How to Dry a Tent After Camping in the Rain
If you’re an avid camper, you’ll likely enjoy camping in all weather, from wind and rain to glorious sunshine. You might have the right equipment to handle all environments, but do you know how to take care of your tent when it rains?
Learning how to dry a tent properly is a crucial part of tent maintenance, and this will help prevent a range of issues from mould to fabric breakdown. In this blog, we’ll give you all our best tips and tricks to help you dry your tent quickly and thoroughly.
Looking for a quality tent to brave the rain? Check out our premium glamping bell tents at Boutique Camping. All our tents offer spacious protection from the elements and a waterproof coating.
How to Dry a Tent in Rainy Weather
Drying your tent while you're still out in the wild can help prevent mould and save you time when you get home. Here are the best steps to dry a tent at your campsite:
Shake or Wipe Off Excess Moisture
Before you begin to pack anything away, give your tent a shake to remove any water droplets. Then go in and remove any remaining surface water with a towel or micro fibre cloth. Be sure to wipe all sides of your tent, including the underside. This will help speed up the drying process and avoid residual water soaking right through your tent fabric.
Use Natural Sunlight
If you’re lucky enough to get some sun when camping in the UK, use this to your advantage. Positioning your tent directly in the sun can help your tent dry much faster when you’re packing up to head home. We wouldn’t recommend pitching your tent in direct sunlight for lengthy periods of time, as this can damage the UV coating of the fabric over time.
Utilise Wind or a Breeze
We know the sun is scarce in Britain, so if it’s not sunny, wind or even a light breeze can help dry your tent too. Leave your tent pitched where the wind can reach it and open up all the doors and windows. This will increase air flow through the tent and help to dry it faster. Wind can also help to blow away any moisture droplets you’ve missed.
Leave Your Tent Pitched as Long as Possible
When you’re getting ready to leave and packing all your camping gear away, leave your tent pitched until the very end. Even if you’re only packing up for 20 minutes, leaving your tent up with access to the wind or sun, even for a short amount of time, can make a huge difference in preventing damp.
If you’re looking for other ways to stop damp, check out our blog on how to stop condensation in a tent.
How to Dry a Tent at Home
There are often many reasons why it’s not possible to dry your tent at your campsite. Whether the weather is too wet or you’re short on time, sometimes you’ll have to take your tent home to dry.
Use Your Garden
If the weather isn’t wet, you can pitch your tent in your back garden or hang it up on the washing line to dry. It’s always best to pitch your tent if possible to allow for maximum circulation, but letting the air get to your tent on the washing line will still work too.
Use Your Garage or Bathroom
If you’re not lucky enough to have a garden or the weather is still rough by the time you return home, there are other ways to dry your tent. If you have a spacious garage, you can pitch your tent inside or hang your tent on pegs. You can also hang your tent over your shower door or bath. If you’re drying your tent inside, it’s important to ensure there is proper ventilation. Open any windows or doors and use dehumidifiers to avoid condensation developing indoors.
Washing Your Tent First
In some cases, before you let your tent dry, you’ll need to clean it. Excess dirt, debris and spills can cause mould and bacteria growth as your tent dries out. To avoid this, you’ll need to go in with a tent cleaner and spot treat these areas. Use a sponge and a purpose-made tent cleaning solution, working it gently, but thoroughly, into the fabric. Once removed, rinse with water and dry as normal.
You may also need to add UV or waterproofing to your tent after cleaning. You can find detailed instructions on our blog on waterproofing a tent.
Can You Tumble Dry a Tent?
You might want to know how to dry a tent quickly, but it’s extremely important to never tumble dry a tent, especially tents made from canvas fabric like our bell tents. The high heat can not only damage and misshape the fabric, but can also cause shrinkage and remove any protective UV and waterproof coatings.
Always opt for air drying, and also avoid using indoor heaters or radiators as these can pose similar problems.
Why Do You Need to Learn How to Dry a Tent?
Drying your tent isn’t just for convenience, it’s essential to ensure the longevity of your tent. Here are the top reasons for learning how to dry your tent:
Preventing Mould and Mildew
All of our classic bell tents have a thick waterproof coating, but leaving water on your tent for prolonged periods encourages the growth of mould and mildew. Once damp and mould begin to grow on your tent, it’s difficult to remove and can pose health issues like irritation and allergies.
