No one every really plans a camping excursion with the intent of spending it all in rainy days in camp. However, unless you are especially lucky or have exceptional weather forecasting skills, sooner or later you will get rained on while camping. Even if there is no rain in the regional forecast, local variations around mountains (that often make their own weather) can create a sudden downpour.
A previous post (Camping In Rain) mainly dealt with how to set up your camp (tent or RV) to deal with rain. This one deals with how to make the most of rainy days in camp -- how to make the time fun or productive or both. Getting caught out in the rain can really dampen your spirits as well as your equipment, hair, and clothing, but once you get back to camp you can change into dry clothing and warm up -- assuming you are properly prepared with appropriate changes of clothing in the first place. And remember you will need to warm your spirits as well as your body.
If you do very much camping, you will encounter rainy days from time to time. Some mountain locations, which are often desirable camping destinations, may experience rain on an almost daily basis. Although my observations are based on limited personal experience as a teenager, it seems to me that we had thunderstorms every afternoon when my family was visiting Yellowstone Park. More recently, my wife and I were work camping at a mountain resort in southern Utah and had afternoon thunderstorms literally every day all summer. They experience a 'monsoon season', and the rain is almost like sprinklers on a timer -- only a lot more powerful! Y ou could almost set your watch by when the rain started each afternoon. Many mountains tend to create their own weather so you can get rained on when the rest of the region is dry and such specifically local activity doesn't usually make it into the regional weather forecasts. When that happens it is good to have access to some locals or frequent visitors who know the patterns. Or, learn to read the clouds yourself!
Rainy days have a reputation for spoiling parades and picnics, but they don't have to entirely spoil your camping adventures. You just need to make some preparations and appropriate adjustments in your schedule and your activities. If you are camping in an RV, you can enjoy indoor activities regardless of the weather outside (unless things get REALLY violent out there and you have to flee flash floods or mudslides!). Modern entertainment systems offer most of the options you would have at home and can keep kids of all ages amused for hours. Videos, over the air and satellite TV, and sometimes even Internet access afford a plethora of choices. Modern portable devices even make this available to tent campers while RVers can literally have all the comforts of home. Old fashioned board and card games are a fun and convenient way to pass the time in either an RV or a tent and don't use any non-renewable energy. Reading a book or magazine can help pass the time productively. In a pinch you can even read or re-read the instructions for your vehicles and/or equipment. Heavy or consistent rain can create serious problems for tents if you haven't prepared adequately in advance, but if you have an adequate tent and have set it up correctly, including proper drainage, you should be able to weather most summer storms in comfort. If the rain isn't too heavy you might even enjoy watching the storm from under your awning or canopy. Just be sure to lower one corner to allow the rain to run off so it doesn't pool. Of course, if the storm brings high winds or hail you'll want to roll up your awning before it gets damaged. Sometimes it is fun to just sit in your tent or RV and watch and listen to the rain. Mother Nature can put on quite a sound and light show during a thunderstorm! A summer storm can cool things off and bring a welcome relief from the heat. It can be very pleasant to sit under the awning or inside a tent or RV and smell the rain, watch the clouds and lightning, and listen to the thunder.
If you get caught out in the rain you may very likely be soaked to the skin by the time you get back to camp. Of course you'll want to avoid this if you can, so keep an eye on the sky and head back to camp BEFORE it starts to rain and before you get wet. If you do get soaked, change into dry clothing as soon as possible to avoid hypothermia, which can set in even in mild summer weather when you get wet. You will loose body heat 25 time as fast through wet clothing. Having a comfortable place to change clothes out of the rain in your RV or tent may literally be life saving and can certainly improve your comfort. If, for any reason, you don't have dry clothes to change into, remove your wet stuff, wrap up in towels, blankets, or sleeping bags until your clothing dries. A nice warm campfire will be tempting, but staying outside in wet cold clothes to get one going might not be worth the effort nor the risk of hypothermia. This is when the furnace in an RV is really nice to have. Just set the thermostat and get warm. A tent heater would be good to have on cold rainy days too. Just make sure you maintain sufficient ventilation to prevent suffocation. Just getting in out of the rain and wind and out of wet clothes is a good start. Keeping dry to start with is even better. I keep a light weight nylon windbreaker and a plastic poncho in my fanny pack when dirt biking. If we run into rain I can pull it over my jersey to ward of most of the wetness. There is almost always room for a compact plastic rain poncho. They are inexpensive, take up little room, yet can provide a surprising amount of protection against unwanted precipitation. Folded up they are about the size of a pocket handkerchief and can even fit in a shirt pocket. Keep an eye out for them at your local dollar stores and stock up so you have them when you need them.
Group activities are more of a challenge when it rains, but you don't have to give them up completely. On one camping trip with our daughter's in-laws, they set up a tarps that covered the whole HQ campsite, stretched from trailer to trailer to trees and enclosed with vertical tarps on the windward side. The center of the tarp was high enough and had an opening to permit a modest campfire and there was room for several picnic tables, serving tables, and camp chairs around the fire. There were occasional challenges to keep the rain from pooling in the tarps, but they soon became fun games for most of the youngsters (of all ages!) to find and dump them (sometimes on each other!) before they got heavy enough to pull the tarps down.
