Tent Site: 7 Ways To Cope With A Bad One

The camping literature is rich with advice on how to choose a good campsite. Requirements generally include high, flat ground with good drainage, a south-facing slope (so you can ejoy the morning sun); and open vista so welcome breeze will blow away bothersome insects.

In reality, a rank novice can tell a good tent spot when she/he sees one. Everyone knows enough not to pitch a tent on bumpy ground, on a rock face, or in a depression. However, most camping today is carefully regulated, and some programmed sites are downright awful.

In most cases, you’ll have to accept the inadequacies of the place and make the best of it. Here are some suggestions to do just that.

1. Always use a ground cloth inside your tent. The exception is in windter when you are camping on show (with no chance of rain). Then the ground cloth should be placed under the tent to prevent the floor from freezing to the ground.
2. Know the shortcomings of your tent and correct them. For example, the most weather-vulnerable portion of any tent is the door end, where zippers and seams come together. A vestibule will solve this problem instantly, however not all tents come so equipped. If the ground slopes, pitch the tent with the weather-vulnerable end downhill, so groundwater will run away from the seams rather than onto them.
3. If the site drainage is bad and there a number of tents in your party, pitch each tent far enough away from its neighbour so that tent roofs won’t funnel water onto nearby tents. Closely spaced tents act as gutters in a heavy rain!
4. Please do not “improve” the lay of the ground by attacking it with a hatchet and Rambo knife. Instead use foam pads or air mattresses. Level your sleeping system by placing additional clothing beneath your trail bed.
5. There will not always be trees available from which to rig cooking flies. An extra set of collapsible tent poles will provide anchor points for tarps.
6. If despite all your precautions, a heavy rain threatens to wipe you out, create water-diversion bars by placing logs alongside your tent’s perimeter. The logs will function much like erosion-control bars used for trail maintenance. After the rain, return logs to the forest so you’ll leave no trace of your presence.
7. An anti-rain dance or thoughtful plea to the Great Spirit will sometimes cause the brunt of a storm to bypass a bad tent spot.

Similar Posts:

• How To Select A Family Tent
• Camping in Mountains: High Altitude Campsites
• Old Tents Reveal New Secrets
• Columbia Cougar Flats II 8 Person Family Cabin Dome Tent
• Camping Mattress: 4 Ways To Keep You Comfortable