Should you notice any mould growth on your tent, you can check out our blog and learn how to clean a tent with mould or mildew.
Preserve Protective Coating
Although high-quality tents are coated with UV and waterproof protection, damp and trapped moisture can break down these protective layers. When these layers wear down, this can lead to issues like leaks and sun damage on the fabric of your tent.
Increase Tent Life
Keeping your tent dry and learning how to keep a tent dry from mildew will help the material last longer. If you’re making an investment in a premium glamping tent, good tent maintenance and preventative measures will ensure you get the most for your money.
How to Dry a Tent in Winter
If you’ve been hot tenting in colder months, then you might want to know how to dry a tent in winter. If you’ve been caught in a storm or just returned from a snowy retreat, you’ll need to dry your tent using alternative methods.
- Keep your tent pitched even if it’s cold outside. As long as the sun is shining, this will help to evaporate some water.
- If you’re hanging your tent at home indoors, you can use the central heating to heat the air. Never place your tent directly on any radiators.
- Ensure you are patient during the drying process in winter. You may need to rotate your tent regularly and wait upwards of a day to dry.
How to Dry a Canvas Tent
All of our tents at Boutique Camping are made with high-quality cotton or polycotton canvas. Canvas is much more durable than polyester or plastic alternatives, but often takes longer to dry.
When drying a canvas tent, it’s important to stay patient and be aware that it can take 24 hours or longer for your tent to dry. The size of your tent will also increase the drying time. For example, an 8m bell tent will take longer to dry than a 3m bell tent due to the extra material.
If you have a larger canvas tent, it may be difficult to pitch in your garden or garage. This means the best way to dry your canvas tent is by wiping any excess water away or hanging it on a washing line outdoors or in a ventilated area.
What Not to Do When Drying a Tent
When it comes to drying a tent, you might be tempted to cut corners or rush the process, but it’s crucial that you let your tent dry naturally and fully.
- Never use a hairdryer on your tent. We’ve all done this when we need a pair of jeans to dry in time for an event, but using high heat in any form on canvas tents can damage the fabric and protective coating. If you need air flow for drying indoors, a standard fan and open windows should help.
- Don’t wait to dry your tent. The longer you leave your tent wet, especially inside the tent bag, the more you run the risk of causing damage and developing mould.
- Don’t leave your tent to dry in the tent bag. We know it might be tempting after folding everything up, but this is not what tent bags are designed for. Tightly packing wet fabric into this bag will encourage mould and fungus to grow at a rapid rate. This is by far the easiest way to ruin your tent, so NEVER leave it wet inside the bag.
How to Pack a Wet Tent
If you know how to dry a tent but you’re not able to, knowing how to pack a wet tent properly is extremely important.
- Shake off any water from your tent.
- Place your tent in a waterproof plastic bag before placing it into your tent bag.
- Keep your tent separate from all of your other equipment.
- Remove your tent from the bag as soon as you return home and pitch or hang it to dry. This will help to prevent any mould growth.
Ensuring your tent has a good hydrostatic head rating will also help to minimise the amount of water absorbed or remaining on the tent. If you want to know more, dive into our blog on “What is a good hydrostatic head rating for a tent?”.
How to Store Your Tent After Drying
Drying your tent is important, but correct storage is also essential to ensure no mould growth develops.
- Always wait until your tent is completely dry before packing away. Rushing to get it out of the way will create the perfect moist environment inside your tent bag for mould to grow.
- Never pack your tent into a tight bag. Always use a breathable storage bag and avoid plastics.
- Store your tent in a cool, dry place. Avoid garages or attics, which tend to be colder and more prone to damp or humidity.
Keep Your Tent Safe and Dry with Boutique Camping
By now, you know just how essential it is to dry your tent, and you’ve also learned some key steps on how to clean your tent quickly and easily. Taking just a few extra minutes to wipe down your gear and hang it up can make all the difference and save you money and time addressing issues like mould.
Whether you’re out in sunny weather or soggy showers, always keep your drying equipment on you at all times so you can prepare for any weather.
If you’re in need of more advice on how to clean your tent or you’re interested in professional tent cleaning, get in touch with our team. At Boutique Camping, not only do we sell amazing quality bell tents, but we’re partnered with companies who can give your canvas tents a stunning professional clean.
Laissez un commentaire