Tent camping can be relaxing and fun. The problem is unless you live is just the right location, you only get a few months out of the year where it’s not either too hot or too cold to go tent camping. So unless you only want to go on a few campouts a year you’ll have to know how some tricks to make hot weather camping enjoyable and fun.
Location
Location is really important when it comes to hot weather camping. Setting up next to a lake seems like a great idea until you try and find shade. On the flip side camping in the woods is shading and keeps the sun off you, but you may not get much breeze to cool you off. When it comes to location for your campsite you want something that has just enough shade to keep the sun off. Without so many trees and whatnot that you can’t get any breeze if the wind picks up.
Tent Selection
Selecting a tent for hot weather camping you need to look for a tent that has lots of air flow. If you have the money to own more than one tent this is where you’d buy single season summer only tent. It’s still a good idea to look for a tent with a rain fly, however depending on the weather you may choose not to use it. Another thing to consider is getting a bigger tent. Opposite of cold weather camping in the hot weather you want more space in your tent. You don’t want your body heat keeping your tent warm all night.
The other good option for hot weather camping instead of a tent is a hammock. It’s going to easily allow any breeze to keep you cooler. Plus with no insulation below you but a thin hammock you’ll be cooler on all sides. Now depending on where you are and the weather you may need a bug net, and a rain tarp. The other thing is you’ll have to camp where there are enough trees to hang a hammock or bring a stand.
Sleeping Bags/ Liners
When it comes to sleeping bags in hot weather you may decide to skip it all together. However, even in the warmest weather sometimes it still gets cool in the middle of the night. So you will want something. They best thing to do is get a decent summer weight sleeping bag. Then add a sleeping bag liner for when you need something just to soak up the sweat but not trap in the heat. You can also just buy a fleece sleeping bag and use it alone. They work great for summer, and come colder weather they add about 10 degrees lower rating for your normal sleeping bag.
Have a Good Cooler
When it’s hot out side the last thing you want it your food spoiling. Not to mention having something cool to drink helps a lot. So having a good cooler than will keep cold for more than a few days without adding ice is a necessity.
For years the best cooler for keeping food cold camping were Yeti coolers. However, recently Ozarks Trails and a few others have made coolers that work as well at a fraction of the price. All these coolers are highly insulated and will keep ice in your cooler for 4-5 days. I can safely say the Ozarks Trails will keep cold for 4 days of use in 90 degree weather.
Of course if you plan on camping for then 4 to 5 days you may want to consider a way to get more ice. Whether it’s a run into the nearest town or maybe buying a electric cooler. There’s also portable ice makers. The only downside to these are you’ll need power for them. Either the power port on your car, or an electrical hookup at your campsite.
Clothing
Clothing plays a huge part of helping stay comfortable when hot weather camping. It’s been said a by many people that cold weather is better because you can always put more clothes on. Whereas in hot weather you can only take some much clothing off. While that’s pretty funny, but even if did camp naked it’s not going to be as comfortable or cool at wearing the correct clothing.
Loose Fitting and Cover Up
While it seems counter intuitive to wear long pants and long sleeves when it’s 90 plus degrees out, this is the best way to stay comfortable. Light colored clothing reflexes the sun. While cotton hold moisture and lets the wind help cool you off. When camping in hot weather it’s a good idea to wear light cotton shirts and loose fitting long pants.
You also want to breathable underwear. This is where you should consider synthetic materials. Having wet clothing tight on your person may cause rashes and chaffing. So while loose cotton is great for outer layers, use synthetic materials for anything that’s going to be tight against your skin. Consider breathable nylons, and polyester.
You also want to keep as much sun off your skin as possible so wearing a breathable hat is not only good to avoid sun burns. It’s great for keeping you cooler, and feel better. Not to mention anything you can do to avoid sun burns is a huge bonus. As a sun burn is just going to had to your uncomfortable feeling of being hot.
Cooling Off Tips
No matter how much you prepare for the hot weather you will eventually need to figure out how to cool off. While in a perfect world you’ll just run back to your car or camper and turn on the AC until you feel better. Maybe even go take a dip in a pool or lake. However, this isn’t always an option when tent camping. Which means you’ll have to find other options to cool yourself off.
Battery Fans
Since we can’t control the weather, having a fan is a great alternative when there is no breeze. The ideal thing would be to have a box fan, but unless you have electricity at your campsite, having a battery powered fan is almost as good. They make a few different styles of battery fans.
Many of the fans made today are rechargeable with a USB battery. These work great for overnight and weekend camp outs. You just have to make sure they are charged before you leave. Some of them can even be used to charge your phone or other devices. The biggest problem with these are once the battery is drained you have not option to charge it without a car or home power source.
The other style of battery fans are powered by D batteries. While these batteries can get pricey. You can also carry back up batteries so you know if you run out of juice, all you have to do is change out the batteries and you have a working fan again. This is a great option for longer camp outs.
Wet Towels/Shirts
Another thing you can do to cool off in hot weather is stick a cooling towel in your cooler for a few minutes then us it to cool off with. Using a cooling towel designed to help cool you off as the water evaporates is best. However, you can use a wet shirt or regular bandana or even your hat. Something wet with cold water will help you cool off as it dries out.
Drink Lots of Water
The most important thing to remember while hot weather camping is to drink lots of water. The hotter is out the more you need to drink. By the time you get thirsty you are already starting to get dehydrated. Dehydration will make you feel hotter, and cause some serious health problems. So if you aren’t having to pee once an hour you need to be drinking more water.
Conclusion
When hot weather camping, where you camp is the most important. You want some shade without limiting the amount of potential air flow. Then you need to look at having the right tent, and sleeping bag. Along with making sure you are dressed with the right comfortable clothing. Add in a good way to keep your food cold, some fans to help keep you cool, and lots of water. If you prepare for the weather hot weather camping doesn’t need to be miserable.