Packing up a wet tent

Bigtallfatbloke

...I know keeping the tent dry when packed is a better idea but there will be times when I'll need to pack the tent when it is soaking wet. So i have a couple of questions:

1) Any tips on keeping the dam thing dry?

2) How best to dry it out?

On th eraod I'll keep it wrapped up in my tarp footprint, but my question is geared at having had a soaking on site and leaving early the next morning.

snorri

No harm will come in packing it wet and letting it dry the next night, apart from the extra weight!

DomT

It's difficult, especially when it doesn't stop raining. But when I have to pack it away soaking, I normally stop for an hour or so further down the road and spread the thing out to dry in a field somewhere, or if you're unlucky with the weather, find a campsite early and set the tent up and hope that the inside will dry before bed-time!

Bigtallfatbloke

ok...ta...

...I guess I was looking for a magic answer that thinking about it doesnt exist...

DomT

Still trying to figure out how this website works, but here (if it works) is a pic of me drying the tent out on a quiet road: http://s100.photobucket.com/albums/m4/d ... 060061.jpg

Yep, I guess there is no magic answer to the question!

amaferanga

Pack the inner and the fly separately if possible. Doesn't matter if the fly is still wet when you pitch again at the end of the day, but a wet inner is more of an issue. If the groundsheet is wet give it a quick wipe before you pack it. Tents dry remarkably quickly.

Asterixcp

Last month my tent was wet for a fortnight.

It got a good shaking then was stuffed into my cotton duck pannier for the day. Wet weather gear such as overshoes and jacket travelled on top if I wasn't wearing them. After pitching the inner dried out very fast. It's a Nallo where the inner is 1. attached to the fly and 2. reasonably water proof. Despite 2 days when I had no dry cycling gear to put on due to rain, I was at least warm and dry at night and managed to at least dry my washed socks in the sleeping bag!

Had a great time, tho

PHcp

amaferanga wrote:

Pack the inner and the fly separately if possible.

That's what I do, the inner goes into a waterproof pannier, the outer can go anywhere.
It helps if the tent pitches outer first, in the morning you can wipe most of the moisture off after removing the inner, in the evening you can put the outer up hours before adding the inner.

Brock_71

I've gained a little experience of this problem, having picked the 'wettest june in a hundred and fifty years' for a two week tour with my woman. :? I'm just glad we decided to spend the money on a Nallo GT, it kept us dry and cosy for the whole trip.
Packing up seemed very time consuming every morning, without faffing around removing the inner tent to keep it dry, so I just packed the whole thing wet and was amazed at how quickly it dried at the next site. A quick jay cloth wipe of the inner, and orienting the tent to take greatest advantage of the wind dried it out beautifully in minutes with the sun, slightly longer if it was overcast or still raining.
I would suggest experimenting with the tent. You could waste a lot of time and energy desperately trying to keep the inner dry when it might not be as critical as you think.

PHcp

Brock_71 wrote:

I would suggest experimenting with the tent. You could waste a lot of time and energy desperately trying to keep the inner dry when it might not be as critical as you think.

It's always worth experimenting
The time and energy seperating my Coleman tent adds only a few seconds to the time it takes to errect or dismantle. The outer goes up easier, quicker and better without the inner.

Two sheds

I take a sponge with me (you can even get tent sponges!). They weigh next to nothing and pack down small.

First wipe down any condensation in the inner, and pack that separately. Then wipe off the outer and pack away.

Also useful for washing the body, especially where there is no shower.

alittlecrazy

Bigtallfatbloke wrote:

...I know keeping the tent dry when packed is a better idea but there will be times when I'll need to pack the tent when it is soaking wet. So i have a couple of questions:

1) Any tips on keeping the dam thing dry?

2) How best to dry it out?

On th eraod I'll keep it wrapped up in my tarp footprint, but my question is geared at having had a soaking on site and leaving early the next morning.

If it's raining, it's raining. You can help a bit by taking down the tent under the tarp but even then the ends tend to get wet. We just try and avoid cycling in the rain or, if the tent is wet and we have to go, then we dry it out at lunch. Just spread it out while you eat. They dry pretty quickly, or at least ours does.

Yorkshireman

DomT wrote:

Still trying to figure out how this website works, but here (if it works) is a pic of me drying the tent out on a quiet road: http://s100.photobucket.com/albums/m4/d ... 060061.jpg

Yep, I guess there is no magic answer to the question!