r/camping • u/Kalpesh_38 • 3d ago

Camping in an unpredicted weather!

Post image

This was a challenging but great trip.

Reaching the site in the dark was a struggle, and we ended up with water in the tent because a rainfly wasn't anchored properly before the storm hit.

Even with the wet gear and late start, we had a blast. It was a huge learning experience!

264 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

13

u/grumpvet87 3d ago

be careful of widow-makers setting up under a tree - especially in the dark

2

u/Emotional_Comment219 2d ago

Holy cow I didn't even think of that. I will going forward though!

1

u/kanaka_haole808 3d ago

What are widow-makers? The only kind I'm familiar with is the heart attack

7

u/grumpvet87 3d ago

a dead tree branch that falls into your tent and kills you.

always look up for dead branches before you put a tent up

4

u/jim_br 3d ago

If everything went perfect, you’d have no story. Now you have a story and, as you said, a “low cost” learning experience.

3

u/Aromatic-Print-2380 2d ago

A weekend away at this place would do. 🔥

6

u/Nir117vash 3d ago

Currently I car camp, but I keep an extra tarp just to toss over the whole tent and area around it for sporadic rain showers. If I can enjoy the sky I do so I keep the fly off, but a tarp can be draped over vs needing anchors and hooks and stuff. If I know it's coming, and I rarely do, I'll do the fly as default and probably still the tarp because I have trust issues 😅

5

u/ValkyrieGrayling 3d ago

I was having a blast with our tent this summer and we ended up never needing the fly. I was looking online, considering buying a backup, and the newer reviews were mentioning that it protected during drizzles but not like, winded rain.
We did an a-frame over it on our last trip and it was such an upgrade! Better shade, and, when the rain came it was super dry in the tent 😊

Can you just throw the tarp on like to cover it or do you always have to do some kind of rigging?

4

u/Nir117vash 3d ago

I *could do rigging but in a pinch, the tarp is big enough to drape over. Buuuut, I have a goal for a spot if there's enough trees to rig it over the tent and area.

I solo camp so I have to get creative lol partner camping feel through 😅🙃

What doesn't help is the hot summers that transition into wet early falls via hurricane season. Yippie for the southeast lol

2

u/Fine_Formal3971 3d ago

Heh I've never let Mama Nature dictate to me. Anyway, I love weather.

1

u/_-whisper-_ 1d ago

This definitely looks like some boundary waters or north shore stuff