Wet Camping

[chief38]

When I was a teenager I camped out in the Adirondack's for two weeks one Summer. I don't think there were two days during the entire trip that it didn't rain (and rain heavy). It was a pretty boring trip and I was not sorry to go home. Camping in the rain sucks and wet eggs and bacon does not go down well!

 

[yeti]

Wet camping is something that can happen. Always a possibility.
Better be a damn good reason for me to be out there in a deluge.
Camping is fun, but full-on rain camping...nope.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Wet camping is something that can happen. Always a possibility.
Better be a damn good reason for me to be out there in a deluge.
Camping is fun, but full-on rain camping...nope.

WE did check the "Weather Guesser's Report" on Thursday night (2 TV , cell phone app, and the computer's forecast. Not one of them gave us any indication of what we actually got! That's why we always have rain suits and two extra tarps for "Just in case!"

Ivan

 

[pmanton]

Some years back we were at an event where people (lots of em) pitch tents under the wing of their airplanes. During the night we had a heavy rain that made going to the porta-potties a real drag.

We were prepared and had a pee bottle. What we weren't prepared for is knocking the pee bottle over.

What a mess. Fortunately we hadn't eaten any asparagus.

 

[JohnRippert]

I remember going to Colorado for vacation back in the early to mid '90s by myself in my Dodge Dakota. The Dodge had a hardtop cover with really strong lift struts. When I got to my camping spot I moved all the camping equipment to one side, laid out my pad in the bed and put my sleeping bag on top. Then I pulled out a tarp and bungeed it to the underside of the bed so it formed a "tent" around the open hardtop. Woke up to snow the next morning, dropped the tailgate and made coffee and breakfast on my Coleman stove. Not as fond of that kind of camping now that I am nearing 60 but I do miss it now and then.

 

[Kenna]

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass,its about learning how to dance in the rain!

 

[DeplorabusUnum]

Grew up in Oregon and we camped all the time rain or shine. It was always in this old canvas Coleman tent with the aluminum poles. Lot's of very vivid memories of digging trenches around the tent in the middle of the night with an olive green folding army shovel, as the rain came down in buckets.(All of course while dad kept sleeping inside). Good times had by all.

 

[Farmer17]

Last month nine of us went on an annual inner tube float fishing down the Illinois river for 3 days and we had a Jon boat that floated between us with tents, stove, food, etc. We fished the first day but it stormed all night but I stayed dry and slept pretty well and rain was still pouring in the morning. A couple guys were up under the folding canopy so I got up wearing my bathing suit and walked through the down pour. I made some coffee and we all ate bacon, eggs, and potatoes for breakfast. It rained and sprinkled all day long as we floated and fished and that kept us cool and comfortable in late July in Oklahoma and that was real treat! The fish were really biting too that day and we caught over 150 fish, mostly channel cats. I would MUCH prefer camping and fishing in rain over 100 degree heat!

 

[lihpster]

My first camping trip was at the age of 2 months. Beginning of April in Oregon. Of course, it rained. In the ensuing 50+ years, I'd say my camps have been 60/40 in favor of rain. I remember the rainy ones best. Especially one trip to Mt. Rainier where I swear the animals lined up 2X2 and looked at us like "Where's the boat?" It was one night and about 5" of rain fell. My oldest brother and his fiancée had a nice tent. Good thing too. They woke up on a waterbed. You could slap the floor of the tent and watch the wave travel across. Me and my middle brother had luxury accommodations. Two sticks and a tarp. Folded it over like a taco shell. On a bit of a slope with deep wide trenches dug around it. We stayed dry and it quit raining around sunup. We cooked breakfast and hiked up the mountain aways. One of the best camping trips I've ever been on.

 

[duane_wade]

Some of the best times I've had camping was during a long 3 day weekend and it rained the entire time we were there. Fortunately we had planned for it and brought along several extra tarps and poles. We had our own little tent city (my sister's family and my family) under the tarps. We played board and card games, went hiking in rain gear and even fished a bit.

If you prepare for it you can enjoy it.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[Smoke]

I was stationed at Fort Lewis for two and a half years. That's all the wet camping I ever want to do

 

[MORSNO]

Loaded up the camper yesterday and heading out to northern Idaho and Montana.

 

[tlawler]

40 years ago Ruthie and I spent a weekend tent camping with three other couples in a remote Kentucky area with no amenities.

On the way home she asked "do you truly love me?"

"Of course I do."

"Then don't ever ask me to do that again!"


Bless her heart.

I took the wife and kids camping…Once.

From then on, it was just me and the kids.
The girls got tired of it by their early teens, so it was just me and Josh the last few times before he went off to college. I've gone several times on my own and love to get out in the wilderness to clear my head.

 

[mikerjf]

My all-time favorite night of camping was in Goosenecks state park in Utah.

I'd been driving thru Monument Valley on a bunch of little dirt roads. Thought about camping there, but it was supposed to rain and I figured I'd never get out of the mud the next day.

So I drove into Goosenecks, and the camping area was all solid rock. Right next to a thousand foot dropoff over the river, yeah... but rock.

Climbed into the back of the Ranger under the aluminum topper. That night, wave after wave of thunderstorms with bright moonlight in between. Most awesome rain sound ever!

 

[walkin jack]

I tent camped on the beach for 0ver half a century. I never had the misfortune of being on the beach during a full blown hurricane but at one time or other I endured about everything else Mother Nature could throw at me.

Woke up one morning and found myself pinned to my cot by the roof of my tent. I don't have any numbers but a storm cell came ashore one morning about an hour before dawn. It lasted about 10 minutes. When it moved off and I was able to extricate myself from my flattened tent I wound up chasing pots, pans, clothing, and fishing gear for nearly 1/4 mile down the beach.

For all the glorious and wonderful times experienced over the years, I was well aware that if you are going to make a habit of camping on the beach, you WILL deal with the occasional stormy day/night.

I never cared much for that but it's part of the deal. The key to getting through it alright is preparation.