Last updated on September 8th, 2023 at 08:19 am

Recently updated on September 8th, 2023 at 08:19 am

How to Keep Your Tent Dry Inside

Camping in the wilderness or off-grid areas near Mother Nature is one of the most memorable and refreshing things we can count on our fingers.

Think of a winter day when you have to wake up in the morning with your sleeping bags, gear, and clothes. Everything around you is soaked. A wet tent can spoil your mood and ruin your whole camping day.

From condensation to hail, snow, and downpours, there are numerous reasons your tent can get wet. It is, therefore, necessary to know how to keep your tent dry inside, no matter how bad the weather outside is.

Moreover, a wet tent tends to get moldier in the winter or summer than a dry tent. Luckily, we have compiled a list of 10 easy hacks for you. These are tested and verified tips that can save your day. Let’s take a look at them.

10 Actionable Tips on How to Keep Your Tent Dry Inside

These simple and doable tips can save you from staying in a wet tent. Working on these hacks, you can learn how to keep bedding dry when camping, and consequently, you will have a peaceful sleep.

  1. Choose the Right Campsite
  2. Use a Waterproof Tent
  3. Make the Floor Leakproof
  4. Maintain Breathability
  5.  Get Help from Campfire
  6. Consider Weather-Oriented Camp Settings
  7. Employ a Transition Zone in Your Tent
  8. Use a Tent Dehumidifier
  9. Bring Some Extra Gear
  10. Use a Floor Sheet or a tent Foot Print

1. Choose the Right Campsite

The selection of a good spot for pitching a touring tent is very crucial. It helps save your tent from strong winds and downpours and provides good breathability and sun exposure.

If camping at a place with more significant precipitation, you’d better pitch your tent on the sloppy ground. Such grounds have the slightest chance of trapping water under your tent. Hence, your tent floor will be safer.

Moreover, you must also consider pitching your camp to a place surrounded by bushes and trees or even a cliff wall. This way, your tent is less likely to get moisture from the humid air. Hence, you will not have to worry about how to protect your tent floor when it’s raining.

Lastly, your tent must have its sides and top open to the sun. Exposure to the sun for even a few hours will dry your tent and gear and make it warmer for you to stay.

how to protect your tent floor

2. Use a Waterproof Tent

The best waterproof tents make it half as hard to keep your tent dry, especially when it rains. So, if you want to buy a tent for camping, it’s best to research the materials and how well they stand up to water.

Polyester urethane, polyester taffeta, or good-quality polyester are suitable rainproof materials for your tent. However, the best way to keep your tent dry would be to have an extensive rainfly with traps. 

It’s not true that waterproof tents keep water out of their tents 100% of the time. Even though nothing is entirely waterproof, it’s easier to stay dry by using suitable materials and planning accordingly.

How to Keep Your Tent Dry Inside

3. Make the Floor Leakproof

a) Sealing the Tent Seam

Most of the water at the bottom of your tent gets in through the seams. The tent’s seams are where the floor and the walls are sewn together. This means water can quickly get in through the joints when it rains, dampens, or floods. To make a tent waterproof, you must seal its seams with glue or tape.

You can quickly seal your tent’s seams by following these simple steps.

  • Open up your tent in a well-lit and vast place.
  • Look for all the seam spots where the tape is worn out.
  • Remove the worn-out tapes, wipe the seams with alcohol or spirit, and rub them gently.
  • Apply tape or seam sealant to the seamed spot by extending it at least half an inch on each side.
  • Finally, you must examine the tent thoroughly by spraying or spotlighting.

b) Spraying a Waterproofing Agent-“How to Keep Your Tent Dry Inside in the Easiest Way”

Your tent can’t get wet inside when you apply a waterproofing spray to the floor corners of the tent from the outside. These sprays make water bead up and spread out, so there is less moisture on the outside of the tent. Notably, the bottom of the tent shouldn’t be too loose since that would let the water trapped underneath the tent floor out.

waterproofing spray for tent
How to Keep Your Tent Dry Inside

Spraying the waterproofing agent is one of the handiest and most effective ways. The spray works instantly and has no adverse effects on your tent material. Moreover, it is very lightweight and has a very affordable price. However, waterproofing sprays are harmful to the environment.

