Just imagine you’re on a camping trip enjoying yourself, exploring nature, wildlife watching, hiking on a wonderful trail, or just having fun, and then the weather changes, and before you can do anything, it starts to rain. What then do you do?
Do you go back home, or do you still stay? The truth is, camping while raining is still an experience on its own, and sure, the rain might spoil some of your plans, but you can still have fun if you put your mind to it. So, to help you, here are some tips on what to do when it rains while camping.
10 Tips On What To Do When It Rains While Camping
1. Set Up Shelter Immediately
The moment it starts raining during your camping trip, your priority is to find a shelter and, even better, set up one immediately. If you haven’t pitched your tent before the rain started, find a higher ground and set it up now.
At this point, you’ll need a pop-up tent that doesn’t take any time to set up. Once it’s done, fix the rainfly to cover the tent. If you have a tarp or a tent footprint, you can also put it underneath the tent. Once your shelter is set up, the rain won’t disturb you so much.
2. Dry Gear When You Can
The second tip on what to do when it rains while camping is to dry out your gear once you see a bit of sun. It will be hard to get full sunshine, but once the rain reduces a little, hang your damp clothes, towels, and gear.
Even if they don’t fully dry, you’ll need to air them to get that funky smell out of them. In this case, you can also use microfiber towels to wipe down your sleeping pad, backpack, and any wet gear. Doing these little things will mean a whole lot until the rain stops.
3. Set Up a Covered Cooking Area
When you want to cook but it’s raining, you’ll start thinking about tips on what to do while raining. For this, you can check our guide on the best raining hacks. But for now, you can set up a covered cooking area using a tarp or pop-up canopy.
This will give you a dry cooking spot where you can safely use your camping stove, cook your meals, and clean up, all without getting wet. You can also use this space as a little outdoor area to eat and relax while it’s still raining.
4. Stick to Quick or No-Cook Meals
Even if you’ve set up a cooking area, it will be better to make quick or no-cook meals cos you won’t have to stress yourself too much. Remember, it’s still raining outside, so stick to instant noodles, sandwiches, granola bars, and other campfire snacks.
You can’t say you didn’t come with them, cos there are lightweight energy foods that are perfect for camping. And now, instead of struggling to cook a full meal from scratch, you can just make these easy meals and keep warm while waiting for the rain to stop.
Suggested Reads- 10 Best Camping Snacks for Outdoor Adventure
5. Play Games & Have Fun
This tip on what to do when it rains on your camping trip is for when you get bored and you can’t go outside. So, instead, you check if you packed some nice games that will make everyone happy. Games like a deck of cards, dice, or portable board games will distract everyone from the fact that they’re stuck outside.
And even if you’re camping alone, you can bring a good book to read. Or you can download offline music before your camping trip and blast it on your portable Bluetooth speaker. So now you can have a mini music festival where you’re dancing, singing along, and having fun.
6. Be Creative
Sometimes you don’t even need a game or books to keep you occupied. What you need to do when it rains on your camping trip is just to be creative. Write down memories of your trip so far in your journal, or you can even plan your next adventure.
If you’re not feeling the mood to write, then you can take pictures of the weather. You obviously love nature since you’re camping, so look for beautiful spots like the dark clouds, the lake, and the raindrops on leaves to capture. These creative activities will help calm you down while you wait for the rain to stop.
7. Go for a Walk
You’re not made from salt, so if the rain isn’t too heavy and it’s safe to come out, wear a rain jacket and waterproof boots and take a walk. Walking in the rain is a magical experience every camper needs to go through. There is just something about it that feels like you can soak in nature.
This way, you get to enjoy the peacefulness of your surroundings and see what you normally wouldn’t on a sunny day. Just make sure you stay only on safe paths and keep an eye on the weather so you can run to your tent when things get stormy.
8. Avoid Dangerous Areas
The next tip on what to do when it rains during a camping trip is to avoid dangerous areas. In any area that looks dangerous, like there are trees that could break during a storm, avoid those areas. Any area that looks like it could flood if the rain gets even heavier, so avoid it.
Even when you’re taking a walk in the rain, don’t try to cross through any streams or rivers. Cos this can be very risky and even life-threatening since the water currents are very strong. So be very careful about where you want to explore, and if there’s no other way to get to where you’re going, just turn back to your tent.
9. Prevent Hypothermia
If it rains while camping and you get soaked to the bones, you must get out of your clothes and get dry as soon as possible. Wet clothes can sap your body heat and risk you getting hypothermia, especially if the weather is cold.
So, remove the clothes and wear an extra set of warm clothes. Layer this up, starting with moisture-wicking clothes before adding a woolly sweater. If you even have a tent heater, that’s even better. This will give you more heat, keep you dry and cozy, and prevent hypothermia.
10. Protect Your Electronics
When it rains while camping, you have to make sure you protect your electronics, cos things like your phone, GPS, and the camera can get spoiled if the rain touches them. So you’ll need to put them into dry waterproof bags once it starts raining.
Even if you don’t have dry bags, you can double-seal them inside zip-lock bags. But always keep them close to you and never on the tent ground. This precaution is just so you can stay powered up and reach out for help in case of emergencies.
Conclusion
If you knew it was going to rain before your camping trip, you may not have come out to camp. But now you’re already here, and then it starts raining, the only thing left is to embrace the adventure and turn it into unforgettable memories.
With the right preparation and a good mindset, the rain won’t even have a chance of spoiling your camping trip. Instead, this moment can even turn into stories you’d share with your loved ones for years to come. So next time it starts raining while you’re camping, don’t worry, just get your rain jacket, set up your shelter, and wait out the rain.
