Last year we purchased out first family tent, the gelert 10 horizon with porch. So far, we have been lucky with the weather, the tent has been packed up whilst its dry.
What do I do when I get it home if I have to pack it up wet, I have very limited space to spread it out anyway.
I want to book campsites in advance, but this airing the tent is bugging me as I have no where to air it. So the end of last year, I was trying to book last minute when you hope to think that the weekend will be dry. But like others it was booked in advance.
If you have nowhere to spread the tent out then put it in the bath and keep turning it over until it is almost dry, do not fold it up tightly. Once most of the water has drained away you can remove it from the bath and let it dry naturally.
I had our Ontario 8 spread out in our tiny living room (I live in a small flat) and just kept turning it regularly. It took a few days to get it dry and we had to move it to sit on the settee but it was worth it!
We use our conservatory (with the blinds down to not exaccerbate UV degradation) and its generally turned multiple times for up to a week (including inside out - don't forget the inside given condensation). We try to have it in the garden for a day first with the garden chairs holding it open so that airflow can dry the inside a bit as well as the outside. Spare bedrooms, dry bathrooms, wherever is available...
If you have even the smallest outside space with a washing line, you can place a tarp on the ground below it and hang a section of your tent at a time from the line with the rest of the tent lying piled up on the tarp (to keep it clean). When each section is dry rehang it to dry another wet bit until your confident it's all bone dry, including the guy lines.
Sometimes I think the hardest work we campers do is the packing up and putting our precious tents away safely. Good luck .
I pull the chairs out from the dining table to the four corners of the room and drape the tent over the whole lot. Or I try hanging it from the bannisters. The bell tent goes over a tiny wardrobe in the spare bedroom with the sides draped out all round. A small tent can hang over the pulley in the utility room. It's always a challenge. Just as long as it's completely dry before it's packed away.
It's quite difficult to get a wet tent into it's bag again on site, it sticks to itself and won't fold down compactly enough and is generally a pain in the bum. So for that reason bring some heavy duty bin bags so you can loosly roll the tent up and put it safely inside the bin bags. There's no point in folding it neatly if you're going to have to dry it out at home.
Last summer every time I used the tent I had a wet tent to deal with. Just unlucky I suppose! I'm lucky to have a bit of space outside so I erect the tent again. Then, when it's mostly dry, it gets draped all around the living room for a couple of days.
I like the bath idea, for when the tent is just sopping wet and water is running off it.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Wet Tent
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