Hi
I've just bought n had to (!) test in the rain a new Vango 4 man tent.
It was surprisingly easy to pitch and easy to take down by myself.
No surprise to anyone here the only problem has been how to dry it enough to pack once I got home. I had to take it down in hard rain. I live in a bedsit with a small garden and shared banisters! Didn't really think this bit through...
Luckily dry day so hung it on the line n turned it few times n now airing it over my table.
Point is - I'm thinking, next time I take it down in the rain, I'm gonna leave the poles in, wrinkle the tent seams they go through up, wrap something round the poles at those points like those bendy polystyrene hair rollers or twisted gaffa, fold the excess tent poles up as far as they'll go, stick a couple of socks over the ends of them, wrap the whole thing up quick style cos I'm drenched n had enough, bundle it in the car in a big bag n then when I get home I can actually figure out which piece of tent is up n just pitch it with the poles with way less hassle to dry.
If there is a flaw in this plan please can someone point it out?
Cheers
Kate
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After packing up during a massive downpour I have taken my tent to some open common land or playing field and put it up for a couple of hours to dry, you just sit with it and let the kids have a play. Much easier than wrestling with it in a garden that is too small or indoors which is always a bit of a nightmare in my experience!
I think you might struggle trying to wrap a tent up with the poles still inserted and you could damage the tent. Whip the poles out, bundle the tent up and shove it into bin liners. Make sure the bin liners are upright in the car so water doesn't leak out. You will be surprised how much water a tent holds...I flooded the boot of my car once!
As suggested, erect it as soon as possible after arriving home in a park or on waste land. If it is windy or sunny, or preferably both, it should dry pretty quickly. You could gently wipe any excess off with a clean cloth or towel.
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We are moving from a house with garden to a duplex flat. Luckily there is a full length attic room in the flat. A few hooks in the ceiling should support the tents for drying out. As the others have said, bin bags are useful. I use a couple of 80 litre dry bags for the Alaska. The main thing is to get it out of the bag and laid out in a place that isn't dark. Mildew hates sunlight.
------------- Hypercamp Alaska
Vango Force 10 mk3
Vango F10 Helium 1
Coleman Cobra Pro 3
Coleman Cobra 2
Naturehike Star River 2
Eureka! Solitaire
Dutch army goretex bivvy bag
Thanks so much for replies. Know other threads on here re wet tents etc n read them n hope ok to ask anew re poles n space.
Yeah on reflection the poles idea is prob a bit risky n therefore stupid. Tent waterproof but not coat so went in bin once home! Think learnt no matter what gotta try n lay tent out, fold n roll up in some semblance of order instead of bundling it up n wrestling with huge, twisted, tangled mess to hang over line.
Also learnt if hanging on line gotta be in all day to turn it few times n lastly that roughly pitching it again gonna prob be easier n quicker!!!
Just gonna have to hope the 8 other peeps in my house dont mind not going in the garden 4 a day or so. Also nice one on pitching it in the park..... Thanks 😊
Quote: Originally posted by Bob61 on 28/8/2018
Of course the ideal way to keep a tent dry is to watch the weather forecast n don't go camping when it is going to be raining
The only problem with that is that matter what the forecast is if you go camping the weather gods are liable to chuck some of the wet stuff at you.
Yep keep it simple. Take the poles out, wipe and pack them as usual. Fold/ roll the flysheet up and wrap it in something water proof like a bin bag, or as Ewen suggests invest in a reusable dry-bag. Get it out as soon as you can, and if you have space put it up outside. I live in a very small flat and share a garden, but our 5m bell is too big to fit, so I zip off the groundsheet and drape the flysheet all over my dining table and chairs, moving it around every couple of hour so that it dries out evenly.