Tent Camping in Extreme Heat

[citykidzmom]

Good Morning! I hope everyone is enjoying the lazy days of summer. We're about to embark on our second annual camping trip next month. How do you stay comfortable when it's hot and humid ? We toured several campgrounds over the weekend and noticed a lot of campers with box fans... Does that work ?

Thanks,
Kathy

[scott37300]

Re: Tent Camping in Extreme Heat

We went camping last week for 4 days, Monday thru Thursday and with our luck it happened to be the 4 hottest days of the year and only the forth time since 1950 that the dew point/humidity was that high. Heat index over 100 almost the whole time. There were times that sweat was just dripping off of us.

We bought a coleman tent fan and I was not impressed, we took it back Friday. It was one that had magnets so you put it right in the tent window and it ran on 6 C or D batteries. We are going to look for another better one, but if we ever get lucky enough to get this hot and humid weather on another trip we will look at getting an electric site and bring a big fan. Most are only 5 bucks more a night which is worth it bacause I can't sleep in the heat!

We also went swimming everyday as much as possible, just be careful of sunburn. There isn't much worse than a bad sunburn in the heat, just makes you ten times hotter.

I will agree with the above poster that cooking over a fire in the heat is not a good idea. A small grill or similar would be nice.

Lots and lots of water! I took a 5 gallon sports water jug and filled it with water and then brought a big can of gatoraid powder mix. The 5 of us went thru this in about 3 days only using it for drinking.

We had a site that was almost fully shaded by the trees and didn't get much of a breeze. The shade was nice but the lack of a breeze wasn't!

This was at a popular state park that you have to reserve weeks/months ahead of time and our vacations were planned. We didn't have a choice but made the best of it. There were a few times we wanted to just pick up and go home but overall it wasn't to bad. Try to stay cool and hydrated and in the pool/lake if you can and it can still be a fun trip!

[citykidzmom]

Re: Tent Camping in Extreme Heat

Wow! Thanks, that is an impressive list of tips. I'm warming up to putting box fans in each tent. I might also pick up some of those little misting fans that you hang around your neck.

[surmisez]

Re: Tent Camping in Extreme Heat

Last year, during the Independence Day weekend, we were camping in a spot that was super hot. We used two O2Cool battery operated fans from Walmart. They use 8 D batteries and work really, really well.

We used them in the tent at night and in the screen house during the day. The batteries lasted for the whole four days. We ended up using them at home later that month during a power outage, on the same batteries.

I highly recommend these fans and we do not camp without them.

HogSnapper has some great tips. Some of which we knew and utilized. Others I will keep in mind for future trips in super hot weather.

[citykidzmom]

Re: Tent Camping in Extreme Heat

Great Tips, Everyone Thanks! I will look into those O2Cool battery operated fans. We always camp at sites with electric, so box fans really wouldn't be a problem.
I'm also thinking about getting some dry ice for our food coolers.

[Bigdog57]

Re: Tent Camping in Extreme Heat

I and a few buddies from a local forum did an overnighter at a local lake, and I slept in my van. Night time temps dropped into the 70's, after a 90+ degree day. I had parked under a large tree for shade. The other guys had a mix of tents and hammocks, also under large shade trees. A couple rain showers brought the breeze and cooler temps than expected.
I used my O2Cool fan, the 8D-cell model - perfect for van or tent! Nice thing is, it does come with an AC adapter, so if you have AC power available, you can save your batteries.
We had plenty of water, and the lake provided relief for those who wanted to swim - just keep an eye out for that 12 foot gator we saw earlier....... :cool:
We did make a small fire with a grill over it - it was small enough to sit by and not get overheated - built it in a shallow hole so most heat is directed upwards.

[ceomom703]

Re: Tent Camping in Extreme Heat

Our family was hoping to get another camping trip out before school begins but with the weather the way it's been, it's not looking good for us. We are a family that enjoys being comfortable and being out in the heat would not be fun. I have to admire those you still go out and have fun.