and worn outside at all times.

If the sun comes out at all, get any damp bedding outside, draped over camping chairs to dry out (watch for imminent rain though).

Lots of hot drinks to warm from the inside.

[Ireallymustbemad]

Extra tarpaulin/groundsheet for the porch. Or a doormat just inside. No shoes in the tent EVER!
Crocs for going to the logo in the night and ease of slipping on.

[WhoNickedMyName]

Does your site have a launderette with tumble drier? You can chuck towels and stuff in to dry them off.

Have you got EHU? You could get a little fan heater from Argos to take the chill/damp off the tent.

[professorpoopsnagle]

Door mat outside and in to catch those drips. (I have seen suggestions for either a bath mat or newspaper too).

Check the tent morning and night for groundsheets, inners escaping the outer, guylines etc.

Picnic rugs/carpets/heater/light can help with the coziness and give a feeling of warmth.

Umbrellas for cooking outside/going to loos (feels a lot better than sticking waterproofs on for grown ups)

Nice food and drink.

[SophiaStantonLacy]

Open out a large cardboard box and lay it inside the tent door. Incomers step onto it to de-shoe and then wet shoes get stored on the end past the doorway.

yy to umbrella for loo trips and picnic rug carpets.

MAKE SURE NOTHING TOUCHES THE TENT WALLS INSIDE OR OUT.

Tarp for cooking shelter (we have no porch)

Cricket stumps outside the door - store wellies upside down outside.

[Snoopytwist]

Lots of old towels for mopping up porch puddles... and some meal ideas that involve little or no cooking (tinned soup and a roll etc)...

[FourArms]

Elec blankets stop the damp bedding feeling.

[TheHappyCamper]

Wear shorts or 3/4 length trousers only so they don't soak up water. Nothing denim. Fleece dries quickly. Wellies or crocs or even bare feet. Keep an emergency outfit each in the car just in case the tent leaks.

[ViviPru]

Some good suggestions here. Thanks all!

[NoComet]

But,how do you get any sleep.

We managed to keep dry, but the rain kept us awake.

[ViviPru]

Ooh I loved it, Star! That was the only aspect of the rain I actually enjoyed...

My own tip - easy on/off wellies. Mine literally fall off at the merest tap.

Also, I found that damp things dried much better if I draped them over the seats in the cab of the van rather than out in the damp air.

[MrsHoarder]

You just relax and let the "pitter-patter" wash over you as soothing noise, knowing that its outside and you're not.

[sorryitsanotherpilone]

Waterproofs and definitely shoes off before getting in the tent or it will be a mud bath. Can be easily done if you all sit in the pourch bit with feet outside while shoes are removed.

[sorryitsanotherpilone]

Have you got electric hook up? If you do have then it might be worth buying a small electric heater too to help warm the tent up before bed / help things dry (dont leave it on overnight or you'll all wake up with dehydration lol.

And travel washing lines to hang either inside your tent or even in your car

I'd also keep as much as possible in the car to keep things as dry as possible.

I've been camping in the rain its not too bad it's a great excuse for hot chocolate and marshmellows

[badguider]

absolutely no jeans at all, and if warm enough then shorts or leggings instead of baggy trousers as so much easier to keep inside wellies.

[Rooners]

It's brill when it rains - so much more fun, the children agree with me, actually on this.

It's proper camping then. Us against the elements.
We went the other week and it hammered down most of the time.

Ds still swam in the pool, alone! which was lovely, and we sat around in the tent, they played on dsi and Nexus type things and so on.

I really prefer camping in the rain.

[ViviPru]

So we've decided to buy a shelter for this weekend. Not a day tent, more a heavy-duty camping gazebo or tarp-y thing.

I'm coveting the Coleman event shelter, but it just seems a leap too far, pricewise. The Coleman instant shelter is also hugely appealing but I'm loathe to pay more than Go Outdoors have got it in their sale but none of the stores where it is in stock are near me. DH has spied the Vango family shelter which is more of a tarp, but I'm not sure... then I think should we just get a dedicated porch/awning for our tent? But we already have a pretty decent living area what we want is more of an outside canopy for gathering under shelter....

I know this has been debated before but I keep going full circle and coming up with nothing.... gah.....

[StarlightMcKenzie]

If it's warm enough, flip flops and bare arms and legs dry quicker than clothes.

We went camping in the Rain District a couple of weeks ago and this worked better than kitting up.

Park your tent with the entrance downhill so that water flows out not in.

[theonewiththenoisychild]

we are planning a camping trip without a car (i know im crazy) so we will be buying dry sacks in the hope of keeping things dry. if everything gets wet i'll just drink extra wine and then i wont care

[professorpoopsnagle]

when it rains (at night) it's a lot easier to have sex in a tent. Solves the keeping awake problem too.

[SweepTheHalls]

Loving the cricket stumps idea!

[Rooners]

One thing you must not do is put your tent away wet.

If you do, then it's imperative to get it unpacked and UP again within 12-24 hours or it will rot.

That was our main issue actually. Bringing the tent home and putting it back up again immediately!

Also we put ours with the door opening facing away from the prevailing wind which meant when it was pouring, we could sit and look out without getting drenched.

[Rooners]

Oh yes clotheswise jodhs were good. And wellibobs/crocs for feet.

[MsPickle]

We used to put clothes for the morning into the bottoms of our sleeping bags so they were warm as well as dry.

Obvious but surprising how many times ours were commented on as a family-big golfing umbrellas. Meant we could load/unload stuff from the car etc.