In a tent, in a forest, in thunder and lightening.

[GingerWrath]

We are booked into a site for a the weekend. I have just seen the forecast for where we are going is thunderstorms on friday...

I have told DH we are still going. Am I mental?

[notwavingjustironing]

Nah, it all adds to the experience. As Slubber once said, it's the trips where something happened that you remember the most, rather than an uneventful "lovely time".

[serin]

It's just a forecast, might never happen

[GingerWrath]

Actually, secretly I think it'd be quite cool to watch a storm from the safety of our tent!

[Slubberdegullion]

notwaving.

yy storm, big rain, loud crashy thunder AWESOME in a tent.

Lightening and trees though, nope. Would get in car and drive clear of trees and sit it out there [John major voice] [safety first]

[Quenelle]

Reminds me of camping in Italy when I was a girl. The lightning would make the tent disappear, every few minutes there would be a flash and all we could see was the stark outline of the mountains that surrounded the campsite.

That's what camping is about; adventures to bore regale your friends with for years afterwards.

But no, don't pitch your tent under a tree.

[TeamDamon]

I read your thread title and clicked on it fully expecting your OP to be

...and I'm still MNetting!

[GingerWrath]

That made me chuckle TeamDamon

Technically the campsite is in a clearing in the forest and the tent has fibreglass poles not metal so we should be ok (I hope!)

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Do you want me to be truthful about tents in storms or do you want the 'it's fine' line?

[GingerWrath]

Not sure I want to hear the truth, but go on!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Ok looking at direct strikes; carbon fibre conducts electricity. So that I'm afraid is not going to protect you. Try not to be the tallest object but don't camp directly under trees either. In general you can forget the fact that you are in a tent cos it doesnt make much difference either way.

Biggest issue I think though is if you get a strike nearby hitting the ground. The current can travel some distance across the wet ground. The floor of the tent won't protect you.

Safest place to be is in the car, which acts as a faraday cage, protecting the occupants from strikes.

[GingerWrath]

We are on a pitch with EHU so will be in amongst caravans, we sleep on air mattresses so I think the rubber in them will offer some protection, if it gets too wild we can kip in our massive people carrier!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

US National Weather service advice

I have to say, I do camp when storms are predicted but I do force us to take shelter in the car if theres a storm arriving. Not only are there lightning strikes but also the wind squalls can be sudden and severe (we learned the hard way once) and if it is a severe storm then there is the possibility of damaging hail.

Fun person arent I

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

rubber protecting you is another myth I'm afraid (people think that its the tyre's that protect you in the car. Sadly this is not true)

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Tell you what, when its a bit closer I'll do a bit of a forecast for Friday night, perhaps there won't be storms )

[MisSalLaneous]

OP, I'm another one slightly stressing re weekend - we're off to camp - under trees! - in one of our favourite spots. One that we had to book almost a year ahead for. I'll be gutted if we have to cancel, but is obviously preferable to being fried alive... OYBK, yes please, keep us updated and do a little good weather dance or something. You never know, it might work.

PS: Much like TeamDamon, I was expecting a life report here.

[Lilyloo]

Am with you guys we off for a weekend camping too this weekend , have been sundancing all day !!

[WhereTheWildThingsWere]

Rumbly storms in the distance, I would sit out in the tent, fast aproaching storms that look like they are going to go overhead, it's everyone to the car I'm afraid.

If you know there will be one then you can sling all the car seats etc into the tent, flatten the back of the car for the dc's (you can probably get an airbed in, we have before) make a flask of hot chocolate arm yourselves with a bucket torches and books and retreat.

Also take down porches/awnings from your tent if you have them and spread bags and other equiptment evenly around the floor of the tent to stop the wind from getting under it.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Very good advice WTWWW :)

[SeaShellsAndTheInlawInvasion]

Oybbk-you would be a very welcome poster in this section! (it would save me tracking down te weather forum )

:( re weather forecast.

[Slubberdegullion]

But you can do the old lightening then counting the seconds to the thunder trick to gauge how close the storm proper is before abandoning tent for car do you think Kitten and Wildy? Sometimes storms with growly thunder in the distance can go on for ages, you'd be alright in the tent then don't you think?

[GingerWrath]

I am seriouslyu having second thoughts now, but it's paid for damn it!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

If it is just growling in the background, then absolutely I'd stay in the tent. Holiday's particularly abroad would be exhausting otherwise. That wouldn't be my official advice though

slubber your Spanish night sounds rather, ermm, exciting!

[Slubberdegullion]

Kitten, I learnt that night that good proper Christians love God's world apart from when it rains hard on them.

That holiday also taught me that wine helps.

[fruitshootsandheaves]

We camped in a storm once........



















then bought a caravan

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I went on a christian camp once when I was much younger. It was very very cold indeed one night and we sspent some of the time we couldnt sleep praying to be warmer the next night. We spent much of that day debating whether God was calling us to nick the blanket that covered the piano in the hall.