Note: Apply the waterproofing spray to the completely dried tent; otherwise, you will not achieve effective waterproofing.

c) Changing the Urethane Coating

Urethane is a waterproof material used by most tent companies on rainflies and floors. Despite its effectiveness against water seepage, it is severely affected by severe chemical and physical changes. You may see cracks and skin-like patterns peeling off. This could cause the water to seep into the tent through the floor. So, it’s better to change this urethane sheet quickly and avoid any inconvenience while camping with your family and friends. 

You can follow the simple steps below to enjoy sleeping in a tent in the rain without worrying about “how to keep your tent dry inside.”

  • Open your tent floor on a dry and plain surface.
  • Remove the flacks of damaged urethane gently by using a rag or alcohol rubbing.
  • Apply the urethane sealant as instructed in the manual.
  • Let it dry for at least a day.
  • Now you can use your tent floor for happy camping.

Read our Guide How to stay warm in a tent

4. Maintain A Proper Breathability

While breathing, you exhale more moist air in the tent than the outside fresh air. That’s the reason the air inside your tent is more humid. When this humid air comes into contact with the tent roof and wall, it condenses inside your tent. Moreover, you may also feel suffocation, and that’s where the real trouble starts. It’s time you started thinking, “How to keep your tent dry inside?”

To answer this, you can act on the given easy tips and have a wholly dried tent with perfect breathability.

  • Set up your tent so that its door and windows face the fresh air current.
  • In summer, find an open and high place to pitch your tent, exposing you to maximize fresh air.
  • Open up the windows and doors before you go in for a rest.
  • Choose tents with leading, meshed windows to avoid mosquitoes and bugs.
  • Open the rainfly only in case it rains.

Following all these tips, you will have continuous access to fresh air, and your tent will remain dry. 

How to Keep Your Tent Dry Inside

5. Get Help from Campfire

Camping in winter needs special consideration as the cold can get severe with damp conditions. In such a situation, you always look for how to keep your tent dry inside all night. That’s where the idea of a campfire comes in. Just when you feel it will rain soon, open up your tent’s rain fly and try to extend it a bit more in front of the tent door.  

It’s better to open the windows if they do not let raindrops enter. Now you can sit next to your campfire, cooking food, drying your clothes, and feeling the warmth of the fire. While you may see catastrophic precipitation levels on your camping adventure, that shouldn’t imply things will be hopeless anyway. Bring hot water bottles, gloves, dry clothing, and a good campfire. You will be warm and have a nice dinner without worrying about stoking a campfire with wet wood.

Campfire

6. Consider Weather-Oriented Camp Settings

a) Keeping Tent Dry in the Rainy Season

It is better to keep your tent dry inside if you know the weather conditions at your campsite. Try to find a high, sheltered location for a place with rain chances. Traveling at an elevated site would avoid the water accumulation around your tent; hence, you’ll have a dry floor no matter how long it rains.

b) Keeping Tent Dry in Humid Weather (Summer)

Most novice campers ask how to keep your tent dry inside in summer. In humid weather, the air inside your tent may get more humid as you aim to rest overnight. This damp atmosphere not only makes you uneasy but could also moisten your gear. You may sweat more, and an unwanted odor could ruin your rest time.

To avoid all these discomforts, pitch your camp in an open area with extensive exposure to fresh air and sunlight. The fresh air will provide perfect breathability, while sunlight will evaporate all your tent’s moisture for you to have a comfortable camping experience.

c) Keeping Your Tent Dry in Winter

In winter, you risk being exposed to heavy downpours, hail, or snowfall. These conditions can make your tent wet inside if not correctly managed. Seasoned campers have years of experience and, therefore, suggest making your campsite a place covered with trees and at a relatively higher spot than the surroundings.