Rain sometimes puts a damper on OHV activities, but it doesn't have to shut them down entirely-- if you are prepared! Getting caught and soaked by an unexpected downpour can quickly dampen your spirits as well as your clothes. However, a light shower on a hot summer day can be enjoyable and, if you dress in appropriate rain gear to stay dry, riding in the rain can be a fun change of pace. I keep a plastic poncho in my fanny pack for some protection if I get caught in an unexpected shower. I also keep a rain suit in my motorcycle trailer in case it is already raining at the beginning of a ride or if rain is expected. Light rain can sometimes improve traction and visibility in dry, dusty conditions and can be a welcome respite from summer heat. Heavy rain can wreak havoc on trails and could lead to dangerous hypothermia when you get soaked. Dashing through a mud puddle and roosting your buddies might seem like fun, but consider what might lie beneath the surface of that puddle! Hidden rocks, sticks, or an unusually deep hole can wreak havoc on machine and rider, so exercise caution. Besides, your buddies probably will not enjoy getting splashed as much as you enjoy splashing them! And you might be the next target! Riding in the rain is different than riding on dry ground. Mud and wet rocks and other obstacles are slippery. Water reduces the coefficient of friction between your tires and pavement by about 50% and even more if you're on a muddy trail so you will experience a loss of traction and control. However, you don't want to become over cautious. Riding too slow, especially on a dirt bike or mountain bike, can be more treacherous than maintaining a reasonable speed. Another problem with "puddle jumping" is that water may splash up onto electrical components of your OHV and cause problems. Avoid deep water and stay out of sand washes and gullies, which are subject to flash floods. Even distant rain can produce surprise flash floods miles away. I saw a radiator fan shattered on one of our rental RZRs when the customer slammed into a deep puddle. The broken fan pierced the radiator and soon the vehicle overheated and stalled. It was an expensive repair that put a serious damper on his vacation. Playing in the mud in your OHV may seem like fun, but eventually you'll have to clean it and that isn't so much fun, so keep that in mind. In some places, the mud is highly alkaline and can quickly cause corrosion of metal parts so you want to avoid accumulation when you can and wash if off as soon as possible. I carry an old water type fire extinguisher in my motorcycle trailer for just that purpose. I can pump up the air pressure and spray off the bikes when necessary, kind of like a portable pressure washer. Its also handy for putting out Class A fires like campfires and tent and RV fires.
Rainy days can be an opportunity to catch up on things you put off in favor of more fun activities when the weather is good. Clean and/or organize your RV, motorcycle trailer, backpack, or tent. Clean and repair equipment and riding gear. Study those maps and local interest pamphlets you've been accumulating. Read or re-read through your owner's manual for your RV, OHV, and/or camping equipment. Write in your camping diary. Update your "wish list". Go to the store and do some shopping and replenish your provisions. Visit the local ranger station, forest service visitor's center, or museum. Invite some of your camping buddies over for warm treats and fun games or indoor entertainment and good conversation. Watch a favorite movie or read a book. Take a nap.
Rainy days may have an unexpected benefit: helping you to identify leaks in your RV or tent. If you keep up with routine maintenance, you shouldn't have any leaks, but they sometimes sneak up even on the most careful campers. There usually isn't much you can do about them while it is raining, but be sure to make note of where they are or mark them so you can make appropriate repairs when the sun comes back out. There is a special RV repair tape (Eternabond) that will stick even in wet conditions. If you have some of that you may be able to seal leaks around seams, vents, and windows temporarily even while it is raining. The same tape might be used to repair tents but it probably won't stick as well to tent fabrics as it does to smooth RV surfaces. And it isn't cheap! Duct tape can be used for temporary repairs after the area around the leak has dried so the tape will stick. You might get duct tape to stick to wet surfaces but I wouldn't count on it. I was surprised when the Mythbusters managed to slow the leaks below the waterline on a boat using only duct tape. Place bowls or pans temporarily under drips to limit soaking of interior areas. Controlling accumulation of moisture will reduce permanent damage and accelerate drying time to avoid the build up of mold, mildew, and dry rot. Its a lot easier to dump out a pan of water than to dry the carpet, upholstery, tent floor, clothes, or sleeping bags!
Rain can even be fun to watch, especially if you like thunder and lightning. Just be sure you chose a safe place for your observation post. Rain runoff can be more powerful than you might expect. Don't believe me? What do you think carved the Grand Canyon? Most people like the fresh smell that comes with rain so sitting under an awning or umbrella can be an enjoyable experience, if it doesn't get too cold or too windy, but you can probably mitigate a little weather with a sweater and/or jacket. If you have appropriate rain gear and/or a good umbrella, you might even enjoy walking in the rain. By the way, there is a specific term for the smell of rain: petrichor. The term comes from "petra", which means rock, and "chor", which is a fluid that comes from the veins of gods according the Greek myth. Much of the smell comes from ozone created when lightning splits water molecules but some it comes from the release of oils created by plants during dry times or from bacteria in the soil, both of which may be activated by rain.
Rainy days can be quite productive and enjoyable if you are prepared and take advantage of them. Rain usually brings at least temporary relief from sweltering summer heat, but sometimes it just creates humidity that makes the heat even worse. Can you say "sweltering?" When that happens about your only respite is go somewhere that has air conditioning. On those days a self-contained RV with a large roof A/C is a real blessing.
Let it pour!
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