Camping is a thoroughly enjoyable activity. There are numerous advantages to spending time with nature. One of life’s great pleasures is being surrounded by nature, breathing fresh air, and being able to participate in a variety of healthy activities.
Being off the grid, on the other hand, might be challenging at times. Is it possible, for example, to keep my tent cool in the absence of mains electricity?
Yes, a tent can be kept cool without the use of electricity. You can keep your tent cool by using natural or portable methods. Several factors must be taken into account.
The location, size, and materials used to construct the tent, as well as the use of “Space” or cooling blankets that can be erected over your tent to repel heat, all have an impact.
When you’re camping somewhere with no natural shade, these are a great option. Battery-powered cooling devices can also help keep your tent cool.
But first, let’s look into why tents get so hot.
What Causes Tents to Heat Up So Quickly?
A tent can overheat for a variety of reasons. From picking a camping spot that offers no shade at all. These blunders, in addition to pitching the tent too early in the day, can ruin a camping trip.
However, the most frequent misunderstanding that might result in overheating is a lack of airflow. The heat of the sun will be trapped within all tents. They’re essentially miniature greenhouses.
When you camp in hot weather and have a tent with no screening and only one entrance and exit, you’ve effectively created a hot box. If there isn’t a means for air to flow, the tent will get extremely hot, especially if you and others are inside creating heat.
Another reason for ventilation’s importance is moisture. Wet heat is much less comfortable than dry heat. A pleasant day might quickly turn out badly if the humidity is too high. The drier your tent is on the inside, the easier it will be to handle higher temperatures.
These are just a few of the reasons why your tent could be influencing your ability to stay cool when camping.
Even if you’re camping in the middle of summer, you can determine the most effective ways to stay cool.
Tent Fabrics: Basic Information (Both Pros and Cons).
When purchasing a tent, how do you decide on the material to use? With many different materials available, it’s easy to become confused.
Now, we’ll go over the properties of each tent fabric, and once you understand the benefits and drawbacks of each, you should be able to determine which fabric is best for you based on your needs and demands.
Nylon, Polyester, and Canvas are the most commonly used fabrics.
Nylon:
When looking at tents, the most common material you’ll come across is nylon. Because of its lightweight nature, nylon is often the material of choice for campers.
It’s a synthetic material that’s both long-lasting and resistant to UV rays, making it ideal for your tent.
It’s also a very breathable material. Airflow is vital so condensation does not accumulate inside your tent. One thing that isn’t great about nylon fabric is that it’s highly absorbent. That means that it doesn’t offer great water resistance.
Polyester:
Polyester is another synthetic material that is frequently used in the manufacture of tents. Polyester fabric is also more durable than nylon. So, why use nylon at all?
Even though nylon is less durable than polyester, it has a much higher strength-to-weight ratio. It’s also a little more stretchy, so it won’t rip as easily under pressure.
Previously, thicker polyester fabrics were thought to be more durable. There are now an increasing number of lightweight polyester fabrics that are also extremely durable.
As a result, polyester tents are becoming increasingly popular.
Canvas:
Canvas, unlike nylon and polyester, is made of cotton, a natural material. Cotton is more breathable than synthetic materials, which is one of the benefits of a canvas tent. It also outperforms in terms of UV resistance.
All of this makes it ideal for controlling the temperature inside your tent. A canvas tent will keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter, ensuring a relaxing night’s sleep.
On the other hand, it is heavier and takes much longer to dry. Regrettably, this can result in mildew growth inside the tent.
Weathering a cotton canvas tent significantly improves its water resistance. Weathering (or seasoning) your tent involves completely soaking it and allowing it to dry. Depending on the tent, this can be done once or several times.
It’s worth noting that if you get a canvas tent with a PVC coating, you won’t have to weather it before using it.
Finally, canvas tents cost more than most nylon or polyester tents.
Choose Your Tent Location Wisely (Using your surroundings to your advantage.)
Common sense should be applied. The location of your campsite will have a significant impact on the temperatures you’ll encounter while camping. However, regardless of your desired location, if you’re camping in the warmer months and pitch up your tent in a sunny location, it’ll get hot.
So, what are your options? Look for natural shade (trees, hills, vegetation if not in the wilderness, etc.) and choose a location that will provide shade for the majority of the day.
Remember that the Sun moves across the sky, so what may be a shady spot in the morning may become a furnace by the afternoon. As a result, a site surrounded by trees is more likely to provide shade throughout the day.
Hence it is critical to select the best spot to pitch your tent at your specific campsite. Setting up your tent in a shady spot can reduce the temperature inside by 20 or 30 degrees, or even more.
If you can somehow find a location near a river, lake, or pond, would be ideal. On a hot and humid day, even a gentle breeze can make a big difference and provide welcome relief.
Pick the Best Possible Time to Pitch Your Tent
The time of day you pitch your tent has a significant impact on the temperature inside.
Instead of pitching your tent right away when you arrive at your campsite and leaving it to heat up all day, wait until later in the day when the sun isn’t as hot.
Allow yourself enough time to get everything in order before it gets dark. You can wait until dusk if you can set up your tent and get it organized in about 30 minutes.
As a result, pitching the tent just before the sun goes down is ideal. You’ll be able to sleep as comfortably as possible inside your tent this way.
Using Different Cooling Techniques
You may find yourself camping in areas with no natural shade, in which case you must improvise. So, what other options do you have for keeping your tent cool?
Although evaporative coolers and the occasional portable battery-powered unit are available, if you can create a simple and basic cooling system, there are a few options available that don’t require electricity and are significantly cheaper.
Cooling Blankets Over Your Tent
Heat can be repelled by erecting “space” or cooling blankets over your tent. These are a wonderful alternative if you’re camping somewhere with no natural shade.
They’re normally only a few bucks, so even if you need a couple to cover your entire campground, you won’t be spending much. It’s also a good idea to invest in higher-quality options, even if they’re a little more expensive.
The thinner versions will not provide as much heat protection, and they are more likely to tear when being set up or if a mild breeze blows through your campground.
Using Blackout Curtains
Another option is to add blackout curtains to your tent, though most tents have their own built-in zip curtain system.
A blackout curtain can be positioned in the most unprotected section of your tent if you find yourself in a location that lets in more sunlight than you desire or if you can’t position your tent fully out of the sun. During the day, as the sun moves across the sky, you can even move the curtain.
Battery Powered Fan
Finally, if you’re going to a particularly hot location, it might be wise to invest in a battery-powered fan as part of your camping gear.
Although it is not an entirely natural option, the fans can be used without the use of electricity.
When you’re first trying to fall asleep inside a hot tent and your body temperature hasn’t had time to drop, these fans are a great option.
