13 Practical Tips for Camping in the Rain

Camping in the rain can actually be a really enjoyable experience for many reasons. The wet weather means the trails and campsites are likely to be empty, which means you’ll have the whole place to yourself. The rain and clouds also can transform views and landscape to look ethereal or moody. Plus, it can bring out wildlife that you wouldn’t have otherwise seen, such as birds. While the meditative sound of the rain has numerous health benefits, being trapped inside the tent with your hiking buddy for 17 hours is the real joy. These are good bonding experiences 😀

If you want to get better at winter camping and hiking, check out The Ultimate Guide to Cold Weather Hiking.

Here are some tips for camping in the rain:

1. Invest in quality gear
2. Choose the right campsite
3. Set up your tent properly
4. Get some air flow
5. Cook quick and easy meals
6. Cook under shelter
7. Use a windscreen
8. Dry wet gear overnight
9. Stay entertained
10. Use a camp towel
11. Use waterproof bags for packing up
12. What to do if there’s lightning
13. After the hike: dry out gear
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1. Invest in quality gear

Using high-quality waterproof gear, including tents, tarps, rain jackets, and footwear, will keep you comfortable and safe in wet conditions. It’s a bad feeling when you realize your rain jacket has not in fact been keeping you dry, or your tent leaked and now your sleeping bag weighs double because it’s soaked. To see the gear I personally use and recommend, check out my Backpacking Gear Checklist.

Extra Tip: If your backpack is not waterproof and you don’t have a cover for it, you can line the inside with a garbage bag to protect it from moisture.

2. Choose the right campsite

Pick a campsite with good drainage and avoid low-lying areas prone to flooding. Try to find a campsite that is on high ground to avoid water accumulation. Don’t pick a campsite right on the edge of a body of water. Depending on the amount of rainfall, the water could flood the embankments. Try to stay at least 50 meters from bodies of water that could swell with rain.

camping in the rain tent forest — As you can see, this is not a good place to set up our tent. It ended up being a flood plain.

3. Set up your tent properly

Make sure your tent is set up correctly, and that the stakes are firmly in the ground and all the poles are connected and fit into place. Use a footprint or tarp for extra protection from the rain soaked ground. Use the guylines to ensure your tent stays secure and upright- when there is rain, there is often wind. Make sure your rain fly is securely attached at all points and that water is not running off of it and dripping into your shoes!

4. Get some air flow

When you are camping in the rain, keeping your tent ventilated will help prevent condensation and maintain airflow.

5. Cook quick and easy meals

Sometimes you just don’t feel like cooking because you’ve been hiking in the rain all day and then had to set up camp. Bring simple and quick-cooking meals to minimize time spent out of your sleeping bag, such as backpacking meals, oatmeal, or snacks that don’t require cooking. Check out my Best Healthy & Easy Backpacking Meal Ideas – DIY, Vegan.

6. Cook under shelter

While it is not advised to cook in your tent, cooking under the cover of your rainfly is a decent compromise when the weather sucks. A lot of tents have a vestibule, which is where the rain fly extends to create a little shelter for your backpack and shoes. Cooking in the vestibule is better and safer because if you spill, it’s on the ground rather than inside your tent. And you’re less likely to knock it over in the first place if it’s outside your tent. Plus, there are fewer things to catch on fire (sleeping bags, clothing, hair, etc.).

7. Use a windscreen

While using your camp stove to cook, you might need to set up something to block the wind. This has several benefits, such as keeping more heat in to boil your water faster, and thus using less fuel. A piece of folded aluminum foil works well for this, and is really light weight.

8. Dry wet gear overnight

Hang damp clothing and gear inside your tent using a clothesline or paracord to facilitate drying while you sleep.

9. Stay entertained

You might end up stuck in your tent for 39 hours because of the non stop rain. If that happens, you will want to have some sort of entertainment, whether it’s books, games, or other things to keep yourself (and your buddy) occupied in your tent during extended periods of rain.

10. Use a camp towel

Perhaps my most practical and underrated tip for camping in the rain is to pack a quick-drying camp towel to clean up spills, dry off gear, and absorb excess moisture in your tent. Even having a small kitchen towel can be really helpful for some rain that gets inside. It’s also nice being able to dry your hands, which will be wet after setting up your tent in the rain.

11. Use waterproof bags for packing up

If it rained all night, your tent will be wet when you need to pack it up. But stuffing it in a waterproof bag, this keeps it from getting all the rest of your stuff wet. Use another waterproof bag for any wet clothing to keep them separate from your dry clothes.

12. What to do if there’s lightning

First, move to lower ground, avoiding peaks, ridges, and open areas. Seek shelter in a building or vehicle if possible, as these provide better protection than a tent or open area. Stay away from isolated trees and tall objects, as lightning often strikes the tallest object around.

If shelter is not available, set up camp in a safer location, such as a forested area with trees of uniform height, and avoid the tallest trees. Insulate yourself from the ground by sitting on a sleeping pad, backpack, or other insulating material.

13. After the hike: dry out gear

If you packed your tent wet, it is crucial to unpack it and let it dry within 24 hours. If you wait longer, mold and mildew will grow. To let it dry, simply just set it up somewhere and allow several hours to dry.

If your sleeping bag got wet, unzip it and hang it to dry. Do not use heat to dry your sleeping bag, including setting it near a heater or fireplace. This can melt and damage the material or catch fire.

While you might not have planned to go camping in the rain, hopefully these tips will allow you to enjoy the experience anyway. By staying dry, you can stay comfortable and relish in the sound of the rain rather than cursing it’s existence.

Check out my video on YouTube of my experience camping in the rain!