Boboss - It's an artful maneuver to get into a small tent without much porching. The following tips come from an official team leader in a Duke of Edinburgh expedition, no less (my team was known as 'group wank', so, pinch of salt...)
- Survival bags (big orange things like this made of tough plastic that you can pick up for a couple of quid in any camping shop) are indispensible. Each person should have one, which works well if sharing a two-man tent. You use one bag as a groundsheet, providing a little ground dryness for your 'porch' as well as extra protection for the floor of the tent, and one bag to wrap your rucksacks and spare stuff in, meaning you can leave all this stuff outside the tent and out of your way. They also make for exellent sledges if you encounter any snow. And there's the survival bit - if you're caught up in mean weather, just nip inside it for that yummy 'plastic womb' feeling.
- When leaving the tent, make sure you leave the stuff you want dry (sleeping bag, towel, spare knickers, etc.) away from the porch. This means you can enter the tent without worrying about getting that stuff wet.
- When getting in the tent from the rain, first take your jacket off (once under cover of the tent, obv.). Fold the jacket so that the inside will be kept dry, and place it either in your porch (if you have room), in your survival bag, or just outside the tent (making sure it is folded up nice and waterproof).
- With jacket off, you can turn around and sit inside your innertent with your feet still our in the porch. If you have been wearing waterproof trousers which are wet, make like you are having a dump and hike them down so they are outside of the inner as well. remove your boots and put them in the porch/survival bag. If applicable, remove waterproof trousers and leave where suitable.
- You can now shuffle into your inner and let the poor sod who's been standing out in the rain waiting for you to get your outerwear off get in the tent.
- You should now be inside your tent and able to change into dryer clothing that you haven't been walking in.
- Towel off, get in your sleeping bag and listen the the rain. Wonder why you don't live in a dry country. |