The trees will shelter you from the heavy snow or hail, and the elevated spot is best to avoid rainwater seeping inside. Moreover, an extended rainfly and sturdy poles must be part of your camping gear to enjoy happy winter camping.

7. Employ Transition Zone in Your Tent

Knowing how to keep your tent dry inside is not a big deal. One of the primary measures you could take is to employ a transition zone in your tent. It’s the dry space you create between your tent’s internal atmosphere and the outside’s damp atmosphere. This buffer zone will keep the inner atmosphere much better maintained than that outside.

Moreover, you can also dedicate a part of your tent to storing used and wet clothes. It’s better to use a separating curtain or something like that. You can also choose a tent with a built-in separate room for your belongings that you use during hiking, trekking, trailing or wandering around. Furthermore, if your tent has an extended front awning, you can put your wet clothes and gear under that awning to keep them dry inside.

8. Use A Tent Dehumidifier

As long as you have access to electricity, a tent dehumidifier is the best way to keep the inside of your tent dry. A dehumidifier can cut down on the humidity in your tent quickly and effectively, making it a more comfortable place to sleep.

Keep in mind that a tent dehumidifier may take away too much moisture if it is used too much. A common side effect of excessive dehumidification is that the eyes, skin, and throat get dry. So, it would help if you used a dehumidifier three to four hours before bedtime to get the right humidity level in your tent. Turn off the dehumidifier when the humidity is just right for you. Campers can change how long the dehumidifier runs to meet their needs.

Dehumidifier for Grow Tent

9. Bring Some Extra Gear

If you’re camping in the winter when it might rain, hail, or snow, it’s a good idea to bring extra supplies in case the weather turns bad. For instance, when you go forest exploring, hiking, or trailing, for the time being, your clothes might get wet from sweat.

Sleeping with wet blankets makes you more likely to get a cold. With your extra gear, you’ll be able to rest and give your clothes and shoes plenty of time to dry.

10. Use A Floor Sheet or A Tent Footprint

Lastly, to answer your question about “how to keep your tent dry inside,” use a thick and waterproof sheet. A waterproof sheet is better at keeping out the humidity from the soil. Moreover, if applied beneath the floor sheet, a broad, ragged bottom can make you feel more comfortable by restricting the cold from the damp ground. 

Using the groundsheet, aka footprint, can save your tent floor from damage as it acts as a sacrificing layer. Furthermore, it keeps your tent base tidy and manageable. Moreover, you no longer have to worry about spilling food or any other fluid as it can be washed easily.

waterproof sheet

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I stop the inside of my tent from getting wet?

The best way to prevent condensation is to let air move through your tent, lowering the relative humidity. If your tent has top and ground vents, use both so the old air can get out.

How do you stay dry in a tent when it’s raining?

Wear either rain boots or sandals when it rains. Also, use big plastic containers or bags to store your extra clothes, shoes, and outerwear. You’ll be able to put them away without worrying about the rain getting them wet. Still, if your gear gets wet, you can hang it up under the tarp to dry. Lastly, bring a lot of layers, a raincoat, a pair of boots, and extra socks and pajamas.

Should you put a tarp under your tent?

Yes, putting a trap under your tent is a good step. When a ground cover or tarp is put under a tent, it lasts longer and stays warmer and drier.

Conclusion

Being a camper is all about being prepared and cautious to have a peaceful family camping trip. Therefore, the best way is to learn from the experience of others. In doing so, you may not have to go through any inconvenience, especially when your family is with you. 

Luckily, we know the basics that every camper should know before setting out on their journey. Therefore, we’ve decided to provide you with all the necessary tips and remedies that consistently work for us. Moreover, for your convenience, we also offer professional and reliable reviews of the best tents for family camping.

The article “How to Keep Your Tent Dry Inside” proves our commitment to providing you with the most helpful and actionable tips for camping. Therefore, keep visiting us to benefit from our amazing hacks and detailed reviews of tents and related gear. Your suggestions and feedback will be our fuel for this journey, so never forget to write in the comments section!

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