Camping, surely the defining characteristic of the Englishmans holiday. Indeed, it is the quintessential English pastime. There is something else quintessentially English, and it goes hand-in-hand with camping…rain! We are used to the rain, and so it barely gets in the way of our life and it certainly should not interfere with a carefully planned camping trip. As the boy scouts say, always be prepared!

From waterproof bags, to preparing food, we have a list of hints and tips to make sure that you enjoy your rainy camping trip.

Firstly, and most importantly, is shelter. When you buy a tent, you should test it for rain resistance before you embark on your trip. To do this, erect the tent, and then use a sprinkler hose to soak it. Enter the tent, and make sure that there are no leaks. It there are, no need to worry, you can purchase specialist repair kits to seal the leak.

When you have arrived at your camping site, and before erecting the tent, check the terrain. Make sure that you do not pitch-up at the bottom of a hill; if it rains heavily, water may come in through the door, area. Or worse still, the tent may come out of its moorings and collapse or float away with you inside it potentially (although that will only happen in extremely adverse weather conditions in which you should not be camping anyway).

Never pitch your tent too close to a tree. Many people believe that the tree canopy will protect from rain, and to a degree, this is true. However, if the rainstorm turns into a thunderstorm and the lightening hits the tree, then it could fall on the tent and crush whatever is inside. Old wives tales advise that a potato be put on the top of the metal poles of a tent during an electric storm, apparently, they protect from a lightning strike.

Next, you should consider which clothing to bring. Waterproof bags are essential for storing the clothes that you bring, and anything else you wish to protect from water damage, such as mobile phones and laptops. Pack more pairs of socks than you would ordinarily use, as these tend to get the most waterlogged of all clothing. Stow clothes away from the tent walls, as the walls tend to be the dampest area of the tent.

When you are camping in the rain, it can be tempting to use the camp stove in the tent especially if the rain sets in hard. Never use the stove inside! The dangers of doing so are extreme, and not just from the potential risk of fire: gas stoves produce carbon monoxide, a highly poisonous gas that is likely to be at critical levels when used inside. Make sure then, that you bring along a variety of foods that you can eat without cooking, such as sandwiches.

Camping, surely the defining characteristic of the Englishman’s holiday.  Indeed, it is the quintessential English pastime.  There is something else quintessentially English, and it goes hand-in-hand with camping…rain! We are used to the rain, and so it barely gets in the way of our life and it certainly should not interfere with a carefully planned camping trip.  As the boy scouts say, ‘always be prepared!’

From waterproof bags, to preparing food, we have a list of hints and tips to make sure that you enjoy your rainy camping trip.  

Firstly, and most importantly, is shelter.  When you buy a tent, you should test it for rain resistance before you embark on your trip.  To do this, erect the tent, and then use a sprinkler hose to soak it.  Enter the tent, and make sure that there are no leaks.  It there are, no need to worry, you can purchase specialist repair kits to seal the leak.

When you have arrived at your camping site, and before erecting the tent, check the terrain.  Make sure that you do not pitch-up at the bottom of a hill; if it rains heavily, water may come in through the door, area.  Or worse still, the tent may come out of its moorings and collapse or float away – with you inside it potentially (although that will only happen in extremely adverse weather conditions in which you should not be camping anyway).

Never pitch your tent too close to a tree.  Many people believe that the tree canopy will protect from rain, and to a degree, this is true.  However, if the rainstorm turns into a thunderstorm and the lightening hits the tree, then it could fall on the tent and crush whatever is inside.  Old wives tales advise that a potato be put on the top of the metal poles of a tent during an electric storm, apparently, they protect from a lightning strike.

Next, you should consider which clothing to bring.  Waterproof bags are essential for storing the clothes that you bring, and anything else you wish to protect from water damage, such as mobile phones and laptops.  Pack more pairs of socks than you would ordinarily use, as these tend to get the most waterlogged of all clothing.  Stow clothes away from the tent walls, as the walls tend to be the dampest area of the tent.

When you are camping in the rain, it can be tempting to use the camp stove in the tent – especially if the rain sets in hard.  Never use the stove inside!  The dangers of doing so are extreme, and not just from the potential risk of fire: gas stoves produce carbon monoxide, a highly poisonous gas that is likely to be at critical levels when used inside.  Make sure then, that you bring along a variety of foods that you can eat without cooking, such as sandwiches.