Ep8 – Dealing with Wind & Rain When Camping

Listen to the full episode here:

We can’t control the weather…

So when you get an unexpected bout of rain or wind in the middle of your camping trip it can really put a dampener on the whole experience.

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show podcast, Ben and Lauren give you all the hot tips on how to set up your campsite, and cook without letting a drizzle or gust of wind get the better of you.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:00 – Lauren’s windy horror story

05:20 – Choosing your campsite

06:30 – What’s the best tent for wind?

10:52 – Trace springs for your guy ropes

12:57 – Upgrade your pegs

17:00 – Dealing with rain

18:09 – Use a shovel to dig a channel

19:06 – Water run off

19:43 – Dining shelter for cooking and eating

21:05 – Windshield for your camp stove

22:16 – LPG stoves & back-up cooking methods 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Zempire air tents 

Supa Peg key-head galvanized steel tent pegs

Supa Peg angle iron tent peg

Rope and trace springs

LPG stoves

Companion Double Camp Stove Windshield

Other:

YouTube: Supa Peg Rope & Trace Springs 

Your Campsite

Try to set your tent up in a protected space and consider the orientation of your tent and what direction the wind is. Avoid setting up your tent under a tree in case of falling branches that risk injury or damage. If you can, try to position your vehicle as a wind break.

What’s the Best Tent to Use in the Wind?

The reality is, no tent is designed to withstand constant wind. However, designs like the air tent are more forgiving in blustery conditions as their structure is not rigid and will flex more with the wind. These are a good choice for coastal camping where the wind can be more persistent. 

There are also expedition style tents that use a tunnel-shaped design to make them more aerodynamic for alpine environments.

Keep in mind these styles of tents are the opposite of a boxy family tent that most people would camp with, so they will perform very differently out in the field on a windy day.

Pegs

Do yourself a favour and upgrade the standard pegs that come included with your tent, as they’re not going to be helpful in wind or rain. Invest in some larger, heavy-duty pegs ideally with a key head design, as they have much better grip.

Another recommendation is to keep a couple of angle iron tent pegs in your kit, as they are fantastic for coastal conditions when you need to secure a beach shelter just on the main tension points. Sand pegs are also really handy if you are camping in the dunes.

Use Trace Springs

One of the best tips for dealing with wind is to add trace springs to the guy ropes on your tent. These allow your tent to move with the wind and accommodate any stretching or shrinkage of the fabric, without compromising the tension needed to support your shelter.

Create a Rain Shelter

During the colder months when you know there is a chance of wet weather, take some form shelter, like an awning or tarp and poles. If you have an existing awning, you may be able to add walls to it that can create a wind break.

You’ll need somewhere protected to cook your meals, eat, and relax as you don’t want to be stuck inside your tent 24/7.

Cooking

Prepare in advance if you are expecting windy weather by protecting the flame of your stove with a windshield. If you can, invest in a quality LPG stove for winter camping as disposable butane canister lunchbox stoves will struggle in cold weather. You also don’t want to be relying on a campfire, so a back-up stove is a must, just in case.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

Thanks for tuning in to this week’s episode of the Snowys Podcast. Don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, or Stitcher so you never miss an upload.

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!